Good-bye Oregon...For Now

Feeling nostalgic about leaving my summer home tomorrow, so I thought I'd post one last blog from Oregon before I go. I'm mad that it took me all summer to leave the cafe with SCM; now that I've finally found really nice, cool people at this used bookstore that has WIFI access, it's already time to leave. The guy here even gave me my last cup of joe on the house to bid me adieu. Why didn't I come HERE all those months?

Everything's just about packed, just need to clean out the smelly car and wash some linens before I load up. In true Lauren fashion, though, I am procrastinating going home and completing necessary chores...*sigh*

I'm really going to miss this little town of Roseburg. It turned out to be a lot friendlier and cooler than I originally gave it credit for. There are very few places where you can go wine-tasting, hiking, swimming in the river and owl watching all in one day. This summer was exactly what we three girls needed, even if we didn't know it when we moved out here. We saw loads of stuff, did tons of fun things and met a lot of really great people, some of which, I'm certain will be lifelong friends. So, as I bid the PNW (Pacific Northwest) farewell, I carry with me many fond memories of beautiful scenery, yellow jackets, tumbling down hills, thorny vegetation, bears, elk, songbirds, canoeing, dinners with friends, horseback riding, holding a spotted owl and much, much more. Good-bye summer. Good-bye Oregon.

Next stop, Redwoods National Forest, California...

Less Than a Week

This time next week, I will be a VERY happy girl (wink wink). Adam is due back to the states by the end of the week. I am all packed, the house is clean, and as of Monday morning, the girls and I will be California-bound, to go get our guy. I will try to find internet along the way to continue the posts.

Old Friends, New City

Apologies for the lack of recent postings of late, but gotta admit, I've been having the time of my life this last week! After I bid my housemates adieu (they went on a 2-week long holiday), I got myself and the girls together for a northerly trip to Washington. This was motivated by a visit to some good ole friends of mine from my early Michigan days, Kate and Brad. They moved out here a few years ago, and have since had a couple kids--cutie pie kids, I might add--in the interim. It had been about 3 1/2 years since I'd seen them, but I think we were all pleasantly surprised by how easily we sank back into our old friendship, catching up and joking around. Kate is my fave potty humor friend, so I could totally be my naturally poopified self around her, and she just laughed. Gotta love her!

Despite being parents to an adorable (not to mention active!) toddler and newborn baby, Brad and Kate still found time to show me around downtown Olympia, where we attended the Sunday farmer's market and visited the fish ladder to see the salmon running. They were also responsible for some yummy vegetarian meals while I was visiting, so hats off to my great ole friends!

Monday morning, the girls and I set off for downtown Seattle. I was a little apprehensive about invading a foreign city, but what the hell, I am an American, that's what we do, right?? Once I got to my motel (Motel 6, by the way, allows pets without a pet fee, even if it is a little sketchy...), I got a guide to the city and found Seattle fairly easy to drive to and navigate around. The familiar rush of driving through busy city streets came back all at once and I realized how much I've missed living in the hustle and bustle of a real city (sorry Lansing...). That first day, I made it to the Space Needle and did the obligatory tourist visit to the top. It was really interesting to read all the history surrounding its construction. I walked around the city center for awhile, and then tried to find a sushi restaurant my friend Alix had suggested I check out. Evidently it no longer exists because no one in the neighborhood knew what I was talking about, so I settled for sushi at another restaurant, and it hit the spot. I loved walking around at night, the energy and zip-zam-zibble-bobble that pulses out at you. The only thing that surprised me was how early things close in Seattle for being such a city. A lot of restaurants were shutting down by 9pm, unheard of by NYC standards. Day 2, I got out early and went to (what else?) the Pike Place farmer's market, the go-to place for tourists after the Space Needle. This is the oldest farmer's market in the U.S., and perhaps the largest. It seems to go on FOREVER, and there are many levels of shops and stores. It was great. I spent far too much time there, but couldn't tear myself away. When I left, I encountered a Japanese teahouse (The Vital Leaf) that was offering free tastings. Can this tea enthusiast resist? Of course not! After several yummy sips of jasmine tea later, I headed outside of the city to the Museum of Flight. I don't know why this piqued my interest, but as soon as I heard that the Concorde and Air Force One were parked there, I had to go. Unfortunately, I spent so much time at the farmer's market that I missed the opporunity to see the two above-mentioned jets, but I did get 1 1/2 hours in the museum to see films on the history of flight and many retired aircraft. Later that evening, I went back into the city for a dinner of fish and chips. I was craving it, and it was good, but I definitely know why I am vegetarian. I think I've fulfilled my fish craving for another year.

My favorite thing about Washington? All the major highway signs have silhouettes of Washington's head on them. I LOVED that! I mentioned that to Kate and she said, "So if anyone asks why you decided to move to Washington, you'll say it's because you like his head on the highway signs?". Hey, I never said I was intriguing, just a little original. Later gators!



Didn't quite get close enough...but we were about to enter Washington...



Olympia's capitol building looks a bit like Lansing's capitol building...



Brad and Ella at the fish ladder, surprise, surprise!



Kate and (sleeping) baby Jack!



This is the Museum of Science Fiction; the building was designed by famed architect Frank Gehry, who I once saw giving a lecture at the Guggenheim in NYC.



Sunset on the coast



Dim lights, big city



This might be my favorite shot from Seattle. I was at the Pike Place farmer's market, talking to my girlfriend on the phone, when I noticed a crowd gathering around an escapee king crab. This little boy and several other people were gently kicking the crab so it wouldn't go in the street and get run over. I finally got fed up that the vendor didn't go get his crab, so I picked it up and carried it back to the stall. At least if it's gonna die, someone should eat it!



Crazy busy at the Pike Place farmers market


The Space Needle at night...sometimes technology really can be beautiful...

Rosh Hashanah

Last night at sundown was the start of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Despite Adam's absence, I decided to observe our tradtion of celebrating with friends over a large feast. I cooked from 9:00-5:30pm yesterday to host a dinner for 9 people. It was great! I made matzah ball soup, challah bread, lubiya (black eyed pea soup), 3 different kugels (casseroles) and roasted root vegetables. We were fit to feed an army! Everyone had a great time and there was tons of food left over to send everyone home with whatever they wanted.
Here are some pics from the occasion! Shana Tova!


The hors d'vours table...Manischewitz spritzers and challah bread


These were the first challah breads that have actually come out the way I wanted them to! I got lots of compliments on them; needless to say, they didn't stick around very long.


Vegetable kugel, roasted root vegetables, apple noodle kugel, sweet carrot kugel and lubiya


Here, Janice, Mary and Patrick are sampling the matzoh ball soup; I think they liked it more than they were expecting to!


Everyone sends out a hearty "Shana Tova" to Adam!

September 11th...in Memorium

Six years have gone by since the single most terrifying day in my life, and I dare say, Adam's as well. I will never forget the sound of sirens on the Clearview Expressway, heading for Manhattan; the look on Adam's face when I got home and he told me both towers had fallen; or opening our door to our friend Tom, usually sarcastic and wise-cracking, but after having walked the more than 15 miles from midtown Manhattan to Queens, was sober and resigned as he hugged both Adam and me. Perhaps more than anything, I will never forget the black cloud that hovered over Manhattan for weeks, and that could be seen 15 miles away in eastern Queens. I know that people die in this world everyday, but I want to take this moment to remember the innocents who died in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on that day, and the many heroic rescue workers who died trying to save them.
Never forget.

Wine is Thicker Than Water

What a weekend! After the great time I had tracking owls with Janice and canoeing with Art, the girls and I took off for Corvallis Saturday morning. Anita and Eric had invited me to join them for a wine tour through the city; several stores and shops hosted reps from local wineries who were on hand to let you sample from their stock. It was pretty crazy to see people walking around the streets with stained wine glasses in their hands! I got pretty loopy by the end and begged off before we visited our last shop. I got to sample some great wines, though, and I've confirmed that my new favorite is the Pinot Noir, which is surprising since a bad experience with red wine a few years ago has kept me away from it until now.

Sunday morning, the girls and I headed for the coast, first stop--Newport. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time or the ability (didn't want to leave the girls in the car on a hot day) to go to the aquarium there, but maybe another time. Instead, we walked down to the beach and watched the tide come in. I tried to walk out on the jetty a bit to check out the barnacles and sea stars, but the tide came in fast and almost swept Shabbi away! So much for getting closer to the coastline...

Afterward we tried to head down to the lighthouse at Yaquina Head, but electricity was down in Newport, which meant no traffic signals, which meant drivers were going a bit haywire. Traffic was backed up to high hell in the direction of the lighthouse, so sadly, we girls continued south down the coastline. We passed through lots of small seaport towns and wished we could have stopped at every single one of them, but alas! we must save that for another trip. I really wanted to explore some of the state parks and smaller fishing towns, so I think another trip down the coast is definitely in order! I was also hankering for fish and chips but the vegetarian restrained herself...

Made it down to Winchester Bay where we met up with Janice and Art. We toured around the Umpqua Lighthouse and looked for whales (no luck) since they had seen dolphins earlier in the day. Eventually we made our way over to a local community center to meet some friends and see a great up-and-coming artist perform. Out of Nashville, Mare Wakefield's voice sounded a great deal like Natalie Merchant to me (who, as many of you know, is one of my fave artists). Her music is folksy, bluesy, a little bit country all rolled into one. I was really impressed and ended up buying all three of her albums on the spot (which I _never_ do without hearing them first). I spoke to her and it sounds like she's hoping to start touring in the Midwest soon. For all you Michiganders, I gave her the business card I had for Magdalena's Teahouse in case she makes it into Spartan country sometime soon. As you well know, it's a great venue for new performers. If you want to check out Mare's sound, go to http://www.marewakefield.com/; I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Now I'm preparing for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) at sundown on Wednesday; it's a holiday Ads and I typically celebrate with friends, so I thought this non-Jew would carry on the tradition with my new friends even though Adam's away. I'm cooking a big dinner for upwards of 10 people--challah bread, 2 types of kugels, a couple veggie dishes, a roast chicken and the ever-necessary matzoh ball soup. I'm trying to find some literature about the holiday so I can inform my guests about the history and customs. I'll let you know how it goes!

Below are some pics from our weekend....

This was taken right after we got settled at the beach in Newport. The girls look so at home here; I'm wondering if they've been closet beach bums all these years...?

Tide comes in, dog gets feet wet...

Dog sits down, gets bum good and saturated...

Dog lies down, is one with the ocean...

Ocean has fun with dog, sends in the big guns...dog almost gets swept away and wants nothing more to do with former friend, ocean.



Shabbs was pretty wiped after her near-miss with the tide...Kiks and I couldn't wait to see more!


A stop along highway 101--Devils' Churn


The Umpqua Lighthouse is situated at Winchester Bay, south of Reedsport, OR. This is the second construction (completed in 1894), since the first one was destroyed by floods in 1864.
The original cost of construction was only $50.

Tread Softly and Carry a Big Stick

Trying my hand at radio telemetry...Janice took me out with her Thursday night to track some Spotted owls, and she let me pick up the signal on one that was close by. So I only look like I know what I'm doing here...



Kika came out into the field with us to volunteer herself as owl bait...


Friday morning, the girls and I got up and went out onto the Willamette River one last time with Art. We canoed 14 miles and saw tons of ospreys, mergansers and great blue herons. It was the perfect day for a ride.


We ate lunch on a gravelly sandbar. I tried to walk the girls around to get them good and tired before we got back into the boat. Shabbi had a hard time on all the loose rocks, but she ended up sleeping almost the entire second half of the trip. Kika was alert and on guard; she even jumped out of the boat twice...before we pushed off from the bank...


I couldn't resist asking Art to take a pic of my little VW with the canoe roped to it. Art has an old-school bug that he totes the canoe around on, so I guess my car is the "next generation" VW, although he informed me that my little plastic car is no match to his 1970s metal car when it comes to acting as a transporter.

23 and Counting

So tonight I am headed out with Janice to do some radio telemetry with the owls, and tomorrow (assuming I can get my arse outta bed after such a late night) I am going out on the canoe with Art along the Willamette River. Saturday, I'm driving up to Corvallis to spend one last weekend with Anita and Eric before I start heading down south to California.

Adam is doing well, and says "Hello to all and to all hello."

Counting Down the Days---25 Days Left

Talked to Adam this morning (and actually, talking to him again right now) and it sounds like he is going to be stateside on the 29th. As it stands, we've only got 25 more days before we see each other. Will update you all on his goings-on as he updates me.

Labor Day Weekend

So, my last day of work came and went relatively uneventfully. It was sort of like when I defended my Masters thesis--I had longed for the conclusion for so long, I was expecting the completion to be this exhilirating moment, but it really wasn't. I'm wondering if most things in life are relatively anti-climactic? Do our extreme joys and excitements fade as we get older?

Friday evening, I packed up the girls' and my stuff, and we set out for a campground a few miles from the house. Some of Janice's coworkers had reserved some campsites and invited us three girls along, so we made the most of it. Sitting under the stars that night, chatting with folks over a campfire, I realized there was no better way to celebrate the end of the field season. We camped alongside the Umpqua River, with a pair of great blue herons, a soaring eagle and many hungry ground squirrels to keep us company. What a wonderful experience.

The following day was the BLM/Forest Service Spotted Owl crew's end-of-summer bbq. It was located at the same park that we had camped at, so the girls and I woke up early, walked around and chatted with some of the other campers (and their dogs; Kika managed to rough up a Chihuahua puppy before 8 am) before getting ready for the bbq. I got a chance to meet many from the owl crew I hadn't yet encountered this summer, as well as the guy who passed along my housing request to Janice this past May. Thank goodness for Pete, or else the girls and I would have been up a creek this summer! After lots of scrumptious food, my failed attempt at volleyball, and Kika jumping out of the window of the car, it was time to pack up. The girls and I camped a second night, then got up early the next morning to pack and go home. I was hoping to catch Adam's phone call at the house but alas! I missed him yet again.

At the bbq on Sunday, I met a friend of Janice's who's retired and has several horses on his property. He was lamenting that all of his friends still work during the week so he never has anyone to go riding with. One woman said she'd go riding with him if he paid her. He laughed and said all the pretty ladies want to be paid to go out with him. I love horses, and thought I'd risk being rude, so I said, "I'm out here for another 3 weeks and you wouldn't have to pay ME to go out with you...." He looked at me and told me to show up Monday morning for a ride. So Monday morning, Janice and I drove a little ways down the road and met up with Dave and some friends for a 2-hour ride through the hills. It was wonderful. It was the first non-tourist horse ride I've ever taken, so I had to be in constant control of the horse. She was a little frisky, even at 19 years old, and she wanted to take off several times. I had to learn how to make her calm down, slow down to a walk, and recover from incidents with the other horses. I felt a little "western" that day. Once Janice and I got home, I noticed that I was having a weird reaction--the entire right side of my face was breaking out in a rash, and my right eye had swollen shut. I was also starting to have a difficult time breathing. I don't think I"m allergic to horses, but I don't know what else could have triggered this reaction....Janice raced to get me a Benadryl and I washed my face off. I just remember passing out on the floor for several hours after that; I kept waking up with a bad headache. Janice cancelled her plans to go into town to keep an eye on my condition. What a roommate, huh? So that was my Labor Day weekend. It was great!