A Summertime Adventure

Whew, it has been a busy few days. I didn’t exactly go on vacation because I stayed in Southern Oregon and slept in my own house. I guess you could call it a “staycation” as I’ve heard it called on the radio. Basically as my family was visiting, we went to many local hotspots: the bagel shop, a BBQ restaurant, a Borders Express, and notable ranch & resort. Yep, my town is that exciting! At the resort we took some new family photos and got attacked by mosquitoes in the process. It was a beautiful day, however, and I love the way the photos came out.

Just us girls.

My boys.

Awwww!

We also went to Crater Lake which was full of visitors and tourists. It was an interesting trip because I got to ride in my dad’s Miata convertible and enjoy the journey in the open air. It was a hot day where I live, in the 90s, but it got cooler as we headed up toward the lake. The sky was overcast with threatening clouds and there was a lot of smoke in the air from the wildfires in California. In fact, on the way home it felt very much like autumn as it smelled like smoke and fir trees. The further we away we got from the lake, the more it felt like summer with the smell of mint and vegetation in the air – dead skunks too. My husband and I listened to my dad’s iPod which was filled with a variety of music. Some of it was good: Jimi Hendrix, the Guess Who, Bob Dylan and a sprinkling of Michael Jackson (Thriller) and the Charlie Daniels Band. Some of it was not so good; but all in all it was a fun experience.

Tuesday was the highlight of the weekend. We went to Grants Pass and took a jet boat excursion through Hellgate Canyon. We had a blast! And we also go very wet. Several people can fit on one of these boats and the drivers do a great job of riling up the crowd – and the water. They would do cookies with the boat and get everyone soaked in the process. My son, who is 17 months old, even got wet and he took it very well. The river was beautiful, the canyon was majestic, and we saw osprey, egrets, and water snakes; it was a great adventure. Our boat even blew one of its three engines and we had to wait for another boat to take some of us back. Something tells me this sort of thing doesn’t take place everyday.

Yes, that is a wall of water that ended up on all of the boat's passengers!

You may see from this photo that my husband and I are drying off from getting soaked - just moments before.

Having fun can be exhausting!

A lot of fun was had and I enjoyed spending time with family. I am also glad to get back into our schedule and am looking forward to autumn.