We love being "green!" We love preserving our natural resources, we love the word, "sustainable" and we love experiencing all of this in the natural beauty that surrounds each of us living in or visiting the great "green" state of Oregon!Not only are we on the forefront of all that exudes "green," we are and have been the example to the rest of the country that if you wanna be green, you have to learn from the best! Riding our bikes, using public transportation, conserving, recycling, you name it, we are doing it, re-creating it or sharing it!
And, for some of us, we love "experiencing" being green too! Filling our "re-usable" water bottles with our perfect tap water, we headed out for our hiking adventure on a trail near Mary's Peak! About 20 miles out of Philomath near Corvallis is where we began our trek yesterday.
We only had a few hours before our guests were arriving so we headed out and up the trail to Mary's Peak by noon! It was a gorgeous day but all I could think about was getting my exercise in and getting as far as possible up the trail before heading back down. Taking a few people "new to
Oregon" with us, was exciting. We love showing off this awesome place and couldn't wait to start walking. About half way through our walk, someone said, "wow...this place is really green!" I almost laughed cause if I had a dollar for every time someone said that to me...well...you know how that goes. But hearing again those words, I had to slow down and take it all in! I looked 
up and saw the magnificant trees stretching toward the sun. I saw each wild flower and thought about how perfect each petal is. I saw water falls, I stepped over the biggest slug I have ever seen and sat long enough to watch a spider weave her web.Over two hours later and still not sure how far we got up the mountain, but we met some great people on the trail, pet some nice dogs and will take more time next trip to make it to the "peak!"
If you are visiting Oregon and want a true "green" experience, check out our trails! Pack your camel packs, your lunch and your sun screen and get your hiking boots and get going!
Don't forget to stop and smell the flowers and experience Oregon's green!
See you on the trail!
Many of the inns of the 
In preparing to write this blog, I had to look up what the word "angler" meant. According to wikipedia, it means someone who fishes with a rod and line. I'm not a fisherman or fisher "woman" for that matter but when I had the opportunity to check out 
97 in Chiloquin, OR. An "angler" at heart and two very gracious hosts, Steve and Debbie Hilbert made it really hard to leave their beautiful inn. Both with a past in home interior and design, as you can see by this picture, Steve and Debbie have captured the ranch feel. By offering all the comforts of using natural organic materials with modern amenities, they have provided the best of both worlds. Two guest rooms, common areas for reading, relaxing, sipping wine or gazing at the river just outside the back door, no matter where you relax, this inn is "stunning!"
And, if you are wondering...there is a dog at this ranch! A black lab and she is very well behaved I might add. Yes...there are horses too and a few llamas and each of them are quite excited about being photographed!
We recently had friends visit us in the Willamette Valley. Desperately trying to cram everything we love about living here in to just a few days, we had to pick and choose and hopefully give them just enough to make them wanna come back. Mission accomplished and we think they are now planning their next trip already.
volunteers are working together to make this dream come true. On the corner of First Avenue and Washington St. in downtown Albany, you can visit the carousel and see first hand how this vision has come to life. We watched as artists painted, carver's carved and children as well as adults stood in awe at the life size animals being created. The museum is open all week but we found that Saturday is the perfect day to go if you want to watch the artists at work. For more info, go to 
Willamette Valley with easy access to many restaurants, shops, and did we mention OSU??? Side note here...the Civil War game is Saturday, December 4th just in case you haven't reserved your room yet!
"...where the beer flows through ice taps." Now what could entice you more than those few words?...and enticing is just the beginning! 
Every winter gray whales cruise along the Oregon coast en route from Alaska to Mexico, spouting geyser-like blasts of spray as they go. Thanks to towering coastal bluffs and a string of beaches set aside as state parks, Oregon offers visitors front-row seats for whale watching. 
And what better spot to view this yearly migration than through the telescope in the front room of 
Keep your rural weekend theme going by staying at the 
Where else can you go for a weekend of fun, food and free family entertainment? Try downtown 
A 7:30am coffee wake-up call was the perfect way to crawl out of a cozy bed and greet the morning. Last week we enjoyed visiting with our host Jon at 
winery and I think we tapped the perfect trip. Just a night and a day or two to discover another Oregon treasure...can't wait to go again!
He arrived on Saturday afternoon and of course the first thing we like to do is walk over to the Elliot Glacier Brew Pub for a pint and to take in the awesome views of Mt Hood from their beer garden.
Then off toward The Dalles to visit nonni. But first a hike along the Historic Columbia River Highway, outside Mosier, and a stroll through the Twin Tunnels. (
After visiting Nonni (that's grandma in our Italian family) we crossed the Columbia River and took a little side trip to Horsethief Lake to see the 
So, what does putting cowboy boots on, grabbing a wine glass and gettin' on a horse in the Willamette Valley have to do with each other? A wine tour by horseback! At 
suites. I have the pleasure of visiting this Oregon lodging facility next week and am looking forward to seeing the suites, the farm, the animals and taking a long walk through the cherry orchard too. 
Affordability, award winning wine, regional cuisine and culinary experiences, along with tours of working vineyards and local inns, have made for a perfect pairing and who wouldn't want to vacation or staycation here?
graced the valley floor. Of course it helped that across that valley, Mt. Hood in all it's snowy glory stood showing off it's new "blankets" of snow. For you skiers, don't put your ski's away any time soon. But for you farm goers, get your boots let's go on a farm tour. 
An alpaca farm a few miles down the road lets us get an up close view of the little guy in the picture. A preemie and still a bit behind his cohorts, this baby alpaca is needing a nap after lunch and begins to settle in for just that. 
A perfect venue for a sweet wedding and isn't it romantic that this Oregon Bed and Breakfast 
Looking for something fun to do this weekend in the Willamette Valley? We hear that our weekend here is going to be warm and sunny. So, we are going on a farm tour! This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, there will be several farms that will be open to the public for touring. Go to 
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