Just to Appease my Mother...

...here are some pics from my sisters'/dad's visit to Oregon. Yes, it's a teaser. Many more coming soon.... I'm at work right now and have a long list of students to save and retain!!

My New View!

Not bad, huh?

Another Week

Katie came down this weekend to visit and we both realize that even a 3-day weekend isn't enough time together. We did manage to do a couple of fun things, but again found ourselves out of time too quickly.

On Friday we went out to Steelhead Brewery in downtown Eugene and had the beer sample platter. Well, we also had burgers and clam-chowder, but that's less important (although tasty as well). Their beer is absolutely delectable--a symphony of flavor. They had prime Oatmeal Stouts, Reds, and even an IPA that I really enjoyed (I don't like IPAs)! We had a good time.

On Saturday, we drove out to Crow (about 15 miles from Eugene) to do a little target practicing. We basically got rained out, but not after shooting the glock a few times! It was a nice way to blow off some steam from the week.

Uncle Mike and Auntie Linda had a get-together with Amy, Brandy, Scottie, the kids, "Shawdog" and Rosemarie on Saturday night. We had an interesting spread of food (delicious beef stew, cheesy crab dip, et.al.) and watched the Ducks beat Washington State.

Katie and I took a nice walk on Sunday. We explored Peaceful Valley Road and took Toby. He's been on his best behavior lately. After a few close calls with losing him, we got a training collar. His nose is simply too powerful--he doesn't even hear our calls when he is following a scent or chasing after deer/cats/turkeys, etc. Although it seems cruel, there just isn't a more effective way to teach him the boundaries of his six-acre playground. When he ignores 2-3 of our calls, he gets a vibration. The collar also has a shock feature, but so far he has responded well to the vibration. Katie likens it to a tap on the shoulder.

Having the collar on him has expanded both his and our freedom. We don't leash him outdoors now (unless it is night-time and we can't see him), and he can explore as much as he wants as long as he listens to us when we call him. The difference really is night-and-day.

Back to Sunday. We also got to see Ducks basketball! They went 100-59--absolutely destroyed the other team. Uncle Mike has season tickets and couldn't make it to this game. Their seats are excellent--we will happily put those tickets to good use if they come up in the future, as well!

Sunday evening again came way too quickly. As Katie drove off, it become even more apparent to me that I need to kick some major butt in real estate so we can get her down here.

Cannon Beach

Last weekend Nick and I finally went to the Oregon coast. The drive takes just under 1.5 hours and during this time of year the scenery is full of gorgeous Fall colors. As soon as we arrived at the little town of Cannon Beach, we realized that we had chosen the perfect day to visit. The weather was very mild, the tide was extremely low, and the shore was far from crowded. The main feature of the Cannon Beach shoreline is Haystack Rock. This rock gained a lot of popularity due to its appearance in an 80s movie, The Goonies (a childhood favorite). It was pretty cool to see the giant rock up close after having seen it in a movie many times. Regardless of its added fame from The Goonies, this place stands on its own. The whole experience was almost magical. The weather was beautiful and the surrounding scenery was breathtaking. Words don't do justice in describing the experience, so I will let the pictures and videos do the talking. (videos coming soon!)

After we got our fill of the waves, we walked through the little downtown strip and treated ourselves to a mocha and a couple pastries (ok, so Nick's was a maple bar). It was such a lovely day!