Oregon is not Portland.

Up until about eight months ago, I suffered from a misconception common among East-of-the-Mississippi folk: All of Oregon is The (capital T) Northwest (capital N).

Let's start by establishing what exactly The Northwest is, according to the Rest of America (also in capital letters):

Medford Moments #2

Overheard in the Rogue Valley...

Random Stranger 1: "I bought a Four Runner. And then my kid wanted it, so I gave him that Four Runner and bought another Four Runner."
Random Stranger 2: "Where do you live again?"
RS 1: "[Name of suburban town easily accessible by the highway and not located in the back woods or high on a mountain]"
RS 2: "You go up to the mountain lakes a lot?"
RS 1: "No, not really."
RS 2: "...  ...  ...  ...  ... Oh."

Happy Independence Day

To my fellow Americans, happy Independence Day! United States, you're almost 240 years old, but darling, you don't look a day over 225.

M. and I heard that Ashland, a little offbeat city a few miles to the south, was holding a festival for the holiday, so we decided to take a peek.  Despite the 100+ degree temperature, we hit the road and drove down the 5. Within a half hour, our car was parked in a public lot--five hours for only $2--and we were trekking toward Lithia Park and the blocked-off city streets that were the hub of all the action.

Medford Moments #1

So many daily utterances that escape my and M's mouths, or tiny moments we randomly experience, capture our new life in Southern Oregon just as well, or maybe better, than any long blog post can. I now share with you this blog's first Medford Moment.

M.: "Today, I had a burrito from a taco shop attached to a gas station. It was pretty good."

California Dreamin'

Last weekend, M. and I decided to act upon a moment of strong wanderlust. We took a day trip down to Redwood Country.

O Pioneers!

I started reading O Pioneers!, the classic novel by Willa Cather that somehow managed to escape my grubby little bookworm hands for over thirty years. Sure, the book is set in Nebraska--a state we did not travel through on our westward journey--but I can't help but imagine some of it must be similar to the experience of those Oregon Trail wagoners. I'm only about a quarter of the way through the novel. Already, there are lots of references to people leaving the demanding work of farming finicky Nebraskan soil to return to the reliably bustling life of eastern commerce. I'm thinking, Obviously they knew it wouldn't be easy, so what made them head westward in the first place? 

Back O'er Oregon

Thanks to Soul Pancake, M and I discovered The Weather Machine, and specifically this song by them. This video beautifully highlights all of Oregon's 185 state parks.  What a breathtaking state we live in--I can't wait to explore it.  Enjoy!