Oregon!!

We just returned from our Oregon vacation and we had a great time! For those who don't know, my dad has a farm (no animals, but many vegetables) near Eugene in southern/middle Oregon - Cottage Grove to be precise. We try to go up every year for Farm Fest (more later), and always enjoy the terrific people, food, and Oregon stuff. Because of a change in my school schedule this was the first time in a while that I could drive with the family, which was great even though it's about 15 hours each way. The drive up is exciting and fun - less so coming back. We were lucky with the weather again (always a gamble in Oregon), and Dad & Molly really made us feel welcome. Here are some of the many great times that we had up there.

One of the best things about the farm is the amazing swimming hole. It is a small lake/pond fed by Mosby Creek. There are rocks for jumping in and the water is super refreshing, if not exactly bath temperature. On a hot day, there's nowhere better!

Ashland!!

Our first stop in Oregon was Ashland, right on the border with California. There are many great things about Ashland, starting with the fact that it's the first town you come to in Oregon after going through the winding Siskayou pass - it's a relief just to be there! But there is also great food, the wonderful Lithia park, and - best of all - the Shakespeare festival. My met up with dad and Molly and spent some time in beautiful Ashland.

One of the charming, if not necessarily the most enjoyable, things about Ashland is the fountain in the city square that gives natural mineral water. Apparently it's super healthy, but, as Finn said, it tastes like rotten Easter eggs. By the way, he tried it of his own free will, unlike myself who was tricked into drinking it by a cruel father!

Strange wildlife in Lithia Park:

Here's my beautiful family enjoying Lithia Park. This park is so great, with a playground, creek and various wild creatures running around. We saw a deer and a fox!

Shakespeare!!!

Ashland is famous for it's Shakespeare festival. One of the best things about this trip was that we got tickets for one of the plays and were joined by my Uncle Jeff, his wife Gail, and their kids Rebecca and Robbie. We had a good time in Ashland and saw the Comedy of Errors. We were a little suspicious of this one since we knew in advance that the setting was changed to the old west and that it was done as a musical. Surprisingly, it turned out to be totally enjoyable.

The Farm!!

After cosmopolitan Ashland, we made the last stretch of drive to the rustic farm.

There was a lot of relaxing done, but we also had many chances for adventuring. We took a long walk to Tony and Jeannie's house up the hill and introduced Jack to a horse.

We also finally got to meet Dad and Molly's new dog Charlie. He is a very well behaved Golden Labrador who would chase balls until he keeled over if he could. Jack especially loved to throw the ball for him. It was probably frustrating for Charlie since Jack could only throw the ball about 2 feet, but they seemed to both enjoy it.

We had some great meals, and it was extra fun with Jeff and his terrific family.