Contagious Energy in Bend (Sunriver, OR)

We have really enjoyed our stay in the Bend/Sunriver area.  So many beautiful and diverse places to visit.  So many hiking trails to walk.

We rarely enjoy being in a populated....okay crowded area, but Bend seems to be the exception with its clean streets, green tree-filled city parks, and paths everywhere.  Many of the people take advantage of the warm summer days by biking, jogging, walking, swimming, and flipping over rocks...

 Yep, that's what I said "flipping over rocks"  We were walking by and I saw one guy go flying and flipping through the air so we stopped to watch.

They were pretty amazing, not to mention, the amount of energy they had considering it was in the high 90s that day.  The energy of Bend is very contagious.  We are out almost every day and sometimes we are gone all day.....only to come home to some very upset cats...."where have you been??".

 Oh, and did you notice the art sculpture behind them.  They are kayaks!

There is art work every where.  This is a tunnel under a busy street near the Old Mill District.

The more we explore Oregon, the more convince we are that we will make Sutherlin our homebase in the future.  We have visited so many State Parks to visit and I have a lot of photos.  Here are some from Tumalo Falls.

Tumalo Falls

The walk to the head of the falls was short, steep and worth it.  What a view!

We followed the path along the river for 3 miles before turning around.

We spent a lot of time exploring Cascade Lakes Hwy west of Bend.  Here are some photos of Sparks Lake.

Sparks Lake

Missing our kayaks just about now....

dog in kayak

Gorgeous!  Wish you were here!

On The Cutting Board

A good friend suggested she would be very interested in a maroon and tan Vintage Trailer mug rug.    I love a challenge!  When I started this project I knew I wanted to make it a horse theme since I know she loves horses....well and she loves cats too, but I thought the horse was perfect for this one.  I went online to see what designs were available.  I found this free tattoo website that shares some amazing art work and I fell in love with this horse head.  I made the mane longer so it would flow over the window and door.

 But, I couldn't stop there.  I added white flowers.  I would say daisies, but I don't know of a daisy with a dark pink center which matches better to the color scheme than yellow.  Anyway, I finished the flowers by twisting green through the mane and adding leaves.  My friend and I are very happy with the results.

As a matter of fact, my friend likes this so much, she has asked me to make a second one for a horse-loving friend of hers.  I want to thank her for this inspiration.  Oh, by the way, I plan to add a teacup and a kitty's face to my friend's window.  What can be more relaxing than to look out your window at a gorgeous view while sipping a hot cup of tea in the company of your cat (or cats in my case).

Speaking of cats....we better get them outside today.  They kept me up a long time last night.

We move next Thursday to Redmond.   Pinch me!  I am on Cloud 9!!!

Happy Quilting!