Hello friends and followers! I hope you all had a good Memorial Day weekend, whatever it means to you. For many here in the USA it is a time of outdoor fun and food, for many a time of reflection and honoring fallen loved ones, and for others a mix of the two. I’d like to give a quick update and share some fun I had this weekend. I’m trying to get better at sharing about my travels more often in travel article styled posts. This week I also plan to write about some amazing women’s journeys. If I keep on schedule, this Saturday will be my 100th post, just in time to celebrate the 100th year of something awesome! Stay tuned!

Before I share about some fun I had this weekend, I want to pause and honor the innocent lives lost in the two recent mass shootings, one at a grocery store that appears to be racially motivated, and the other at an elementary school where the motive is as yet unknown. Please join me in sending a prayer for comfort for the loved ones of those lost. I’m sure that this Memorial Day was extra difficult for them.

And a quick update: my new “civilian” job is going well. I’m working in an office to support account managers for employee benefits for clients including nonprofits, governmental and educational agencies, and businesses. My coworkers are all great, and my favorite part so far is helping the account managers put together publications for clients to send to their employees.

This Memorial Day weekend, I was supposed to go camping and rafting on the Deschutes River with my Central Oregon friends. But Oregon weather hijacked those plans. So instead I got to revisit some favorite places with people I love.

On Saturday, we went to Silver Falls State Park. Yes, it was raining, but that’s actually a great time to go there. Evidently we weren’t the only ones to think that, because there were a fair number of brave souls there, most of whom were wearing plastic ponchos. But it was still way quieter than sunny summer days that draw crowds. We decided not to hike the whole loop trail but just see the highlights and warm up in-between them. It was my boyfriend’s first time there, and he was awed by the scale of South Falls. We ate lunch, played cards, and warmed up by a fire in the lodge. Then we drove to North Falls and hiked the epic stone stairs down to the viewpoint. We took in the view of the falling water and rain from a bench in the giant cavern behind the falls.

After that, we drove to the picturesque town of Mt. Angel. It has been structured and decorated to look like a German town. We attended the Vespers service at the Abbey church where we sang along with monks. Then we ate dinner at the newly reopened Glockenspiel restaurant. The chicken schnitzel was delicious! We wandered around downtown a bit, and then headed south to come home. But we stopped in Salem to top off our German-themed evening with cake and coffee at the Konditerei. They’ve revamped a bit, and I swear it tasted better than it ever did when I lived in Salem!

Yesterday (Sunday) I stayed mostly home and got some things done that I needed to. My church service is in the evening, and after it everyone went to an ice cream shop, despite the cold outside. Worth it!

Today I got to take my boyfriend’s family to Sweet Creek Falls trail (Homestead Trailhead) for their first time there. Like the Silver Falls State Park’s “Trail of 10 Falls,” this trail also has 10+ waterfalls. They are much smaller in stature than at Silver Falls, but so is the trail, making it a family friendly treat. The creek itself is beautiful even between the waterfalls, and fort-like stumps, rocky shallows to splash in, and cliff-hugging catwalks provide lots of fun for kids. The biggest waterfall is the official Sweet Creek Falls at the farthest point on the trail. You can’t see the whole thing at once but can hike a steep trail to the upper viewpoint. It rained on us as we hiked back to the trailhead, so we ate our picnic lunch in the car and headed back. We stopped at the Gingerbread Village restaurant to buy baked treats (gingerbread cookie people, gingerbread cake, and carrot cake with like an inch of cream cheese frosting) and use the bathrooms. There were some fun photo ops set up outside, and we visited the giant pig out back as well. The restaurant was overwhelmed with guests who stopped to eat on their way home from a weekend at the coast, so I’m glad we didn’t get a table and eat there.

All in all, it was a lovely weekend. I may add some photos eventually, but as I said earlier, I’m trying to get better at writing more often, so I’m not going to wait until I download pictures from my phone to my laptop. I’m going to try to write a post a day this week, as part of my countdown to 100 posts and 100 years of something I love. Hint: one of the places I went this weekend is part of that celebration. Can you figure out what it is?

And now for the rest of the story, or at least the rest of 2021’s adventures. If you haven’t read Parts I and II yet, go back and read/skim those first, so you know what this one is about. I know I usually don’t make my end-of-year-review posts this long and drawn out, but for some reason I want to post about last year’s highlights in more depth than usual. Maybe it’s because many people considered 2020 and 2021 to be “throwaway years”, and I just don’t want to remember them like that. Because yes, there were hard times. But there were also good times. So anyway, here’s the rest of the year after my big Texas road trip, at least what I can remember from seeing photos.

Fall fun! My church was doing hikes on Wednesday evenings, and we enjoyed the sunset from Swing Hill on Mt. Pisgah. My friends Chelsey and Rachel and I went to Johnson Farm for the pumpkin patch, and enjoyed hot cider and homemade doughnuts. And I went to the Oregon Ducks vs. OSU Beavers women’s soccer game on Halloween with friend Brit and her kiddos. Also in the fall, I attended friend Mollie’s beautiful outdoor wedding, hiked with friend Paola, played at a park with my cousin Josh and his family, went to backyard firepit evenings at friends’ houses, took Chris’s kids to parks, and lots of other things that I might post pics of on Facebook. And around Halloween, I hosted my first ever “Black Forest Party” with Black Forest foods and drinks. Friends and family came, and we watched Into the Woods. Very fun!

Fall foliage! I hiked up Angels Rest on the Columbia Gorge with friend Alex and her husband and pooch. And got this surprise sight on the back side of the Hult Center in Eugene when I was there to get weekly Covid tests for work. It’s a Japanese Garden dedicated to the Japanese-Americans who were sent to internment camps during WWII.

Then for Fall Break over Thanksgiving week, I flew to Arizona to spend it with friend Jas and her roommate and family. Can you tell that I really needed out of Oregon in 2021 after 2020 being stuck close to home? Jas and I hiked to the vortex at the top of Cathedral Rocks, to an old mine and petroglyphs on the Dixie Mine trail, and with her family and friends we hiked around Watson Lake in Prescott. On Thanksgiving Day, we took a walk near her and her roommate’s house through saguaro and lots of other cactus and interesting plants. Arizona is beautiful in autumn!

Last, we come to Christmas. I did all the normal things with family, of course. My coworker Tammy and her kids and I got drenched getting Christmas trees from a local farm. Jas came to Oregon to visit, and we went to see White Christmas at the Elsinore Theater in Salem. And Chris and his kids spoiled my cat Arwen with her own Christmas tree.

That pretty much wraps up 2021! I’m sure I missed some important things, but hopefully I got most of the highlights. There were hard times, too, of course. And hard work at the school. We got to go back to school in person in summer and full time in fall, and it was great to see my students and colleagues in the flesh. I’ll try to do a better job of posting more often this year instead of waiting till the end of the year (or four months after it!). With that, spring is in swing and summer is coming, so let’s enjoy 2022!

This is Part II of my 2021 highlights post. If you haven’t read it yet, go back and read (or at least skim through) Part I so this post will make sense.

After summer school ended, I went on a big road trip in August. And by big, I mean Texas-sized! I got to visit relatives I hadn’t seen in forever as well as friends that I used to work with in Afghanistan. I made a big loop to Texas and back, not repeating any states, and staying with friends and family on every leg except one night hotel stay in El Paso. The whole trip was amazing!

The first night, I visited my cousin Julie in Utah. The view of the mountains from her backyard was beautiful, although the wildfire smoke settled in by the next morning. I need to visit again and go hiking with her. Next I stayed in Colorado with friend Cindy that I’d worked with in Afghanistan. She took me out for ice cream at a famous place in Denver. Her cat Little Chicken (a tough but sweet city girl from the streets of Kabul) sat on my road atlas, either to show where she wants to go, or to keep me from leaving.

After Colorado, I drove through Kansas to get to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where I visited my friend Lauren (another colleague from the school in Afghanistan) and my cousin Tricia. Kansas had a neat Catholic church dubbed “The Cathedral of the Plains” with a neat raised cemetery. Tulsa is gorgeous! Lauren took me kayaking, and Tricia took me to a neat restaurant by the river. There is amazing art-deco architecture along with other styles, especially with the various churches downtown, as well as the “World’s Largest Praying Hands” statue. It also had this amazing park called The Gathering Place, which for you Oregon people, would be like Salem’s Gilbert House children’s museum plus Riverfront Park but times 20. I went there to work on my novel while Lauren worked. I hung out with her dog at a nearby park, and Tricia’s cat Amelia (Tricia’s husband is a pilot) was very helpful with the map of Ireland on her table, there for the purpose of planning their next trip.

Next stop, Paris. Okay, Paris, Texas, that is! And other places in the northern part of the state. From Tulsa, I took a scenic route to see the cowboy version of the Eiffel Tower, because, well, why not? It also has a war memorial next to it. I stayed with my cousin Brenda and her family in McKinney, which has this neat little artificial Croatian village nearby (the guitar store there is awesome!).

We also took a few trips into Dallas and its suburbs. Brenda’s husband Leon showed me around when everyone else was at school/work (school starts earlier there than in Oregon). He showed me Dealey Plaza overlooking the spot where JFK was assassinated. We ate so much good food, too, like hot pot and Texas BBQ. We all met up with our cousin Clay to eat Tex-Mex, explore the Dallas Arboretum, and see his new house and sweet pup in Mesquite.

Then I headed south to stay with my aunt and uncle in San Antonio. I’ve always wanted to see San Antonio, and it did not disappoint! Plus, my mom surprised me by visiting them, too! We visited a Japanese Garden (called a Chinese Garden during WWII), the Alamo, and the Riverwalk. I definitely need to go back! Mom and I walked around the grounds of the Alamo, which were beautiful.

Having reached the farthest point on my journey, I finally headed west. I drove through Texas and stayed the night in a hotel in El Paso. I did not see the Río Grande as I drove right by it through the city, but I could see México and later crossed the river once I was in New Mexico. I stopped at a couple ghost towns in New Mexico and at a pretty rest stop in Arizona that had cool rock formations. Eventually I reached Scottsdale, where friend Jas lives, and stayed with her a couple days. We hiked local Pinnacle Peak and enjoyed popsicles back at the trailhead (every trail needs a “trail granny” as we called her, this sweet lady running the info booth by the bathrooms).

From Scottsdale, I next drove the Carefree Highway to Highway 93, also known as the Joshua Tree Parkway. It was beautiful! So many saguaros and Joshua Trees. There was hardly anyone on the road, so I slowed down to snap a pic. I stopped in Kingman for some obligatory Route 66 photo ops, but then got back on 93 and made my way over the Colorado River to the Las Vegas area. I stayed in Henderson with high school friend Katey and her sweet family, where we played board games and watched episodes of Corner Gas. She and her husband recommended a lunch stop at the Happy Burro Chili & Beer in Beatty on my next drive. I ate my chili outside under a big tree, and the adorably short bartender lady came out and chatted with me for a while. We talked about the pandemic and state of the world and she told me how things were going for her relatives back home in SE Asia. I wish I’d stopped by Rhyolite ghost town nearby, but was kind of ghost towned-out after New Mexico.

Next I drove to Reno, where friend Jesie and her sweet family were staying in a hotel for a couple days. I won’t embarrass her with pictures, but it was really fun to watch her practice ice skating. Her husband picked up a hearty breakfast for us and we parted ways too soon. I’m glad I visited her earlier in the year at spring break, because the next time I saw her was at the memorial service of her precious grandma-in-law. The last stay of my trip was back home in Oregon, near Crater Lake. My friend Teresa and her husband were camping there. She was the other math teacher at the school in Afghanistan. It was so great to spend time with her, since I hadn’t seen her since I left the country. We hiked to some nearby waterfalls and Watchman Peak trail at Crater Lake. The wildfire smoke was super thick in the area, but it cleared over Crater Lake when we got there for a beautiful sunny day!

I finally made it home after that, just in time to start prepping for the new school year. It was a whirlwind trip, with not nearly enough time with any of the friends and family I visited. Worth it, though. I love where I live, but I needed a break, some sunshine, catching up with far away loved ones, great food, and adventure.

Stay tuned for Part III of 2021 Memories Near and Far: fall and beginning of winter.

Usually I do a “Christmas newsletter”-style post at the end of the year, either at Christmas or New Years with all the trips and things I did during the year. Well, this school year has been crazy busy, so during winter break I was catching my breath. I was working on this and hoping to post it during the week of Persian New Year (the beginning of spring), but that got busy, too. Then I quit my job in early March, worked on job applications for a few weeks, and then subbed for the last few weeks at the military school I used to teach at. Unfortunately, I got sick at the end of the week, and am still feeling icky, so I’ve been home several days with not much to do. I finally finished these posts up!

So here’s a bit about my journeys and adventures for 2021, at least what I can remember thanks to photos. I’ll try to post more personal photos (with humans in them!) on Facebook for friends to see, but here are some great highlights of the year. I ran out of space with all my photos, so this post is Part I of three.

2021 Highlights Part I

Winter 2021 was busy but fun. We were still teaching remotely then. I went hiking to Blue Pool with friend Tracy and her sweet kiddo for the first time. So beautiful! And went snowboarding with friend Jocelyn for the first time. So hard! And climbed the columns at Skinners Butte in the middle of Eugene with friends from church. So fun!

Then came Spring Break. I decided to get out of Oregon for a bit and visited friend Jesie and her family in the mountains of NE Nevada. Caught more winter there! But it was beautiful. Lemoille Canyon looked like cross between the Garden of the Gods with a little bit of Yosemite. I also went to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn with friend Rainie and her adorable baby before vacation was over.

In the spring, I ate Easter brunch with my cousin Sarah and her family, toured historic Champoeg State Park with my stepsister Tammy and her family, and lots of playground/park visits with Chris’s kids. For Memorial Day weekend, I rafted the Deschutes with my Madras friends, and stopped to explore the Metolius on my way home after hiking at Smith Rock State Park. A beautiful sun-filled weekend!

Summer came with visiting relatives and sunshine. I had a couple weeks break between teaching spring and summer terms. Summer was our first time being back in the classroom in person after a year and a quarter of distance learning! So that was nice. The first two pictures are from activities with my uncle and aunt that came to visit from Nebraska, and got blasted with unusual heat (for Oregon) in June. We went to a day of the Olympic trials at the newly remodeled Hayward Field (looks different than when I ran the track in middle school track meets!) and to cool off at the coast. I went to the coast a few days later with my boyfriend Chris and his kids, and got crab chowder at my new favorite seafood place, Novelli’s.

The school I taught at is a year-round school, so July summer activities were mainly on weekends. My stepsister and nephew and I explored The Grotto, a really neat place in Portland with beautiful gardens, chapels, and a cave recess that is a place of worship. Friend Natasha and I went drove partway up and then hiked to the top of Marys Peak. From the top, you can see the ocean! Friend Sarah and I ate Afghan food at the Saturday Market in town.

To be continued…. in Part II.