Saying goodbye ...

I have never liked saying goodbye. I avoid it when I can. Goodbye seems so finite, so final. One never knows when I will come this way again. My time in southern Oregon has been a gift to myself. Permission to take a breather, to do a personal inventory, to take a look at where I'm going and where I've been. A blessing indeed. As I move away from this place I take with me the gifts I've received during my stay here. I will always hold them close to my heart.

Time to Return

Found this lovely secluded spot while exploring the hills of southern Oregon.

I love taking this winding road as I drive through the country, it is quiet and peaceful.

I've been living here three years now and I never tire of the view and scenic surroundings. I will miss this place. It has been a restorative and rejuvenating experience for me. I'm glad I had the window of opportunity and took the leap to explore a new place and live in a different state. 

The time has come for me to return to Utah. I have missed living closer to my family and with grandchildren living there now it is difficult to be away. I will come back to visit and I believe my family will too. We have all enjoyed experiencing the beauty of southern Oregon. 

My daughter Liz will be here for a couple of weeks and we will visit some of our favorite spots before we finish packing for the move. I will share those photos in the next post 😀

Renewal weekend

Immersing myself in nature is healing and regenerating to mind, body and soul. I am very thankful Mother Nature offers the ocean breeze, the smell of salt air, the pounding of waves and the soft wet sand I can feel between my toes.

It was a gorgeous weekend to drive to the coast 

And the drive itself is lovely. Nothing like winding through

Evergreen tree covered hills and ending up here

Northern CA

Recently returned from a wonderful vacation with my family in Boulder Creek, CA. I decided to spend a day driving down the coast on my way to meet up with the family. I viewed spectacular sites on the coast as I stopped to hike a few trails along the way:

This is Fern Canyon where parts of the second Jurasic Park were filmed 

As I walked back to my car I saw several elk on the beach- such an awesome surprise!

This is along the coast just above the trees looking out over the trees you see the fog which is where the ocean begins

Trail through the trees just above Fern Canyon

Trinidad beach trails - this is where I saw a family of whales but my iPhone camera couldn't quite capture them as they were too far out

 The driveway entrance to the home we rented for the week

This home was surrounded by beautiful Redwoods and it was hot enough during the day to enjoy the pool

The hot tub was perfect for the cool evenings

We all enjoyed the gorgeous outdoor setting and utilized the deck throughout our stay

There was even this workout deck for us to enjoy. Such a great week together. Some of us met in San Fransisco the first day we arrived and spent a few hours shopping and seeing the sites. Later in the week we hiked through 1000 year old Redwoods in Big Basin forest in Boulder Creek and drove to see the Santa Cruz beaches. A wonderful time together that went by too quickly! This was a beautiful area to spend our family vacation - I highly recommend it!

Lake of the Woods

Loved spending a few days at the lake with these sweet girls! Lake of the Woods is one of my favorite lakes here in southern Oregon. A sweet getaway for sure!

Fun with Family

Spent a fun weekend with my family the first weekend in May...

This classic convertible is my favorite color! Enjoying time with my son Josh

We brought our breakfast to the park and the grandkids had a great morning playing on the playground together 

                                Sweet little kissing cousins 

                      Saturday night was the BTB concert (Ben's band)

                       We were all there to celebrate Ben's success! 

I love hangin' out with these people - they are the best! We had a great weekend together and Sunday evening ended the festivities with a barbecue at Josh and Crystal's. Thanks everyone for the good times!