And so it begins.

No, I did not spray paint these.

Back to School. Or, the Summer That Was Beer.

It was the first day of school here in Oregon yesterday.  I have no children in school, and I haven't been in school myself in a very. long. time.  Our grandson did just start his first day of pre-school in Alabama, though (where did that time go?!?), so we got a little taste of the old excitement.  Big changes in his world this week!

 Backpack:  check!  Lunch:  check!

Is it just me, or does something about back-to-school time give you a swift kick in the backside and make you look at where you are and what you want to accomplish?   It always feels like the end of summer--even though technically there are a couple of weeks left.  And the transition to fall always feels like change is in the air; as though big things are about to happen.

I'm not talking about the weather here; we all know that's going to change, and a lot quicker than I'm ready for!  No, I'm talking about big, life-changing stuff.  Stuff like the fact that four of the five jobs I've had started in the fall...we got married in the fall...we've moved in the fall.  Stuff that you really need to have your act together for.

And then there's the stuff that's not so life-changing.  It's just more shape-shifting.

Even though we've been on the go quite a bit, our summer while at home has been fairly laid-back.  Something about living in a resort town can make you feel like you're on perpetual vacation, I guess.  When that resort town has seven micro-breweries, it just makes things worse (or better, depending on your point of view).  You feel like you should taste them all.

What?  You didn't feel that way?  Oh.

These past two months, my exercise, diet, and discipline have suffered, and I'm chalking it all up to beer and summer.  It was too easy to play without worrying about it being a school night.   Slingball in the neighbor's back yard with some Boneyard Girl Beer?  You betcha...Dominoes and dice until way past midnight with a little Cascade Lakes Blonde Bombshell?  Great idea!...Bend Elks games with some Deschutes Mirror Pond?  Of course!  Have to grab those games while they're in town, right?  And what's baseball without beer?...A trip to East Lake with some 10 Barrel Apocalypse IPA?  Of course!  Sign me up!...The Bend Brewfest? Can't miss that now that it's back, can we?!

Do you see what I mean?!?

Well hello, four pounds.  Thanks for visiting, but I really can't invite you to make yourself at home.  So, don't get comfortable.

It's time to get my act together.  Back to the school of exercise, diet and discipline.  Then we'll get on to the big life-changing stuff.

New Season(s).

It's the first day of summer!  After spring pulled a no-show, I'm thrilled to see summer starting off with blue skies and warmer temps.  It feels like we're getting a fresh start and putting a long, cold winter and spring behind us at last.  Seeing a forecast that calls for near-80's this week makes me very happy.  I think I've mentioned it before:  I'm a Bend-in-the-summer girl.

Today is actually beginning a few new seasons for our family.  After a magical wedding and honeymoon in Bermuda, our youngest daughter and her new husband are starting a life together.

Hitched!

After five years in New York City, our oldest daughter and her family are re-locating to Birmingham, Alabama for a year, while our son-in-law completes his fellowship in sports medicine. 

We're looking forward to visiting them, to see if we notice any differences between NYC and Birmingham.  Ha!

Here at home, we're looking forward to what might be a little bit quieter season.  The past three months have been filled with lots of travels and many very special family events, none of which I'd have ever considered missing.  But, I'm ready for a new season...to garden, create some new bag designs, reconnect with our friends and neighbors, curl up on the front porch or back deck with a good book or knitting project, take some hikes, have some picnics, catch a Bend Elks ball game or two, and just enjoy beautiful Bend.

 I hope your new season holds warm and wonderful things!

I wasn't going to whine about the weather.

Honest, I wasn't. But after two straight days of this, I can't stand it. Look at the calendar, will you, please! Then, look at these:


And then tell me (insert deep breath here) how I'm supposed to feel like running (which I'm supposed to be doing in about an hour but it's still snowing out and I have this issue where my fingers and toes go numb when I'm out in the cold for very long and I have this personal requirement about running only when it's above 45 and I could come up with a million other excuses but the truth is I just don't want to deal with it), or planning my garden (let alone planting it), or doing much of anything outside that involves more than opening the door to let the dog out and back in (exhale what's left of breath here).

So, I think I'll go knit instead. Indoors. At Dudley's. Where they have great coffee. And it's warm.

Or, maybe I'll succumb to the guilt of knowing that all my running friends will be there and I should just suck it up and act like a true Bendite and stop wimping out because after all it is only for an hour. And someone told me once that there is no bad weather, only bad clothes. And I can stand anything for an hour. Right?

One of a Million?

That's my estimate of how many blog posts I'm among out there featuring a photo similar to this one from our beautiful Central Oregon this week.

Click on photo to view the Three Sisters and Broken Top

I made the drive to Sisters Sunday morning for the Stitchin Post's customer appreciation days (thanks for the heads up, Sarah...I love that store...and it should love me back...), and actually remembered to take my camera for a change. It's a wonder there aren't more accidents along Hwy. 20 on days like that; it's hard to keep your eyes on the road when the Cascades are looming so large you can almost reach out and touch them.

I have an ongoing love affair with the Cascade range, probably because of growing up with Mt. Shasta out my front window. If you're a geology lover, there is a fabulous book on the Cascade volcanoes called Fire & Ice by Stephen Harris. I picked it up several years ago at the visitor center at Mt. St. Helens. It's out of print now, but available used on Amazon and probably also through the library. Check it out! It will give you a whole new appreciation for this beautiful chain of mountains.

Top five reasons I'm glad it's March

• It's no longer February. February has always been my least favorite month of the year. Dark. Brr.
• Spring Training is underway. Go Giants! Go Red Sox! (Yes, I have dual loyalties. I'm a National League girl at heart, but I also have to root for our hometown--home region?--boy, Jacoby Ellsbury . This drives my dyed-in-the-wool-third-generation-Giants-Fan brothers NUTS.)
  
• Daylight Saving Time begins. More day at the end of the day.
  
• St. Patrick's Day. Hey, 1/4 Irish is still Irish. I actually like corned beef and cabbage.
  
• Spring officially begins on the calendar. Which means only another couple of months until it reaches Central Oregon...but a girl can dream, can't she?

Burger with a bite

Had lunch for the first time today at the relatively new Bend Burger Company. As I do with all first-time visits to burger joints, I ordered the basic burger to form my first impression. In this case it was The Bend Burger. A little bit of cayenne (I think) spiced up the burger sauce, but not so much that it hid the taste of the beef itself. Topped with pickles, tomato, red onion, shredded lettuce, and burger sauce, it was IMO a great basic burger...with a generous side of fries. And the price at $6.95 was very fair. Good to see they were busy on this Saturday afternoon, and I hope they continue to succeed. The only things I've found off-putting so far are the typos I saw in the restaurant and on their website (which, in all fairness, appears to still be under construction). Can you be considered authentic Bend if you misspell Deschutes?

A Perfect Day

Don't we all envision a perfect girls' day out now and then? Well, I just had one, and it went something like this:

• No alarm clock; slept until 7:00.
• Leisurely coffee, then breakfast.
• Six-mile walk (continuing training for half-marathon in January). The weather cooperated beautifully!
  
• Facial appointments here. Steamed and napped while she had her treatment, and vice versa.
• Sushi here.
• A little shopping downtown, mostly window variety.
• A stop at the brewery for a Hop Trip Ale.
• Home for dinner, wine and conversation.

I'm not sure it could have been any better. Of course, the company was what made the day. Good friends, good food, good conversation.

Bend's "Wild" Life

There we were, preparing Sunday breakfast when we had a visitor not more than 10 feet outside our kitchen door. Sophie went ballistic, so he was all the way to the alley before we were able to snap a shot. I didn't get the chance to ask if he's the one who ate my petunias all summer...

The Beauty of a Bend Autumn

Blue sky days + chilly nights = leaves on fire.

One of the maple trees that lines our front yard.

And a vine maple on the south side of the house.

Is it any wonder this is my favorite season?