Day 3 and 4!....Late!

Well better late than never... It is my turn to post so I am sure that is why it's late! Long days and getting back to the room late.

Day 3..

We ended up sleeping in and not getting out until 11:00... Headed out to the coast. Florence to be specific. The drive was a bit longer that we thought due to the fact that Oregon has a policy of "Putting Oregon back to work" by performing road repairs on random stretches of road!!

In Florence we had a wonderful lunch at Bridgewater Restaurant . S had her Chippino which was okay.. T had a shrimp melt and a few work phone calls.... So his onion rings were cold by the time he got back to them! I on the other hand, went with fish (salmon) and chips and they were FABULOUS! After lunch we walked around town for a bit and stopped by Siuslaw coffee roaster shop.. Had a great cup-o-joe and watched the river.

Then it was off to the Sea Lion Caves... No Sea lions in the caves though! I guess if we came back in the winter during a storm there would be 400 or so in the cave for us to see!! Not too sure that is something I would want to see or SMELL!! Still the drive was beautiful. We headed up a bit and stopped by Heceta Head Lighthouse, the beach was wonderful the sand was soft and warm... the water was very cold! We then went down to see the Ocean Dunes... Not so interesting! But we did see some kids "sand-boarding" which S has informed me is NOTHING new or novel! I am getting old I guess because I have never heard of it before this!

Sand Surfing The Biggins' were here!

Day 4

We managed to get an earlier start this morn.. Headed off to Morning Glory for breakfast. Great little breakfast place we heard about from Sunset Magazine. Then off to do a bit of shopping! S found a couple places to hit and of course I found a yarn shop! Unfortunately nothing had to come home with us. We ate lunch at Chipolte ( I know it is sad since we can have that at home anytime) and S's face almost got attacked the giant praying mantis pictured above. Then we headed off to Salem... Much larger than Eugene. Had a great cup of Gelato.. Tiramisu!

National Park Day!!

Today was our second day in the glorious state of Oregon, the land of trees and chipmunks. Our plan for the day was to eat at our favorite breakfast place Morning Glory in Ashland which was uber tasty then head up to Crater Lake and Eugene. At Morning Glory, Mom got a lemon ricotta stuffed french toast, Dad got a corned beef and hash mess on a plate and I got a buttermilk waffle with lemon butter and some fresh huckleberry preserves. All in all it was a super tasty breakfast, minus the cinnamon Dad put in my coffee. In my opinion, we connisours don't need fancy flavors in our coffees; which by the way includes cream and sugar. After our breakfast we started the long drive up to Crater Lake. We stopped at couple places, one of which being the Rouge River Gorge outlook. It was full of rapids and waterfalls and crazy people looking for a great photograph. O yea...and chipmunks! Crater Lake was gorgeous and it was a beautiful day. Only about 80 degrees or so! The lake was so amazingly clear and blue it was almost unbelievable. We ate at the lodge which had some super tasty stagg chili and some pretty cool souveniers. I mean, where else are you going to find necklaces made from real horsehair? We drove about halfway around the lake then headed out across the pumice desert, which my father threatened to roll me around in. Most of the ride up to Eugene was full of national parks and forests so it was a no cell phone service day; my thumbs suffered greatly from withdrawls. It was a beautiful drive though, much more woodsy than I'm used to. We ate in Downtown Eugene at a place called cornicopia where I had absolutely the best ever burger. It was made from free range beef from a local farm and it was charred to perfection. My mom got sliders and my dad continued his brewfest with a local stout and a guiness pot pie. Tomorrow we're off to the coast for some fish and some more adventures!!

First Day of the Oregon Expedition

Today was the first day of our 8 day Oregon adventure! it was a day full of driving and scenery but all in all it was a fun day. The photo taking started early and as you can see we were all thrilled. Eight days of travel in close quarters - what could possibly go wrong?!

We woke up super early in the morning to go pick up our car at the airport, the sweet sweet marshmellow impala, and then started our journey up-state. Along the way we stopped in Dunsmir which did indeed have the best water in the world and ate at the Cornerstone Bakery for lunch. Just like the last time we were there the food was delicious. Mom got a turkey burger on foccacia, Dad got a tuscan white bean and tomato soup, and I got a crispy halibut sandwich with a caper thyme mayo.

Within a few hours of eating lunch we arrived in Ashland, Oregon. We stopped at Web.sters yarn shop where Mom bought a skein of "crazy zuberball" and then walked around most of downtown Ashland picking up various crafting supplies. We got fabric for some projects, a pattern, and some beads to make earrings and stitch markers. Along the way we stopped at a sweet shop that served stumptown coffee where Mom got some peppermint patty ice cream and an iced mocha. I got the rainbow sherbet and Dad got a cupcake with marshmellow frosting, in honor of the impala.

We ate dinner at the Standing Stone Brewery in Ashland and it was a pretty good meal. Dad got a wood fired pretzel and since it was his first day of his Oregon brewfest, an entire flight of beer.

Mom got the cobb salad, which didn't have beets, and a glass of local resiling, and I got the pizza. It was satisfying and an ok price, and Dad seemed to like his beer.

Tomorrow we're going to our fav breakfast place in Ashland, Morning Glory, then heading up to Eugene and Crater Lake!

I finally finished it!

I finally finished my "Pucker" top from Norah Gaughan that I was working on. I was hoping I would have it done by the time my birthday rolled around, but that didn't work out as well as I had planned. Fortunately, I got it finished just in time to wear it to the sale at work! That wasn't the only thing that got done in time for the sale. S made"WONDERFUL" cupcakes for my and I coworkers to celebrate the start of the sale, and also because WISE wouldn't stop bugging her about it.

Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting

Tiramisu with marscapone cheese frosting and powdered chocolate

Both of them were tasty and we still have plenty left over from home. That will help my ever growing behind! She got the recipes from Martha Stewart's Cupcake book that Wise did buy for my B-day!! So I guess she feels she deserves cupcakes!

It's Been Awhile

It's been a long time since I've posted anything...but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy! Way back in about June we all went down to the Maker's Fair in San Mateo. For those who don't know, the maker's fair is a huge event held once a year out here on the west coast where thousands of inventors and crafters and general geeks (i.e. S and T) meet up to have a huge party. It was definitely an interesting experience...

Cupcake cars! Only if they were edible!

It was honestly called the sharkmobile

The giant tesla coils S's favorite!

A stalker photo the Cookie A as she was teaching a sock seminar.

Needless to say, we'll be going back again next year...or at least S. will be.

Good times at the beach!!

We all had a great few days in Monterey... Warm days, cool nights... Not like here today 106, UGH! The photo above is my fancy fancy bike that was last years B-day gift. I LOVE this bike; one of my best gifts ever!!!

On the knitting front I am working on a mystery knit-a-long bag. I love the colors (because I picked them out of course) but not too sure about the design. I'm also finishing up a great summer top from Norah Gaughan. Photo's next time maybe......

Well that is it from my first blog post.. Yes that last one was from my "Secretary" as a certain friend calls her.

Closing with a photo of the Bay from the Aquarium.

Have a great week!

HELLO BLOGOVERSE!!!!!!!

Long have I evaded the creation of a blog, but lo it has defeated me. Today I join the parallel universe called the internet. Many before me have taken this path, but none shall do what I quest to do. It will be a long and arduous journey that may end in failure, but if I am to succeed there will be great celebration. Please follow my journey!!!