OREGON TRIP (HOT SPRINGS).

Oh wow.  If I could bottle up the magic of this trip...  I cannot believe how special it was.  Oregon is SO beautiful, and further proves to me how much the west coast sings to my soul...  I wonder (why-oh-why) our families and best friends aren't out here instead of the east coast--darn!  If that were the case, then staying here forever would be a no brainer...we still might though--you never know.  Plus living in such a beautiful place makes for a steady stream of visitors!

Where to begin...first of all, if you have never experienced natural hot springs, then you haven't lived.  Words cannot not describe how much I love the place we discovered.  On a whim (and recommendation/clipped magazine article about it from Raf's aunt) we decided to stop at Umpqua hot springs on our way to our campsite on the coast.  It was probably one of the best decisions ever made.  It was a bit hard to get to (winding dirt and gravel roads and wooded areas), but oh so worth it.  Once we parked, we walked across a bridge over a flowing river.  The view was spectacular.  The sun was casting magic on the water and surrounding woods and the temperature was just right.  We started up the steep trail, through the woods until we came to a ledge that had a number of soaking pools.  The one at the top was the hottest (too hot!) and they gradually got cooler until you got down the river.  We found our sweet spot, the pool right in the middle, not too hot, not too cold, and overhanging the ledge with a view of the river below.  There were 3 other people there, and everyone was clothed  (there were warnings of frequent nude bathing).  We jumped from pool to pool, getting hot, then cool, and then we just stayed and soaked in our favorite for a while, taking it all in.  It was so peaceful and perfect.  Finally, the other people left, and just because I could, I took off my suit!  And no one could stop me--back to nature and all things wild! :)  Raf thought it was pretty funny, and humored me while I soaked a bit more.  That lasted about 10 minutes, as it was starting to get late and we didn't want most of our drive to be driving the winding roads in the dark.  We said goodbye to our peaceful oasis, and headed to the car to continue on our adventure...

FAMILY VISITS.

 Raf and his mom being silly on the beach :) 

We have had a whirlwind of visits and visiting lately!  It has been a really great summer, as we actually got to stay here in the Bay and show people around our beautiful home.  We also were able to meet up with more of Raf's extended family on their cross-country trip (4 kids, 2 parents, 1 mini van and 10,000+ miles!!) during their Pacific Northwest leg.  First his parents,aunt, uncle and two cousins all came out here for their summer vacation, which was a blast.  I love when people visit--it gives me a reason to do some exploring and checking out our old favorites again, such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Point Reyes National Seashore.  Here are some highlights from that visit...

a pelican near the GGB

 wandering a trail at Point Reyes

 a random gate in the middle of the beach (??)

 cool and creepy-looking moss on trees along the shore

The next photos are from the beginning of our Oregon road trip.  As previously mentioned, we met up with his family, got a campsite near Crater Lake, cooked dinner together, had a camp fire, got some sleep and then explored the lake the next day for a few hours.  After a hike or two, we ate a quick lunch together and then parted ways--them continuing on to Nevada/the rest of their trip, and us on to the hot springs in central Oregon and then to the coast, driving all the way down to Humbolt County before heading home (via the scenic wine country of Mendocino County).  It was an AMAZING trip for the two of us, and something we have been wanting to do together since I moved here 2 years ago!  (more photos from that leg of the trip soon...)

Crater Lake and the cousins...

the sun was hurting our eyes!

 SO BLUE!  :)

MY FAMILY'S FARM.

I grew up on a 58 acre farm in upstate New York.  It has been in my family for over 100 years and was purchased by my grandfather from his parents who were from Poland, and then eventually it was inherited by my dad.  I had the pleasure of experiencing a life with cows and chickens and roosters and a pony and many cats and dogs and picking peas and potatoes for the next day's farmers market. Come late fall and early winter it was a snowy wonderland where you could sled down big hills and hike around through the woods, and then the flowers of spring would turn into a hot and hazy summer, with nights under the stars and nothing but the sound of crickets chirping and a gentle breeze blowing the scent of fresh cut hay.  My grandmother made her own cheese and butter from the milk from our cows.  We ate our own meat (although I hated it, even at the time--feeling the sadness of knowing the fate of the cows) and eggs and vegetables and fruits and even chestnuts.  There is a fruit tree orchard and rows and rows of vegetables and ornamental, cutting flowers.  My dad is a talented gardener and I have inherited from him the excitement of looking at seed catalogs and watching a tiny plant grow into something that is not only aesthetically pleasing but nourishing.  I learned from my mom how to cook from what you've grown and preserve fresh fruits and vegetables to have throughout the year.  My parents still live there and one of my siblings has built on the property and another lives in an apartment within the large farmhouse.  The land is beautiful and magical and brings back so many memories when I visit.  It has quite a history, and really, I should take the time to write down some of my parents stories.  I had a very, very nice visit last week--a chance to reconnect with family and friends and relax and eat good food and take it all in.  Here are some photos from my trip...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NIECES ARE THE BEST!

I was able to have some quality family and friend time in upstate New York last week--so good! It has been a very busy (in the best of ways: family visits, friend reunions, road trips, etc.) past few weeks--literally non-stop, and I have a whole mess of photos to upload soon.  I am lucky enough to be the youngest of six wonderful siblings (I am considerably younger than all of them: 9-18 years!) and the proud Aunt of 10 nieces and nephews!  They are all so amazing and watching them grow and become who they are has been awesome.  These are my two youngest nieces of the five.  We had a super special hangout at our family party/corn roast/bonfire.  The three of us went for late night ice cream cones and then hung out under the stars, laying on the trampoline, taking funny pictures of ourselves.  :)  Such a sweet memory...