Blogs from Corvallis, Oregon, United States, North America

Hej allihopa. Jag inser att det tog mig längre att starta min reseblogg än jag hade räknat med, men det var inte så lätt att hitta tiden som jag hade räknat med. När det väl fanns tid kraschade vi på soffan, tog en tupplur eller placerade oss på någon restaurang (eller pizzeria, faktiskt). Jag anlände den 10:e Juni klockan 22:40 lokal tid, fullkomligt utmattad efter nästan två dagars konstant resa med ungefär fyra och en halv timmes sammanlagd (alltså inte ens sammanhängande eller speciellt kvalitativ) sömn. Det var ju förstås inte resans första anhalt. Den absolut första anhalten skulle ha varit Örebro Central, men min mor fick för sig att hon skulle köra mig till Hallsberg så att jag slapp vänta. Där fick vi veta att mitt tåg var en timme försenat (tror jag) men det ... read more

Another warm, sunny day that blended with the food and atmosphere at the Da Vinci Days Festival to make the day idyllic. Almost too good to be true. The boys looked around the kids' area after we arrived at around 9:30, while I stopped to look at two absolutely gorgeous carousel animals. There is a group of volunteers making a whole carousel with the animals being carved out of wood and painted (see Albany Carousel ). I hope to get to their studio next week to have a better look. The kids' area was awe some ( I get the feeling I'll be emphasising a lot this trip). There was stick insects, mantle movement demos, flood demos, cube puzzles, juggling stuff, magnet and visual tricks, crystals, and lots more with every display having a real hands-on ... read more

8/30/08 For two days this week, I spontaneously boycotted the Carson & Barnes Family Circuses, I add some photos to this blog and some information about why I felt compelled to do it: In one advertisement alone for the Carson & Barnes Family Circus, it gave the schedule for their performances in Washington - Oregon - and California from August 19th - September 6th, 2008, and stressed how they have beautiful elephants performing. In reading between the lines, it occurred to me in just 19 days, the circus animals would need to perform at their best in a total of 16 cities, sometimes having to perform two shows per day. (And please note, this was just one flier, these elephant and other the other animals have been: and will be on the road for much longer ... read more

We are out of our house and on the move, and we will be leaving Oregon Saturday, Dec. 7. We first head to Texas to see Amy's family, then we're off to Washington, D.C., and finally arriving in Ireland on Dec. 17. We had thought that would just be a short trip to Ireland to scope out cities before we headed to Spain for a term, since there is a hiring freeze for Ireland's national health system until at least the first of the year, maybe later. But if you know anything about our plans, you know they change hourly, as they did when Amy got a call from her recruiter with a great opportunity in Cork with a private non-profit employer to start ASAP. We don't know if that will come through or not, but ... read more

Monday our last day of rest. It's Billy's 48th birthday so Jane has invited some friends over this evening for a low key celebration. We were hoping to do some local wineries but lethargy overtook us and instead Sylvan took the car for an oil change and we went for lunch downtown. Corvallis is a pretty little city and the area has a lot to offer since Oregon State University is here. Everyone is a Beaver fan. Yes they are the Beavers. Football is huge. Their stadium looks like it is big enough to hold the entire town. It's been a fun visit, so nice to just hang out. Tomorrow we leave for Boise Idaho and roads that say East. ... read more