The Trip

Here we are in Maryland. When we decided to come east for the Israel (yes, that's the family surname) National Family Reunion this year I thought it would be a good idea to visit Washington DC. After all, DC is much closer to North Carolina than it is to Oregon. And my parents had never been to the Capitol.We flew into Baltimore Washington International Airport tonight. And we're staying in Maryland for the next few days. It's going to be a busy trip. Keeping up with the blog is going to be tricky with our current Internet situation. I'm going to have to write and publish later.

Fort Vancouver & McLoughlin House

You know how people so seldom visit the sites close to home? Today I set out to partially remedy that. I drove north today and visited Fort Vancouver in Washington and then circled around to McLoughlin House in Oregon City. Both sites are part of the Fort Vancouver National Historical Site and they tell an important part of Oregon's history; the time when Britain claimed what is now Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, as well as all of Canada, placed it under control of the Hudson Bay Company with the goal of harvesting as many furs as possible.



British fashion dictated that the most fashionable, and richest, wear firs. Beavers were highly prized for making gentleman's' hats. Hats that cost more than the average working man could make in a single year! Dr. John McLoughlin began his career with HBC as a trapper. He worked his way up in the company and retired as the Chief Factor of the Fort Vancouver unit. As chief factor he was responsible for the well being of not only realizing a profit, but also the well-being of more than 2000 employees and their families spread across the Columbia District.



Dr. McLoughlin was very well known. The HBC had issued a directive that no trading with the Americans was to take place. McLoughlin disobeyed and carried non-repayable debt for many of the pioneers. I think the case could be made that without Dr. McLoughlin, Oregon might still be part of the British Commonwealth.

Crazy Days!

Okay. It's not really crazy. They just call it that. It's a Corvallis tradition. The second weekend of July is set aside for downtown sidewalk sales. And the name isn't really all that strange. McMinnville's sidewalk sale and summer festival is called Turkey Rama. I have no idea why. I've just always thought that was an odd name.

Anyway, I decided to take myself downtown this morning and wander the streets. I found a few things to purchase: a new pair of shoes, chocolate ganaches, really yummy smelling tea. But the best part was being out on a beautiful day with no real schedule or itinerary. In the few years since I've lived here, Corvallis has gained some new shops and restaurants. I followed my nose to this sandwich shop called "Baguette" and had a really excellent sandwich. I'm definitely going back there.

Raspberries!

Summer is hitting hard. Just a couple weeks ago we were picking strawberries. Yesterday, we picked raspberries, and made more jam. In fact I need to crush some berries for ice cream. Maybe next week. Raspberries are my second favorite berry.

In addition, the marionberries are beginning to ripen (these are my favorites!). Luckily we don't have far to go to pick those. I love summer!

Otter Beach

Sunburn. No matter how cautious I am when I slather on the sunblock, I forget to reapply and then...well, it's inevitable. Alyssa and I spent a few hours at the water park today. Otter Beach was added to the Aquatic Center several years ago, but I'd never been. But when entertaining a seven year old, think like a seven year old. And believe me, seven year old me would have loved an afternoon like today.

Blog Anniversary: First Year Reflection

It's kind of hard for me to believe that it's been a year since I began this blog. The whole thing kind of began on a whim. I initially thought that I would focus mostly on interesting places I've seen or want to see. I attempted to create a title that would reflect that. But in the last year this blog has taken on a life of it's own in some ways. I still do some really private journaling on paper. Some things are not meant for public consumption. And so this format has become the public partner of my thoughts and feelings.

Originally I thought I'd try to schedule my blogging. I try to write in my journals every night. That has varying degrees of success. I thought I'd try to do the same with the blog; write regularly, but not daily. That hasn't really happened. I noticed today that It's been almost two weeks since my last entry, and granted I was out of town without Internet access for several days. I've been home since the weekend and just didn't have anything I needed to say. And that's the bottom line. The blog lives, and in some ways, self-directs. I'm just the typist.

Farmer's Market

One of the best things about summer is going to the farmer's market. This time of year in Oregon the booths are just overflowing with fresh produce. My walk through today netted me some fresh cherry and grape tomatoes, zucchini, red potatoes and fresh bread for my dinner tonight. And there were so many other things: fresh meat (beef, pork and rabbit) different lettuce greens, carrots, strawberries, fresh herbs, garlic and flowers. The fresh basil smelled amazing!

Growing up my family always put in a huge garden. Fresh veggies and fruits taste so much better than canned. That's probably why I'm really picky about them and I don't eat them as much during the winter. Even the best produce department doesn't compare.