Vacation in Bend, Oregon

Hello again. I went on vacation for a week to Bend, Oregon. Most people who visit Oregon go to Portland, which is on the coast of the Pacific Ocean west of the Cascade Mountains. Bend is on the eastern side of the mountains, in the central part of the state. The coast is very wet and cloudy, since most of the moisture is trapped by the Cascades. The eastern part of the state is high desert - more like northern Arizona. Mountains, red rock buttes, forests, small towns (Bend is the big city around there and it only has 85,000 citizens).

I'd read a few articles about Bend and decided that I'd like to see it. It's a very beautiful area. I spent a lot of time hiking, sight seeing, window browsing. One day I drove down to Ashland where they have the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and saw a few plays.

Here are some photos from my trip. I'll label them so you can know where they were taken. Hope you enjoy them.

Deer at the front door.

Paulina Lake (inside a volcano crater in Newberry National Volcanic Monument).

Autumn colors.

Re-purposed lumber mill at Old Mill District (shopping center).

Pilot Butte beyond the sprinklers.

Llama ranch near Redmond.

Quizzical fellow.

Costumes at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.

Stream reflections.

Who's that in the shade??

Vintage movie theater in Ashland.

Pumice castle at Crater Lake National Park.

Phantom Ship Island at Crater Lake NP.

Manzanita.

Big sky and fire look-out.

Inside Lava River Cave
(Newberry National Volcanic Monument).

Very dark beyond the lantern...

Rock climber at Smith Rock State Park.

"Monkey Face" at Smith Rock State Park.

Thistles.

Sunset from my back porch.

This and that

Summer is a busy time - that's my excuse for not posting. Enough said :)

Here are some photos from the past week - my favorite is the last one, of figs and basil from my garden that I used in making dinner one night. Enjoy.

Mid-summer

It's been awhile since I've posted - haven't been much motivated to take pics this month. But I won't let July end without another group of photos. The last one is of my niece Estie when we visited the Griffith Park Observatory today. Enjoy.

Weekend in Philadelphia

I was in Philadelphia over the 4th of July weekend for my niece's bas mitzvah. Below are some photos from the trip: the first is an interesting sky, the second is of the new playground that my brother and sister-in-law dedicated at camp in memory of their son Sholom Ber who passed away last December. The rest are from the bas mitzvah party. I took lots more! Enjoy.

Sunday wedding

I went to a very good friend's wedding this past Sunday at the Skirball Cultural Center. I've known Ed for 10 years through Mosaic, a Jewish hiking group. I'm so happy that he met Orley and that they decided to get married!

Here are a few photos from the event. Enjoy :)

Camping in Yosemite

A week ago I went camping in Yosemite National Park with some friends. One couple brought their 8 month old twins! It was a learning experience for everyone involved :) No, really, we had a great time!

Here are some images of flora, fauna and people out in nature. Enjoy.