contemplation

It never fails...I always seem to have the desire to blog right about when I have deadlines looming dangerously close. Shh! Don't tell Cameron I'm in the office blogging - he thinks I'm hard at work! ;-P

Sure as the sun shines in our dry, Willamette Valley summers, rain and clouds have returned to bless our spring days. What would we do without the rain? I, for one, would never return indoors to get any work done if it didn't rain. So despite my long gardening to-do list, I am grateful for the encouragement to return to the computer. I have a lot of work to do!

It may be hard to believe, but Mississippi already feels like so long ago. It has taken no time at all to slip back into life at home. And despite the pain of being separated from Cameron for all that time, I think it was probably a good experience for us. We have been together 10 years this April and living in our little cottage for 9 1/2 years. It is so easy to slip into routines and forget to appreciate what you have. Absence doesn't necessarily make the heart grow fonder (especially if you are already quite fond of the person you are absent from), but it certainly does help you remember to appreciate things.

As you might be able to guess, I've had quite a contemplative weekend. Another bonus from cloudy weather! The sun makes you go-go-go, but the clouds remind me to be still. I hope you are all getting a moment to be still too.

settling in

The bags are mostly unpacked, the office yet to be set straight, and the flower garden is slowly getting in shape. Ah, home!

The weather has gotten a little cooler, but the sun is still hanging in there for us - in other words, it is spring again. This is just perfect for getting some projects completed such as mowing the lawn, blowing leaves off of the barn roof, splitting wood, and completing some spring plantings. The cherry trees and dogwoods are in full bloom and leaves have made their way back to nearly all of the trees (well, okay, there are only little leaves in some cases). Downtown tulips brighten up yards and bask in the spring sun.

Most of my thoughts are currently bent outdoors. After spending so much time inside this winter, I can hardly help it. Of course, rain will fall again leaving no choice but to get some indoor work done. But that's later ;-) ... time to head back outside!

Eugene!

Yesterday morning we awoke early and emerged from our Comfort Inn to the dry, sunny and warm landscape of Oregon's high desert. We headed west from Burns, OR and enjoyed the familiar landscape all around us. It's amazing how small Oregon seems after driving across the country! Before long, the grand viewscape of snow-capped Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, Three Sisters, Diamond Peak, and their companions (i.e. Three-Fingered Jack, Black Butte...etc.) opened up before us. Such a sunny, clear day! What a wonderful view!

After a failed attempt at traversing the Cascade Lakes Highway (still snowy patches! bummer!!), we made our way back into the Willamette Valley by following the Middle Fork. We were greeted by lovely warm weather - the best weather we've had since that one sunny day in NC last weekend.

It's in the 80's here and we are taking advantage of the beautiful weather to unpack, catch up on garden work, and complete some outdoor projects. The dogs are enjoying the return of their pack by spending every waking moment at our feet in the sun (panting away as they bake). The hummingbirds are frolicking and buzzing away as the swing by the feeder and guard their territory. I've missed one whole month of their visit to the valley so I must soak in the time I have left with them before they follow the blooming rhodies to higher elevations.

We have so very many photos that I can hardly bring myself to cruise through them and post one this time. I'll have to post more later.

pics from the trip

Yesterday I wrote a bit about where we've been and what we've seen. Here's a couple of pictures to go with that.

Bandalier National Monument

Soda Dam

San Fidel

Grand Canyon

Glen Canyon Dam & Lake Powell

on our way home

My goodness, have we covered a lot of ground in the last few days!!!

Since I last had a chance at the computer, we have traveled from Oxford to Amarillo, TX (stayed at the Fifth Season Hotel - old, but perfectly adequate and extremely cheap). The drive was not all that exciting, so no fun pictures.

The next day we visited Bandalier National Monument in New Mexico. We have gobs of photos of cliff-dwellings and other such ruins of the Frijole Indians. We followed this up with a quick stop at Soda Dam (a natural dam) and continued on to Gallery 66 in San Fidel to visit with our good friend Mary. Her gallery is a must-see for Route 66 er's.

We spent some time with Mary before heading out to the Grand Canyon yesterday. We hit snow in Flagstaff and a white-out by the time we hit the Grand Canyon. Lucky for us it all blew through and headed east. By the time we woke up this morning we had sunny skies (though that wind was chilly!). We spent the morning there and then headed north to Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. The sun set on us as we drove through Zion and Bryce Canyon country.

So here we are in Utah - heading our way north and west. We have so many pictures from our travels I can't even begin to pick out a few for the blog. I will post many soon, but first need to sleep. We will drive through the Great Salt Lake tomorrow and may even land ourselves in Oregon by the end of the day!

westward-ho

We left Oxford, MS, this morning and began our trip west. All day we made our way through Arkansas and Oklahoma. After something like 12 hours we landed ourselves in Amarillo, TX. Not a lot of pictures from this leg of our journey....

Here we are at Rebel Paintball field before we left the Oxford area.

Crossing the mighty Mississippi....



Once we were in Oklahoma the sun was out full force. We took a little break at the Visitor Center.


Next stop...pueblos and San Fidel!

north carolina part 2

Easter was a much sunnier day! We headed to Clingman's Dome to share a view of the Smokies with Cameron. As might be expected, it was packed with tourists!




We didn't linger there long and headed to Big Cove for a quiet walk through the woods.



After the outdoors treats, we headed back to Waynesville for some family time and an Easter dinner.

north carolina

Well folks, Cameron and I are having a great time relaxing in North Carolina. We've visited with aunts, uncles, and a cousin while spending time with my father. It rained the last two days, but today brings us a little sun. The first rainy day we toured one of my father's new projects at work - a green modular home.


Yesterday, still rainy, we decided to head outdoors anyhow. We got wet, but had a great hike on the Mt. Sterling trail to one of the last fire towers in the area. After, we drove into a National Park meadow full of introduced Canadian elk. Each has a tracking collar and they were not spooked at all by people. We drove up right along side of them.



Today we are going to head back outside to enjoy the sun and maybe catch some views. Tomorrow we start heading west....

flume project

Well folks, my flume adventures are coming to an end...for now, at least. I have learned a lot about what to do and probably a whole lot more about what not to do. My "plants" have held up relatively well considering the long hours under water and the bumping and wrenching of my instruments. All-in-all, things went off pretty much as planned.

Admittedly, I am happy to spend some time away from the big wooden box and man-made waterfall. I definitely need a break from the 5-minute measures! And thankfully Ibrahim will collect the measurements that I can't squeeze in before I leave. This is certainly a great relief.

Just one more day after this of flume work, some packing, and the completion of a proceedings paper and I will feel free to travel! I'm looking forward to North Carolina for the weekend!

only four days left

Time is flying by! This is my last week in Oxford and I'm feverishly trying to get everything in order. I've lived in Eugene so long that I am extremely out of practice at this whole moving thing. It seems that each time I have moved in the past, it was at the end of school, where everyone was graduating and moving at the same time. So you said goodbye, but you also knew what you were leaving wouldn't have looked the same if you had decided to stay. This experience is so very different.

For starters, I was only here 6 months and had the feeling of this "life" being temporary. What does that mean? I shopped differently, therefore ate differently; developed relationships differently; and made plans only in the short-term. I never created a relationship with local food producers (heck, I wasn't here long enough to even see the farmers market). I didn't stock up on foods or even purchase spices, etc., that I knew I couldn't use up within the time I was here. Instead I ate very simply (and pilfered a few teaspoons from Lauren's spice stash). Also, building good friendships takes time and when you are only around for a short time (and unfortuntately working all the time) they are more difficult to develop. Regardless, I have met many good people here and I have really enjoyed spending time with them. I feel very fortunate that they welcomed me so complete into their lives. I never felt lonely, which can be troubling when moving to a new town, and am so grateful for that!

While I have been here, I am at home, but not at home at the same time. Since I am renting a room in a house that is completely furnished, I am surrounded by things that are not mine. It is like I am a semi-permanent visitor is someone's home. This is by no fault of my "landlords". Lauren and Danny have made me feel completely comfortable and have shared their space very openly and willingly! I'm not sure I would have been able to be so gracious if I were in the same position. I am so thankful to them for being such great friends and housemates. Regardless, it is their home. And, more importantly, it is not mine - my belongings are 2600 miles away.

Another reason this move is different is that I am leaving behind a world that will remain intact. Unlike the college days when everyone scattered across the country and around the world after the magic graduation day - everyone here will remain. So I am the only one that drops out of the picture. People here are making plans for next week, next month,..., and I will not be around. It doesn't trouble me, but I do find it really...hmm...interesting (for lack of a better word). I just haven't experienced this before.

So the time has nearly arrived...goodbyes are already beginning. As always it is "until the next time", because we just don't know what life will bring. Maybe I will be back for a spell, maybe not. I will certainly be seeing some at conferences, conversing about projects, and with things like Facebook, blogs and email, hearing about the latest is no longer difficult.

And in just a few days Cameron arrives to come fetch me. I will be on my way home.

april fools

I admit, I'm a fool for April...especially April in Oxford. How lovely! I've only got a week left from my winter stay, but lucky me I stayed long enough to experience dogwoods in full bloom. I took a moment from my day to go for a walk and enjoy "dogwood street" and found myself surrounded in white. Azeleas are blooming in peaches, reds and whites. Tulips are out in their bold yellow, red, pink, purple, and peach. Wisteria is hanging from fences and trees large and small...if only I could share their perfume in words!

It was nice to take a little break from work this afternoon - tomorrow promises thunderstorms and tornadoes. So for now I sit outside and endure the mosquitoes because I know that in Oregon, at this very moment, it is cold and rainy and I couldn't be doing this!




So sorry I haven't been posting much lately! But if you would like to see some nifty pics of the yard, check out Lauren's blog, "Crumbs" (I have a link to it in the sidebar).