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We just returned from FamFest. FamFest is an offshoot of NerdFest which was a gathering of geek friends from the Jefferson, Oregon area who networked their computers together in a room for a weekend of gaming. These boys kept the Fest alive over the years until family obligations made it more difficult to do so. Flex then suggested they turn NerdFest into FamFest and bring all the members of the family together for fun and games. George was brought into the fold a few years ago and we have both been attending these gatherings for about 3 years now. They are great fun. We rent a house or cabins for a weekend in some really nice area (like a coastal beach-house or a forested park) and the families go hiking, sandcastle building, we play board games, charades, all kinds of fun activities. There are about 6 or 7 families besides George and I, Flex and Rob that attend. There are children (mostly girls by some quirk of chance) between the ages of 5 and 9 running about making things quite lively. Then there are my puppies (who make the children quite happy) to round out the crew.
This time we rented a few cabins at Silver Creek Falls in Oregon. It was a beautiful weekend. Not a drop of rain fell, the skies were blue, the sun was warm… it was perfect. We hiked to at least 5 waterfalls on Saturday, two of which we could walk behind. Very cool! It was amazing to watch the sheets of water roar past mere feet before me. The sound was intense but not deafening. A really cool aspect was to focus on the world beyond the water. If you try to look at the trees and rocks through the sheets of water, it almost looks and sounds like you are watching the world through a lens of static and poor reception. It is a snowy and hazy world that seems bright and colorful and promising… but you aren’t quite sure. What an awesome meditation on reality. It was very cool and misty behind the falls but I would have loved to sit there for an hour or so to contemplate. It seems like the ultimate in white noise completely surrounding you. Just standing there for the 15 minutes I could (we had some impatient children that were cold and wet and wanted to continue walking with us), I began to drift into a really clear place in my mind. This is definitely a place I want to return to.
In the evenings we had a huge campfire outside our cabin complete with marshmallows and hot dogs on sticks. Someday, I’m going to find marshmallows without gelatin in them. I hear they exist, but I’ve never actually seen them. I don’t really like the taste of marshmallows much, but there is something about a campfire that just calls for them. As a matter of fact, the only times that I actually long for graham crackers is at a campfire with a slab of chocolate dripping off it. Eric even brought Jiffy-pop popcorn to complete the scene. I don’t much like the taste of the fake meat hot dogs, either, but it would be cool to whittle a stick down to a point and stick something in the fire to cook as well. Not that I lacked for food. More than half the food I made for this trip came back with me. Great times!
Since we returned, I’ve been doing laundry (I’m on my 3rd load with at least two more to go) and I spent a little energy on the backyard. I weed-whacked, I pushed my little manual mower around a bit, I did a lot of weeding, managed to find my strawberry plants under the weeds that were beginning to overtake them, and put my rosemary and mint beds to right. The yard looks so beautiful with all the spring flowers. My red and white tulips are really coming into their own now. The apricots are starting to fade and the pinks are in just past their prime. I’m hoping the iris tubers we planted two years ago bloom this year. How exciting! Next, the front yard! I keep thinking I want to make some major renovations to my landscaping in the front, but all this flux in our lives prevents me from engaging in too many home improvements. *sigh* I have such big ideas. I really want to finish my main bath, I want to work on my curb appeal and I would love to make the backyard into a complete zen haven. All in good time, I suppose.
Meanwhile, I’m going to see about liberating the bed linens from the washing machine so I can be that much closer to having a made bed to sleep in tonight. Ahhhh… the anticipation of my very own comfy bed! It’s great to go camping, but I always sleep so much better at home… despite sometimes being kicked out of my rightful bed-space by a puppy or two. *smile*
This time we rented a few cabins at Silver Creek Falls in Oregon. It was a beautiful weekend. Not a drop of rain fell, the skies were blue, the sun was warm… it was perfect. We hiked to at least 5 waterfalls on Saturday, two of which we could walk behind. Very cool! It was amazing to watch the sheets of water roar past mere feet before me. The sound was intense but not deafening. A really cool aspect was to focus on the world beyond the water. If you try to look at the trees and rocks through the sheets of water, it almost looks and sounds like you are watching the world through a lens of static and poor reception. It is a snowy and hazy world that seems bright and colorful and promising… but you aren’t quite sure. What an awesome meditation on reality. It was very cool and misty behind the falls but I would have loved to sit there for an hour or so to contemplate. It seems like the ultimate in white noise completely surrounding you. Just standing there for the 15 minutes I could (we had some impatient children that were cold and wet and wanted to continue walking with us), I began to drift into a really clear place in my mind. This is definitely a place I want to return to.
In the evenings we had a huge campfire outside our cabin complete with marshmallows and hot dogs on sticks. Someday, I’m going to find marshmallows without gelatin in them. I hear they exist, but I’ve never actually seen them. I don’t really like the taste of marshmallows much, but there is something about a campfire that just calls for them. As a matter of fact, the only times that I actually long for graham crackers is at a campfire with a slab of chocolate dripping off it. Eric even brought Jiffy-pop popcorn to complete the scene. I don’t much like the taste of the fake meat hot dogs, either, but it would be cool to whittle a stick down to a point and stick something in the fire to cook as well. Not that I lacked for food. More than half the food I made for this trip came back with me. Great times!
Since we returned, I’ve been doing laundry (I’m on my 3rd load with at least two more to go) and I spent a little energy on the backyard. I weed-whacked, I pushed my little manual mower around a bit, I did a lot of weeding, managed to find my strawberry plants under the weeds that were beginning to overtake them, and put my rosemary and mint beds to right. The yard looks so beautiful with all the spring flowers. My red and white tulips are really coming into their own now. The apricots are starting to fade and the pinks are in just past their prime. I’m hoping the iris tubers we planted two years ago bloom this year. How exciting! Next, the front yard! I keep thinking I want to make some major renovations to my landscaping in the front, but all this flux in our lives prevents me from engaging in too many home improvements. *sigh* I have such big ideas. I really want to finish my main bath, I want to work on my curb appeal and I would love to make the backyard into a complete zen haven. All in good time, I suppose.
Meanwhile, I’m going to see about liberating the bed linens from the washing machine so I can be that much closer to having a made bed to sleep in tonight. Ahhhh… the anticipation of my very own comfy bed! It’s great to go camping, but I always sleep so much better at home… despite sometimes being kicked out of my rightful bed-space by a puppy or two. *smile*
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