Our son, Chris and his sweetie, Sarah (soon to be our daughter-in-law :)
Sarah's parents pinning her with her R.N. pin at her nursing school graduation.
One of my favorite things about Oregon is the creative energy there. The Pacific Northwest has more than it's share of artists and you see evidence of this all over the place. Eugene is the home of the Olympic Track and Field Trials that are happening this weekend. If you watch NBC this weekend you'll likely get peeks at why I'm so drawn to that area.
In preparation for the influx of visitors for the Olympic trials, Eugene "put on it's dress-up clothes." Apparently there was an old building that had been torn down leaving a gapping hole on one of the main streets in town. They blocked the view with this wall and invited the community to come and participate in creating a mural. This little guy was VERY carefully painting the seeds of these strawberries...I love watching children creating art!
We had a great day on the beautiful rugged Oregon coastline with my sister and her sweetie, Michael.
Along the coast we hiked into an old-growth forest ... these trees feel like old souls to me and are homes to various plants whose seeds have been deposited by the critters and birds who live in these majestic natural condos.
We stopped along the way for a bowl of fresh clam chowder and noticed this sealion sitting on a pier. When I snapped this photo I didn't realize that he had something wrapped around his neck, cutting deeply into his skin. There were signs posted stating that he was being monitored. Just a reminder how important it is to careful with how we dispose of debris...cutting 6-pack rings before throwing away, etc. It was a sobering moment to see this guy suffering as parents were taking advantage of the opportunity to teach their children lessons about our responsibilites as inhabitants of this planet.
Here is Tonka, Chris and Sarah's lab pup. 6 1/2 mos old and 68lbs already! A real sweetheart!
A quick evening hike...
WildFlowers...
Eugene is dubbed Track Town USA...
Even the airport is beautifully decorated with artwork from talented Oregonians!
Other folks flying into Eugene airport!
This is what all those athletes are hoping to win at the trials this weekend!
