Did I mention my cousin Kevin was here from Korea? He is a marine stationed there. He, his wife and four kids used their time state-side to come to the family reunion. They were only here from Tuesday-Thursday but interestingly Kevin bonded with many non-family members at the Cascade Ranch. He is hilarious and outgoing. ...
Oregon Day 9: We are family
Life at the lodge starts early. I’m not always the first one up and I’m getting up anywhere between 4-6am. As soon as I wake, I start the coffee station. This family drinks a lot of coffee. The mornings are some of my favorite times as people get up and reminisce about the past and ...
Oregon Day 8: Grants Pass! Who knew? “It’s the climate”
Tuesday was a fairly lazy day for me. A large portion of the family went to Crater Lake for the day. Christy and her clan went to do laundry and visit a gold mine. The parents, Jenny and me hung around the lodge and then we hung around in town. Downtown Grants Pass has a ...
Oregon Day 7: #WalshReunion
Monday, I woke up early in Medford. My Walsh reunion pick-up was 2pm. I had time to do laundry, return my rental car and see some of the town. Inn at the Commons turned out to be such a great discovery. Free breakfast and coffee. And after checking out, they allowed me to ride the ...
Oregon Day 6: Goodbye Retreat, Hello Medford!
On Sunday, I started my day with my last yoga session of the retreat. The retreat officially ended with the morning class but half of the crew had already departed for home. Jenny led a group of seven through stretching poses that would prepare us for traveling. I was a great last class. I’ve thoroughly ...
Oregon Day 5: Dolphins to Blackhawks
The beauty of this Yoga within You retreat is its accessible on different levels. At the core, the yoga sessions themselves have been taught with options. Brooke and Jenny often cue up a pose with a statement like ‘...and if this feels right for your body today, stay here. Or if you want a deeper ...
Oregon Day 4: Treat Yourself, Write
Friday started with an early morning yoga class. This time, Brooke and Jenny broke us into two groups: level 1 and level 2/3. Brooke took the advanced group. Jenny took the more novice folks. One of the questions I’ve been asking people this week is how long they’ve practiced. Our group has a range ...
Oregon Day 3: Crater Lake is a wonder!
On Thursday, the primary activity was a road trip to Crater Lake. We started with an early morning breakfast and then hit the road. Since I don’t have a car, I was fortunate that Sarah offered me a ride in hers. This yoga retreat reminds me of camp as a kid. Everybody is very friendly ...
Oregon Day 2: Yoga, Hike, Yoga, Write!
The yoga retreat started with a vigorous class at 7am. It was chilly so we opted for indoors. (SIDENOTE: the weather is unexpected for me. Apparently, Central Oregon is a desert. It’s a sunny, 80s-90s, gentle breeze during the day. Then, it’s chilly in the morning and after sundown. I expected more of a rainy and ...
Oregon Day 1: I’m retreating
My first day of vacation started at before-the-crack-of dawn. My adventure from O’Hare to Seattle to Redmond, Oregon launched at 6:15am. So, I got up at 4am. Yowza, that’s early! It’s definitely easier to get up in wee hours for pleasure than business. But 4am is 4am. Aside from some TSA antics that made it ...