head-clearing and western inspiration

There's nothing more inspiring than a change of scenery. Our summer vacation was to Oregon this year to visit family on both sides and attend a big family reunion. This was a big deal for us since we live completely on the opposite coast in muggy misery in the month of August.

We hung out with cousins in Portland for a couple of days enjoying the cooler, drier air. Then we followed the Columbia River east through a dry hilly landscape. I didn't realize how desert-like and sparsely populated the middle portion of the state is. The family reunion was at a nicely wooded camping area at crystal-clear Wallowa Lake at the base of the Wallowa mountains near Joseph.

 

Besides seeing family we hadn't seen in years, and some that we'd never even met yet, the highlight was the horseback riding.

I was attracted to the patterns on the horse blankets and the tooled leather of the saddles.

I started having a hankering for fall and wool sweaters and leather boots

and maybe even a poncho. It was chilly, what can I say?

This is Emma riding "Biscuit", a sweet horse who liked to go slow and take many grass-munching breaks. Perfect for her first riding experience.

 

And here's the family. It was a job to get the whole group in one spot at the same time for this shot. You get a lot of cousins and chaos when your mother has six siblings!

Maybe it was the low humidity, but I came home with such a clear head. Right off the bat, I churned out a few new boys' ideas for my professional portfolio. Now the weather is drying out here too and hinting at Fall. Goodbye summer!