I am behind in my updates here so I’ll be trying to catch up a bit, though not necessarily in chronological order. Summer has been busy and good and hot and we’re in the midst of an extinction burst of heat in the upper 90s for a week or so, too. Wildfire season is starting to kick in in these parts as well, which is always a challenge. Photos of events and people most recent are below!

Sara and her brother, Ricky, getting ready to head out on a scouring of Eugene bike ride on a nice sunny day during his visit with us. The visit was excellent and their ride was something like 36 miles long. Both of them are cyclists and it is a great way to see our small part of the planet, too. Fun was had!

We did a family hike up to the top of Spencer Butte and we took the .7 of a mile up (“the hard way”). Then some hiked down “the easy way,” along the other trail and the two youngest went back down the hard way. It was lovely hike.

The front garden area designed by Nora and built by Nora and Sara. Nora used her iPad to draw out designs for our garden and this is what arrived. Yes, she also painted the stones along the walking path. Many people have stopped on their walks in front of the house to chat about the remodel and the nice looking garden area, which has been a bonus.

Nora and I traded bookshelves recently so I loaded it up with books that are by authors I love, books that mean a lot to me, and a few “to read” books as well. There are some special items on top as well, including two jars of ash from Mt. St. Helens in 1980 that my grandmother collected and gave to me that have managed to not get lost.

The band, Diamond Spur Rodeo, from Brooklyn came to our area for a couple of gigs while they record their new album. The mandolin player is the granddaughter of John, in my running group so I went out and saw both shows. Super talented and tons of fun playing and singing their songs. One of the cool things about it was how they all played each other’s instruments throughout the show. Their harmonies are spot-on beautiful, as well.