Central Oregon Attractions & Events

Oregon Cascades from above: LAPC

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This week I’m sharing photos of the Oregon Cascades from above. Most of these pictures were taken with my DJI drone.

The Lens-Artists Photo Challenge prompt this week is “Shot from above.” That sounded like a perfect excuse to take a Sunday drive. We drove north from Bend and turned west near Terrebonne. After driving through Cove Palisades State Park, we headed south towards Sisters, Oregon.

Near Black Butte, Oregon

When you’re in dense forests, it’s hard to know what features are in the landscape nearby. I flew up a few hundred feet and got this picture of several of our mountains. The Cascade Range stretches from northern California to central British Columbia. Oregon’s Cascades are 260 miles long and as wide as 90 miles.

Oregon Cascades from above

I like how trees look from above so I took this picture near Black Butte. I don’t usually include pictures of myself on this blog, but I do appear in this photo. Can you see me? 🙂

Snowy roads from above

After navigating several roads like this, we decided to head to a lower elevation location.

Snow covered road

Between Bend and Sisters, Oregon

We stopped at the Cascade Flyers field, located halfway between Bend and Sisters. This is where a local remote control aircraft club meets. Even an ordinary scene like this one can look interesting from the sky. I’m in this photo, too. Great self-portrait, right?

Remote control field

This picture shows several iconic peaks of the Oregon Cascades from above. South Sister, Middle Sister, and North Sister fill the frame. South Sister is the most active local volcano. This mountain range is almost entirely volcanic in origin.

Oregon Cascades from above

This picture shows Black Crater and Mount Washington. From certain angles, Mount Washington has a distinctive teepee-shaped formation on its peak. This volcanic plug formed when hot magma hardened within a vent.

Oreon mountains

Here’s a closer view of Mount Washington.

Mount Washington

The last picture shows Three Fingered Jack, Black Butte, and Mount Jefferson. Bend’s Deschutes Brewery makes a delicious Black Butte porter beer named after this peak.

Oregon peaks

I’m still learning how to adjust the camera settings on my drone. If you don’t make adjustments, the pictures tend to be overexposed in the Auto setting. That means I will have to actually read instructions or watch videos instead of just “winging” it.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Shoot from above

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The Blacksmith restaurant: Foodie Friday & TTC

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We had a burger dish and a pasta dish recently at The Blacksmith restaurant in Bend. We made sure to leave room for one of their special desserts.

This is a picture of the Blacksmith Burger. The dish includes a 1/2-pound Kobe patty on a brioche bun, topped with tomato, lettuce, red onions, and aioli. You can choose to have the burger with either fries or a side salad. The fries and burger were delicious!

The Blacksmith restaurant

This picture shows the Shrimp Linguine dish. It includes shrimp, cherry tomato, basil, mint, red onion, and garlic. White wine lemon cream sauce, parmesan, and fresh herbs top the linguini pasta. This dish was full of flavor.

Shrimp linguini

The Blacksmith restaurant desserts

The Blacksmith is well known locally for their desserts.

This photo shows their Fostered Bananas Split. This twist on a traditional banana split includes house-made banana bread, vanilla bean ice cream, and sauteed bananas, topped with orange rum caramel sauce and whipped cream. This was a good dessert, but my banana bread was a little dry.

The Blacksmith restaurant

This is a picture of their Brownie dessert. The dish includes a rich brownie sprinkled with sea salt, topped with vanilla bean ice cream, caramel, and toasted walnuts. This was a very tasty dessert, nicely presented.

brownie dessert

I’m including a copy of their dessert menu. Yes, they are expensive! The banana split price, in particular, is too high, in my opinion.

You can find the dinner, happy hour, and drink menus on their website.

I enjoyed the food and atmosphere at The Blacksmith restaurant. This building, built in 1923, once housed Pete Pierson Blacksmithing. The owners since then have tried to keep much of the original structure. The building opened as a restaurant in 2003 and its current owners have owned it since 2013.

One of the things I appreciated the most about our meal there was the ability to carry on a conversation. I didn’t need to shout or strain to hear my tablemate speaking. At some restaurants in Bend, the industrial style-design makes talking with your tablemates very difficult.

Foodie Friday

Three Things Challenge (TTC) – Price

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A bright future: MM & JMW

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This photo, taken in downtown Bend, Oregon, shows a bright future. I used infrared processing to show the light not always visible to the naked eye.

a bright future

A sign on a lamppost reads, “Shelter, Help, Hope.” It’s from one of the homeless shelters here in town. Sometimes, if people in difficult situations can focus on the light ahead, they can find their way out of the darkness.

Monochrome Madness (MM)

Jo’s Monday Walk (JMW)

Colorful lawn chairs: Pull up a seat

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A row of colorful lawn chairs lined up in front of a rock-covered building at Petersen Rock Garden and Museum. This unique roadside attraction is part way between Redmond and Bend, Oregon.

colorful lawn chairs

Pull Up a Seat Photo Challenge

2024 Literary Collection COWG: OLWG

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This week the Central Oregon Writers Guild (COWG) launched their 2024 literary collection. This 304-page anthology includes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry by published and emerging writers.

2024 literary collection COWG

There were way more entries this year than in years past. I was honored to have one of my short stories selected for this book. The fictional story, The Lost Forest, is based on an actual place in Central Oregon. I included a few fun facts at the end of the piece about this unique forest.

Lost Forest in Oregon

I’m including a recording of myself reading an excerpt from the story. A few days ago, I was one of seven readers chosen to read their pieces aloud at a local bookstore in Bend.

If you’re looking for a special gift, please consider purchasing a copy of the Central Oregon Writers Guild 2024 Literary Collection. It’s available at Roundabout Books & Cafe in northwestern Bend and at Amazon books.

I suppose I should also mention that a couple pieces of my work are featured in the 2022 edition as well. So please consider buying previous editions of this book.

We appreciate your support!

Siobhan Sullivan

On-line Writer’s Guild (OLWG) – I suppose

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Fresh fruit pastry: Foodie Friday

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If you’re looking for a special sweet treat while in Bend, Oregon, consider getting this fresh fruit pastry. You can buy this and many other delicious treats at Richard’s Donuts and Pastries, located at 61419 S Hwy 97 Bend, OR 97702.

Fresh fruit pastry

The phyllo dough pastry is filled with a custard filling and drizzled with icing. The fresh fruit in light syrup rests on top of the pillowy pastry. Since it includes fresh fruit, it’s healthy, right? Well… maybe not.

A word of caution: Between the flaky pastry, custard filling, and chunks of fruit, this delicious treat can be a bit messy to eat. Do not attempt to eat this particular pastry while driving! 😉

Foodie Friday

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High Desert Voices November 2024

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Here’s the High Desert Voices November 2024 newsletter for your reading pleasure. Lots of nice photos as well! This newsletter is published by and for volunteers at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. I’ve been working there as a volunteer since 2013.

Articles this month include one on historical residents of Central Oregon, one on dragonflies, one on Petersen Rock Garden & Museum, and one on a guided bat walk at the Museum.

Please enjoy the High Desert Voices November 2024 issue!

HDV November 2024Download

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Petersen Rock Garden & Museum: LAPC

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Petersen Rock Garden & Museum is a unique roadside attraction located halfway between Bend and Redmond in Oregon. The original owner, Rasmus Petersen, began working on this site in 1935.

Petersen Rock Garden

As you can tell, he loved rocks. He constructed the many features on this 4-acre site using rocks collected within an 85 mile radius. Oregon is known as a rockhounding paradise so there are plenty of rocks nearby to collect.

rock building

About Petersen Rock Garden

The “novelty architecture” here includes castles, churches, buildings, and bridges.

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Pesto Margherita pizza: Foodie Friday

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Today I’m sharing a photograph of the Pesto Margherita pizza from Rush’s Squares in Bend, Oregon. This pizza includes pesto, a cheese blend, fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, fresh basil, and balsamic glaze.

Pesto margherita pizza

Though it doesn’t include tomato sauce, meat, or other common pizza ingredients, this simple Pesto Margherita pizza is my favorite in Bend. I especially like the fresh basil leaves and the drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Yum!

Rush’s Squares is one of the food trucks at the On Tap food truck pod in northeast Bend. As you may have figured out by their name, all their Sicilian style pizzas are square. You can order a pizza from their menu or create your own. Be sure to pair your meal with one of the beers, ciders, wines, or non-alcoholic drinks from the On Tap taproom.

Foodie Friday

Born Again Babaylan: Monday Mural

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The Born Again Babaylan mural is one of many murals located in downtown Bend, Oregon. This mural was painted by Bekah Badilla in 2021. I previously featured one of her other works, Myth of Progress, also located in Bend. The Born Again Babaylan mural was created in collaboration with the High Desert Equality and Justice Mural Festival.

born again babaylan

Bekah describes this work in the following partial description. See her website for the full description.

Melting out of the glacial ice is the spirit of a Babaylan and her descendants. Babaylan refers to the naming for a matriarchal leader, spirit guide and warrior prevalent in pre-colonial Philippines. The Babaylan is embodied in the ice, changing, shifting and eternally offering knowledge and guidance not through elitism and brute force but through spirituality, mysticism and ancestral strength.

Bekah Badilla

Monday Mural

Tasty treat at East Lake: Friday Foodies

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If you’re looking for a special dessert in Central Oregon, try this tasty treat at East Lake Resort. While staying at the nearby campground, I had a craving for something sweet.

After a little kayaking on the lake, we visited the Blue Duck Grill at the resort. For dessert, we ordered this Mixed Berry Cobbler. It was a generous-sized portion, with plenty to share!

tasty treat at East Lake

The crumbly cobbler was topped with a couple dabs of whip cream and plump, delicious berries in a sweet sauce. The scoop of ice cream costs $1 more, but it was worth it. If you’re looking for a tasty treat at East Lake, consider ordering this cobbler.

The menu also includes something called Terrible Pie that’s described as “so good it’s terrible.” I’ll have to try that on a future visit.

For dinner, I had the Habanero Bacon Jam Burger and it was very good. It somehow mysteriously vanished before I could take its picture. 😉

Foodie Friday

Yoli Korean restaurant 5-course meal: FF

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We’ve visited Yoli Korean restaurant in downtown Bend, Oregon before, but had never ordered the 5-course meal. We recently tried it and were not disappointed.

Yoli, the Korean word for cuisine, was created by Chef Joe Kim and his wife Laura and opened in 2022. I included a copy of the 5-course menu at the end of this post. You can see the lunch and dinner menus on their website. If you’re feeling adventuresome, give them 24 hours notice and order a Tasting Menu.

Raw Starter course

For the Raw Starter course, I had the Spicy King Salmon Hwe and my companion had the Yukhoe. The presentation is artful and the food delicious.

raw salmon starter

Yukhoe

The picture below shows the interior of the restaurant’s simple yet elegant design.

Yoli Korean restaurant

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Sasquatch sculpture: Monochrome Monday

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This enormous Sasquatch sculpture is part of the Sensing Sasquatch exhibition currently at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. Sensing Sasquatch considers this mythical creature from a Native American perspective. It will be at the Museum through January 12, 2025.

The Protector was created by Hollyanna CougarTracks DeCoteau (Yakama, Nez Perce, Cayuse, Cree). This work is based on her memories of seeing the shadows of Sasquatch in the forest.

Sasquatch sculpture

She noted that Indigenous peoples admire Sasquatch because they are “protectors of all living things… if they die so too does everything else.”

The fur-covered Sasquatch sculpture was impressive, but so was the way they separated the sculpture from the rest of the exhibit. Long strands of string hung from curving ceiling tracks, adding to the sense of mystery. I loved the shadows created by the curtains surrounding the artwork.

Monochrome Monday

Seeing pairs in art and nature: LAPC

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Seeing pairs of bronze bulls bash together in winter blizzards

seeing pairs
The Battle by Rip Caswell, High Desert Museum, Oregon

and a couple of cascades crashing down craggy cliffs

Shoshone Falls
Shoshone Falls, Idaho

Seeing two octopi slip and slide over seaside skyscrapers

Octopus mural
Octopus mural by Goonie Wolfe, Anthony Ortega, & TME Crew in Lincoln City, Oregon

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Gulf Shrimp Po Boy: Foodie Friday

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Last weekend, while attending the Bend Summer Festival, I had this Gulf shrimp po boy sandwich. This is a great event with booths featuring artists, musicians, businesses, and food.

Gulf shrimp po boy

My delicious sandwich was from the Southern Accents food cart, shown below. The cart was at the recent festival, but it’s usually at Silver Moon in downtown Bend.

Southern Accent food truck

This food cart features great options with a southern twist. Besides the Gulf shrimp po boy, you can also get things like fried chicken po boys, rice bowls, and fried pickles. Here’s their menu at Silver Moon.

Foodie Friday

Brasada Ranch view: Pull Up a Seat

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Last weekend, we drove to Brasada Ranch resort in Powell Butte, Oregon for a BBQ and art show event. They have spectacular views of the Cascade volcanoes from their restaurant. These red chairs around a firepit were a nice accent in this scene.

Brasada Ranch

Here’s a closer view of some of the marvellous mountains.

This beautiful resort has received recognition from Condé  Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Golfweek, USA Today, and other sources. Since we live close by, we did a staycation in one of their cabins a couple of years ago and it was great!

Pull Up a Seat

What they use to make brews: Monochrome Monday

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This post shows what they use to make brews at Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon. Last year we went on the Barrel House Tour at this brewery. I highly recommend this tour that focuses on their barrel-aged beers.

While on the tour, I thought some of the sights seen in the factory might look good with black and white processing.

to make brews

Monochrome processing highlighted all the angles and straight and curved lines of the equipment.

Beer making equipment

However, I admit, the high alcohol barrel-aged samples consumed on the tour may have made everything they use to make brews look special to my slightly blurry vision. ;D

Monochrome Monday

Hook & Plow in Bend: Monochrome Monday

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Hook & Plow is a farm-to-table restaurant that recently opened in Bend, Oregon. The seafood, meats, and produce served here are sourced locally. Wines and craft beers on the menu are also from the local area. Take a peek at their full menu here.

I’m highlighting the interesting architecture with sepia tone processing. Straight lines, curved lines, and various textures stand out in this monochrome picture.

Hook & Plow

Monochrome Monday

April HDV newsletter 2024

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As you may know, I’ve been volunteering at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon since 2013. I work on their volunteer newsletter. We are sharing the April HDV newsletter with staff and volunteers and we’d like to also share it with you. High Desert Voices (HDV) is a newsletter published by and for Museum volunteers.

The newsletter covers events and exhibitions at the High Desert Museum, as well as other topics. The museum features wildlife, living history, and culture topics related to the High Desert region.

April HDV newsletter, High Desert Museum entrance

The April HDV newsletter includes articles on the relationship of Indigenous people with Mother Earth, a behind the scenes look at the Museum’s birds of prey, and the progress being made on returning steelhead to the Crooked River in Oregon.

04-HDV-April-2024-2Download

Please enjoy this month’s HDV newsletter. I’m very proud of the work our Newsletter Team accomplishes. We’re always grateful for the input we receive when working on articles from staff, speakers, and other sources. Comments from you, our readers, would also be appreciated. Thanks!

Osprey & fish sculpture: Sculpture Saturday

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This osprey & fish sculpture is at the north end of the Old Mill District shopping mall in Bend. When I walked by it recently, ice covering most of the pond made it stand out.

Osprey & fish sculpture

Here’s a more distant view that includes the two flag bridges. They change the color of the flags on these bridges to celebrate holidays and events.

Ice-covered pond

There’s an osprey nest just north of here, right next to the Bend Whitewater Park. I bet the local birds would love to catch two fish at once, as portrayed in this sculpture.

Sculpture Saturday

The Future Starts Now mural: Monday Murals

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This dramatic mural, The Future Starts Now, is located on The Palace building in Burns, Oregon.

The Future Starts Now

The artist, Matthew Miles Gutierrez, goes by the nickname of Matteo Miles. Miles has done graphic design, canvas paintings, tattoos, sculptures, and sewing projects. His personal interest in pop culture and vintage ads shows in this mural.

Miles was invited to paint murals in Burns by Forrest and Jen Keady. The Keadys were impressed by the work he’d done in Greenville, South Carolina, where he lives. They wanted murals in Burns “that would spread a positive message, bring life and energy to the spaces they occupy, and give people yet another reason to stop in our small town.”

The Keadys requested that this mural be more edgy. The woman portrayed is part 1950s pinup/ part cowgirl. Her tattoo-covered arms bring her forward to more modern times.

I visited Burns on a chilly day in April 2023 and The Future Starts Now radiated a warm feeling. It delivered exactly what the Keadys hoped it would.

Monday Murals

Summer Festival in Bend: LAPC & WOTD

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Earlier this month, we went to the local Summer Festival here in Bend, Oregon.

If it’s a summer festival, you might see fairies walking down the street, right? Are those blurry spots behind them spots on my windshield? Nope, I’m pretty sure that’s a cloud of fairy dust. 😉

Fairies in Bend

As the sign says, this festival features music, food, and art. It takes place downtown on three city blocks, plus a couple side streets. It’s estimated that 70,000 people attend this two and a half day festival.

Summer Festival

The art booths have everything from jewelry and landscape art, to pillows featuring an image of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Various businesses feature their products and services in the Bend Business Showcase section.

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Bird Festival Highlights: Bird(s) of the week

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Visitors from near and far converged in Burns, Oregon for the Harney County Migratory Bird Festival in mid-April. I signed up for six tours and events spread out over four days. I already featured the Downtown Walking Tour in a previous post, but this time I’ll focus on the bird-related tours.

Basin Big Day Tour – North of Highway 20

Though I have participated in this bird festival several times, this was the first time I was able to register for the Basin Big Day Tour. Eight participants, guided by Brodie Cass Talbott and assisted by Duke Tuffy, met at 6:00 am at the Fairgrounds for this tour. We returned at 7:00 pm. The goal was to see as many species as we could in that time frame.

Bird Festival

One of our first stops was in front of someone’s house, northeast of Burns. We had permission to scan their feeders for birds. We saw lots of White-crowned Sparrows here and elsewhere that day.

White-crowned sparrows

A bit farther north, we stopped near flooded fields. A few days before my arrival, snow covered these fields. That’s unusual. Our guide said the weird weather meant fewer birds were being seen, but there was more diversity. More species was what we were looking for so this could work out great for us.

Flooded fields
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Deschutes Brewery mural: Monday Mural

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This Deschutes Brewery mural was on the outside of their main factory on the westside of Bend, Oregon. I liked how they used different shades of rusted metal to make this work of art. The mountains reflect the peaks and foothills of the Cascades, near the brewery.

Deschutes Brewery mural

To learn more about one of the tours I recently went on here, see Barrel House Tour. Lots of tasty beers to sample while you’re checking out the Deschutes Brewery mural.

There are currently two food trucks in front of the brewery. I enjoyed the lunch I bought there recently from Da Nang Vietnamese Eatery. I later found out it was awarded the 2023 Food Cart of the Year by the Source Weekly. It was a well-deserved recognition!

Da Nang Vietnamese Eatery

Monday Mural

Lighted leaves-Winterfest: Monochrome Monday

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I took this photo of lighted leaves at Winterfest in Redmond, Oregon. Sepia tone highlights the shapes and textures of the leaves on this lighted tree.

lighted leaves

Monochrome Monday

Barrel House Tour, Deschutes Brewery: LAPC

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This past weekend, I went on the Barrel House Tour at Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon. The brewery offers several tours including public tours, private tours, and this one, where you learn specifically about barrel brews.

Barrel House Tour

You begin and end the tour in the Bend Tasting Room & Beer Garden. As you can see, it’s full of visitors there to taste the brewery’s iconic beers.

Deschutes Brewery

On the tour, you walk to a nearby warehouse where you’ll see some of the ingredients used to make their beers. Deschutes Brewery currently sells their products in 32 states and a few countries. Black Butte Porter is their most well-known beer, but there are three dozen different beers, and a couple ciders, available at the tasting room location.

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Succulent mural in Bend: Monday Mural

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This succulent mural is at River’s Place, a food truck pod on the east side of Bend. We are lucky to have at least seven of these “pods” where trucks can hook up to water and power to serve customers. Each pod has indoor seating with numerous beers on tap. They also host musicians, trivia nights, and other events.

This mural was created by Nicole Fontana, of Fontana Painting. Succulents are one of my favorite types of plants because they have so much variety. She captured that variety well.

I have featured Nicole’s work in a previous post featuring whimsical doors in Tumalo. I loved the detail in those paintings and in this succulent mural.

succulent mural

Monday Mural

Dinner at Spork: Monochrome Monday

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Dinner at Spork

I took this picture while having dinner at Spork restaurant in Bend, Oregon. The decor is a mixture of straight, industrial lines and curving lampshades and baskets made from natural materials. Houseplants add a touch of color. The menu includes an eclectic mix of wonderful tastes and textures.

Monochrome Monday

Alpenglow Park bench: Pull Up a Seat

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This Alpenglow Park bench in Bend, Oregon is unique. Park designers used large pieces of columnar basalt to create this trailside retreat. In the distance, you can catch a glimpse of Pilot Butte, an extinct volcano.

Alpenglow Park bench

After walking the trails at Alpenglow, consider walking to the top of Pilot Butte to get amazing views of the landscape of Central Oregon.

Pull Up a Seat

Paddling through the snow: WPWC

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Every year in December, the Tumalo Creek Holiday Lights Paddle Parade takes place on the Deschutes River in Bend, Oregon. This year, I took pictures of them paddling through the snow. I thought maybe there wouldn’t be as many participants, but a little snow falling didn’t stop people from joining in on this annual event.

Paddling through the snow

Here’s a short video of paddlers on the river.

Paddlers decorate their kayaks, stand up paddleboards, and canoes with holiday lights and paddle from Tumalo Creek Kayak and Canoe for about a half mile to the Flag Bridge in the Old Mill district.

Paddle Parade

You can see a snow-covered inflatable reindeer on the kayak on the left side of the photo below. I enjoy seeing reindeer wherever I can.

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Greetings from Bend mural: Monday Mural

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Here’s a picture of the new “Greetings from Bend, Oregon” mural. This mural is near the flag bridge in the Old Mill district in Bend. It’s on the Mill A Loop trail, where I walk regularly.

This colorful mural is by artist Karen Eland. I’m a big fan of her artwork and have previously featured her work in Bend. She collaborated with five other artists on this work in the Foxtail Bakery in the Box Factory district.

Foxtail closed in January 2022. The restaurant currently at that location, Papi Chulo’s Taqueria, has new murals adorning their walls. More murals for me to seek out and share!

Greetings from Bend mural

Karen features local flora and fauna in this Greetings from Bend, Oregon mural. This mural includes columbine, lupine, and paintbrush flowers. A Western Tanager perches on “From” and a Rufous Hummingbird hovers over “Oregon.” Tiger swallowtail butterflies flit about the edges and a honeybee perches on a flower in a corner. Cascade volcanoes float in the background and the iconic smokestacks of the Old Mill stand tall in the foreground.

You can see another example of Karen’s work in this mural in Sisters, Oregon. She collaborated on that piece with fellow artist Katie Daisy .

Monday Mural

Imagine a World Exhibition

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     The Imagine a World exhibition at the High Desert Museum focuses on past and present efforts to create utopian communities. Participants joined for assorted reasons, including religious persecution, environmental concerns, and anti-war sentiments.

     The communities featured are in the Western United States. Founding members often thought of the West as an idyllic, “empty” place to settle. However, they did not always consider who was already living in these environments.

Imagine a World

Indigenous Futurism

     As you enter the gallery, two life-sized astronauts suspended in front of a bold painting of bison catch your eye. Two bright paintings adorn the walls next to this display. These works represent Indigenous futurism. They highlight how important cosmology, science, and futurism have been to Native peoples. Grace Dilon, Ph.D. (Anishinaabe) states that Indigenous futurism is part of the process of “returning to ourselves.” The goal is to recover “ancestral traditions in order to adapt in our post-Native Apocalypse world.”

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Sisters Oregon mural: Monday Mural

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This Sisters Oregon mural in Central Oregon is full of life. North Sister, Middle Sister, and South Sister volcanic peaks hover in the background. Local wildflowers and wildlife fill the bottom of the frame.

I especially liked the great gray owl in the middle of the mural. If you stand in front of this mural in just the right spot, it looks like you have wings. Great for pictures!

Sisters Oregon mural

The Sisters Oregon mural was created in 2020 by local artists, Katie Daisy and Karen Eland. You’ll find it on the wall of Marigold and True, a boutique gift shop. Katie also contributed to murals painted in Foxtail Bakery, which I featured in a previous post.

As noted in this article in The Nugget Newspaper, Katie and Karen had known the store’s owner, Kelley Rae, for ten years. She commissioned them to paint this piece and it turned out beautifully.

I was in town taking pictures of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show when I stumbled upon the mural. The arts are alive and well in this small town.

Monday Mural

The art of quilters in Sisters, Oregon: LAPC

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When I was strolling down Hood Avenue on 9 July 2022, something across the street caught my eye. I was there to see the art of quilters at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. Though the event has taken breaks due to wildfire smoke and pandemics, it proudly celebrated its 47th year in 2022.

A WOW! quilt

Quilt show

I had to take a closer look at this quilt. WOW! I think it was my favorite of the whole show. The intricate stitching and subtle changes in color drew me towards it. There are signs telling you not to touch the quilts, but I really wanted to touch this one.

Art of quilters

I continued my walk and noted some of the interesting architecture in this western-themed town. This clock business was one of my favorites. I’ve always wanted to live in a house with a tower.

Clock store

Attention getters

Some quilts attracted a lot of attention and I had to wait for visitors to pass by before snapping a picture. Here is one of those.

Art of quilters
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More quilts in Sisters, Oregon: LAPC

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Once again, I am sharing images of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show on 9 July 2022. Today I’ll show quilts with critters, people, holidays, and places.

Quilts on display

Buzzing bees on quilts

One of the groups attending the event had a bee-themed challenge.

More quilts

The one below was my favorite. It’s simple but complex at the same time.

Bee quilt

This “Phoebee” quilt had a lot of quilting stiches.

Bee quilt

This one had a more traditional design.

Bee quilt
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