Old Friends....

It's become a tradition to get together with my high school friends some time during the holidays. The group make-up changes every year depending on who happens to be "home for the holidays." As the years have passed we've come to include husbands, kids, random friends. It's.....tradition.

This year it was just three of us, Jen, Trina & I. Trina kindly offered to make dinner. It was yummy potato, ham and cheese soup. Jen brought the sourdough and I made rice krispy treats. It was fun, simple, and it worked for Trina's kids as well. It was a good evening.

Christmas!

It's a frantic time of year filled with family, friends, food...festivities. There! I finished the alliteration. :)

Anyway, back to the Christmas. Mom, Dad and I spent Christmas Eve afternoon baking pies and putting together other yummy stuff. We headed to my sister's for Christmas Eve where we ate, played games and opened the one present we allow ourselves. My youngest niece and I tracked Santa on NORAD. Each new destination was carefully sounded out by her third grade reading skills. It was fun.

Christmas morning dawned somewhat early. The prime rib had to go into the oven by 7:30, and who can sleep through the smell of delicious roasting meat. More presents were opened. Kitter spent the morning attacking the piles of wrapping paper and playing with a new catnip mouse. Family started to arrive around 12:30. More presents were followed by the arrival of more family. Dinner went on the table at 2:00 or so. We stuffed ourselves to the gills on prime rib, mashed potatoes, veggies, bread, and salad. Many of us napped wherever we collapsed, to be roused later by the sound of Mom's beaters frothing whipping cream for pies. We ate some more. All sorts of things were covered in conversation. Family member trickled out much the way they had arrived hours earlier until it was only Mom, Dad, me and the Kitter. Clean up was done and it was pretty early to bed for all of us. It was a very good day.

Christmas Sweets

My mother made twenty-six of these candy plates this year. Each had six different kinds of homemade candy. She's very industrious.

It's a Boy!

It's official. My sister is expecting a boy, or so the ultrasound tech assures them. It must be true since the parents-to-be can't agree on a boy's name. (They had a girl's name all picked out) Needless to say, everyone's pretty excited to see the little guy in a few months.

End of a Community

For the past year and a half (since moving back) I've spent many hours (and much money) at Scrapbook Fever. It's been a most awesome store, full of all sorts of scrapping treasures. The incredible staff know my name and always have smiles and greetings when I walk in the door. The community of fellow scrappers has been so supportive, and undemanding; something that my work community cannot always be. It's been a little oasis of peace in an often chaotic world.

That being said, I'm in mourning. Scrapbook Fever will be closing on December 24. There will be no more crops, classes, advice. I may never see some of those familiar faces again. Last Friday I attended what was my last Friday Night Crop. I was not inspired to work on any project. I was not ready to say good bye. I found a few minor tasks to take on, but mostly I worked to absorb the feelings I have when I'm in the store and the prescense of those wonderfully talented ladies. When the time came for me to leave for the evening I wished everyone Happy Holidays, and packed up my things like so many Friday nights before, and I walked out the door for what may be the last time. I can't see myself drawing out the goodbyes. It's too hard.

Jen's Birthday in Portland

My friend Jen has moved back to Oregon. I'm so excited she's here because I missed her when she lived elsewhere.Today was Jen's birthday, so we spent the day exploring Portland.

It's not just me...

So, I'm watching the Civil War game (Oregon St v. University of Oregon, for those not in the know) and during halftime, there was a Q&A segment with Lou Holtz, one of the most successful college football coaches of all time, and now a commentator/analyst for ESPN. So, one of the questions (asked by former NBA player Magic Johnson) was "What are the biggest differences between players today than those thirty years ago?" Mr. Holtz named two things: the idea of entitlement as opposed to obligation, and respect. He went onto explain that players today feel they are entitled to what they want over their obligation to the team. His second comment was in regards to how they don't respect other people, because they don't respect themselves.

Amen! I agree completely. I have some very challenging individuals in my classroom this year. I struggle with these two issues a lot. It's interesting how my students are quick to demand they should be able to say/do/act however they wish because for me to tell them not to say/do/act in some way interferes with their freedom of speech/religion/culture/etc. None of them ever stand up and tell those who are disturbing the learning environment, that they are infringing on the rights of those wishing for an education. At the same time my students are mean. They don't seem to comprehend the value of kindness. And that, to me, boils down to respect.

I struggle with this because I don't know where we've gone wrong in accepting so little from people. I never, ever would have imagined telling my parents or teachers or anyone in a position of authority to "f#@k off" or called them an "asshole" or a "bitch". (Yes, I've heard all these and more from my students). So I'm left to wonder, what do we do now?

NaNoWriMo Update

Announcing....


It's done. I finished my 50,000 words this evening. I don't know that what I wrote isn't a pile of cliched drivel, but I set a goal and I reached it.

I also want to give a shout out to my friend Jen Taylor who is also a 2009 NaNoWriMo winner. Way to go Jen!

Oh Christmas Tree

My tree is up and decorated. This year I chose a Nordmann Fir, and it's proving more cooperative and kinder on the skin that last year's blue spruce. Let the Chirstmas festivities begin!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Thompson's Mills

The other day we were out in Shedd, and took a little time to check out one of the newest state heritage sites: Thompson's Mills. It is the oldest water powered grain mill in Oregon. It opened in 1858. We didn't have time for a mill tour. We'll have to go back and do that another day.

Veteran's Day Parade

Today was the 91st anniversary of the World War I Armistice. I think it's an interesting fact of history that the war ended on the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" in 1918. And here we were, today, watching the 89th Annual Veteran's Day Parade in Albany, which began today, like every year, at 11:00 am. I enjoy the symmetry of that.



Now, about the parade. Today it was kind of wet, with a few sprinkles. Luckily it waited until after the parade for the sky to really open up and dump buckets. There were soldiers (the Oregon National Guard) was well represented, Veterans from every war since World War II, school marching bands, community and service groups, police, firefighters, ROTC cadets, boy scouts, girl scouts, VFW, American Legionaries, families of active military, military vehicles from the historic to the current - and more that I can't remember right now. This parade is the biggest honoring veterans in the western United States. And it's a wonderful thing to see the people turn out to thank those brave men and women for their honor and sacrifices.

Little Reminders - Be Thankful

I just finished reading a post on Lisa's blog. It seems Taylor had a rather disturbing flight recently. Reading about it I was thrown back in time.

It was June 2000. Traci, Patti, Kristy and I had been in Florida on a vacation. We took off from Ft. Lauderdale to fly home. And it became the flight from Hell. First, we should have been flying west, but had to go east 50 miles out over the ocean to avoid a weather front. After making the turn we ran into the storm and watched lightning bounce around outside the plane. Turbulence was awful. But the worst was yet to come. Somewhere over the Midwest I noticed my ears were popping. Suddenly we could hear "losing cabin pressure" from the cockpit, then nothing. We continued to drop and then the oxygen masks came down. We were told to put them on. Then we were told that we would be diverted due to a loss in cabin pressure. There were two options: One go to Billings, MT, land and wait for repairs, or Two, land in Denver. Luckily, we went to Denver.

The landing was fairly smooth, but a scary site. Since it was an emergency landing, the runway was lined with emergency vehicles. We came to a stop and then had to wait while an EMT came on and asked everyone if they had any pain, illness, etc. Finally, we pulled up to the gate and disembarked. It was so late the Denver airport was practically deserted. We had to wait for another plane to land, then for it to be serviced before we could take off again. It was a very, very trying day.

People reacted to this situation very differently. My sister had to be coaxed onto the plane for our flight to Portland. The family sitting behind us had spent the flight saying the rosary and crossing themselves. Other cried. And I'm sure most prayed. I don't really remember what I did. I tried to stay calm, because there was nothing I could do.

The lesson I got that night was to remember to be thankful for the little things. Life can change or end in an instant. Be thankful.

NaNoWriMo

It's November that means NaNoWriMo! For those who are not in the know, the title stands for National Novel Writing Month. It's a challenge: Write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I attempted it in 2007 and only made it about 22,000 words. After giving last year a pass with moving and new job, I decided to try again. Wish me luck.

PS: To those of you who have asked if you can read it when I'm done, we'll see. :)

Inspiration vs Chaos

Last night I had the urge to get some thank you cards made. Before starting I actually cleared off my table. Less than an hour in, this is what inspiration looked like. Or was it chaos?

First Aid

After my post last week about volunteering for the Red Cross, a reader posted a comment about a first aid website, www.GoToAid.com. I've only looked at some of the pages briefly, but the information looks really good. I'm especially happy that the site addresses first aid for dogs and cats as well as humans.

Amazing Color

I posted earlier this month about the fall colors, but the photo I posted wasn't very colorful. Here's a better shot. From a distance these trees look almost artificial the color is so brilliant.

Volunteering - Pay it Forward

Tonight I returned to a project I've been involved with for about ten years now - teacher CPR and First Aid classes for the American Red Cross. I admit my initial decision to teach these classes was kind of selfish. As a substitute teacher in some districts, I was required to have my CPR and first aid certification. At $40 a year, I wasn't exactly keen on keeping that current. My solution was to volunteer to teach, and it's been a great experience. Until I moved south four years ago I was a very regular volunteer instructor, teaching classes every month. Living on the coast, I only taught occasionally. Tonight's class was the first I'd taught since I moved back here over a year ago.

This coming Saturday is a Day of Service; one of those days that is labeled in hopes of getting people out into the community, to do some work to benefit the community and to build community. I think it's a great idea, but I really feel that volunteerism has to last all year long. It doesn't have to be huge, all encompassing projects. Interaction with others has so many benefits both for the volunteer and the recipient. Find a niche, make some effort and you'll find that it really does pay forward.

Does Crime Pay?

Last week I received a phone call from my credit card company. My account had been frozen pending verification of some "suspicious" charges. The customer service rep, who was kind of witchy, asked me about several vendors. I didn't recognize all of them, so the company closed that account and issued me a new card which I received a couple days ago. Today, I received my statement. I have to say the company was great about deducting the fraudulent charges since the three transactions totalled more than $300!

I called this evening to activate the new card and actually spoke to a customer service rep who explained that someone has their identity stolen every 3.5 seconds. That's more frequent than babies being born.

So, I don't know if crime pays, but I know it costs us all money and peace of mind.

October....

....is one of my favorite months. I love the cooler weather. It means I can break out my favorite sweaters and long sleeve tees. And in Oregon, Mother Nature gets busy with her color palette. The family spent this last weekend in Central Oregon, where the weather was chilly (a whopping 27 degrees) and frosty in the mornings. By afternoon the thermometer had climbed to almost 60 with sun and blue skies. It was a great a couple of days hanging out with family and friends. Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures. I was too busy. :)

National Parks on PBS

I've been watching Ken Burns' new documentary series on the National Parks. It's been interesting to see how the history of the parks has evolved through the hard work and determination of some ordinary and extraordinary individuals.

There are 391 units in the National Park Service system that are divided into nine regions. They encompass parks, seashores, historical trails, battlefields, monuments, homes and areas of natural wonder. I've been fascinated by them for a long time. And I've had a very patient family who has allowed me to drag them to several. (Even when they have not really been interested in that particular site.) One day, I'd like to be able to say I've visited all 391 (of course, that number is bound to increase). A quick tally of the cancellation stamps in my National Parks Passport tells me I have about 320 to go.

Earthfotos Exhibit

On Friday evening I had the opportunity to attend the reception for a new Earthfotos photography exhibit. The photos will be on display for the next few weeks, so go by the OSU Center for the Humanities on Jefferson between 8th and 9th streets in Corvallis, or check out Ron's Earthfotos website.

Oktoberfest

Living in southern Oregon I missed so many of the fairs and festivals of my childhood. Yesterday my mother, sister and I headed to Mt. Angel for the Oktoberfest. I really wanted to go this year. Not for the beer, or the music, but for the food. What can I say? I love my heiritage and food, so brats with kraut and onion rings were calling my name. It was worth it. :)

Thank you for Blessings

I consider myself to be a person of faith. Faith that God exists and He hears our prayers. Faith that those prayers come in a variety of shapes, sizes and emotions, and that that is not as important to God as what we have to say.

So...that being said I wanted to shout that my prayers for someone I love a great deal have been answered. After months of waiting for new medical tests and a second opionon this person does not have a cronic, debilitating illness. Thanks to God for hearing our prayers. It is a blessing.

9/11 Remembered

Today was the 8th anniversary of September 11. It's hard to believe it's only been eight years since in some ways it's faded from my memory somewhat. Then tonight the History Channel showed a marathon of 9/11 footage including the documentary "102 Minutes that Changed America." I hadn't seen it before, and it brought back the horror of the whole situation.

I admit that my first recollections of that morning eight years ago fell along the lines of "oh, how interesting." I'm not an AM TV watcher, so I first heard about the attack on the radio. Then came a little more information. But the moment that it really hit me was as I was driving I-5, passing Enchanted Forest when the announcement came that the airports were closed. That was my "whoa!" moment. I was supposed to pick up my sister and a friend at PDX that night. They were flying home from another friend's wedding in Nevada. I called my parents to find out if they had heard from my sister. And I spent the rest of the day teaching in a building that had no cable TV. The internet was overloaded, and information was scarce. The whole day was sort of surreal until I could see the images on TV when I got home.

Work kept my thoughts pretty calm. Once I was home, however, my overactive imagine could run rampant. The wedding guests in Nevada managed to squeeze extra people in cars. My sister got home about 11:00 that night. My immediate family was accounted for, Thank God. But it was days before I heard from friends in LA and DC, who could have either been on one of those planes, or near the Pentagon when that plane hit. And then came the realization that life would be different. And I made a pledge to myself to not live in fear, which I think I've done pretty well.

School Day 6 - Some Thoughts So Far

Today was the sixth day of school, and I'm feeling a bit "off". First, I'm having trouble (at least in my mind) with only working half days. It just feels like I leave the day unfinished by leaving before the kids do. Second, in the last six days we've had three different schedules. It's been a bit nerve-wracking to not feel like the routine is set. Since the schedule affects my classroom less than some of the others, I can only wonder how other teachers are feeling. Finally, I'm putting in some sub hours. I really thought subbing was behind me. Way back when, when I was a sub, I enjoyed the work. It was stimulating on one level and gave me tons of experience. I got to go home at the end of the day without grading or lesson plans to write. It was fun. Now, I'm feeling sort of like I've been demoted. It's not the subbing experience that bothers me; it's the subbing job that does.

Labor Day Weekend - Rain & Eagles

We spent a really wet, soggy weekend at the lake. Don't get me wrong. It was enjoyable, just...wet. That means smokey campfires, squishy mud between the toes, and just hanging out with friends and family. I played numerous games of "Go Fish" and "Blackjack" with my younger niece; celebrated my older niece turning Sweet 16, and listening to wildly outrageous stories by several people.

So, most of the crew packed up Sunday and headed home. We decided to stick it out one more night. The weather cleared a bit and we were entertained watching a pair of bald eagles. It was worth the weather.

Back to School

Today was our first official day back to school. Okay, so I had to work last week, but today was the first "kid day." And it doesn't matter that I've been a teacher for over a decade, first days are always THE FIRST DAY.

Today went really well. Thankfully my students are a older; mostly juniors and seniors. About half of the group is consists of kids I had last year. That can be a blessing or a curse. Today it was a blessing. Of course we've implemented a new curriculum which sort of leveled the playing field a bit. Thankfully most everyone was patient as we sorted our the various technological bugs. The oddest part for me was leaving at lunch time. I'm not used to only working a half day. I'm not sure I like it. It leaves so much undone. I lack closure. On the plus side, leaving at noon means I'm energized. I go to the gym. I clean house. Who knows what else I can accomplish. :)

Balloons and Curtis Salgado

This weekend is the Wah Chang Northwest Art & Air Festival in Albany. It's a craft fair and hot air balloon festival that is family friendly and cheap. I hadn't been for several years, but last night the parents and I attended my favorite part of the festival: The Night Glow. This year there were six balloons lit up after dark, and as a bonus, Curtis Salgado was playing a concert. It was a great. Too bad my pictures aren't. :)

Questioning....

When I was a kid I asked questions. Often instead of a good answer I'd be sent off to "look it up." And I'm glad since the skill is a useful one, and one I wish my students would learn. The Internet has taken looking things up to a whole new level. But I often wonder if we have traded good research skills for easy answers. My students love Wikipedia and don't understand why I often encourage them to look deeper. But I digress...

Yesterday I was doing my workout when I overheard a conversation between a member I'd never met and Karin, the employee on duty. The subject that came up was language school. This new (I soon found out) member is moving to Costa Rica at the end of the year. I was curious about why she chose Costa Rica, so I asked. After all, if don't ask....

So, this very nice woman answered my inquiry. She and her husband are missionaries, and their church has a language school in Costa Rica. Oh. Mission work is something I know very little about. So I asked another question. And another. And...well you get the picture. I finished my workout and realized I'd totally monopolized this woman for twenty minutes. I thanked her most politely, wished her luck on her mission in case we don't cross paths again, and left with greater knowledge than I had previously. I hope I wasn't too pushy, and that I didn't turn her off to polite inquiry. If I did, I'm really sorry.

A Rosy Glow

As I drove home tonight I was reminded again why I love living here. The sun was setting, shining a warm rosy glow over the fields and trees. I rolled down the window and smelled "summer". That combination of fresh air and freshly mowed hay mingled with plowed fields. I missed that when I was living on the Coast. There, the sunsets were spectacular (when we weren't fogged in) but the smells were different. They just weren't homey enough.

Summer's End; School's Begin

Okay, so I know that technically that is not a true statement. But I have to go back to work tomorrow. Summer vacation is over, ergo, summer is over. And it was just too short. I'm really not ready to put my teacher hat back. Thankfully, we don't have students for another week, so I guess I'll have some time to adjust.

This year will be different. Education cuts mean a half-time contract. Financial concerns aside, the scheduling will be a challenge. I'm not absolutely certain how that's going to play out just yet. Wish me luck.

Noonish and other words

Last weekend I typed a brief itinerary for our family reunion. I used "noonish" to describe the time for lunch. One of my cousins, who was visiting from out of state, wonders what that word "noonish" meant. When I explained, she wanted to know if that was an "Oregon thing." But it got me thinking about words, and where they come from.

Noonish. I don't know the origins. But putting the suffix -ish onto a time seems to enter my life often. When I make plans for dinner, it's "sixish"; plans for a movie, "seven thirtyish" And my friends do it too! Is it an Oregon thing? Or does it come from somewhere else?

Language evolves to fit our needs. I remember conversations during high school French classes about the role of the Academie Francais, which attempts to regulate the French language. Yet the French, like other cultures around the globe, have integrated words from different languages to suit their needs. And goodness knows that children constantly make up words to fill voids in their vocabulary. Sometimes those words stick around well into adulthood. I have one friend who uses the word "fantabulous". She's been using it for as long as I remember (we met in 4th grade), but I don't know when she started. But I do know that every time I use it, I think of her, even when she's in far off places like Guatemala.

Summer Weather

I just had to post about the weather. Last week we hit 106. And had nine consecutive days with the temperature 90+. That just doesn't happen in western Oregon!

And today...the temperature maxed out at 66 degrees.

Israel Family Reunion

Wow! The event I've been looking forward to (and dreading) is done. I'm a descendent of Michael Israel (b. ca 1736) and his wife Sarah Graves. Each year some of his descendents get togehter for an annual reunion. The reunion travels around the country (the last four have been in Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and now Oregon). Next year, we're tentatively planning for New York.

So, the reunion is great. These people are wonderful, and we have fun. I was really looking forward to seeing everyone. The dread part was had a lot to do with being this year's host. It seemed like so many things went wrong. there was a mix up with hotel. My first caterer cancelled at the last minute. And I really didn't know what to do with everyone. But the biggest fear was "what if nobody shows up."

In retropecct, the reunion when well.

July 30 - most of the attendees arrived. I had a meeting room available and we spent time greeting each other and catching up. It was a fairly early night. All those east coasters were ready for bed by 9:00 pm. We owe a huge "Thank You" to the Corvallis Applebees for not freaking out when 17 of us showed up for dinner.

July 31 - I planned a trip to Champoeg State Park. They have a great visitor's center, and since most of the family came in from out of state (California, Indiana, Louisiana, Nebraska, Alabama) it was a good choice. Mr. & Mrs. Hinds, who provided costumed interpretation were awesome! We ate lunch at the historic Butteville store. Dianne and her crew did a great job of providing lunch for all 23 of us. And Judy at the Newell House Museum welcomed us graciously without prior notice (I didn't think we'd have time to visit).





August 1 - About 15 of us made a quick trip out to North Palestine Cemetery this morning. I told about the family branch that came west. This afternoon was some scheduled downtime/visiting/sharing. I had to get things ready for dinner. I owe Kendra and her crew at Bo-Mack's Barbeque for saving the family dinner. When my other caterer flaked, they very graciously stepped in and fulfilled our needs. The food was excellent! And I really appreciate all the work put in by the team at the Corvallis Holiday Inn Express getting the banquet room all set up on such short notice.




As I said, it was a great reunion. Definitely a success, which I'm greatful for.

Marionberries!

The marionberries have been exploding over the last couple weeks. Mom's made jam and pies while freezing more for future pies, and giving berriees to friends and family. The berries at Mom & Dad's house descend from the berries my grandparents had more than 30 years ago.

Marionberries are my absolute favorite. They're both tart and sweet. There's a bit of a surprise in every bite, which I love. I don't love picking them. They have these really nasty little stickers. It's the legacy of the marionberry's ancestor, the himalayan blackberry. Sometimes you don't know you've got a sticker embedded in a finger until it festers a few days later.

Unfortunately, marionberries mean that summer is almost over. In a couple weeks I'll be headed back to school and a new crop of students.

New Passport

It's here! My new passport arrived in the mail yesterday. I'm happy to have it, even though no trips are planned right now. I guess I need to start saving my pennies and plan to go somewhere and have some fun.

Sisters Quilt Show

I'd never been to the Sisters Quilt Show. I'm not a quilter, so this event (which is a really big deal to quilters) was not on my "must see" list. Don't take me wrong, there's nothing wrong with quilting, and if I didn't have creative outlets elsewhere, and I was somewhat talented with a sewing machine, I might try it. But I digress....

I had no plans for the weekend, so the parents said "Pack a bag and come along. We'll hang out in Sisters, and do whatever we want." So that's what I did, and we were off to Sisters on Friday morning. The weather was beautiful. We saw some truly gorgeous quilts. Man, are people talented or what? I had a chance to see some of my cousins. It was a good weekend. But most of all, it made me appreciate all hard work that must have gone into those old quilts my grandmother and great-grandmother made. Man. I would never have the patience.

Aunt Bess

I got a call from my dad this morning that Aunt Bess pass away last night. It was not totally unexpected. Her life had been long (96 years) and full. She has children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren surviving her, as well as nieces and nephews.

Aunt Bess would be the first to say that living a long life is hard. I remember one conversation where she now understood how her mother must have felt outliving most of her peers. Granny, my great-grandmother died at 93, after being a widow for more than 30 years.

Bess was sharp. She had trained as a teacher, and the conversations were never dull. Her sense of humor was always in play. But she was the last link to the past. My grandmother, Bess' sister has been gone almost a decade. Losing Bess is not just the loss of her, but the loss of memories of the generations she remembered all the way back to our Oregon Trail pioneers who Bess and Grams knew well.

Raspberry Picking

The fresh berry season continues. Today the parents, sister and I headed out to Childer's Raspberry Farm east of Albany and picked 29 pounds worth of beautiful, giant, red berries! Mom took most of them home, made jam and froze the rest. I kept a few for eating. In fact, I'm chowing down as I write this post.

A week at the lake

The parents and I spent the week at the lake. It's nice to just sit...and do nothing. Well, not exactly nothing...we took walks, fished, took boat rides, swam, ate, napped, read, laid in the sun (Mom worships the sun. Love that Vitamin D!) You get the picture. After all, what else are you going to do camping in places without electricity, wifi and cell service?

The 4th of July is always interesting at the lake. We're surrounded by forest, so fireworks are pretty much a no-no. One year fireworks set a forest fire. Another year, some idiot used gasoline to light the bridge on fire. Luckily the bridge is concrete. This year we saw some really beautiful fireworks, then we saw sheriff's deputies hunt down the offenders (These were not legal Oregon fireworks) and issued citations.

Oregon State Hospital

Teachers are always learning. Oregon requires so many professional development units (PDU's) to renew a teaching license. Most of those units are acquired through staff development activities throughout the school year. But, occasionally, teachers will take some summer workshops or college classes and earn a few more. This week I'm doing a workshop call Summer Institutes. I attended one in 2003 and there were about 20 participants. This week, there are almost 160.

Part of the Summer Institutes curriculum is community interaction. Today my group toured the Oregon State Hospital. For those of you who don't know, the hospital's main building was built in 1883. It's been crumbling for decades, and now the hospital is going though a major demolition and renovation project. It was an interesting tour of a facility that has a long and interesting history. I'm glad I got a chance to see parts of it.

Strawberry Picking

Today we picked strawberries at Green's Bridge Gardens in Jefferson. Tomorrow, I make strawberry ice cream!

69th Annual Sisters Rodeo

Here's a few photos from the family trip to the Sisters Rodeo, and the rodeo parade last weekend.