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La Biennale – ILLUMINations
We may have missed La Biennale if our neighbor hadn’t told us about it. (Thanks Christen!) It’s a contemporary art exhibition that takes place every two years – odd years – in Venice. This is the 54th annual exhibition. More than 34 countries exhibit sculpture, performing art, painting, modern media, music, dance, theater and, of course,…
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Little Red House with a Bridge
We rented this little house in Venice for the same price as a mid-range hotel. It’s in the San Polo area, just around the corner from the Frari church; you can see the tower when you look out our door. Some say that the inside of the Frari is the most beautiful of all the…
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A Walk in Venice
We turn the corner to another dead end; a fellow tourist walks toward us, shrugs, and smiles. We consult our map for the hundredth time. Here, you hope for a glimpse of a familiar tower or the occasional weathered sign mentioning San Marco or Rialto to confirm that you’re walking in the right direction. We’re…
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The Courage to Feel Welcome
Imagine that it’s your first day of school in a new city – only this school is halfway around the world and you don’t speak the same language as the other kids. Standing in front of the class, the teacher is about to introduce you. Your palms sweat, your heart races, your throat tightens, and every face looking…
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We Made It!
I thought I would tell you about being awake for 26 hours because neither of us slept during our flights; or that we have yet to solve the problem that our cell phones don’t work here; or that we got a crash course (fortunately not on the plane) in Italian train travel because we missed…
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Green Lakes Hike…Almost
We did not set out to hike 12 miles. Following directions from the guidebook, Bend, Overall, we drove out Century Drive, past Mt. Bachelor, past Sparks Lake, and took a right turn at the sign, ‘Green Lakes Trailhead.’ The only trailhead we saw from the parking lot had a wooden sign marked ‘Soda Creek Trail.’ No mention…
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Visiting Ed and Mary
On our way home from visiting Ed and Mary, we stopped at this canyon. Since we stopped there last, a new bridge is in place. They left the old bridge intact which allowed me to take the above photo. The last time we stopped here, we were with Rob and Cindie when their dog, Cali…
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Lovely August Evening
Sometimes an evening just feels perfect. It’s the middle of August, and sweet friends sit around our patio table; conversation and laughter flow; the air is warm and the breeze is cool; there is a cloudless sky and mosquitoes are engaged elsewhere; there is wine, strawberry and cucumber salad, rosemary chicken sizzling away on the…
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Tumalo Falls Trail Hike
You might make a mistake if you drove to the Tumalo Falls trailhead and saw this… then in just 1/4 mile you’re at the top of Tumalo Falls and see this… You might turn around, get back in your car, and skip the 8-mile hike up to Happy Valley and back. But if you stay…
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Yard è Finito!
We spent a day raking, hosing, and hauling to clean up the hailstorm mayhem… Ta Da!