Staycation Finale!

MMmmmmmmm! Tasting Day!

Today was the last day of Staycation...and we only got a half day- but boy did we make the most of it!

We started off by touring Harry and David. A world class/world renown Gourmet Gifts Factory located in our very own town that neither of us had ever toured! We couldn't believe it either.

The tour really was incredible. This massive company has been here forever and is a huge asset to our community hiring thousands of workers every year.

What Harry and David is most famous for are their pears and they have orchards and orchards of them scattered all around the Valley.  They do this so that if there's a hail storm in one area of the valley not all of their crop will be ruined- pretty clever those Harry and David brothers!

We saw there massive machine that sorted, weighed, and checked out each pear or other fruit for perfection! Harry and David distributes thousands of gift baskets all around the world every year and when we were there they were already working on Christmas baskets. A lot of these baskets are specially designed for and sold in high retail stores.

The most exciting thing on the tour was the Moose Munch making! Moose Munch for all of you unenlightened souls is a delicious caramel corn that is then covered in chocolate and sometimes topped with such delights as: nuts, pretzel pieces, toffee, caramel, fudge, and new this year chipotle! I am not in any way a sweet girl (in both ways that can be interpreted) but I LIKE Moose Munch! Delicious! They had massive vats that heating up pounds of butter and melted that to perfection with sugar until delicious caramel was formed- then from a conveyor belt conveniently located nearby they drop, not pounds because popcorn is pretty light, ALOT of popcorn into the vats and mix it into caramel corn perfection! Amazing!

At the end of the tour they gave us each a little treat box filled with cookies and truffles....mine's all gone.

After this we raised over to the opposite end of the highway to the Rogue Creamery- another world famous food maker in our own valley. The Rogue Creamery is a weekly stop for Jake and I (not really weekly, but maybe soon...) Every Friday is Cheese Tasting Day at Rogue Creamery and you can sample their delicious varieties of blue cheese, cheddars, and curds. Mmmmmmmm! I am a cheesy girl (in both ways that can be interpreted) and I LOVE my cheese. Someday I will make cheese- I really will...

At this stop my wonderful, adoring husband splurged and bought me a Rogue Creamery T-shirt. (Which I then wore for MANY days in a row without shame) I had asked for one for both Christmas and my birthday but had not received one- but one the last day of our Staycation my dreams came true. Perfect ending to a perfect week!

Staycation Day 4!

Today was the day I was looking forward to the most! Ashland!

Originally we were going to start the day with Farmer's Market- But we didn't have time because the Farmer's market doesn't open till 8:30...And we had to be to Ashland by 9am.  So we had to skip it and go right on to Ashland.

We waited in the Plaza in Ashland next to smelly bums sleeping and teenage bums using empty coke bottle to make small bombs with the Natural Springs water drinking fountain. We were waiting for a History walking tour to begin. We anxiously looked around- who could our tour guide be? Was it that creepy bum man sleeping? No. Maybe that mountain hiking looking lady walking by? No. Maybe the tour I found advertised on Mailtribune.com wasn't real? Hmmmm....Maybe.

It was the mountain hiker looking lady- and she was awesome! Jake and I were the only ones on the tour and it went from the Plaza, up through Lithia Park, back down through the main Boulevard and back to the Plaza. The tour was so awesome- we heard all about the history of Ashland's downtown. The tour lady was super smart and informed. She was really cool- answered all of our questions. It was really, really fun! And FREE!!! That's right- FREE! I couldn't believe that such a quality tour was free. Interestingly, because of our adventures the day before, Ashland used to have a creek mill too. It was right at the beginning of Lithia Park and they channeled the creek to go to the mill. The town had a vote in the 80's to either restore the mill or tear it down but they decided to tear it down...Sad.

The tour lasted about an hour and there was another tour with the same lady of the railroad district of Ashland that was to start about 45 min later. So we ran and grabbed some Starbucks. The 2nd tour was all about how the town changed once the railroad came through. For the railroad to get through the Siskiyou Mountains they would have to stop for 20 min right around Ashland. Interesting because political figures who were campaigning on the West coast would be forced to stop here, and some of them used the time to give a little speech. President Theodore Roosevelt was one of these political figures who came through and gave a speech. In the Railroad Museum in Ashland there was even a photograph of him speaking to the crowds from the back of the train. (There was a dangerous looking bodyguard behind him with a cowboy hat and holster too!)

All and all the day was great- we left Ashland and went to our favorite local restaurant The Old Farmhouse and split something delicious! It was really a very great day.

We had planned to use our Vinny's gift card again tonight- but Natalie was tempting me with those Kofta Kabobs- so I had to have them again. Delicious!

Staycation Day 3

Today was a relaxing day!

First, we went to Butte Creek Mill out in Eagle Point. Jake and I had never been there- so we went. This place is pretty cool. They started operating in 1872 and they've never stopped since. It was really interesting. Jake had told me the night before that the stones they used to grind the grain were from France and were shipped to Crescent City around the horn. I thought around the horn must mean through the Panama Canal- Once we got there I started to actually think about what Jake had told and realized the Panama Canal wasn't even there then, which means around the horn meant all the way below South America and back up! They really wanted those stones!

Mike Hawkins, the grainer since 1987 (yeah I was 2 then), gave us a tour of the whole process of grinding. It was neat because he was actually grinding stuff that day. He said that he had just ran into a guy at Costco who's grandfather had been one of the men that brought the stones from Crescent City by wagon 134 years ago! Crazy! It was such an amazing experience- A treasure right in our back yard.

After the Mill, we drove back to Jacksonville to do some more audio tours. We tried to listen to the business tour, but our Iphone's kept disconnecting from the internet and we'd have to re-download and start all over (No Thanks Steve Jobs!). This got pretty tedious after about an hour so we decided to call it quits.

That afternoon we went swimming for a LONG time. It was hot outside!

We finished off day 3 at Mongolian BBQ! My favorite! And then we went home and watched some episodes of 24. We've been trying to get into this supposed ground shaking series- but I gotta tell ya- I'm not into it. I've watched 2+ seasons and I seem to enjoy the show in spite of Jack Bauer not because of Jack Bauer.

Staycation Day 2

Day 2 of Jake and Bethany's Amazing, Spectacular Staycation!!!

Museum Day!


Today is museum day- Jacksonville Museum, Beekman House, Southern Oregon Historical Society, and any other museum or plaques  we can read. (Jake loves museums- I love museums...I just don't love spending 4 hours in one small museum where most of the plaques are written in Hungarian- sorry Jake)

We take our scooter out to Jacksonville- we stopped on the way to take some cool pictures of barns. We go directly to the Jacksonville Museum to see what time it's going to open- because their website was terrible and didn't give any information. Sadly, both the Jacksonville Museum and Children's Museum next door are closed. But, of course, we read all the plaques. The museum is in this beautiful old brick building that used to be the courthouse.

Sad, but not disheartened, we decide to drive to the Beekman House and see if they are open. The Beekman House is a historic home in Jacksonville that they have set up as a timepiece representation of the original Beekman House and family. There are even actors who show you around the home and pretend to be the Beekman clan. Well, the Beekman House was closed too. (I was kind of mad- because the website gave no indication whatsoever that these places were closed)

The gate to Beekman House was open so we wandered onto the property (I wondered onto the property and after Jake decided it was sufficiently safe- he followed.) I was getting nervous about this older couple staring at us.  I thought, "uh oh! Nosy Jacksonville couple- about to yell at us." But then they, seeing that it was sufficiently safe, opened their gate and began to walk on the property grounds as well. They were tourists from Washington and were also sad that the house was closed. But the lady told us about audio tours we could download from the Chamber of Commerce website. AWESOME!!

This is where our incredible iphones came in (Thank you Steve Jobs!) The coolest tour to us was the cemetery tour- so we drove up to the creepy Jacksonville cemetery. We connected to internet- downloaded the tour, and began to enjoy the morning!

The tour took you around the different gravestones of key people in Jacksonville's history. It was really interesting! And pretty fun!
After that- we stopped into the GoodBean to get a delicious iced americano. We rested there for as long as I could stand (30 seconds) and then we walked down to the Jacksonville Mercantile (actually we took the scooter down, but I am ashamed of this because it's only like a block away.)

There I discovered my new hobbie- Cheese making. They had this amazing, beautiful cheese press there for the low, low price of $300! It looked awesome and I pictured myself stealing the prizes of best cheese in the world from other lowly cheese makers!

After this, we drove back into town and got some lunch (Jake got Arby's and I got Quiznos). Now, we drove to the Southern Oregon Historical Society. We open the doors, we walk through a small exhibit, we open some more doors where a lot of old people were, and guess what? Closed! Everything historic in Southern Oregon is apparently closed. Very sad- especially for us right at this moment.

That afternoon we went and saw Dispicable Me which we had heard people raving about- Not that funny! Which is ironic because everyone said they loved Dispicable Me and no one much said anything about Inception. And yet, Inception= Greatest Movie of all time  Dispicable Me= Not

We went home and I made a delicious dinner of Stuffed Artichokes, Sauteed Zucchini from the garden, and baked lemon pepper chicken. It was AWESOME!

Jake and Bethany's Staycation Day 1

At the beginning of Summer, when Jake and I started to discuss vacation ideas, Jake hadn't started/finished his thesis for his Master's. So, we decided we just wanted to stay around Southern Oregon and do all of the touristy things around home that we hadn't done before. Well, Jake finished his thesis in a whopping 2 1/2 days- So, we really could have done a vacation somewhere besides home. But by then the idea of staying here had grown on me life like weeds in my backyard. Thus the birth of Jake and Bethany's Splendific Staycation!!!

Day 1 Schedule:
Sleep in as late as humanly possible! This was very important to me and Jake! We decided to not schedule too much for our 1st staycation day because we just wanted to relax.

Jake's brother, Geno, told us that Inception, a new movie, was really good. I had never even heard of it, seen a preview, anything. But, honestly I wasn't too optimistic because Geno and I have VERY different tastes in movies. Jake and I decided to see it matinee (Because it's cheaper). But 1st we went next door to Tinseltown to a little coffee shop. We had a $10 gift certificate we'd been saving and we both got coffees.

Inception was awesome. Period. Probably one of the best, if not the best movie I've ever seen... and I'm a movie snob. (Review to follow)

After the movie we went and got lunch at one of the best taco places in Medford. Taco Delight.

That night, Jake's sister, Natalie, made us a delicious dinner of Kofta Kebabs with Tzatziki Sauce





                                      It was a great 1st day and to top it off a great sunset!

Christian Guys Should Smile

I was at 7-11 tonight (Jake is obsessed with Slurpees) and he went inside to get one. I was sitting in our car, in the passenger seat, and the keys were in the ignition. Jake's window was rolled all the way down. Right when Jake was out of screaming distance two very menacing guys walked out of the entrance. I made eye contact. They stared into my soul. I began to brainstorm what I would do if they suddenly attacked me. I looked at the keys dangling, the open window, Jake far away thinking of nothing but delicious frozen treat. I was helpless. I decided if/when they attacked I would lean over punch them in the throat, attempt to pull out the keys, and run, screaming all the way...

The potential villians/muggers/nerdowells walked right past me. Got into their villainous car (ie a Buick) and turned over the engine. Into my ears came flooding a very odd sound. "You will be safe in His arms, you will be safe in His arms..." why that's not gangsta rap, heavy metal, or even dirty hip hop- that's Phil Wickham. These terrible teens with mean faces were Christians?

Christian guys should smile- that way we don't have to brainstorm our defense against their violent attacks.

Episode 2: The Acupuncture House

That night Sarah dreamt of candy canes and lollipops but Brittney had a more intense dream...
It was dark and she awoke in a long hallway. Every three feet or so there was a bright line that went horizontal from the ground to the walls to the ceiling. The lines repeated and repeated all the way down the hall. She began to venture down the ill lit path. When she thought she had taken enough steps to reach the end of the hall she lifted her eyes only to see that she was right where she had started. There were still innumerous amounts of horizontals lining the ceiling and the walls. Now, as she looked closer, she realized she couldn't make out an end to the hall at all. It appeared that it just kept going forever.
"But how?" She thought to herself. "My eyes must be playing tricks on me." She quickly turned to go the other way but saw the same behind her as she saw before her.
Brittney began to panic. Her breaths got short and she could feel fear begin to sprint up and down her body leaving her arm hairs completely electrified.
"What do I do...how do I get out...where am I?" Her mind raced through all of the different options she had.
"There must be a secret door," she concluded. She quickly began to run her hands all over the walls of the hallway.
"Come on door. Come on, give me a door." She knew that she was getting frantic, but she also knew that she had good reason.
finally her fingers felt a seem in the wall. And then as she felt further down, a hinge. A door! She grabbed the small handle. The door was short, barely reaching her knees. It was stuck. It felt like an old door that swelled as the weather approached the wet autumn. She pulled and tugged and jerked on the door until finally... The door opened.
She quickly without any hesitating thought began to shove her body inside wherever the little door led.
"Anything is better than that hallway," her mind screamed.
Once inside she slammed the door shut behind her without thinking of the consequences. As she began to lift her eyes and survey her surrounding all she could make out was a small window and the other side of a tiny room. Light was lazily pouring in through the half moon pane. She knew she had seen that window somewhere.
"Don't want to close my eeyeessszz, don't want to fall asleep, cause I miss you Babe and I don't want to miss a thing."
"Brittney!" Sarah was screaming for Brittney to turn off her radio alarm. Brittney sat up, turned off the alarm and quickly scooted to the bathroom. Eueuugh! She was covered in sweat. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror.
"What a dream," She thought. And as she stared into her own brown eyes she remembered that window. That lonesome half moon window. She knew that window...

Episode 1- The Acupuncture House

It was a dark house, it was a creepy house. The two sisters, two cousins, mom, and aunt whom dwelt therein never even suspected that the house they called home was really a house of secrets, deceit, and red crimson stains.
Little Sarah and Brittney were just getting off the bus from school and heading home.
"What snack do you want today?" asked Sarah.
"I already told you, we're having soup," replied Brittney.
"Soup? It's hot outside! I don't want soup. I want Mac and Cheese with ketchup."
"No Sarah! We talked about this on the way to school. Today is Ramen Noodle Soup day..."
"But I want Mac and Cheese with ketchup!"
"Sarah, just stop. You know we have to decide on one thing or Auntie won't make us anything- now we're going to have ramen today and Mac and Cheese tomorrow."
"Maybe I could mix cheese with my ramen noodles and eat it with a little ketchup..."
"Gross!"
As the two girls rounded the corner they were facing square at their house.
"Hey Brittney? Do windows always have to lead somewhere?"
"What do you mean?"
"Windows. The one's in front of the house go to the living room and Auntie's room. The one's on the side go to the kitchen. But that one on top. It doesn't lead anywhere does it?"
The truth is Brittney knew that window was there but had never really thought about it before. The house in which they lived was quite large on bottom and even though it was a two story home it seemed as if the upstairs was much smaller that the bottom. Her cousin's room was up there and they were seldom allowed to enter. Except for a couple of times when they would sneak into his room or spy on him while he talked on the phone, Brittney had only even seen the room a couple of times. But Brittney could not recall ever seeing a window on that side of his room.
"I don't know Sarah. I'm sure that window goes to something. I mean all windows lead somewhere... Don't they?"
Sarah's mind drifted quickly away from the window and any thought except ramen noodles with cheese and ketchup, but Brittney couldn't shake the eerie feeling that maybe that window didn't lead to anywhere at all.

The Three Sunflowers

The story of the Three Sunflowers on the side of the beige house on Table Rock Rd:

Sunflower #1- I'm Growing! I'm Growing!
Sunflower #2- I'm Growing! I'm Growing!
Sunflower #3- I'm Growing! I'm Growing!
(Two Weeks Later)
Sunflower #1- I'm still Growing! I'm still Growing!
Sunflower #2- I'm still Growing! I'm still Growing!
Sunflower #3- I'm still Growing! I'm still Growing!
(Two Weeks Later)
Sunflower #1- I think I'm taller than the roof line!
Sunflower #2- I'm taller than the gutters!
Sunflower #3- I'm the tallest sunflower in the world!
(Two Weeks Later)
Sunflower #1- I'm opening, My eyes are opening!
Sunflower #2- I can see the world! Hello World!
Sunflower #3- The world is not what I expected...
Sunflower #1- Blue skies! Beautiful Green Earth!
Sunflower #2- The air is so warm and wonderful. The smells are
amazing!
Sunflower #3- Brown...Beige... Wait a minute... I'm not seeing what
you're seeing! Where is the blue and the green? All there is, is bland!
Sunflower #1- No, the world is wonderful! This is what I grew all those
weeks for!
Sunflower #2- Hey! You're facing the wrong way! Your head is right in
the side of the house! You grew backwards!
Sunflower #3- They need a new paint job...


Oh God, don't let me spend my whole life growing just to end up growing the wrong way and not facing what you have for me.