I Saw a Bear

Got back from Oregon on Tuesday night (was supposed to be back Monday night, but thanks to a delay in Medford, the whole trip collapsed like a house of noodles, so I got to stay one more night with the Sugar). The trip was a delight as always, with JUST enough time spent lacking indoor plumbing that I was ready to come home, and JUST enough time hearing the wind blow through the trees and the Oregon frogs do their odd little concerts that I felt refreshed and a little sad to leave the country.

After a 14-hour roadtrip up the 5 with S and his pops, we rolled into the canyon to be greeted by S's cousin and his wife, who were rafting along the Wild & Scenic. It was a fun and improptu slumber party, where we all pitched in vacuuming the cabin, cleaning mouse poop off things (sorry, gotta keep it real...gross), and cooking dinner.

My first full day up there began with a delightful massage from J, a happy hippy pal who lives on 8 acres along a stream, has a house, but sleeps in a yurt, and gave me a tour in which I checked out her claw-footed tub among the trees, her Oracle mask, her May Pole, her TeePee, her Dancing Circle, and all sorts of other fun stuff. The massage took place in the "Care Cabin" and was so wonderful after 14 hours in the narrow back seat of a Diesel truck.

On the drive out there, I passed beautiful farms with herds of sheep, people riding their horses along the side of the road, purple wildflowers, a lake, oh, and a bear. A mid-sized black bear was in the road as I rounded a corner, to my absolute delight. I gasped "A Bear!" and he then hightailed it into the woods. According to J, he is a troublesome teen bear who enjoys digging in the garbage of the residents that live in that area.

I know people see bears in the wild all the time, but when I go to Oregon, all I want to see is one lousy deer in the meadow by the house, but they all hide from me. The deer know I'm coming, and avoid me like the plague. So, in your face, stupid Oregon deer, I saw a bear.

Speaking of stupid deers, I want to go to everyone one of these book stores:

http://www.miragebookmark.ch/most-interesting-bookstores.htm