Food and Wine

Another awesome weekend at Taste of Ashland has come to an end. We had a fabulous time, ate lots of yummy food and drank some lovely wine, beer and cider. This year we missed taking our fabulous group shot, so this one taken at the K&R in Rice Hill (enjoying a traditional Sunday afternoon Umpqua ice cream stop) will have to stand in.

Music Festival

Another year at the BiMart Willamette Country Music Festival. We had a great a time!

Montgomery Gentry

Gary Allen

Thompson Square

Eric Church

Sara Evans

Blake Shelton

Music Festival

I spent this past weekend at the Willamette Country Music Festival. This year's lineup was awesome! We saw...

Pam Tillis

Rodney Atkins

Sugarland

Lee Brice

Billy Currington

Martina McBride

Jana Kramer

The Band Perry

Trace Adkins

Seafood and Wine Festival

We spent the weekend in Newport at the Seafood and Wine Festival. Reminiscent of last year, we had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't an improvement from last year. This trip we encountered extreme wind (it really rocked the motorhome.), rain, and hail. The wind even caused some issues with the tents set up for the festival, and it looked as if the opening on Saturday would be delayed. Luckily the organizers were able to batten down the hatches. Maybe 2013 will have less dramatic weather.

Harvest Faire

My family spent the weekend in Sisters at the Harvest Faire. When I left the valley Friday afternoon it was raining, and I chased it all the way up and over Santiam Pass. My no so sunshiney mood really lifted as I broke over the pass and saw....blue sky! It was really nice to hang out with family and friends, and enjoy the sunny weather.

Seafood and Wine Festival

This weekend we headed to Newport for the Seafood and Wine Festival. I hadn't been to this particular festival before, but I had a lot of fun. I like wine and I love seafood, and let's face it a party atmosphere is a big plus. Who knew that costumes were optional, and that someone actually owns a crab costume or an asparagus costume. There was only one downside to the weekend. Winter hit hard last week. Hopefully, next year the weather will be a bit warmer. It's not supposed to freeze on the Coast.

Oktoberfest Weekend

As usual, for O-Fest, the weather this weekend left much to be desired. I wasn't sure I'd even make it. Luckily things worked out for the best.

Saturday was dreary and rainy. It was a great excuse to hang out with the family at Mom & Dad's. We dressed for game day and cheered the Beavers in their victory over the Louisville Cardinals. We pigged out on one of Mom's awesome home cooked meals and marionberry crisp.

Sunday the weather dried up, so we headed out to the Oktoberfest at Mt. Angel. We spent a few hours wandering the festival and eating, which is the best reason to go. I love the food at fairs and festivals. Today's menu of choice was sausage with sauerkraut, deep fried mushrooms and onion rings followed by an elephant ear. We opted to not buy our way into the gartens, so no beer or wine, but it was yummy all the same. And I finally saw the Glockenspiel through a complete cycle.

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. :)

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. :)

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.

Festival of Flowers

Today was the Jefferson Festival of Flowers. Jefferson's a small town, so we weren't sure exactly what to expect, but there were flowers, and a maypole. The tiny Jefferson library had a book sale. We bought some flowers in between rainshowers and at ate lunch at the Tratoria. And I was recognized by a few people I knew from years ago when I was a substitute teacher.