Ahhhhh, it’s Summer Time!!! The time for family gatherings, relaxing vacations, and being very busy! The busyness of this time of year is what makes summer vacations so rewarding.
My sister Samantha has been studying abroad in New Zealand for 6 months and was stopping in Oregon for a week on her way back home. I hadn’t seen her in a year and was really missing her! My Dad & Dorrie picked her up at the airport and brought her to where they are staying this summer in Diamond Lake, Oregon. I met my sister Rachelle in Eugene on Thursday (on her way down from Seattle) and we drove over to Diamond Lake together. The drive was gorgeous with big trees, mountains and lakes. The sun was shining and we were both excited to have some vacation time from our busy lives.
Jeff stayed home and took care of the animals and created artwork for Eugene Saturday Market and Etsy. I was so grateful to him for taking care of things at home so I could spend some time with family and have a nice break in a beautiful place!
When Rachelle & I arrived at Diamond Lake there was a lot of hugging! And then it was time for dinner, we were all hungry! We sat by the campfire and ate. There were lots of stories to tell, loud laughter, and delicious food.
The next day, Friday, we went to Crater Lake. This was the second time I had been to Crater Lake and still felt the awe of it’s intense beauty! I was blown away all over again by the brilliant blue and turquoise of the water. We decided to go on a hike around Crater Lake to a high peak. We met people from all over the world on that hike. I was amazed the higher we got, that there was still snow in July! We were warm in the sunshine and it seemed funny to see snow around us. Towards the top we hiked through the snow and then finally we got to the top! (Or as high as we could go because the snow kept us from reaching the peak.) The view was incredible! Everything where we had started out seemed so small and there is always a great sense of accomplishment when you get to your destination at the top!…… And then came the hike back down which seemed like a breeze after the upward track.
On the way back down I saw a couple coming towards me on their way up. The guy said “You made my necklace!” I looked at them and saw that I had met them the previous weekend at Eugene Saturday Market and they had bought a necklace at our booth. What a small world! I thought that was an awesome coincidence to bump into each other again on this mountain hike. They were visiting from Ohio and the girl,who was from Oregon, was showing him around hoping that Oregon would win his heart. They had been camping all around Oregon, exploring all over and were heading down to the Redwoods. By the time I saw them on the hike, Oregon had certainly won his heart. I knew how he felt!
Then we headed back to the campground at Diamond Lake, which is right next to Crater Lake. In the afternoon I sat on the dock with Rae and starred at Diamond Lake for a long time. The water sparkled in the sun, the clouds were huge and fluffy, people in boats made their way to the center of the lake, and I watched in silence the incredible beauty all around. I felt rejuventated by all the beauty, fresh air, sunshine, new sights, family, and exercise. I love to explore new places, seeing the world from new perspectives. I moved to Oregon in January 2005 and have been amazed at how much there is to explore here. I feel I can explore Oregon for the rest of my life and there will always be more to see.
On Friday night we went to bed early and bright and early on Saturday morning, Dad drove me to Saturday Market in Eugene to meet Jeff and help set up our booth. It was a beautiful drive over in the morning light and always fun to have heart to hearts with my Dad. We arrived at perfect timing, and with the help of Dad got the booth set up much faster than usual. It was so nice to see Jeff again! I missed him a lot even though we hadn’t been apart for long. And we were celebrating our one year wedding anniversary!!
A little later Dorrie, Sam & Rae came. Rae got to see the market for the first time. There were less booths there than usual because the Oregon Country Fair was happening that day. We had a great day at the market! We’ve been working on building up stock for Holiday Market already because we want to have a lot made this year. Lately it has been a lot of work for Jeff to just keep up with custom orders, Etsy orders and keep our booth filled! We are very happy about that!
The family bought us a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the Farmer’s Market for our anniversary and then after market, took us out to eat at our favorite Mexican Restaurant in Veneta. Then everyone came back to our place, unloaded bags into the house and went down to take the goats out to graze. We had a lot of new animals Sam hadn’t met yet and made a lot of changes to our place since the last time she’d been here.
It was a wonderful feeling to go to sleep that night, with all the animals tucked in and having the house feel so full of people. Every bed and even the couch was filled with sleeping people and it made my heart happy to feel such a full house.
Sunday was rainy and we had a fire in the woodstove and relaxed together. Then Rae, Dad & Dorrie headed out, back to their homes. Sam got to stay at our place for a little longer, till the next afternoon, and I was so grateful to get to spend more time with her. I enjoyed seeing her pictures and hearing about her New Zealand adventures. There were so many tiny differences that made New Zealand culture so interesting. Sam had returned a different person with a new perspective. She was still the same Sam I have grown up with and always known and loved, but she was older, more confident and her fiery Spirit was radiant from being fed it’s favorite food- Adventures!
Yesterday she went back to Diamond Lake, I knew I would probably see her this fall which made it a lot easier to watch her drive away.
I drove home feeling happy to get back to my house and back into the swing of this delightful, busy season and I also felt so incredibly grateful for family.
Family is our roots, our memories, and our constant companions. Family teaches us lessons, fills our hearts, and makes life richer.