Back from the void
Two — or was it three? — days without computer access! That must be something of a record for me when on the continental U.S. The problem is that our computer died. My husband claims I killed it; I say it committed suicide. Regardless, it’s dead as a doornail. We bought a new one, but neither of us likes it too much, so it’s probably going back to the store. Still, here I am, typing away, which is quite a relief.
Since I last wrote about Lassen, we’ve been to Burney Falls (correctly billed as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in America), Lava Beds National Monument (which impressed, but didn’t thrill me, as I don’t like being underground), and Crater Lake (which is also accurate billed as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world).
Yesterday, we eschewed state and national parks in favor of a museum: the High Desert Museum in Bend. It’s a delightful museum, with dioramas, live animals (eagles, a fox, a badger, a porcupine, a bobcat, a lynx, spotted owls, barn owls, and many more), and living history displays, where you can experience life in the Pacific Northwest in the 1880s.
My kids adore these kind of living history things. A few years ago, when we went to Sutter’s Fort in Sacramento, I couldn’t pry them out with a crowbar. That started an odyssey of living history museums. We couldn’t pry them out of the Fort Bridger Rendezvous, the Idaho Pioneer Museum (can’t find a link right now), and the Duncan Mills Civil War Reenactment. Yesterday was no exception.
Indeed, yesterday was particularly nice, because my kids galvanized a rather moribund situation. It was hot and the actors were not particularly enthusiastic. My kids, though, once they got going with questions, re-energized the whole place, and suddenly created a huge interest in old-fashioned laundry methods and hunting. It was a lot of fun watching them infect the whole place with their enthusiasm.
I’m being summoned. I leave you without a qualm, though, because I have seen that DQ is still churning out posts that leave me impressed, entertained and with a mind alive with ideas and deep questions. Thanks, DQ, so much.
