Oregon images

Donovan felt right at home at the Thai restaurant we visited (Dad's favorite). They had all this beautifully carved furniture with hundred of elephants all over it. We all ate well that night as the boys had been to camp and I was in classes.

Then I finally got to meet Drew's girlfriend Molly at Dave and Carol's. I

had us all gather as a group because I thought it was remarkable to see all of them at once, but I forgot my memory card was full up and they didn't take. So, I share these casual shots I got earlier. That's Adam and Matt and then my brother Dave, who's dieted and walked off a lot of pounds this summer. That helps me give vegetables a second thought.

The first few days in Eugene I got to take in Emily Whipple's shower at Alison's. There

she is with Lisa Poindexter. I wish I could have spent more time with Alison on this trip, but I was grateful to celebrate Emily's upcoming marriage and see a number of old friends. most of the women there, including my mom, knew Alison and Emily's mom Kathy who died about 20 years ago. It was amazing to see all these surrogate mothers for Emily surround her at this momentous time. I miss Kathy, but her influence and presence was still palpable on that day.



The bowl of blackberries says so much to me about what I love about Eugene. I love the smell of ripe berries at night as I gaze off Mom and Dad's deck over the canal and see the stars above. I love walking along the jogging trails with mom in the mornings (after I drag myself out of bed early - that part is never easy.) And I love that luscious blackberries grow wild all around. Of course we made fresh blackberry ice cream. Donovan remembered that from the summer we visited two years before.

The whole town seemed to smell of roses and fresh breezes and I was trying to drink it all in before we left. To my surprise, Rosebud was also green when I returned! Dave said it had rained buckets for days! It's so beautiful here right now... just like home!