Some time with family

Last weekend I was able to get out of the city spend some time with a portion of my very large extended family in Southeast Washington.

Words cannot express what good that weekend did for me.

For one, there's the location. Southeast Washington is not a lush forest. It's the opposite--dry and dusty with rolling hills, specifically Horse Heaven Hills. On the one side is the green, irrigated valley of vineyards, orchards, and other farms. On the other side are wheat fields, golden and rustling in the breeze. Exploring this landscape is one of the highlights of each trip.

As I've gotten older, I've really come to appreciate getting away from the city.

But the best part of the trip is the people. My grandmother had 9 children, many of whom have large families of their own. I spent many summers coming up here to visit my grandma and play with my cousins. We spent the weekend sitting outdoors in the shade chatting and playing games--sometimes late into the night. (I got a few photographs of my cousins' children that are absolute gems, but I feel funny posting them on the web, so you'll just have to take my word for it.)

I treasure the relationships I have with my extended family. They're all such wonderful people. And I feel like I have my grandparents to thank.

My first trip to Oregon

This past week I traveled to Oregon for the very first time. My closest friends from college (old roommates) decided to get together for a mini-reunion there. We spent the weekend in Cannon Beach, one of Oregon's most well-known resort coastal towns. It was beautiful.

 

While Oregon is known for being rainy, the clouds parted our first day there, and we had a lovely time in the sun (though the water was still icy). It was one of those beaches that stays shallow seemingly forever. The sand was fine and soft, and unlike SoCal, there was beachgrass lining the coast.

One of my friends. It was just as calming as it looks.

Haystack Rock

Tidepools next to Haystack Rock

When we got back I spent about a day in Portland (downtown, anyway). It's fun to see a place in the US that's so different from where you live. Portland lived up to all the stereotypes: hippies, hipsters, sandals with socks, health food, etc. I especially loved the Victorian architecture and the greenery of Portland (and Oregon as a whole). Everything is so green: leafy trees, moss, grass... We also stopped by Moonstruck chocolates. They were very good.

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