The Best Laid Plans

No Mongolian BBQ or Johnny Carino's today. Lunch was leftovers. Then we took the chairlift to the top of Mt. Bachelor, 9000 ft above sea level, and hiked the short trail to the top. Absotively posolutely gorgeous. A fantastic view in all directions, and the weather was just perfect. I hope soon to start posting pictures from our forays.

Next we had an early dinner at the Parrilla Grill on Bend's west side. We were passing by and it looked interesting. The decor looked like something you'd find next door to a 60's surf shop. Lots of flyers and notices in the entryway about upcoming band performances and whatnot. The walls were painted a textured sand color, with bright artwork and humorous quotes. I had a humungous mesquite smoked BBQ chicken wrap with salsa and rice inside. Connie had a chicken quesadilla, and Debbie had fish tacos made with snapper that she described as superb. A neon sign in the window proclaims, "Sorry, we're open." Love that.

Driving through Bend afterwards, we came upon the farmer's market in Drake Park in downtown Bend. I parked and we sauntered through the market. Lots of food samples, some of the sweetest fruit you've ever tasted, gigantic perfectly shaped eggplants, beautiful tomatoes the size of grapefruit. We bought a large macaroon and some fruit-filled empanadas and sat watching the ducks on Mirror Pond (which is really the Deschutes River). There are few things in this world more relaxing and refreshing than sitting in a beautiful park overlooking a lovely river reflecting the resplendent gardens of the homes across the water and watching the ducks and geese.

The sound of drums drew me to a drum circle playing on the lawn near the food booths. I introduced myself, and they invited me to join them and handed me a drum (a djembe). After playing for a few minutes, I thanked them and went to sit by the river with Connie again. Debbie was on the grass up a hill drawing the view of the river.

When I used to take yoga, one of the things I loved was chanting om with everybody. The sound resonates, synchronizing your breath with the others, until you feel their chant reverberating in your own chest. It brings a feeling of togetherness, of oneness, of being part of a whole that's greater than yourself. Playing in the drum circle brought all that back to me as we played to the same beat, contributing to the whole without sacrificing our own rhythms. They meet every Wednesday at the same place and time. I plan to join them again.

At home we watched a Netflix rental, Eight Below. Beautiful movie. There's a scene where the sled dog handler introduces all the dogs to a visiting scientist, naming each dog and personalizing them by relating some unique quality. I liked the way the movie tries to bond you to the dogs that way, making them real. To enhance the process, the movie reinforces the scene by having the scientist easily recite the names of all the dogs, in order. It impresses you, but it also raises in your mind the fact that the dogs' names can be memorized, and repeats their names for you, enticing you to remember their names. Cute trick.

All in all, yet another great day for our whole family. Some things we plan in advance, some we improvise. It's all good. Tomorrow we take Debbie to the airport. I'm not looking forward to it.


Blog Tag: Chatter