October 14-17, 2016 Eugene, Oregon

We drove from Belknap Hot Springs into Eugene.

Lovely fall trees along  the way. We are not parked at Oregon Motor Coach to get some maintenance done on the bus. There are 4 other Country Coaches here, most the same model and almost the same year as ours. This is the place to get your country coach worked on. It is our third time here, they do great work. They have hookups in the parking lot so we can live in our bus, just have to be out during the day while they work.

We had dinner with Leslie and Scott at the Plank Brewery after we got in. I ordered 4 lbs of long leaf pine needles from Georgia. They were here when we arrived. I also got this great turkey roaster at the thrift shop to boil the needles in glycerin. It is 17 inches long and some of the needles are longer!

Ann Marie and Leslie at their birthday party. John got the birthday hat for them. Leslie, John, Larry and Ani singing happy birthday to the birthday people. Ended up that there were 4 people there with their birthdays this week. Was a fun time.

Jim the service manager from Oregon Motor Coach discussing with John the work to be done.  Jim says probably a week, but I am not sure we will hold our breath. We want a lot done. I finally finished this basket. It has a piece of glass in the middle that I made with aspens and a deer and 4 aspen leaves I set in resin in the corners. l;

October 13, 2016 Belknap Hot Springs, Oregon

A big storm was coming so we left Bend to get over the Cascade mountains before it started to snow or something.

Rain on the volcano west of Bend. The rest of the mountains were fogged in by the storm. We passed through the  cute town of Sisters.

Through huge ponderosa forests. There was fog and lots of rain. It rained all day almost nonstop. We are in the Pacific Northwest after all-this is normal.  We are on the dark side(rainy side) of the Cascade mountains.

We are now camped at Belknap Lodge, hot springs and gardens. We have been here a couple times before to soak, but this is the first time we camped here. Really nice resort. The bus in our spot.

The upper hot springs pool that we had never been to is right by the bus. This is another part of the campground in a cedar grove right by the river.

We also did not know they had gardens here. We did a walk thought them. Some hydranga and roses. These guys were playing in the rain and fall leaves.

They don’t have a diningroom here, just a grill by the big pool. John took me  out to dinner by the river. See the carved eagles on the tree by the river? Part of the garden closest to the bus.

Mushrooms, changing vine maples, ferns on a tree and another hydranga. John is standing by the source hot spring- it is 140 degrees here where it comes out of the ground.

John walking by the river into some of the walk in tent sites and gardens. The old power building with a pagoda top.

This was the best, the Secret Garden. It was a walled garden with this inside. Beautiful. As you can tell it is still raining.

John walking back on the trail at dusk. The bridge back to the lodge and big hot spring pool. It is nice to be back in Oregon. There are so many trees and plants and green.

October 11-12, 2016

We drove from Summer Lake Hot Springs to Bend today.

Coming over the mountains I saw all these ponderosa pines with dried needles I could reach, but they are fire kill. I collected some fire kill once and the needles were so dirty I had to throw them away. Fog on the road.

John caught the chicken , patroled by attack chicken! I held the poor girl while she had her bandage changed. We are visiting friends Joyce, Mike and Ki in Bend, Oregon now. We are parked in front of their house. Joyce and John with her horse while feeding him some hay.

The basket is coming along. Getting closer to being done. Truck we followed through La Pine, fresh eggs from the chickens, Attack Chicken, and moss.

We hiked to Tumalo falls, then up the river to many other falls.

Yet another fall. John on the trail.

SueP bending a tree.  John on a bridge that is cut out of a single log, with a step cut into the end.

John, don’t jump!! Witches butter , odd log, patterns on the water, a round piece of sunshine, a round inner log and shadows on the hill side across  the valley.

Hemlock branch with it’s star bursts of needles, tree barks. Orange mushrooms, a heart shaped log, lodge pole pine cone and a red aspen leaf.

A grove of orange aspens on the  way back. Our hosts, Joyce and Kia, and Joyce and Mike.  We had a great visit with them.

October 7-10, 2016 Summer Lake Hot Springs, Oregon

Another wonderful day of 70’s and sunny. Very relaxing here.

Our neighbors last night (three groups) were  on their way home from Burning Man. They have been there since August 11th. Running the show and then doing clean up. There was some breezes, but it looks like there was a lot more in the valley, this is blowing dust and salt on the dry lake bed.

I sorted my giant bag of needles I collected yesterday and put them in bundles.

Not a bad haul. We spent at least an hour in the hot springs this after noon. We are pretty noodley. John at the outflow of one of the pools.

I made this basket while we were driving across northern Utah and Nevada. I don’t usually get up for sunrise, but I saw this outside the window, got up, took some photos and went back to bed.

I am working on a new basket. It has a piece of glass I made in the bottom. It has golden aspens and a deer on it. and so far I have two of the 4 aspen leaves I am putting in. Stay tuned. I boiled some of the new needles in glycerin. I like the color it makes them, and it makes them more flexible so I don’t have to use them wet.

Looking west you see this plume of dust in the valley.  I had to move the lawn chair to the lee side of the bus. All this soaking in the hot springs has made us very relaxed. Progress on the basket, all four aspen leaves and the yellow wrapped coil. Going to do some blue beads and blue wrapped coils. Or at least I think I am, the baskets kind of have a mine of their own.

Sunset was spectacular tonight. Kind of a 360 degree one. Here are a few shots.

Other views of sunset. We found the meditation  labyrinith at the resort today. Walked in lots of circles to get to the middle.

In the middle of the labyrinith was this circle of stones with the heart shaped stone. There are a number of wood carvings around, found this owl today. There is a controled burn across the street, looks like we are burning up. The air was really smokey all day.

Added the blue wrap and some blue beads to the basket. Stay tuned for progress. The sunset was firey tonight.

Sunset with some old farm equipment and sunset over the pond.