Oregon Vacation, July 2008

I had a fantastic vacation visiting with Lauren and Nick. We ate at two of Nick's family's restaurants. Sophia's has yummy Italian fare, and the Powderhorn served a scrumptious breakfast. Everyone I met was so nice. I'm happy knowing my daughter is with people who love and care about her. We got to eat lunch with her sweet mother in law, Starr. My last night there, we all went bowling with some of their friends. I can't wait to go back!

Wineries and Farms

We went to a couple of wineries to taste wine and see the grapes on the vines. Then we stopped at this nice place. They had wine, but they also grew pear trees. Lauren picked a pear, but I don't know if it was ready yet. We went to Harry and David's for goodies.

Rogue River Gorge

We stopped to look at the Rogue River on our way from Crater Lake. There was a nice trail down to the gorge.
We went down closer to the water and the air temperature dropped because the water was so cold!

This is the same river that runs through Grants Pass.

Crater Lake

Crater Lake was formed when a volcano erupted and emptied out it's middle! All the water in the lake is from precipitation. No water goes in, and none goes out.
The color of the water is such a deep blue color. That is snow along the edges of the lake. In fact, there is a road that goes clear around the lake and it had been closed until just two weeks before my trip because of snow!
The island is Wizard Island. There are boat tours out to the island. The boats had to be lifted into the lake by helicopter!
Here we are at the edge!
This little ground squirrel was such a model! He posed for several pictures before scampering off with his pinecone treasure.

Oregon Beaches

We stopped on the beach a few times on our way back from Cape Blanco. There were lots of huge boulders on this beach. The surf was fantastic. Here is Lauren on a rock where the waves are crashing!
Just another picture of a pretty beach. We stopped here because we thought we might see some sea life in some tide pools. We didn't, but we did find some sand dollars! The waves would go out, we'd find the sand dollars, and the waves would chase us back up on the shore!
More incredible beach views...
Just beautiful!
We found this driftwood structure on the beach. I brought a pretty big piece of driftwood home with me in my suitcase!

Cape Blanco Lighthouse

Here I am outside the Cape Blanco Lighthouse. It is still used! We took a tour and got to hear some history of the lighthouse from a couple of docents.
The climb wasn't too bad until we went into the top room. Those stairs were very steep and small!
Here's Lauren - we were watching whales spouting out in the ocean. We also saw a family of deer pretty close to the lighthouse.
This is the actual light! There are a couple of really strong lightbulbs inside this glass lens. The docent told us that a few years ago, some people damaged it by breaking parts of the lens. There were still some broken pieces, but it was still working!
Here's a view from the lighthouse to the north. The deer were just down in that field.

Gold Beach, Oregon

This was the beach our hotel was on. We had to walk down a little trail out through the dunes to get to the beach area.
We got to the hotel before the sun set and waded in the waves. There weren't any shells here, just rocks that looked like river rocks from Colorado!
The waves were very powerful here - quite an undertow. The "whooshing" sound was incredible!
We were going to watch the sun go down while sitting in a hot tub out on the deck, but there were already people in all of them. We had someone take our picture with the sunset in the background. It was pretty cold!
Sunset at last on Gold Beach.

Natural Bridge, Oregon Coast

We stopped at a "viewpoint" along Highway 101 to look at this natural bridge. The rest stop was really nice and had a clean bathroom and trails out to see the rocks and overlook.

This silly seagull walked right up to the car and practically demanded a treat! He pooped right outside our car, then hopped on the hood and looked in as if to say "Hey, are you getting out?"
We stopped at this same rest stop on our way back to Lauren's house, and the SAME SEAGULL was there again - on top of someone else's car doing the same thing!

Oregon Coast

Can I just say "Wow?" The coast is varied - sometimes there is beach, sometimes cliffs, and sometimes beach with gigantic boulders sticking out of the water!

Brookings, OR

We ate at The Hungry Clam, and then looked around at the boats in the harbor.

Redwood Forest, Northern California, July 2008

These are some pictures we took with the redwood trees. The air was so cool! We went on a trail back into the woods and could just barely hear other people walking around and talking. These trees are amazing, and we really enjoyed their beauty.

Nick and Lauren, July 2008

Here's a cute picture of Lauren and Nick. I took it at Nick's office. They are so happy!

Surgery Recovery

Recovering from my hysterectomy wasn't all that bad. The few days in the hospital were the worst. I hardly remember anything that happened then. Mom and Dad said I had a really hard time coming out of the anesthetic after surgery. I know some people visited me in the hospital! Thank you, whomever you were! My boss delivered some goodies to my house from my friends at school - Thanks! After getting home, I only took one pain pill. The rest of the time, I just took ibuprofen. I was so lucky to have my parents there for my surgery and while I was in the hospital. Mom even stayed with me for a few days afterward. My friend Lauren S. stayed with me a couple of days too. Basically, I just sat around, read, and watched television. I got hooked on Sex and the City! I received many get well cards from family and friends and even my Alpha Xi sisters! Lauren sent me a cute nightshirt to wear during recovery. I was so glad when I could drive again - two weeks at home was too much! Even now, several months later, I still have a little pain when I push the cart at Wal Mart or vacuum. I also still tire easier than normal. Now, I just wish I could lose some weight! That little "kangaroo pouch" is still there! ARRRGH!

Camping at Robber's Cave

Our next camping trip was to Robber's Cave State Park. It was so pretty! We camped next to a river, went bicycling, and Lauren went hiking again. We tried to hike up to the actual cave, but I couldn't make it. Maybe in the fall?

Camping at Osage Hills State Park

A week or so after my surgery, my friend Lauren and I went camping at Osage Hills State Park. We waded in a stream, and Ellie and I just relaxed while Lauren and her dog, Puddle, went on a long hike.

Spring at Hawthorne

All of us are Phi Kappa Phi members!

Mr. Gare's class made get well cards for me for my surgery in May, 2008.

This is the library decorated for our Spring RIF distribution.

Here I am with a couple of teachers from my school. (April 2008)

This was Read Across America Week. I borrowed a friend's Cat in the Hat costume and wore it one day. I read stories using our "Cat" puppet and posed with the winner of the "Horton" stuffed animal. (March 2008)