Playing in the snow...

Last week I got to go to Bend area of Oregon to house sit and play in some snow!  Here are some pics from the fun....

View from the backyard of the house I stayed at....

I got courageous and went snowboarding!  Above is the pic on the way to Mt. Bachelor and below my self pic...hehe.

Fell several times but had a great time.  A pic from the lift...

The funny animals I was watching.  The dog loved to take 'snow baths' and the kitty was cracking me up in front of the tv...

So pretty!  I have decided that I really like visiting snow, but I am just fine with my rainy home in Eugene.  (Funny how you have to leave to truly appreciate where you live.)

Happy trails!

Ash

Across the Universe....I mean Oregon

Last weekend, work took me across the state.  I help organize our great volunteers in 4 counties of Oregon, and we are in the midst of doing planning retreats.

I traveled up to Bend, then the next day over to the Oregon Coast to Lincoln City, and then home the next day.  Thought I would share a few pics from my drives....

Snow at the Santiam Pass on the way to Bend.  (The roads were clear while I was there, but just after I left they got a bunch of snow!)

The drive from Bend to the coast...

I always love the little waterfalls on the side of the roads!

And this is the view from the retreat location on the coast.  See the ocean back there?

  It was such a great spot for a retreat - 360 view.

And had it been warmer (or had we been a lot more brave, I guess) we could have hit the pool. ;)

This great fireplace is located in the middle of the room.

And the drive home.  Even though it ended up being a rainy day, the coast was still beautiful.

Ash

Time goes by way too fast!

Well, every time I think that 'this week was craziness', then the next week shows the last one up.  It was another one of those weeks where I wish that I had an assistant....lol.

On Tuesday I made a trip have meetings in Bend and had a nice trip.  However, I find it so hard to justify all that drive time...I wish we had a train that went there so I could just work.  That probably would have helped me not get so behind this week.  But on the drive home I stopped to get a few pretty pics of one of the rivers.

It was so pretty!  If I hadn't been alone, I would have wandered down to the water, but I thought better of it and took a few more pics from afar.  I just love how it looks like something from a fantasy novel....

Then on Wednesday I took a trip down to the Ashland/Medford area to meet some work folks down there.  It was a great trip, and it totally took me down memory lane.  My hubby and I used to go there on day trips from where we lived in southern Oregon.  I love Ashland - and one of my favorite parts is Lithia Park. It is a big, beautiful park with a stream flowing through it, right in downtown Ashland.  Ashland is also where they do wonderful Shakespeare plays, and my hubby and I went to one there on our 1st anniversay.

Here is a pic of Lithia....

I love the little bridge!  It was such a pretty day, and I was not missing the pollen that has been killing me and my sis in Eugene!

Here is another pic of the park.

This one taken from another little bridge over the stream.

The rest of the week was a blur.  But we had a great weekend.  Yesterday, my hubby and I volunteered for one of the groups that I love, the Bus Project at an event in the park for gay pride month.  It was a lot of fun.  Then today we went down to the fairgrounds to check out the Alpaca Show and the Black Sheep Gathering. The whole thing was all about fiber and cool animals...hehe.

Here is my hubby getting a kiss from his new alpaca friend...

I like how the other alpaca is watching in the background....hehe

And here is the kind of goat I want!!  I made a decision today that I want a piece of property that is big enough to have 10 chickens (so 7 more), 2 angora bunnies (I am getting them soon!!), 2 goats like these guys, and a garden. (And of course my dog and cat.)

Kinda blurry head shot, but is it not adorable?  They are pygora goats.  And they were so sweet and just think....I could have fiber, milk for goat cheese and they would eat my weeds! hehe

Gonna crash now.  This week is looking to be another crazy week, with another trip to Bend planned for Wednesday and then a trip to Portland Friday thru Sunday.  Good thing my hubby can hold down the fort for me!

Have a great week!

Ash

It's been a week already?

Man!  This week flew by!

It was a great week, and very eventful!  Here is my breakdown ;)

Sunday: Was nice enough to go running with my friend.  It was one of those warm days when it would rain just a little when you were overheating.  Perfect!

Monday: Mostly work, but had a great time at a little party thrown by one of the campaigns I was working on.  Great people!

Tuesday: Dentist....not a super fun thing, but eventful none-the-less. ;)  I think it is funny that I went in to get cavities fixed, cavities that were not hurting at all, and then I left with a sore mouth and teeth that are now sensitive to heat...

Wednesday: Off to Bend!  I love traveling over to Bend, and I had some awesome meetings.  I am excited that my team there is great and growing all the time. It was also a pretty nice day, so I walked around downtown a little to get a better sense of what is around town.  They also have a super cute library.  I stayed with one of my volunteers, who had an awesome place, with solar power to supplement their power usage.  I love it!

Thursday: Left Bend early and drove to Portland.  It is great to be in the office with my co-workers.  Had a full day of meetings and got a lot done.  I also got my business cards finally!  Drove home and got a flat tire on the rental.... I think that is my family's curse.  My mom once got a wrench or something crazy stuck in her tire...

Friday: Changed the tire on the rental and drove it back to them.  Was nervous that they were going to charge a lot for a replacement tire, but they decided not to charge us at all!  Yay!  Then worked a little coffeeshop nearby, had a lunch meeting at a yummy Thai place, then drove out to a vineyard to pick up a wine donation for an event we have next week.  When we got home, I found out my sis got a job!  I am so excited for her, she had been looking for some time!  Good job, sis!

Friday eve- Hubby, Sis and I went to the Last Friday Art Walk with a new friend of our's and had a great time.  The Last Friday Art Walk is kind alternative, and my friend and I had fun with it.  Namely with our new purchase of face accessories....

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ash

On the road

Not much new, but had to share this beautiful view on my drive to Bend this last Thursday:

It was beautiful!  A little hard to drive in, but very picturesque.

I also had to share this awesome little basket I saw.  I think my sis and I may have to try something like this out:

So many ideas out there for recycling!

Have a good week!

Ash

Rebooting Day 2-

Just a quick update on the conference I have been attending.  It has been great to see friends I have not seen in some time, as well as current friends and to be surrounded by people that are like minded!

Here are a couple photos from today:

A great view of the river just outside the conference rooms.  There is also a kayaking practice course set up here, so we got to watch kayakers!

Viola!  I think this is the first time I have posted a pic of myself!  This is me enjoying a break from the conference in the sun, watching the kayakers.

And finally, a not great photo of the keynote speaker at dinner tonight, Lawrence Lessig.  He had a very impressive presentation and I was glad to have been there for it.  I am such a nerd for this stuff that when he showed up at an after party this evening, I wanted to run up and ask for his autograph....lol!  I didn't though.  Another man that I would highly recommend following what he works on.

Tomorrow is the last day of the conference, and the last day in Bend for this week.  Then back to Eugene and my sis and animals!  Miss them already!  Thanks sis for watching the animals! 

Bend, Oregon and Rebooting Democracy

My hubby and I arrived in Bend yesterday.  It had been pretty normal, until we got to the pass.  There we were met by this sight.

After having been in close to 70 degree weather, this was a surprise to me.

When we rolled into Bend, it was pretty nice out.  The sun was out and it was not too cold.  But then this morning I woke to this...lol.

I did not pack for this weather!  But by noon, most of the snow had melted.

Today was also the first day of the Bus Project Conference 'Rebooting Democracy'.  It is one of those events that can really get you re-energized to get involved in people powered politics!  It was a great evening, but the best part of the event today was the Keynote speach by Rev. Lennox Yearwood from the Hip Hop Caucus.  It was awesome!  He was a great motivational speaker. Here is a photo I got from the event.

If you ever have an opportunity to hear the Rev. Yearwood speak, be there!

More tomorrow!

Ash