Oregone and back again

So, how’re ya’ll doing? You never comment anymore. Are you still reading? Or have I gotten so sporadic and/or boring that you’ve wandered off to greener pastures? Do I need some sheep to fertilize the place (and provide fleeces for my spinning friends)?

Anyway. I’m in Oregon having a marvelous time. (If I manage to post this before I get home, don’t break into my house and scare the kitties, okay? Besides, Eostre’s an attack cat—don’t be fooled by her missing leg—because she will shed on you to death.) I arrived Thursday afternoon, and Ken and I eventually took a walk down to an area of frou-frou shops and restaurants because there was a Swagath, which is owned by the same people who run Swagat in Beaverton, which we always go to with Lev and Gayle because the food is awesome. This place was slightly less awesome, but still fantastic. I adore their shrimp biryani. On the way back we stopped in a market Ken had been meaning to check out, and it was also fantastic. We picked up a bunch of organic frozen meals, and found—wait for it—Green & Black’s dark chocolate ice cream. (For the non-chocolate snobs reading, Green & Black’s is a British chocolate, and my snobby chocolate of choice. Better than Ghirardelli, yes. Many flavors, including ones we found at the market that we didn’t even know existed. Espresso! Mint! Caramel!) Alas, we later discovered that it had semi-melted as some point and refrozen with water crystals in it, so while the flavor was awesome, the texture was saddening. Eventually we drilled down to find an inner core that was still pristine. How does it compare to Godiva Belgian chocolate ice cream? I’d say the Godiva has a darker taste, but the G&B has a creamier taste.

Friday we mostly refinanced the house on the phone (I heart USAA) and then hopped on the bike for the trip south to Grants Pass to meet up with a bunch of other BMW riders for the annual West Coast Rendezvous.

The highlight of WCR this year was the four-hour jet boat tour down the Rogue River, complete with champagne brunch. The highlight of that, for me, anyway, was seeing a bald eagle in the wild for the first time. (I got a picture, but it’s mostly of a bird up in the sky, so don’t get too excited. At any rate, I’ll try to post pictures after I get home. Not that I’ve had the chance to post pictures of the Shaw/Blades shows from April or Styxfest last month…) Gorgeous thing. There were also ospreys, turkey vultures, and I swear a fourth type of raptor that our guide (the fabulous and hilarious Donny) didn’t identify. Alas, we saw no otters, although we were assured they were there. We also saw places where they filmed quite a few movies, including The River Wild. Breathtaking scenery the entire time, and they were generous with the champagne; can’t ask for much more than that.

Ken and I had a lazy afternoon, napping and lounging and wandering around antique shops in town, after which we went to the banquet, where I had an amazing crab-stuffed chicken mornay and won Harry & David’s truffles. We came home yesterday via Crater Lake, which I’d never been to before. I was somehow unprepared for the elevation and the snow. Stunningly beautiful. How can water be that blue, and that still? We had lunch at the lodge, then took a bunch of windy twisty roads through amazing woods on our way home, stopping for pizza on the way. (Note to Phaedra and Loren: at Pietro’s!) That ride was longer than was comfortable for me on Ken’s new bike, so I took a hot shower, downed some Ibuprofen, ate the above-mentioned ice cream, and curled up with my beloved and a glass of wine.

Today I’ve been cleaning up a little e-mail, doing laundry, petting the kitties, drinking too much tea, etc., while Ken’s at work. I need to get a little writing done as well, before he gets back. We’d hoped to have dinner with Lev and Gayle, but because I was a lame-ass and didn’t call them until today, they’d already made plans. I will remember to contact them before I come up here next time, dammit. So perhaps we’ll go back to Swagath tonight, because we haven’t found a good Indian restaurant in Ventura County and I’m already pining for shrimp biryani and garlic naan again.

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Currently Reading: Ghost of a Chance, Yasmine Galenorn (a cozy mystery about a witch who runs a china shop in a small Washington town); All U Can Eat, Emma Holly (just finished)
Lately Listened To: the gentle hum of the dryer; Lullagoodbye, Taylor Mills
Recently Watched: You, Me, and Dupree