Reflections

This is my last whole day in Central Oregon as Sandra is taking me up into the mountains tomorrow and leaving me there! My good friend Tina will hopefully rendezvous with us and she will take me to Corvallis where I will spend the last 3 days of my trip.

We spent the day mostly in the town of Sisters which is a mecca for visitors to Central Oregon who love to browse through the many fascinating shops, stroll the streets and then take it easy in one of the many eateries as we are doing here. We loved the quilting and yarn shop which is well known in this town that is famous for it's annual Quilt Show that attracts about 10,00 visitors for the week of the show. The main street of the town has a Wild West frontage to most of the buildings which adds to the quaint ambiance of the place.

I lived in Bend for 5 years and never truly appreciated the tourist appeal of the place like I can now as I return as a visitor. The smell of the juniper and sage was powerfully strong after a brief thunderstorm this afternoon and it brought back many happy memories for me of my time here. I was married to an wonderful American man who tragically died in an accident just before our 2nd Wedding anniversary. Nearly six years have passed since then and the memories can be enjoyed without the same awful sense of loss. I am off to lay some roses on his grave before I leave tomorrow....