my favorite tree

Every time I go visit my parents, I take about 1,000 pictures.  I wish I was a better photographer so I could really capture the setting.  Maybe then I wouldn't spend all of the memory on my computer on pictures of trees and moss. You know, quality over quantity and all that good advice.


So usually the first spot I head to when I want to take pictures is at the bottom of the stairs in the back, right by the river, looking upriver at this tree that is sort of split and makes a "V". It's just my favorite and I can't really explain it. I know Orange County (where I grew up) isn't a forest, but there ARE trees. This isn't the first time I've seen one. Still, I'm obsessed. And so here goes. I'll share with you my favorite tree, which has become my icon of the house- every season, angle, and time of day. I hope you can see a little bit of the charm that I see...

These past few weeks have been pretty rainy and the river has gotten very high. Scary high. My parents have been living there for about 7 years now and it is the highest they've ever seen it, and they got a notice on what to do if there is a dam breach. Eek! They kept reporting how high it was, and then my dad sent over a few pics. Not that I didn't trust them, of course, but they have been known to  exaggerate. I was shocked! The water was ABOVE the "V" in the tree! They had to move the bench on the bottom step up. Here are some pictures of the high river by my tree- 

horsies

I recently finished the book Water for Elephants and loved it! And I'm just going to come out and say something that no avid book-reader is supposed to say: I can't wait for the movie!  It looks really good. And I can't imagine anyone playing Marlena better than Reese Witherspoon. 


I'm not going to draw parallels between the circus and the house in Oregon, cause that would just be weird. But the descriptions of the horses and Marlena's love and deep respect for them throughout the story is really beautiful. And then I realized that I haven't shared pictures of the horses in Oregon.


The neighbors on both sides of the house have gorgeous horses. I just think they are the most glamorous and alluring creatures! 

{well, hello there!}

{photo by Damian}

{photo by Damian}

{the mama and the baby!}

desktop background

It seems my desktop background is always a picture of where I wish I could be at the moment. Paris. A random childhood memory. A beach. And most recently- a River. 

{Photo by Damian}

moss and trees...

My mom likes gardening.  I can't say that I inherited her green thumb. I keep trying to grow my own herb garden, but apparently gardens like being watered and I just can't seem to keep that in my daily routine long enough for anything to survive. I think I started to despise gardening as a 12 year old when my list of weekly chores included weeding and pruning. What kid wants to wake up early on a Saturday to prune? I really do wish I liked it more...  I love using the fresh herbs and veggies from the garden up in Oregon.  Maybe its like eating tomatoes or wearing pearls... You don't really appreciate them as a kid, but eventually love them when you grow up? 


Anyway, one of the things my mom loves to do for her garden is gather wild moss to use in flower boxes and arrangements.  It grows on every surface up there and peels off in big patches and long strips.  I didn't understand its charm at first, but now the adventurous kid in me loves climbing over fallen trees and exploring the forest for moss... and the competitive kid in me loves finding the biggest piece EVER to impress my mom. 


There is a park on the other side of the river that is a perfect spot for moss-picking.  When I was up there before Thanksgiving with my girlfriends from college, we helped my mom gather moss in the park and had so much fun making moss beards and filling up our muck buckets with this spongy green substance that is so foreign to us city girls. 

Moss on trees!

Working hard...

and hardly working.

Frolicing in autumn leaves.

The final product. You're welcome, mom. 

go Ducks!!

Eugene is one of the most spirited sports fan towns I have ever seen! Growing up surrounded by USC and UCLA fans, I thought I had seen extreme fans. I knew nothing. In Eugene, everyone is a Ducks fan.  Even on non-game days, 95% of the population is rocking a Ducks sweatshirt.  And on game days? Forget it. Every house on the block has a Ducks flag, there are green and yellow cars on the road, and even 80 year old ladies are covered head to toe in green.  And since the big championship game is tonight, I'm sure the town is littered with green and yellow.   

playing in the kitchen

Besides frolicing in the snow... I did a lot of cooking over the holidays! I just finished taking a short cooking class, so I was really excited to play in my favorite kitchen. Christmas Eve we made Pork chops with a Tuscan Herb rub, sauteed apples, Roasted Potatoes, and Broccoli.  

{The amazing apple peeler-corer-slicer!}

{Sauteed Apples}

{Tuscan Herb Rub}

{Searing the chops}

{Pan Sauce}

{The Roasted Pork Chops with the Sauteed Apples}

{the finished product}

White Christmas!

I am SO behind on blogging, so the thought of jumping back on the wagon has been a little daunting. I mean, where to even begin? But what is more inspirational to start it up again than SNOW! I finally had a White Christmas! It was the best present ever! Especially because I got to extend my vacation an extra day :) 

{The start of the snow on the driveway}