HOME AGAIN

That week went by sooooooooooo fast. But here are a few pictures from our time away. This is Lars and me getting ready to descend into Boyd Cave.

It was a great get-away. We had a wonderful time together - caving, swimming, biking, and running. I never made it to the rock wall at The Mavericks to climb (which I really wanted to do) but you can only do so much in one week.

Here are a few photos of our time in Bend, Oregon.

Boyd Cave was a great way to spend a day. We were climbing over rocks and moving around in the dark. I think these pictures came out really well for how little lighting there was in that cave.



Here's my little sis crawling over what looks like a cave-in inside Boyd Cave - and there were quite a few of those inside that cave.

There were eight of us who went together (me, my husband, two of my three kids and Kenzie, plus my sis, her daughter, and her daughter's boyfriend) to spend the week enjoying a little fun in the sun at Sunriver - even though we spent a couple of those days underground.

We went to Skeleton Cave - we've been there before, years ago and went in to explore the cave - but it has been vandalized and is barricaded off now - it's such a shame. So, there was no way we could get in there again. I wanted to go to Arnold Ice Cave but didn't realize you have to rappel down the side of the rock to get inside. I'm a little too out of shape for that right now. Maybe next year.

If you're going spelunking, remember caves are cold about 55 degrees. So you need to wear a sweatshirt, hiking shoes, and carry flashlights or lanterns. If you forget these things, your day won't go so well. But caving can be a lot of fun, as long as you're not claustrophobic.

If you're not into caving, you can visit Eastlake or Paulina Lake - both are beautiful.

When I Was Elena

I went to a lecture hosted by Willamette Writers to hear one of their guest speakers at the Old Church in Portland, Oregon. I wanted to hear Elena Urbani-Hiltebrand talk about her Memoir When I Was Elana.

She was a brave girl even at 22. The year was 1991, when she left college to go in the Peace corps and spend two years in rural Guatemala, armed only with her dog, and a fluency in Spanish, she managed to make a difference in the world--something so many of us would love to do but rarely have the courage to do. She saved children in her village by hiding them when army troops came to steal them away from their families. It was a rough time when children were taken and forced to join fighting units of revolutionary guerrillas.

She spoke of her time in Guatemala and why she wanted to write the story of the women she met while she was there. She also talked about her writing process and why she chose to write in multiple voices.

I thought she was fascinating and an inspirational young woman.

Paulina Lake Lodge

We took a little road trip for the 4th of July weekend. We went to Lava Land in Central Oregon. While we were there we stopped at Paulina Lake Lodge and had dinner in the caldera then we went to the Obsidian Flow.

Here are a few pictures from the trip.







How'd you spend your holiday . . . ?