Wedding (cow)Bells

What a wonderful weekend we had in Eastern Oregon celebrating Drew and Grace in the company of family, friends and the beautiful Wallowa Mountains. The wedding took place at the Liberty Grange in Joseph, OR, with all the twin siblings - Amelia, Ella, Jake and Emily - making up their wedding party.  

Grace's family has deep roots in Wallowa County, with her great-great-grandfather having started the general store, M Crow, in Lostine. M Crow continues to operate today as a restaurant and brewery, and it's where we gathered for a pre-wedding celebration with family and friends. 

We'll be adding more photos as they become available, but CLICK HERE to see how we spent the weekend - hiking, swimming, decorating, dancing, dining, enjoying friends and paying tribute to two lovely people who have already built a beautiful life together. We can't wait to see what comes next. 

 

 

Hitting Some Trails

We spent the final weekends of summer following several interesting trails. The Wildwood Follow the Crows Trail took us through downtown Portland in search of thirty crows designed by local artists to help promote Laika Studio's new film, Wildwood, which opens in October. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS.

Then there was the lovely maze trail through the sunflower fields at Topaz Farms on Sauvie Island, which Emily joined us for. CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS.

Finally, Pat and I checked out the new HI-LO trail, which connects Hillsdale with Lake Oswego by combining 6.3 miles of SW Portland trails with a beautiful forest hike through Tyron Creek State Natural Area. Photos from our hike are in THIS ALBUM, which also includes some of the kids' summer adventures. 

We also joined Emily and Coleman at the annual PDX Soapbox Derby which follows a trail down through Mt. Tabor Park. One of this year's entries is pictured below and a few more photos are LINKED HERE. 

Wallowas

We are just back from a long weekend pre-wedding scouting trip to the Wallowas, checking out the venues where Drew and Grace will be holding their September wedding. Here's hoping the sunset on September 19th is even half as spectacular as the ones we saw this weekend. Click here for photos, which include pictures from our trip up the Wallowa Lake Tramway, hiking, rail-biking, kayaking and more. 

This was our first time visiting Joseph, OR, and we took the opportunity to checkout the nearby viewpoint for Hells Canyon (pictured below) while we were in the neighborhood... just 20 miles, but  a hour+ drive! 

We are 3-weeks away from wedding day! 

Vancouver Island

We spend the past week exploring Vancouver Island in British Columbia - from Victoria to Salt Springs Island to Campbell River. Click here for photos. Our week included lots of wildlife encounters, great hiking and kayaking; a whale watching tour where we spotted both orcas and humpbacks; and a great fireworks show in honor of Canada Day. We returned home through Vancouver and Bellingham. 

As for the rest of the family, click here to see how everyone is enjoying the summer so far.  Emily's summer started with her earning a masters degree in marriage and family counseling from Portland State. Photos from her graduation weekend are linked here. 

All Together at Otter Rocks

Drew and Grace hosted a bachelor/bachelorette camping weekend for friends on the Oregon Coast, and we got to join them for a lovely afternoon near Otter Rocks. Jake flew in for the occasion, so we were all together briefly... something not likely to happen again until their wedding in September!

Click here for photos of the kids and their friends enjoying the beach, plus our scenic explorations between Depoe Bay and Newport, which included a stop on the Newport fishing docks to watch a bunch of sea lions at play. 

Rose + Starlight Parade

Portland combined its annual Rose and Starlight Parades into a single event this year. Click here for photos. It was a beautiful night to enjoy a great show.

Chasing Dragons

It's Rose Festival Weekend, which means dragon boat racing. We spent Saturday on the waterfront cheering for Emily's team, the Willamette Wave Riders. The weather was a bit unsettled, but rain or shine, it was fun to watch the races. Click here for photos.