Central Oregon Apples

Spent the weekend in Central Oregon. Sunriver and Bend to be more precise. My sister-in-law has some very generous friends who shared their Sunriver vacation home with our families. It was a nice getaway that didn't require airline and hotel reservations. The guys golfed the two nearest courses while us girls shopped -- real and window. In Sunriver I picked up the prettiest pair of pearl and silver earrings for myself and could hardly wait to wear them. Funny how when I travel I spend on things I would never buy at home. It's like I give myself permission to shop when I am out of town.

It had been years since I'd spent any time wandering Bend and the place has really changed. We'd taken a brief trip there during a softball tournament in the late 90s but the Bend I remember was the place I visited almost yearly while I was growing up. My Grandma Stuart, Aunt Leatha and Uncle Howard lived in Bend so our family traveled north from California to visit. I can remember the walk to the park down the street from my Aunt's house on Galveston. We would watch the ducks and geese resting on the grass (or snow depending on the time of year) and gliding on the water. Sometimes we walked on, into the center of town to peer into the old storefront windows. I loved that the place was filled with evergreens; the air smelled of pine and reminded me of camping in the forest.

I didn't notice that fragrance on this visit but the city is nice and the people friendly. If you get a chance to visit Bend, Oregon take it and try to make a little side trip to Sisters. Sisters is kind of amazing looking. The community has done the place up like an old western movie set only prettier and with paved streets. I plan to go back to Sisters soon to check out all the cute shops and restaurants, maybe a day trip.

The mountains in the not so far distance are beautiful and seeing them made me realize that I need to stop taking all this beauty around me for granted and start appreciating the view. The drive over and back was a real treat too. We go the Mackenzie River route which is just gorgeous, so green and cooling on a summer day. I understand why so many cars were on the road -- people love to visit this area.