Ducks @ Oregon - University of Oregon

A Week with Mom

Katie D.

September 8, 2009 - 10:00 PM

What a week it's been! My mom is visiting for a week, here to see my home in Eugene, and to take me on some Oregon adventures. It's been such an amazing time to have her here with me, marred only by our complete failure to purchase my big Christmas present from her: my first pair of Chacos. It seems that there is no place in Oregon that still has any to sell. (Sigh) But enough self pity: on to the adventures!

Mom arrived Thursday evening. The first order of business was a tour of my house in Eugene. I'm very proud of the way it looks these days: after several weeks of organizing and re-arranging with the roommates, we've managed to create a space that looks like a home. We have a great living room (with the TV in an inconspicuous corner). We have paintings and tapestries on the walls. We have two spice racks in the kitchen. We even have a piano.

My mom made all the right appreciative noises about the house, checked out my roommates' rooms, and then saw my bedroom. I was in the smallest room last year, which was fine but definitely not ideal. Now I'm in the master bedroom and have obscene amounts of space and a real pride in the decorating job I've done. So getting parental approval was really awesome.

On Friday we packed up our stuff and headed south for a spectacular road trip. We headed to Ashland, where we saw two shows at the Shakespeare Festival. If you've never been, let me just say that the quality of theater in Ashland goes beyond anything I've seen anywhere else. We saw two plays: Equivocation and Much Ado About Nothing. If you're any kind of Shakespeare fan, you might be wondering at that first one: Equivocation is not a Shakespeare work. This was a world premier, and the rave reviews I'd heard about it were completely deserved. The writing was mind-blowing. The play is set in Elizabethan times, with "William Shagspeare" as the main character. The idea behind the play is the art of equivocating: how to tell the truth in difficult and dangerous times. If this play ever comes to a city near you, please do yourself the favor of going to see it. It's funny, sarcastic, brilliantly written, and extremely important in our complicated modern world.

Much Ado About Nothing was also a treat, of course. It was held on the Elizabethan stage, which is an amazing performance space modeled after old-fashioned theaters: round and open-air. This is a fabulous play, and the interpretation of it was fabulous. It was set in the twentieth century, and the set and acting conspired to make a hilarious play even more entertaining.

Ashland itself is a great town, and Mom and I spent a lot of time wandering the streets, eating great food, window shopping, and walking around in Lithia Park. While walking the streets, we happened to walk into a great yarn and handmade clothing store, and I made a momentous purchase. Call me crazy, but learning to spin yarn is something I have always, always wanted to do. The idea of making a piece of clothing literally from scratch is such an exciting one to me. So I bought myself a drop spindle, got a spinning lesson in the shop, and set myself up to become a master at spinning and natural dyes.

Our two plays were both evening shows, so during the day between shows we piled back into the car and headed south in search of some big trees. I'd never seen the redwoods before, and had always wanted to. The whole trip was a joy: Mom and I are both so used to the flora and geography of the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Denver is a beautiful place, and the Rocky Mountains are spectacular. But our eyes are used to forests without underbrush, made up of one or possibly two tree species. Moss does not grow on trees in Colorado. So here, when we see the hills and mountains in Southern Oregon and Northern California, with moss hanging from trunks and branches and the hundreds of colors of green that come from a biodiverse and multi-level forest, to us it looks like a miracle. What an absolute joy it is to drive through a setting like that.

Then we arrived at the redwoods themselves. Suddenly the trees get HUGE. Because redwood branches don't grow until about halfway up their trunk, the impression from the ground is really that of massive pillars in a quiet cathedral. It rained on us a little, and the only sound in the forest was that of dripping and falling bits of leaves and branches. It was spectacularly beautiful.

On Sunday we headed back to Eugene, but took the long route to include the Coast. Again, we're from a landlocked state. Any body of water larger than a canal is a treat to us. Ocean is such a spectacular sight: it fills me up and makes me feel amazingly connected to things. We stopped in Bandon (my new favorite coastal town) for clam chowder and a walk on the beach. The coast near Bandon is amazing: huge rolling waves, rocky islands just off the beach, and a great combinations of cliff overlooks and walkable beaches.

Monday was a recovery day. We traveled almost a thousand miles over the weekend, and we were both tired. But we met up with a few of my friends for coffee or ice cream, and I got to introduce these great people in my life to my mom. We also walked over the Autzen footbridge to Alton Baker Park, one of my favorite parts of the campus area.

Today, Tuesday, we plan to spend shopping and seeing my city. Mom loves to visit the places I talk about: the walk to campus, Smith Family Bookstore, the downtown library, various parts of campus, my friends' houses, and the downtown areas I like best. We're also on a mission: to try one last time at a Chacos purchase. Mom's also going to buy me the bike essentials for Eugene: helmet, U-lock, and a light for night riding. Have I mentioned that I'm terrified of bikes? This is the year, my friends. The year of the bike. If you're the praying type, please start praying because I'll probably need it.

What I love best about having my mom here (aside from getting to be with her, of course) is getting to show someone around this place I love so much, and discovering new amazing things about Oregon. This is my home now, and I'm proud and excited about it: there is so much to offer in the way of culture and natural beauty in this place. And now I get to show it off to someone who I love very much and who makes a great audience.

What an awesome, awesome week.