To fill you in on what I have been up to, let me tell you about Myrtle Creek, Oregon. LVC requires us to have retreats 3 times this year, which is basically 5 days at a camp somewhere in Washington or Oregon for times of "relaxation, re-creation, and rejuvenation." And because my work weeks are Thurs till Mon, that meant that I coming off a 9 day vacation (the retreat was Thurs till Mon). I'm excited for work tomorrow because I am starting to get antsy, but I am so happy to have had this vacation...it was much needed.
We stayed at Camp Myrtlewood while we were in Oregon. First of all, let me tell you how I excited I was for this place...mainly because of the name. For anyone that doesn't know, my car is named Myrtle. So, in honor of my little Galant, I slept in Myrtle cabin because Laurel cabin just seemed like it would be a slap in the face. Anywho, it took us about 8 hours to reach Myrtlewood from Seattle/Tacoma. I just have to throw out that driving though Oregon reminded me a lot of driving through the Smokies in Tennessee and North Carolina. Lots of rolling hills/mountains, very green, and fairly long stretches of nothing. Here's a glimpse, but it doesn't do it justice. Please note the loner Charlie Brown tree at the top that sparked my interest for this particular picture.
Pretty much my time in Oregon was spent hiking, reading, hanging out with the LV's from Seattle and Bay Area houses, eating smores, doing absolutely nothing, etc. I will talk about a couple of highlights though. The camp had 4 all white cats and there was one in particular that forced itself on everyone.
Courage is his name and being friendly is his game. He would first lure an unsuspecting LV in with his meows and cute demeanor, and as you bent down for a pet, he would pounce. Landing on your shoulders, lap, chest, or wherever he decided was most fitting, Courage had you in his web. More than once I fell for his antics and found myself trapped with a sleeping cat on my legs or shoulders. You may be asking why I didn't try and move him, well let me tell you. Courage has 3 powerful weapons-nails, teeth, and persistence...all of which he uses continuously. If you tried to move him, he would bite or dig his nails into tender flesh, and if you did manage to get away, he would follow. So for me personally, I'm weak and let him sleep on me because I didn't have much else to do. This picture is specifically for my mom...note how happy I am.
It was really cool being at the camp too because it was super foggy, so the hiking was slightly terrifying. I really felt like I was in Jurassic Park and was waiting for a Velociraptor to come out and take me away...not kidding. I even helped to calm my nerves by making my best raptor impressions and stomping around with my arms up to make me seem big. Thankfully, I made it out alive. Also, see photo above if you have doubts about what I say. Ferns are great hiding places for dinosaurs.
Finally, it's salmon spawning season and Myrtlewood has a creek (or stream or river?) that runs through it, so it was awesome. There were tons of salmon that were swimming up-stream to lay their eggs in the shallow gravel beds. We saw some salmon that were over 3 feet long and it was so cool to see this part of Creation that few people get to witness.
On our drive home we saw 3 rainbows which was pretty awesome. I would say the best part this was the fact that we drove through the end of this particular (photo) rainbow. I've never experienced that before and it was crazy because one second it was in front of us and then next it was behind us. Crazy cool. Sadly, I found no leprechauns or pots of gold at the end of this rainbow. Also, please note how prominent all of the colors are...rainy season has its advantages I guess.
I think that's about all I've got for now. Until next time, that's all folks!
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