South Sister Trek

This past Tuesday, Dan & I took a long walk. It was a longer walk than our normal hike with the dogs down in the canyon. This was a walk that defines many Central Oregonians. If you have accomplished this walk, many say, you are an official Bendite.

I am talking about the hike up South Sister. This is a 10,000+ foot mountain in our "backyard". It is the easiest and most frequently hiked of the Cascades. Just about 'anybody' can do it - at least, that's what if been told. Well, Dan has done it - twice - but, I guess, I am still a slacker.

Actually, we started out knowing that we didn't have time to reach the top. We had to be at school @ 2:45 to pick up Amy. It generally takes at least 5 hours to reach the top and then you do have to come back down. So, we had a convenient excuse to reply to all our fellow hikers when asked if we were headed to the top.

The 1st mile and a half was a steady up hill climb (pretty grueling, actually) till we left the tree line and came out into the open. Then, we were on the flats for a while and I thought - hey, this isn't too bad. When we hit the real steeps I knew I had used up my legs in the beginning 1 1/2 mile. We manged to get to a few of the snow fields and saw some 'spring' flowers just starting to bloom. It was a glorious blue sky day - perfect for our purposes - just to enjoy the beauty of our surroundings and revel in God's creation!

Maybe next year!

summer's over already??

School started on the 7th so I guess it really is over. July & August seemed to be a blur of ballet classes, performances & camp, and more classes. We did get a 2 week break at the end of August - one of those weeks we spent in AZ. Here's a quick run down of some summer highlights:

~ thru most of July & August, Amy took ballet class with 3 different schools/instructors so there was lots of scheduling and driving. We are so happy that everything in Bend is within a 15 minute drive. I did a lot of reading while waiting between classes.

~ Our nephew, Mike, was on a cross country trip with 2 college buddies and made a stop in Bend. It was quick but so great to see him and hear some funny stories from his college cohorts.





~ Amy performed in Central Oregon School of Ballet's production of "Giselle"


~ Amy and I went to Portland in late July to join my niece, Nancy, at her wedding dress fitting. We had a great time at lunch and shopping in downtown Portland. I think Amy tried on every dress in the Betsey Johnson store!

I must say, Nan is going to be one spectacular bride! September 30th is the BIG day!

~ In August, we took Amy to Eugene for a week long dance camp at the Eugene Ballet Academy. This camp did not provide any overnight accomodations so we had to get creative. Staying in a motel for 6 nights was not in our budget and driving 2 1/2 hrs over the mountains each way for 6 days did not seem like fun so...
I put together a little advertisement asking for 'volunteers' to take our kid for a week. And the ballet school posted it on the door. We didn't get a response till the day before we were leaving. A lovely family that had a daughter attending the camp stepped up and took Amy into their home. Amy was a bit apprehensive but she ended up having a wonderful time and has made a good friend in the deal.



~ Our big project this summer involved tiling the dining room floor. When we bought our house we knew we would want to replace the crummy carpet eventually and so we started with the smallest room. Of course, Dan did most of the hard labor - and it was alot of work! But it is beautiful - so worth the effort. Now onto the family room...




~ Earlier this year Dan & I started volunteering at The Giving Plate, a local food pantry. Our involvement has gradually increased to the point now that Dan is the Chairman of the Board of Directors. In these hard economic times, we are seeing that more and more people are finding themselves in need of a little help and we have the time and desire to help out. Amy has also found time to get involved, so it is truly a family affair.

~ The last week of August we spent at a time share in Sedona, AZ. Here is a slide show of our trip.

Another free picture slideshow by Smilebox

Amy has finished her 1st week of High School. She may even go to her 1st football game tonight - Go Bend High Lava Bears!! -
Of course, Dan is thrilled that college football is finally here. His beloved Ducks didn't fare too well in their opening game but there is always tomorrow!

As Coach Kelly says, "Win the Day!"