Summer Berries

Oregon has had an unusual spring and summer in terms of weather. It was incredibly warm and dry for several weeks when it should have been cool and wet. Any time the weather patterns change there's the opportunity for some interesting occurrences. This year crops are coming on early and fast.

On Saturday, June 1 my mother, aunt and I picked strawberries. I don't ever remember picking that soon in the summer. Last year, we picked strawberries on June 20. In 2010, we picked on June 24.

Picking berries in 2010. No pictures of strawberries this year!

Today, my mother, sister, niece and I picked raspberries. Thirty pounds of raspberries that will be eaten fresh and frozen for winter consumption. It's really nice to have "fresh" fruit during those long, cold, winter months.

Father's Day Weekend

My last day of the school year was Wednesday, so on Thursday I headed to the lake with my parents for the weekend. We did some fishing, and some visiting. We also took a boat ride when my sister arrived with the kiddos. It was a good three days of sun and water and no cell service! Happy Father's Day Dad!

Rodeo!

It was a beautiful weekend for a rodeo. We made our annual pilgrimage to the Sisters Rodeo.

Erin's Shower

Today was Erin's bridal shower. I think we all had a good time. A huge ~THANK YOU~ to Mary for her hospitality!

Memorial Day at the Beach

We had a great weekend at the beach with friends and family. On Friday we had dinner at Rogue Ales in Old Town. It was fun to spend some time with adults, eat well and share a drink or two.

The weather in May can be unpredictable, and we had a bit of everything. Saturday was beautiful and some of us walked on the beach.

My sister and her family showed up on Saturday evening after dinner. The kids love "pwaygrowns", so most of us followed them down to watch them climb and slide. 

Then we hung out by the fire until the rain started. Unfortunately, it didn't really let up all night or the next morning. We headed into Newport for breakfast, and around noon we took the kids to the Hatfield Marine Science Center. They loved the tide pool touch tanks. Of course, they love to play in water so that was to be expected. After lunch, they headed home and we spent the rest of the day relaxing.

The rain continued on Sunday, so we headed home. It was a good weekend with some much needed rest and relaxation.

State Conference

This past weekend was the DAR Oregon State Conference in Portland. It was a wonderful conference. Of course, all of us who were "on duty" (pages, conference committee, state officers, etc.) worked really hard to keep everything rolling smoothly. You see, this year we hosted Mrs. Wright, the National Society's President General.

It was an honor to meet the President General and the visiting state regents from Idaho, Iowa, Colorado and New Mexico. I had a lot of fun being a page again this year.

Happy Birthday Sis!

Tonight we celebrated my sister's birthday. Her dinner request was pan fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy.  We made strawberry shortcake after she blew out the candles.

I won't say how many years, but it's definitely more than the four candles Mom put on her cake!