Highway 58

It's Spring for gosh sakes and the park at Salt Creek Falls (our destination) was still snowed in and closed. So what to do? Drive farther up the mountain.

Yes, Salt Creek Falls was closed when we got there covered with snow but we did see the falls as we drove up the mountain then when we pulled off the only road to the falls was closed so we drove up to the sno-park to turn around.


The Musemobile (our Winnebago Sightseer), still looking for Winnebago sponsorship for a cross country tour still looks and operated wonderfully. Mmmm maybe Workhorse (the chassis maker) will sponsor us one day. Hey guys We will settle for sponsorship to Vancouver, BC.


As we drove up highway 58 we saw a water fall and stopped for some pictures. This is looking down into the gorge while looking for a good place to shoot the falls.


The white stuff here isn't snow but the churn from the falls.


Now this IS snow and road grime from the snowplows. It gives a really interesting pattern as the snow melts leaving pock marks.


This is a man we met while taking pictures and his name is Stacy. Stacy cycled to Oregon from Montana and is now on his way to Arizona to warm up before heading home.


Diamond peak looms in the distance as part of the Cascade range of ex-active-volcanoes, now mountains.


We took a turnoff to Shelter Cove Resort and Marina on Odell Lake. Driving there over a one lane bridge I stopped to take this picture of a creek passing through the snow.


Going back toward Eugene we stopped at a road going south to have lunch and get some pictures.


I found a fern for a picture but it looked like there wasn't much else...


... I liked this colorful leaf (probably poison oak) and was about to give up...


... then I found a trillium...


... finally the holy grail of Oregon flowers. A pink fairy slipper orchid - Wow!


There were actually three of them ...


... all within a 5 foot radius. They are tiny flowers no larger than 2 inches from tip of the wings to the toe of the pin fairy slipper.


While I was shooting Sharyn walked across the bridge exploring.


I joined her on the bridge and got a shot of the creek rapidly running by.


I did find a nice sample of yellow holly before we left that spot.


We then cut off at Kistson Springs Road and drove to Hills Creek Reservoir. This is a view looking northwest from the top of the dam to the water running downhill to meet farther down with the Willamette River.


I found the structure of the dam fascinating...

... and massive, maintaining tons of kinetic energy and life giving water.


These days infrastructure like dams are secured from terrorism and personal liability so I could get close but not too close.


Looking across Hills Creek Reservoir affords a great panorama of the layers of mountains far into the distance.


Coming back down Kitson Springs Road we stopped for a picture of the white flowers on a bush we thought might be a dogwood but wasn't. It was beautiful none the less.


I spotted this unopened bloom then noticed the branch was lying dead on the ground.


We finally found Sharyn a dogwood tree to take a picture of (we had seen many blooming along side the road) after missing many others. It wasn't what we planned for the day but I loved being out in the RV with Sharyn a special treat for Mother's Day. The nice thing is whatever we do together is a special treat for me as well.

Scrabble Score ~ Scrabble Queen 323 - The Contender 302

Quote of the Day ~

“One aspect of serendipity to bear in mind is that you have to be looking for something in order to find something else.” ~ Lawrence Block

Three Cups of Tea - In a Coffee Town

Eugene is a coffee town with more drive through espresso huts per cubic inch than Seattle, Washington so it's pretty special when tea brings people together.

We had an amazing opportunity last night. Greg Mortenson came to Eugene to visit and speak and the presentation was free put on by the University of Oregon. Greg if you haven't heard is an amazing man who builds schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. One of his early supporters was Andrew Marcus a Geology professor at U of O. Greg wrote a book Sharyn has read and was so impressed she has sent copies to many of our family and friends. The Book is "Three Cups of Tea."

This is the cover of the book and I expect everyone who reads this blog to buy a copy for themselves {Click Here} to visit the home page and notice there are books for both Young Adults and even a special edition for children titled "Listen to the Wind."

We were lucky and got a parking place right in front on McArthur Court on the U of O campus where the event was being held.

The Event was put on by "The Cultural Forum" a student program board of the University of Oregon. The Cultural Forum presents a broad selection of music, performing arts, film, contemporary issues, and the visual arts. Their programs reflect a wide range of diversity and artistic expression in the entertainment, art and political worlds. Events, like this one, are conceived of, initiated, negotiated, booked, promoted and carried out by student coordinators with the support of dedicated staff members. The event was funded by student incidental fees, event revenue, grants, and other sponsorships.

Yes, this is a University Campus with little parking and many bicycles...


... many decorated to reflect the rider.


When we arrived there was a group playing music. The members call themselves...


Fanna Fi Allah and the music is Sufi. {Click Here} to visit their Website


Their voices were superb and the music very much a mood setting event that reflected countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan.


The voices of the two women were superb. The one with the flower in her hair is from Monterey, CA and the blond young lady is from Ashland, Oregon.


The young men were wonderful singers and musicians and the red instrument was a little like an accordion with a keyboard and a bellows. That instrument is called a harmonium - pretty cool.


The type of music is called Qawwali and the musicians were very kind to fill me in on a few things.


McArthur park was getting filled beyond expectations ...

Did you know that the University of Oregon has the highest per capita representation of any University in the Peace Corps?

I managed to get to the side of the stage where Greg Mortenson (Navy Blue Coat) was waiting to go on with Andrew Marcus (Tan Coat)

"U of O geography professor Andrew Marcus is a friend of Mortenson and was one of his early supporters, serving as a founding board member for the Central Asian Institute." ~ By Greg Bolt The Register-Guard of Eugene Oregon

"Three Cups of Tea" Mortenson’s best-selling non-fiction book is co-authored with journalist David Oliver Relin. The title comes from a lesson he learned from Haji Ali the village chief of Korphe, a village in a mountainous section of Pakistan. When Greg was struggling to build the first school. Ali said: “Here we say, take the time to have three cups of tea. The first cup you’re a stranger, the second cup you’re a friend, the third cup you’re family.”


The thing I noticed about Greg was his ability to come to life when children came to him...


... and like the fine father he is he took time to greet these young children and in that moment he seemed most alive.


Greg has learned not to tower over young people and the children were most comfortable as if he were a peer and not an aloof adult.


I watched as these children swarmed like bees...


... and then he signed their books with great care...


... just as the children love his presence at the schools he builds for them.

Some young people including his Daughter Amira are involved with Pennies for Peace a program of the Central Asia Institute that educates American children about the world beyond their experience and shows them that they can make a positive impact on a global scale, one penny at a time.

Visit their website by {Clicking Here}


Then it was Greg on stage ...


Greg was a wonderfully passionate speaker and his "signing person" was equally animated and maybe a bit more exuberant at times.


When he finished Fanna Fi Allah returned to the stage to play and sell some great CD's and let me get a better picture of the red Harmonium . Sharyn and I left feeling uplifted and resolving to support Greg any way we can.

Scrabble Score ~ Scrabble Queen 354 ~ the Contender 289

Quote of the Day

"I listen to the wind to the wind of my soul where I'll end up well I think, only God really knows." ~ Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou, 21 July 1948), best known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is a British musician of Greek Cypriot and Swedish ancestry. He is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist and prominent convert to Islam.

The Home Garden as of Cinco De Mayo

From time to time I go out in the garden and experiment with my camera and chronicle the progress of our flowers in spring.

* Note Some of these pictures can be seen at a larger size if you click on them then use the BACK button to return to the blog.


Some of our new flowers this year are in pots like this pretty and tiny purple flower.


Some are vines like the white Clematis. Taken in low light conditions.


I kind of like these in a dim light because some details that can be washed out in bright light can be seen more easily.


This is our yellow magnolia in bloom and it's a little like a tree full of goldfinches.


The Carmelia was not healthy this year dropping buds but a few of the blooms were perfect...

... and others are still opening.


In the back yard this new plant (planted a few months ago) is starting to bloom out.


Our two big Rhododendrons are blooming wonderfully this is the one with a pinkish tint.


The Asiatic Pear is doing very well after a frostbitten and almost non-existent yield (2) last year. This year just one small cluster has 12 pears and all are doing nicely.


The Redbud we almost lost last year is making a good comeback after I had to hack of several limbs last year.


I hope it comes back well during the summer.


The Lilacs are looking great after losing all the blooms to frost last year.


The Large White Rhododendron is looking simply fantastic.


Even the Azalea that was sick last year is doing great.


One bud so far but beautiful.

Scrabble Score ~ Scrabble Queen 312 ~ The Contender 313 (whew)

Quote of the Day~

“A single rose can be my garden...a single friend, my world.” ~ Leo F. Buscaglia