Mount Pisgah at 7:30am

Yesterday Cliff and I decided to get up at our normal Monday-Friday wake up time and hike Mount Pisgah.  It was clear.  It was frosty.  It was beautiful.

We got trekking poles for Christmas and have used them twice.  We bought them for backpacking.  We also bought them because I tend to fall a lot so an extra set of legs on the ground could be beneficial.  They are pretty awesome.  I was really frustrated when I used them the first time as my mind couldn't figure out where to put them and I was constantly accidentally dragging them or kicking one.   Seriously.  I got so frustrated that I cried on a trail (really embarrassing but it happened).   Apparently I just needed to chill out and use them on a hike that totally winds me.  My brian kicked right in at 7:30am and worked those pole to help me haul my butt up and down a steep (and at times) frozen hill.  I like them now.

Funny to note, Cliff was like a fish to water with them.  Apparently Cliff had quite a thing for making walking sticks when he was little.  Knowing this I'm not sure why we didn't get them earlier. 

Did I mention that is has been kinda cold here?  It's only been getting up to the 30s the past couple of days. There was a frost on everything.  There was even some snow in the shadier spaces.  With it being so cold it has made me realize how much I want to see snow this year.  I want inches of snow.  I want to be snowed in.  I want to chop wood in snow and drink hot chocolate by the fire.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

We have really lucked out the past two weekend as it has been clear.  In January!  It just goes to show that even in Oregon you can have a little unexpected sun during that long stretch between October - June.

The Holidays in Oregon

First off, happy new year!  I hope that everyone's 2013 is off to a good start.  It is hard to believe that the holidays are over (although Cliff keeps telling me that they aren't over until this upcoming weekend when we take down the tree and decorations).  This was an odd holiday season as this was the first time we were away from the east coast and on our own for Christmas.

Cliff and I did an excellent job of getting into the Christmas spirit.  We went with friends to see holiday lights (see Coos Bay post), we watched holiday movies, ate chocolate, listened to Christmas music, decorated the whole house, and drank egg nog.  We were in good shape until Christmas eve.  We were really homesick and sad.  So we made dinner, chatted with our lovely family, watched "It's A Wonderful Life", and headed for bed.  On Christmas we finished opening presented (we snuck a few ahead of schedule) and packed up to head to Portland to spend the night with Kathy, Jill, and our friend Zoe who flew up from California.  We were actually supposed to go up to Portland before Christmas but postponed the trip as Zoe's flight was cancelled and she came in a few days late.  I'm really glad we changed our plans as spending time with friends helped to make a really nice Christmas.  Kathy, Jill and Zoe made a delicious lunch/dinner (ham, vegetables, bread and cheese, green bean casserole, stuffing, mimosas, and homemade cookies!).  We Skyped with our friends Sam and Steve in Pittsburg.  Afterwards we all went to the movie to see Les Miserables.  The theater was packed.  I love going to the movies on Christmas.  We all really enjoyed the movie and cried a lot...well....I cried a lot.  I get so emotional with musicals.  They are magical to me.  After the movie we opened presents and ate Chinese food.  It was a solid day.

We came back from Portland on Wednesday so that I could work the rest of the week.  Cliff and I were both looking forward to the weekend as REI was having their scratch and dent sale.  We really want to start backpacking but are missing a few essential items and we had Christmas money burning a hole in our pocket.  We got there 2 1/2 hours before the doors opened and we were about the 70th or so folks in line.  It was cold but dry and a friend waited with us so the time went by pretty quickly.  Once inside, Cliff did it.  He found the exact tent we wanted.  The tent sells for about $350 and we got ours for $70 because a non-essential zipper was broken.  Totally excited!  We also got a fuel bottle for our future stove and I got a fuzzy fleece jacket.  We were pretty proud of ourselves.  We put the tent up in the living room quite a few times that night.  Rudy was very confused.  We are now a few steps closer to our first spring backpacking trip.

Last night we went out to dinner with a friend from work and stopped in at our neighbor's for a get together.   The clock struck midnight as Cliff and I were going to bed.  We decided to ring in the new year with sleep.  This morning we got up and Cliff suggested that we climb Spencer Butte.  It has been dry this week (awesome) and the sun was out.  Everyone and their mom, brother, cousin, and dog was at the butte today.  We all wanted to take in the view and the sunshine on the first day of 2013.  There was quite a bit of frost and even some ice on the butte.  I took a photo of some as it was a cool shape. It was clear and we could see the Three Sisters and even up to Mt. Hood.  The whole hike was relaxing and wonderful.

I've failed to mention that Rudy had an awesome Christmas.  He got a new bed, treats, a long and leggy Santa monkey, a Rudolph rope/squeak toy (via Kathy and Jill), and a new tie (via mom).  He has been a happy camper.  He won't leave his new bed and when he does it is to either eat, go to the bathroom, or frolic with his new toys.  You can't see them all, but he is sitting on top of them in this photo.  He likes to snuggle with them.

As for the new year, 2012 was full of transitions for us and for the family.  We are looking forward to 2013 and the new challenges and the opportunities that await.  We don't really do resolutions but Cliff and I have a few hopes for the upcoming year:

• Spend more time outside
• Start backpacking (the goal would be once a month in the dry times)
• Be more active and eat healthier (we both have quite a big sweet tooth)
• Finally get the dog to walk properly on a leash
• Cliff wants to row another marathon before April
• I want to improve my ability to balance work and life

May the new year bring you all lots of love, laughter, prosperity, and happiness!  Bring it on 2013. 

Lyddanes in Oregon

Two weeks ago the Lyddanes landed in Oregon for a week long vacation.  We tried to jam pack every day with all of the things we love about this place.  As a result, we ate a whole lot, traveled to the mountains and to the coast, picked fruit, listened to live music, hiked, swam, got up early and stayed up late, and generally just had the most amazing time.  Five flew back after a week and Stephen stayed out an additional week to hang out.  This resulted in more hiking, swimming, picking fruit, baking, canning and pickling, and generally just frolicking around town.  Because it would be hard to put everything into words I am going to have to rely on photos.

After we picked the family up from the airport we went to a Lebanese restaurant to meet Brie.  It was so nice for everyone to visit.  The food was really great.  Look at those happy faces!

 

The meeting also gave us an excuse to take the first of many group photos to come. 

The next day we went climbing at the climbing wall, ate at Sonic (a must anytime you see one) and then went to Detering Orchards to pick peaches, cherries, and other goodies.  It look a bit of team work to get some of the choice fruit but it paid off.  Sadly we were there late in the day so we missed the time to pick rhubarb and blueberries.

The next day we went to the coast as Stephen and Nicole had never seen the Pacific Ocean.  Everyone was a little shocked at how cold the water was.  The Oregon Coast is a far cry from East Coast beaches: not as developed, fewer people, colder water, etc.  The coast is so beautiful and we were excited to show it off.

Second opportunity for a group shot.  The lady who took the photo complimented us for wearing complimentary colors.  She asked if we planned our outfits.  We did not.   Oh, little did she know that we do have matching outfits and that we were going to unleash Team Lyddane t-shirts later in the week.

On Tuesday night we went to a Yanni concert.  That's right.  A Yanni concert.  Actually, Mr. and Mrs. Lyddane went to the Yanni concert and the rest of us set up shop outside of the amphitheater to listen to the music, play board games, and relax.  Everyone was excited.  The Lyddane children grew up with Yanni so Andrea and Nicole just couldn't contain themselves when their favorite songs came on.  They just had to dance.  It was very free spirited.  It was impressive.  It was hilarious.  All in all a very good night.

On Wednesday, we were all over the place on a "do your own thing" day.  Cliff and I had long days at work.  Mr. and Mrs. Lyddane drove to Crater Lake. Andrea, Joe, Stephen, and Nicole hiked, went to wineries, visited chocolate shops, and went climbing again.  We all ended the day at 9:30pm with some delicious Track Town pizza.

Thursday was our trip to the mountains day.  We started the day off right with a trip to Dutch Brothers.  With so many different sugary coffee options to choose from everyone was a little overwhelmed looking at the menu.   It took us a little while to get our order straight. Everywhere we went people made comments about how we were having a party in the mini van.  It might have been because we were all sporting our matching Team Lyddane t-shirts. 

Our first official stop on the mountain tour was Terwilliger Hot Springs.  Cliff and I love going to the hot springs so we really wanted to take the family.  When we got there we found that they were not open yet as the pools were being drained and the rocks were being cleaned (who knew that happened?).  No worries.  We made our way down to the reservoir.  Cliff, Andrea, Joe, Stephen, and Nicole swam to a little island in the middle.  Apparently it was really cold but really awesome. 

After about an hour the hot springs opened up.  I love going there.  It is so relaxing.  The hot water, the minerals, the sound of water falling from one pool to another.  We were all riding on a relaxing, hot springs high when we got back in the mini van and headed up McKenzie Pass.  

  

The hot springs high did not last long as McKenzie pass is long and really windy.  Two of us get car sick so we sat up front.  Even sitting in the front seat my stomach wasn't happy.  Andrea and Nicole were in the back and kept yelling as they thought they were going to fall over the cliff edges as we went back and forth up slow switchbacks.  It was a stressful (yet pretty ride) to Sisters, Oregon.  We stopped at the lava fields for another group photo.  

I think this is a great time to talk about the matching t-shirts.  They were a surprise.  An awesome surprise. They had made Oregon 2012 team Lyddane t-shirts.  On the front was a color version of a Lyddane drawing where a cartoon rabbit exchanges carrots with a cartoon squirrel who is offering acorns.  Adorable.  On the back is your number that corresponds with when you entered the Lyddane family (ex: Mr. Lyddane 01, Mrs. Lyddane 02, Andrea, 03, Cliff 04, Stephen 05, Nicole, 06, me 07, Joe 08).  They are awesome.  We sported them with pride all over central Oregon.  It was amazing.  Seriously.  Cheesy amazingness.

We stopped at a watch tower at the summit of the pass.  It was so beautiful.  You could see the north sister and the middle sister, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, Black Butte, and several other peaks.  Andrea's camera has our group shots from the tower.  You bet we took a great photo of all of us showing off our numbers.  The Lyddanes were in central Oregon and everyone knew it.  After the photos, we ate lunch in Sisters and headed back home.

On the way home we stopped at Sahalie Falls.  I have a hard time explaining how beautiful it is.  As you walk down to see the falls you feel the cool mist, the sound gets louder, and you can't help but be in awe of mother nature.  Honestly, so much water falls every minute of ever day.  It's spectacular.

Sahalie Falls gave us one final opportunity for a group photo.  Our green shirts help us blend in with our natural surroundings. 

We got up bright and early on Saturday morning (4:00am) to take the crew back up to the Portland Airport.  It was so sad to see them go.  We had such a great time.  I hope they all did too.

Saturday started Cliff and Stephen's fantastic adventure.  We stopped at the Danner boot factory so they they could try on shoes (in preparation for their big labor day sale).   Back in one of our first posts, we mentioned that Cliff got over a $300 pair of boots for $50 at their labor day sale.  He loves them and wears them all the time.  When we go back up this year we will be on the lookout for some boots to send home as now we know sizes.   Look at those two!  Honestly it is pretty ridiculous how alike Cliff and Stephen ended up.  They could sit all day and talk about boots, orchards, gardens, dog training, bird specifies, and pretty much anything else.  They even wear matching colors without planning.  Really, its pretty funny.

I talked them into taking a "quick" drive down the coast.  I wanted to go to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, Rouge Brewing, and see if we could find one of those cool outdoor  fireplaces that are shaped like animals (I'm on the lookout for one for our house and they have them in Newport!).  We stopped at the Tillamook Forest Center and learned how the Tillamook Forest burned down several times and how tree planters are responsible for every single beautiful tree that we see today.  It was a really nice center with pretty impressive interactive, kid-friendly exhibits.  Nice work Tillamook Forest folks!

When we got to the Tillamook Cheese Factory it was packed.  It was overwhelming so we quickly walked through, got our ice cream, and headed outside to escape the crowds.  We headed south on the coast for hours and finally ended up in Newport.  We visited the Rogue Brewery, their new distillery (Cliff got fancy spruce gin) and saw lots of fisherman cleaning and gutting huge fish.  Let me tell you, it was smelly by Rogue because of all of the fish cleaning.  I tried breathing only through my mouth and it still didn't work.  The smell infiltrated my senses.  I couldn't walk fast enough to get away from it.  Besides the smell, Newport is pretty solid. 

Cliff and Stephen spent the next week hanging out all day and doing fun stuff (climbing, hiking, picking fruit, etc.)  Because of their efforts I got to eat three different crisps/cobblers over the last five days (peach and rhubarb and two blackberries varieties).  We also now have canned Oregon blackberry jam, refrigerator pickles, and blackberry infused whiskey.  We will have a little bit of summer each time we open one up this winter.  It's exciting.

We dropped off Stephen yesterday morning (another 4:00am day), ate breakfast with Kathy and Jill (to catch up on the wedding) and then drove home to take a nap.   We had a really great time with family.  I hope this is just one of many trips to Oregon.

Jen's Visit

Last month Cliff's best friend from college, Jen, presented at a conference in Portland.  She is super smart and just graduated from medical school in Buffalo, NY.  When we found out she was coming to Portland we let her know that we wanted to come up and see her one night.  Well...she one-uped us and instead rented a car and came down to Eugene.  The last time as saw Jen was our wedding and we sadly didn't get to hang out long.  It was so nice to see her and she was totally game for jam-packing her 24 hours with all the Eugene-goodness we could fit.

Photo by Jen Cheung

Upon her arrival we went to Falling Sky Brewery.  They just opened up within the past few months and we were excited to try their beer.  Well let me say that their beer is good but their food is even better.  We got two samplers, a mushroom pate appetizer, and sandwiches.  Jen and I both got the field burger which is a garbanzo bean, barley and mushroom patty with pub sauce and field greens.  It comes with fries or a field green salad.  It is amazing.  Hands down the best thing I have eaten in Eugene so far.  Honestly, I sometimes day dream about eating this burger.  Cliff got a roast beef sandwich with cheddar, horseradish, and caramelized onions.  It was a wonderful night.   Good food and a great friend.  Jen (who is a pretty great photographer) took some photos at Falling Sky including this one.  I honestly think it is the best/worst photo of us ever.  Jen really captured us.  It makes me so happy.

The next morning we got up early and hiked Spencer Butte.  It was the foggiest that we have ever seen it.  Seriously, we have hiked it like ten times and have never had such poor visibility.  It was cool though as we realized that the brain does some pretty odd things when there is only white all around.  Cliff noticed it first but when you starred into the fog eventually you started to see sparkles.  Jen and I both tried and sure enough...there they were.  Oh science.   On the way down we saw a huge slug. 

After the hike we hit Laughing Planet for food as we were headed west to go wine tasting.  The best prep for this event is a hearty burrito filled with beans, rice, and other semi-local organic goodies.  We went to Sweet Cheeks and Silvan Ridge as they are literally right across the road from one another.  Silvan Ridge has the amazing peachie-o's wine and Jen was so much of a fan that she bought a bottle.  Cliff and Jen decided to look very somber for their wine tasting photo.  At Sweet Cheeks we had a long conversation with the lady behind the bar about one of their wines that has an evil looking koala on the label.  Seriously, it looks possessed.  It was so creepy that I needed to take a photo.

On the way back home we decided to end the whirl-wind visit with Red Wagon Creamery.  We had never tried it before and we knew Jen would be up to some non-traditional ice cream flavors.  We found the cart and sampled almost all of the flavors they had left.  I'm pretty sure we all got their smoked salt caramel #6 plus another flavor (I got chocolate and I think they both for the frozen goat coffee).  So fun.  I know we've chatted about them before but their flavors are really interesting.

It was so sad when Jen had to leave.  In a few weeks she will be moving from the east coast to Los Angeles where she is going to start her residency in family medicine.  We are set on finding a time to go down and visit.  Oh!  Also, Jen brought us a Buffalo treat called sponge candy.  Sponge candy is like crispy caramelized sugar dipped in chocolate.  Between Cliff and I the box of candy didn't last long. If you are ever in Buffalo...do yourself a favor and try some.