It’s remarkable how quickly the days pass (frequently with so little progress to boast). Still, we managed a few interesting endeavors this past week. On Thursday Rachel met most of her preschool students, and school officially begins tomorrow, so check back for misadventures with toddlers. Jeff got a job at the Medford rock climbing gym, about 20 minutes away, and gained hordes of instant friends. They’re lovely, though, and he deserves a break from this cranky married couple.
On the weekend we checked out the town’s sidewalk sales—Rachel bought a secondhand hemp dress for $5 (need any more ammunition, anti-hippy friends? ;) )—and then Ashland’s first custom-built bicycle show. Apparently there’s a big market for that on the West Coast, and Ashland is home to the premier bike-building/repair school, so we got to watch a guy build part of a bike frame.
The boys must have been inspired to deconstruct their own bikes, so they made Rachel taxi them up Mount Ashland to some downhill bike trails. Even by car (or perhaps especially) it was grueling, ear-popping, winding ever upward on narrow “roads” flanked by sheer cliffs. Just to compound our self-conscious sense of wimpiness, we passed about 20 people (most in the 50+ age group) riding up the same trails we were driving. It took Rachel 35 minutes to drive down, and 1.75 hours for Jake & Jeff to launch themselves back into the valley. They ate some ice cream and collapsed for the rest of the day.
Beyond that excitement, we’ve been diligently pecking away at the last few unpacked boxes, hanging out at the library, perfecting the French Press coffee, and wondering why our families are flooded out while we have yet to see a drop of rain.
[*see photos: Misc. Ashland*]
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