USA

After Daniel's Grandma and Aunt Jackie left for San Jose, we went to the river where the backhoe had been left. Daniel's Uncle Peter wanted to show us how to operate the machine. Catherine took pictures while Daniel learned to drive the tractor and operate the bucket and backhoe. He drove it back to the house, and Peter placed some rocks on the ground as targets to reach with the backhoe. It was a very interesting experience.

A beautiful mountain, black against the bright blue sky.

Catherine's brother Michael had recommended a brewery/ restaurant in Ashland. She didn't remember the name, but Peter said that there are only a few. One that he mentioned was Standing Stone, which uses his hops grown at the ranch in their "I ❤️ Oregon" ale. When Catherine checked with Michael, Standing Stone was the one he recommended. We ate there before going to the play, and we both tried the beer with hops from the ranch. It was very good. We also enjoyed our meal, a homemade veggie burger, garlic fries, and a delicious rhubarb crisp for dessert.

The Elizabethan Theater at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. We saw The Two Gentlemen of Verona, which was unique because it had an all-female cast. This was odd, especially because the roles were unchanged, and it simply seemed like women playing male characters. It was perhaps less innovative and transgressive than the director had intended. However, it was fun to go to the play and to experience the Shakespeare festival that we've heard so much about. The theater had an interesting backdrop, and apparently was made to at least partially reflect the design of real Elizabethan theaters.

Our stay at the ranch has been wonderful. Tomorrow we will go to Portland. We are hoping to stop by Mt. Angel along the way.

Orange salt and pepper shakers: a gift to Catherine from Daniel's grandma. They match the orange pitcher that she gave us for a housewarming present when we moved to Orange Avenue.

An introduction to beekeeping with Daniel's uncle Peter.

The hives in the orchard.
The beautiful scenery around the Sturm Ranch in Jacksonville.

The ditch. Irrigation water for the orchard and hop yard.

The Applegate River runs through the property.

A squirrel. Despite the best efforts to save him, his fate is unknown.



Wine tasting at one of the many wineries near their house, in between Jacksonville and Applegate.
"Experimental" wines.




Learning to shoot a handgun and a rifle near the orchard. We were both interested to try it, and hitting the targets was exciting.

Stopped for a picnic lunch in Trinidad, CA (just outside Eureka). It was very beautiful and comfortable (the breezy, cool weather is amazing).

Beautiful scenery along 101 and 199.

We know what burls are (knots of wood). We know what live means. But "live burls"??? We didn't stay to find out!

Paul Bunyan probably knows what live burls are (Paul Bunyan statue at the Trees of Mystery, which was closed when we got there). Also, how can trees be closed?

We found a little bit of home here in Oregon!

We're staying the weekend with Daniel's grandma, Aunt Jackie, and Uncle Peter in Jacksonville, Oregon. It looks like it will be a fun weekend!!

Downtown Ferndale.

The Ferndale Museum: this museum had a lot of fascinating historical information.
Someone had come to the post office with a goat. His only explanation was "It's my son's goat. " the goat's name was Rocky.


Some views of Ferndale. The Victorian "butterfat palaces." (Mansions built with dairy money).

Assumption Catholic Church.
The Portuguese festa for Pentecost is this weekend.

The Ferndale Pie Shop, where we got a slice of apple-berry pie for desert after lunch.

The town of Ferndale is beautiful. There are so many cute shops, interesting buildings, and friendly people to talk to. It is definitely a place we would love to see again. After Ferndale, we headed for Jacksonville, Oregon.

The light through the trees on the back deck of our room.

The breakfast table: savory bread pudding, homemade bread with pepper jam, wild grapes, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Everything was delicious.


The view from the back patio of the farmhouse. Also, a few from the yard towards the house.

Ferns in Ferndale!
A view down the hill to the ocean from Poole Road.
Some shaggy/ fuzzy cows.

The piano in our room.

We had a great night and a wonderful breakfast, then explored the beach area and country roads. After that, we headed in to the town of Ferndale.

Did the drive through tree in Leggett. After driving through and getting pictures and video, we headed to Ferndale. In Ferndale we met our hosts and shared dinner. Everything was made from scratch, and she even made a raisin-based cake, having found out earlier that Selma is the Raisin Capital of the World. We had very interesting conversations over dinner, we even found out they met online too and have been married for 15 years.

Tomorrow we will explore Ferndale before heading off to Jacksonville, Oregon!

Stopped for lunch at the Russian River.

As we left the Russian River park, this animal seemed to be guarding the restrooms. It only later proved to be on a leash with an owner.

From Russia to Ukraine: the entrance to Mt. Tabor Ukrainian Catholic Monastery.

We were greeted by one of the monks, Fr. Damian. We got a wonderful tour, including the dining hall and the church with the painted icons. We learned some interesting facts about the Eastern Rite and about iconography. We were invited to stay for dinner but decided to push on towards Ferndale.

We grabbed bagels at Noah's and left San Jose right about 8am.

Our Lady of Peace in Santa Clara.

Approaching San Francisco.




Golden Gate Bridge in the fog.

It was about 11am when we left the Golden Gate Bridge. Then we headed north towards Ferndale.

All packed up and ready to go!