Day 23

 

July 9 (Myrtle Creek, OR)

I woke up early and helped Matt and Lucie load up for market in Rosenberg, OR. I was happy to give a hand and would have loved to head out with them to market, but next weekend would work better for all of us. After they headed out, I hung out on the patio reading for a bit, then slipped back into the tent and drifted off to sleep again. We had a lazy, mellow morning with absolutely nothing to do and nowhere to be. 

The ducks were fun to watch and the farm is just such a calm, peaceful place to be. Ev and Til followed the animals around and found themselves in Matt and Lucie's air-conditioned house. They were happy to chill in the cool around a television (an unfamiliar activity at this point). I set up our hammock at the edge of the North Myrtle Creek that runs through their farm and finished reading Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress.

I was probably hanging and reading for three hours before I finished the book and put my feet back on the ground. Tilda came out at some point to play in the water, and eventually Evelyn did too. They were so cute together playing in the water and themselves relaxing in the gentle passing of the water over the rocks and their little (and a bit bigger) feet and ankles.

While we were doing our thing, Cassandra was at our campsite painting the yellow pumphouse adjacent to our camp...

...she eventually presented the painting to Matt and Lucie later in the afternoon. We showered (in our coziest shower yet!) and freshened up in our new harbinger farm shirts, of course. They got my favorite color, of course ([burnt] orange). When Matt and Lucie returned from market, I helped them unload and then Ev and Til followed Matt around the farm, picking berries and snap peas. Matt planned to have them help again tomorrow. Lucie seemed pretty beat and tired, and Matt is absolutely in love with Ev and Til. He loves sharing about his fun conversations with them (they are pretty cool kids!).

We ate spaghetti and meatballs with just Matt and Lucie that were absolutely amazing - per Matt, perhaps the best, most delicious and well-cultivated pork we will ever eat (and I don't doubt him). We went to bed around 11:30 (that's 2:30am back home!!!) with great contentment and pleasure - this was the most at-home we've felt since leaving in June (and we could all use it). This was an incredible day in a beautiful place with wonderful friends.

We plan to spend the day tomorrow with Matt and Lucie in the Umpqua National Forest swimming and tubing in the Umpqua River. I'm so excited to spend the day with these two!