A visit from Norma

Last week, our friend, Norma, came to visit from Arizona. I love Norma, and I am so thankful that she works for Intel and occasionally comes to Oregon for business. It's allowed us to stay in touch by letting us see each other on a semi-regular basis. She usually stays with us for at least a part of her time, and we always look forward to having her. Although we were all at work or school during most of her visit, she took Tuesday off so we could play!

We decided to take a drive up to Mt. Hood and have lunch at Timberline Lodge. It was a perfect day, and the drive was beautiful. They had a buffet lunch at the lodge that was just delightful - lots of salads and fruit.







After looking around for a bit, we headed down the mountain and back home by way of the Hood River County Fruit Loop drive. This is a beautiful scenic drive, and every time I do it, I stop at some place new. One of the first stops we made was to take pictures of some alpacas.



From there, we found our way to Mt. View Orchards. It was quite a winding route to their off-the-beaten-path location, but worth every minute.



Ruth and Lyle were very personable and helpful. They let us taste the fruit we were interested in, and helped me choose ripe pears for a recipe I wanted to try. We bought apples and pears. Unfortunately, Larry just bought peaches at the grocery store, which made me sad; these were SO much better!



Our next stop was at the Hood River Lavender Farm. What a treat for the senses. We stepped out of the car and were immediately met with the scent of lavender wafting through the air. Heavenly! The location was lovely, and the lavender fields so picturesque.



We made our purchases, and headed off to the river where we were surprised at how alive it was with kite boarders. I'm amazed they avoided running into one another! In the parking lot, more people were just arriving after work, and were donning their wet suits for their turn on the river before the sun went down.



Thursday night (while I cooked and graded papers), Larry took Norma to Chapman School to see the annual migration of the Vaux Swifts and their funneling into the chimney to roost for the night. Such a spectacle! I'm so glad she was here at the right time of year to witness it.

Upon their return home, we enjoyed Pork Tenderloin with Pears, using Tuesday's pears from the Fruit Loop trip.



Peach Crumble became our dessert another night, and it was tasty, too.



Come back again soon, Norma; we'll go on another adventure!

Mt. Hood and the Fruit Loop Tour

Yesterday Jeff and I set out for the Hood Valley Fruit Loop Tour with a side trip to Timberline Lodge. It was a beautiful day to hit the mountain!

The Fruit Loop Tour is a scenic loop drive through orchards, vineyards, and farm land of other various uses. We passed fruit stands and working farms, quaint farming communities, horses, cattle, and alpacas. We stopped and bought Bing cherries and pear cider, which we enjoyed during the drive, but could have loaded up on peaches, plums, Gravenstein apples, blueberries, hazelnuts, alpaca yarn, all kinds of jams, jellies, syrups, and relishes, or antiques. Bosc pears will be ripe enough to pick in another week or so. Living here affords residents with magnificent views of orchards, vineyards, and, of course, Mt. Hood every day.


Our favorite farm, though, was Lavender Valley, our last stop of the day. Here we found an idyllic spot with lavender fields as far as the eye could see, with a gazebo right in the middle; a gift shop with a lazy black lab outside, and a chemists' lab inside for mixing products containing lavender oil; a 90-year-old proprietor's mother who sells her original oil paintings in the shop; and a totally relaxing ambiance.



Halfway through the "loop", we vectored off and drove up Mount Hood to Timberline Lodge. Built by the WPA in 15 months beginning in 1937, this ski lodge and inn is owned today by the National Forest Service and is still in use. But its beauty is appreciated by as many tourists as skiers. Featured in the movie, "The Shining", it is a magnificent piece of architecture. Using locally found (Douglas fir timbers and basalt stones) and recycled (railroad ties forged as andirons, old tire chains refashioned as fireplace screens, old telephone poles carved into newel posts) materials, and out of work carpenters, craftspeople, and artisans, it is a testament to hard work and found materials. Art work abounds, from paintings, to wood and linoleum carvings, to mosaics and sculpture, all in a rustic mountain setting of fir trees and year-round snow. The dining room features excellent Northwest cuisine and an eclectic menu, featuring local and seasonal foods. Jeff was taken with the place, and remarked that his brother, Jules, would love seeing it on his next visit to the area. I took far too many pictures of art and architecture...