We are home from vacation.  Some of the places we visited were heart-breakingly beautiful.  This is Ashland, Oregon, home of a Shakespeare Festival.  It wasn’t festival time when we were there, but it was wonderful to eat our lunch outside, then browse through the shops.  Ashland doesn’t take itself too seriously, at least not in September, but it’s beautiful and a pleasant place to visit.

This picture is of a creek running through the property of the Northern Queen in Nevada City, CA.  Fall hasn’t really arrived yet.

Another picture of the creek in Nevada City.  Sometimes it’s just the small picturesque places that really strike home.

Here’s one from Washington State.  She’s laughing because I caught her with her hair in a mess.  Trust me.  She’s beautiful when it’s all done.  We were admiring the healthy greens she is growing in her yard.  All that rain must be good for something.

So, a good trip is one where the memories are far more wonderful than the pictures.  We had a grand time just browsing along the coast, visiting with our daughters and my brother, and just taking time to look around us.

Marilynne

One last picture – the sun trying to shine down into the redwoods.

It took me a full day to get used to taking the highway that was going south.  I guess we were traveling a one-word trip.  We needed to change “north” to “south” if we were to go home.

It’s been a good trip.  We breezed through central Oregon with a stop for lunch at Ashland, OR.  There’s a picturesque town I’d like to visit for a few days – especially during the Shakespeare Festival. It’s a little town with upscale leanings in southern Oregon.

We ate lunch outside by a creek with people walking by for entertainment.  Our neighbors spent a long time arguing about whether she had left a package behind – and if she did, where did she leave it?  She knew exactly what was in the package.  After a while they decided not to eat there – and left a full shopping bag behind.  It sat between their abandoned chairs.  I can see them arguing once more about who left it behind.  Very amusing when it isn’t me who left two different packages behind in one day.

This morning I took a walk along the old Marysville, CA, main street (actually B St.).  I have been up and down that street so many times.  I tried to remember where this or that store used to be.  In the end I just accepted that the present street is the only one that matters.  Now instead of a five and dime store, a large clothing store, and a furniture store, the street houses an excellent coffee house with outdoor seating, a saddlery where I bought some Western shirts for my spouse, and some intriguing antique stores.  The first time I walked down that street I was 16 and soon to fall in love forever.  This time I am a grandmother with teen aged grandchildren.  After my walk, I met the person I fell in love with in Marysville and we traveled East to the Grass Valley/Nevada City area to visit with another daughter and her family.

Marilynne

As we traveled north, it became greener.  For a drylander trees of this caliber are a wondrous thing.  Now, north and east of Seattle everything is green.  The trees are tall and numerous.  Ferns grow underneath.  And everything is dripping wet.

Today I had to buy a warm jacket.  I don’t mind shopping, but I don’t like shopping quickly with my spouse in tow.  My spouse can go in and out of a store in 15 minutes and have purchased a minor wardrobe’s worth of clothing.  However, today there was a section of warm things and I bought a soft green fleece jacket.  It was even on sale.  Not only that, but I was in and out of the store in 15 minutes.  I’ve been wearing that jacket ever since!  It’s the right jacket for this climate.  I know I’ll wear it in San Diego as well, but I won’t appreciate it’s warmth as much.

Today was our daughter’s handfasting day.  You can read a little about it at

http://www.myspace.com/mysterymarilynne

I’m going to post a photo or two here.

My daughter’s hair was put in an elaborate updo woven with ribbons and things.

They each spoke to each other of love and the things they admired about the other person.  Here my daughter listens to her partner.  They promised to walk the same path in love and freedom.  It was a beautiful ceremony, but not a religious one.  It was held on the deck because it was raining hard.  It didn’t matter at all to the couple.

Marilynne

We are traveling south to north on the west coast.  This is Oregon Coast.

These are California redwoods.

See you a  few miles down the road.

Marilynne