Lava Butte

Sorry, no new pics as yet. I forgot my camera at home when we went to Lava Butte and the Lava Forest in Newberry National Forest. It was very cool and very picturesque-you'll have to take my word for it. We had a nice picnic including yummy berries.

Later, we went downtown to Drake Park for Music and Munchies, really fun and lots of people watching to be done. We made up stories and decided who was with who-our ideas about that changed as the night continued. We were thinking father-daughter and we ended up thinking husband-wife, not to mention grandparents who turned into foster parents. I guess you had to be there.

The next evening we went to Sunriver to watch a musician and he was really talented and a lot of fun to watch, lots of kiddos around dancing to his music-too cute, made me homesick for Noah and Isaac, so glad they are coming in less than 2 weeks.

Working Nightshift

I have great appreciation for night shift workers at this point in my life. It is the craziest thing you can do to your body and did you hear that it raises the risk of cancer, too?! Last night at work we had 5 deliveries in about 4 hours. This is done, mind you, at a time when most peeps are fast asleep dreaming about lollipops, or whatever people dream about. These pooor nurses in Bend, they need help!!! People are abviously having sex here in Bend, is all I've got to say. And, obviously, no one is going to nursing school. The shortage of nurses in Bend, and everywhere else for that matter, is a scary proposition. They say the shortage is only getting worse=all these baby boomers are getting old, too. Who will take care of us? Nurses need help, but how and where are they going to get it? Then, the day shift comes on, me being one of them in my previous life, and ask why this or that isn't caught up with and finished off, or why all the equipment wasn't checked and all the shelves stocked or whatever else the people that are alive and awake on day shift might dream up for the night shift to do while they have their wits and imaginations completely with them because they have had a nights rest the night before. Even my crappiest nights rest was better than I get during the day. I can usually only sleep until 1 pm and that it is 4-5 hours of crappy sleep and then working like a slave and worrying about my patients welfare not to mention my nursing license as I work with not enough support staff around me and my wits back at home with my pillow. That is all I have to say about that. I am exhausted or I am sure I could think of more.

Floating the Deschutes

We are floating on a queen sized blow up mattress, down the river, under bridges, watching birds, passing shoppers, enjoying the relaxation and the views. Then it started to rain and we were ok with that, but then it started thundering and I was not ok with that! We had floated the day before, too, this could become a habit.

Lava Tube

These are pictures of a lava tube, there was alot of volcanic activity in this area many many years ago. This tube is a mile long and it was a little scary. Don't I look scared? Anyway, they rent out propane lanterns for the hike but we had flashlights so we were good, but, no, Cameron's flashlight was very dim, but mine was good, so we were ok, right? No, my flashlight went out on the wat back out, too funny! So, we walked behind a G&G with some little kids, I appreciated her slow movement, but they kept trying to let us go ahead of them and we were like, oh no your fine. Then the kids chased off ahead and they couldn't keep up with them so I felt obligated to try and follow them-the kiddos- closely so they would survive-haha, kids just don't even care-just running up these rocky areas with no light-they were amazing to me. I felt like a total wimp after following those kids for a few minutes. I had been clutching on to Cameron for most of the hike back and we actually fell down together-it was pretty funny but it was a dusty area so we didn't do too much damage.

Benham Falls-Just South of Bend

This is just a short hike to tumbling Benham Falls.

Wildlife, I'm not kidding, I'm starting to worry about bears.

Can you believe it?
I was fascinated!

One of my bluejay friends

Can you see him?
Look again.


It is so cool here, can you spot the deer in all the pics? Cam did!!! I walked over and got these great shots. The deer are in the lot accross the street from us.

Wildlife

Cameron took these shots of the squirrel and deer from our back porch and front yard. The last picture I took during a hike we took yesterday along the Deschutes River.

Bend Berries

Green Lakes Hike along the Fall Creek

The largest Green Lake above and Broken Top below.
Crossing Fall Creek
More Falls on Fall Creek

Fall Creek-there were falls all the way down this creek.
Snow all over this hiking path.
Isn't it July?
Isn't it beautiful? Wish you could've been there.