My Day Off

Today was a gorgeous day, and it was my day off! A day to, finally, exercise with Jillian. If you've never tried one of her DVDs, I highly recommend them. Then it was off to Grandpa's Garden. A beautiful little, family owned farm, with the best fruits and veggies around. They are now making jams and syrups, too, so I had to buy a few to try, and they are wonderful!           

I had in mind that I would paint when I got home, but first GusGus and I had to have lunch on the deck, and give Oppea a little attention, too.

We have a very small garden on our deck this year.  Some herbs and cherry tomatoes.  GusGus loves to lay by the tomato plants.  The cats lay by the catnip plant on the other side of the deck.  They really seem to enjoy it. 

I did paint for the rest of the afternoon...  I had a GREAT day off!!! 

The Getaway...

Saturday after work my husband and I headed out, for a short adventure, over one of Oregon's most beautiful passes, to visit his sister in Bend.  Believe me, traveling through this most amazingly, gorgeous part of the world...  Oh, you just really need to experience it.  It's amazing.  Here are a few pictures that I snapped coming home, trying to capture a bit of the magic. 

There's a section of the forest that was infested with a beetle, but they weren't allowed to spray, which meant the trees died...and then...a forest fire.  These next pictures show a dead forest in the background and the new growth.  It's very hauntingly beautiful.

And, then there is Bend...  A beautiful city, surrounded by snow capped mountains.  The Three Sisters being the most famous.

We didn't float down the river this time, but we have joined in the fun before, and will again.  It's a gorgeous setting.

Lots of things to do, including a brick firepit, outdoor dining, concerts and lots of charming little shops.

The desert is beautiful, too.  There were lots of flowers...all colors.  These are our favorite.

Hopefully, there will be more short Getaways this summer.  We had such a great time!!!