Life at a "Swell's" pace

Road Trip: Hot air balloons in Sunriver, Oregon

I'm a bit late on posting this, but I wanted to share it because we had such a great time. Back at the end of July we loaded up the car and headed over the Cascade Mountains to Sunriver, Oregon. We ate dinner and grabbed out blankets and binoculars to enjoy the "Balloons over Sunriver." They didn't get off the ground, but they lifted them up into the air at sunset and with the sun setting behind them it was a pretty neat show. -If you remember, we stayed a summer in Sunriver back in 2013.

View this photo on Instagram.

On the way to Sunriver one of the many mountains along the Cascade Mountain range is the one

pictured below. The sign of the mountain points out the view of Three-Fingered Jack.

Because it is summer there isn't any snow on the top of Hoodoo Snow Park. The ski lift looks strange sitting there without any snow around it.

A view of Mount Washington and two of the Sisters' Mountains.

As we sat and watched the sun set people started filing in and before too long there was over a thousand people there to watch the hot air balloons.

Soon the balloons arrived and they slowly started filling them.

The sun set pretty fast and the hot air balloons took about an hour to fully fill and lift off the ground.

It was such a great sight to see as the hot air balloons lifted with the sunset. This event was free to attend and Sunriver is one of our favorite places in Oregon. We were so happy we made the trip over the mountains and enjoyed the evening.

What happened this time last year?

Road Trip: Foghat live at the Linn County Fair

The Linn County Fair here in the Willamette Valley gets a visit from us about once every three years. We hadn't planned on going to the fair this year, but when we saw who was going to be there, we couldn't pass up the opportunity.

The entrance to the fair was made out to be an old western set with a saloon and store.

The Bean has always loved Foghat ever since we let him watch the movie, "Dazed and Confused" when he was five. We saw Foghat live during River Rhythms in Albany, Oregon back in 2013 and The Bean was able to get his FOG hat then and it is actually signed by the original bass player Craig MacGregor, so it means a lot to him.

We got out tickets early because we wanted to be in seats close to the stage. We were in row four and right by a big speaker. It was ~~loud~~ great!

The Bean was all set for the concert and having been there early we were able to get in our seats before others started pilling in. He also got a taste of what it's like to be under the hot stage lights.

Before the concert we chummed around the fair grounds for a bit and picked up some food for dinner.

Charlie Huhn came out with the rest of the band and started things off by picking away on his electric guitar.

Charlie Huhn and Bryan Bassett

Rodney O'Quinn stood in for Craig MacGregor. Exceptionally talented guitarist.

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Roger Earl's drum solo.

Roger Earl getting respect from Bryan Bassett.

Charlie Huhn rocking it to "Slow Ride."

Foghat put on a great show at the fair and we were so pleased to see that they really cared about the audience.

Such a great group of guys!

The front of this photo can be seen here on their Facebook page.

The Bean showed Roger Earl his FOG hat from the last time he saw them in concert. Sir Earl thought it was fantastic!

The Bean had a great time and we are so pleased that our son loves the 70s as much as we do! (View this picture on Instagram)

Some live shots of the Foghat concert:

Check out future live performances from Foghat here.
Pick up their latest CD "Under the Influence" here.
Get a signed copy of "Under the Influence" here.

What happened this time last year?

Week-End: Things that made my week awesome (Extras: Closet organizing and Cherokee Morning Song)

So glad today is Sunday and a do-nothing-day. Our neighbors (The Bean's "adopted" grandparents) went on a hike with us yesterday and boy did they keep the pace going. We took the dogs with us and poor Baz was exhausted when we got home. The hike took us about two hours and Baz wasn't the only one ready to collapse when we came through the door. The Mr., The Bean, and I had gone on a 10 mile bike ride the day before and we were a bit sore from that already, but this hike really pushed us over. We are ready for a relaxing break today. I plan on doing some light house cleaning, but other than that, we are beat.

1. This Trooper

I am so proud of this old doggy. He has some hip issues, but has been such a trooper with his walks.Yesterday's walk really was a lot for him, but he didn't quit. Stops at the river really helped too. He's on some new hip/joint medication and we are definitely seeing a difference. Here's to more walks with this friend.

2. This Window

This was sitting in a window of someone's house while we were walking. It scared me when I looked up, but after I realized what it was, we laughed. No clue who or what it represents, but we liked it.

3. This Hello