Our new town is famous for it's cranberries. Many of them go to a little company called, Ocean Spray.
There are acres and acres of cranberry bogs. They even have an annual Cranberry Festival. This year was their 68th year.
It's a huge event. They have a parade, a cruise-in car show, booths, baking contests, cranberry eating contest, a Cranberry Court of a queen and princesses, etc.
This year, James' office decided to enter a float in the parade. So, James & Taylor got to walk in the parade. Taylor handed out chocolate "eyeballs" and James handed out sunglasses. I think James had fun. I know Taylor did.
Logan didn't want anything to do with walking in a parade. Too many people would be looking at him. No, thank you! So he and I watched from the sidelines.
I took tons of pictures with the nice, big camera, then got home and realized I didn't have a card in the camera. So I didn't really take any pictures at all! I was so mad at myself. I'm still very disappointed.
I only have a couple of pictures that I took before the parade, with my phone.
The entire festival had a country theme this year, "The Cranberry Round-Up." So the parade float had western decor.
Taylor got to wear her cowboy outfit, boots and hat. She was the cutest little cowgirl!
Then we walked around and looked at all the neat cars. Logan was amazed at how small the original Mini's were. "I'm taller than it!" he shouted.
He has always liked Corvettes. I remember when he was 4 or 5 years old, he couldn't quite tell a Corvette from several other types of cars out there. He'd get all excited because a Corvette passed us, but it turned out to be a Pontiac or something else. He's much better now.
This truck reminded me of what the "Silver Bullet" might look like someday, if it ever gets restored. The "Silver Bullet" is my Grandpa's old Chevy truck. My dad has it now.
Doc Hudson was even there, from the movie, "Cars." The Hudson Hornet.
Here are a few of the cars Taylor enjoyed. This one was unique, with pipes on the outside of the car.
A roadster with a flame paint job and enormous rear wheels.
And Taylor found the rumble seat in this antique.
This old truck's license plates says, "Jhnboy." Just like The Walton's truck, I guess.
My favorite car was this Shelby Cobra. Beautiful.
And it looks like a lot of fun to drive.
We had a good time, walking around as a family. I just wish I had pictures of Taylor in the parade to show you. Maybe next time.
Our hike up Garfield Peak, at Crater Lake, in pictures:
Great views, even from the bottom.
It was steep and dusty.
We also got a view of one of the forest fires nearby.
Views from the top. Wizard Island too.
And Phantom Ship down there as well.
Crater Lake with Mt. Thielsen in the distance. That lake is just amazingly blue.
The hike was "strenuous." It was a long, steep climb to the top, but we all made it!
At the top we enjoyed panoramic views of the deep blue lake, a welcome rest, fruit snacks and energy bars. Then we trudged back down.
It made for a long day, between the drive and the hike, but it was a great day, spent together as a family. We haven't done as much hiking this summer as we did the last few years. We were trying to get one more hike in before weather and our schedule makes it difficult to get out.
It was one year ago, almost exactly, since we'd been to Crater Lake. That time it was windy and cold, plus there was snow on the ground. This year, it was warm and dry. We got it right this time!
We had an amazing Labor Day weekend because our friends from Corvallis came to visit. Logan and Taylor were counting the days and then the hours until they arrived. They went outside and waited in the front yard for the last 20 minutes.
Finally, we spotted their car. The kids went crazy with excitement.
Logan was thrilled to have boys to hang out with. They played guns and who knows what all. The kids went their separate ways as soon as they got here, the girls to Taylor's room and the boys to the backyard, which was nice because it gave us parents a chance to catch up too.
Taylor loved having another girl to play dolls with. She had told me, before they arrived, how excited she was to be able to "play Twin Princess Fairy Mermaids" with her friend. I asked, "Is that what you two play when you're together?" She said, "No. She doesn't know about this game yet."
Then we walked down to the beach.
It was one of those rare, cloudless days on the coast.
We enjoyed a late afternoon of watching the kids climb on driftwood and rocks.
Then we were able to watch the sun set. It was the first time we've been down on the beach for sunset. It was lots of fun.
The kids couldn't resist digging in the sand even without any of their shovels or pails. (We were saving those for the next day, when we'd have more time at the beach).
Taylor & Ellie enjoying the sunset.
We all enjoyed being down on the beach.
Our friends, with 2 of their 4 children.
And there it goes, for another night.
The next day, James, his friend Todd, and Todd's oldest son, went on a mountain bike ride.
The rest of us went down to the beach, with our shovels and pail, this time.
It was another beautiful day. The kids got right to work, digging into the sand.
Logan made a moat around his sandcastle. He filled it numerous times. The water just kept seeping out. He couldn't keep up with it.
Taylor and her friend worked so well together digging a trench or whatever this is.
We found a great place for the kids to play, near a little creek. It gave them the running water they needed and kept them safely away from the waves.
Then the boys started making "warships."
By the time we left, they had an entire armada.
We loved having our friends come and play. They had to go back home, of course, and that left us so sad. I'm blogging about our visit right away, so the kids can enjoy the pictures. Hopefully it will cheer them up and put a smile on their faces again.
