Eugene Wraps It Up

Hello there! The first official week of school is almost complete, and though I must say those kiddos quite tired me out, it was an inspiring and successful week- amazing to see what a classroom full of 3-6 year olds are capable of and the peace they can bring to a classroom. They can also bring chaos, don't get me wrong, but I'm focusing on the peace : )

It's also really nice to start the year with a 4 day workweek! Especially when you had plenty of downtime the previous weekend. Well, I had downtime. Davis was busy finishing out his 2012 racing season on a high note! We headed south to Eugene, OR for the Labor Day weekend for D to compete in a 3-day stage race. He did great and ended up # 15 out of 40 dudes when all was said and done. Not too shabby, dear!

All in all we had a good time in this new city even if it wasn't the most exciting place to visit. I think we fell in love more with the surrounding countryside, which is fortunately where several of Davis' races took place! As a country girl at heart, I soaked up the gorgeous rural vistas and drooled over the abundance of wild blackberry bushes while D pedaled around the land.

A sun-speckled playground greeted us at the first stage

Spanish moss! Love this stuff in the South, hadn't seen it in OR before now : )

Serene farmland

Why must that camera follow us everywhere we go?

Sigh. This is pure country perfection.

Muggin before the start of stage 2

Meanwhile, I believe I'll have some blackberries, thanks!

Such a lovely and tasty sight

Sweet Cheeks Winery? Adorbs

Private swam land is strangely inviting

Roadside wildflowers are always welcome

Oh yeah! There's a bike race going on

D leading his pack

Ah yes, fun out in the middle of nowhere. Eventually we ventured into the city limits of Eugene to check out what it had to offer. Oddly, it was almost a ghost town, likely due to the season opener of the Oregon Ducks football season that same evening. But nonetheless, we checked it out and enjoyed catching the last golden rays of the day in this new place.

Loved these charming flower barrels

And this fun European-style courtyard in the middle of a market of shops

Sure is well planted : )

Of course we loved this bike-friendly spot

And this lovely hulking mansion overlooking the town

Long shadows as a freight train chugs toward us

Sweet spot to wait for a lift

Things just love to grow here it seems

I mean, how luscious is this?

Old bricks make me swoon

Oh hey! Just in case anyone wondered what we looked like that weekend.

Agreed. Practicing this every day with my highly diverse classroom. It's awesome.

Sun sinks on the city streets

Night night, Eugene

Phew! I must like taking pictures or something, eh? Ha. Anyway, our final day in town involved two more stages, an exploratory neighborhood walk and some serious grubbin'. Let's wrap this up, shall we?

The view from inside. As Davis prepares for stage 3.

Go warm up on this chilly morning

Ready to rock it!

Set, GO!

Post-race. A man and his bike. A love affair for the ages.

Time to re-fuel for the second race of the day and the last of the weekend-- big ole burrito, fruit smoothie and major pile o' veggies for the win. All while learning about the food scene in Eugene thanks to their local "Chow"

 And now it's time for the real estate round-up! During our downtime between races, I squeezed in a lovely stroll around one of the sweet neighborhoods in town. I found some houses that were quite charming indeed.

Kitty welcomed me, then quickly turned away

As with most Oregon towns, bungalows are the adorable norm

Porch swing and a wind chime-- I think these people would be my friends

Ohmygoodness. Could this be any more inviting?

The other end of the same property. Put this place in Portland and I'm ALL over it.

 Well that was pleasant! And now onto the final stage! You still with me people? Let's get goin.

The fellas lined up for the start

Good luck, dear! Ride safely!

Zoomin' around the turns

And we did it! Last race of the season, and an impressive show. Proud of my hubby. After the last race, we headed back to PDX where I took D to his favorite pizza place to celebrate the end of a great season of bike mania.

Diving into a well-deserved slice

Major nomzzz. Enjoy!

Thanks for hanging in for such a long-winded, picture-full post. Sorry I didn't save you any blackberries. Hope you've all had a great week! xoxo