In the Homecoming Parade, the students from the local high school are joyful, jubilant even!

 This is the first of a month of photos taken in Oregon. They will give you a taste of my life "up over" these last 9 years.

Oregonians are proud of their wide beaches. In summer they use them for doing all kinds of activities - volleyball, making sandcastles, flying kites, walking dogs, clamming and watching sunsets, to name just a few.

Swimming does occur too, but the water is too cold for me!

The Sea Lion Caves near Florence on the central Oregon coast are a popular tourist attraction, and are home to thousands of sea lions and sea birds.

This bronze sculpture of three sea lions, called "The Family," makes a nice photo opportunity for families, with Heceta Head Lighthouse in the background.

Portland has the bumper sticker "Keep Portland Weird", so things that are ordinary may not seem so ordinary to the visitor. For example, there is a large homeless population in downtown Portland particularly near the rescue mission building on Burnside. Expect to see all kinds of persons who have seen better days - it's an ordinary sight.

Portland's main shopping centre (mall), the Lloyd Center, is open on Sundays from 11 o'clock till 6 o'clock. The ice skating rink is a feature of the centre and is open for public skating at 11 o'clock on Sundays. Competitions are also held on the rink.

Oregon offers much in the way of adventure, from riding the rapids on the Rogue River to kiteboarding in the Columbia Gorge.

Or "dune-busting" near Florence. We hired a dune buggy (and driver) and he proceeded to hare up and down the dunes at a fast clip. There were one or two stops for photos, but otherwise it was full-on adventure!

Oregon's beaches are littered with driftwood and even whole trees! The growth patterns in the trunks are beautiful!

... Trees!

Oregon is known for its trees. Mainly tall conifers. The state tree is the Douglas fir. Another common tree is what they call a cedar. I could go on and on…

This shot was taken on a forest trail about 5 minutes from where I live. The smoother trunk on the left is a cedar, and the rougher barked trunk on the right is a Douglas fir.

We have trees of all kinds growing in our yard and in the big open block behind us. Including a couple of redwoods!

Oregon is on the west coast of USA, above California and below Washington State. See black arrow.

From the Oregon map, you can see that there is no road in or out. That is to discourage all those tourists from finding out just how wonderful Oregon is and moving here in droves.

Yes, we live here but it's a secret. Shhhh!

Kite-boarders take advantage of the winds in the Columbia Gorge to do some "flying."

Before Oregon was a state, it was a territory that encompassed present-day Oregon, Washington, Idaho and part of Wyoming, way back in 1836.

To celebrate 150 years of Oregonian statehood, USPS commissioned local artist Gregory Manchess to paint a coastal scene.

Many Oregonians were disappointed with the released stamp because of the pastel colours in the scene. They reckon the coast never looks like that!

In Australia, the wood from the Oregon state tree, the Douglas fir, is called simply Oregon!

In 1804-5, Lewis and Clark crossed from St Louis, Missouri to the Oregon Coast and back. This paved the way for settlers to cross over to the west coast on the Oregon Trail.

If you ever come to Oregon, you must visit Multnomah Falls, by the Columbia River east of Portland. They are just lovely. Don't forget to bring your camera!

Once you are east of the Cascade mountain range, the terrain of Oregon has a drier more Aussie feel. It even has rock formations like Fort Rock, which reminded me of Ayers Rock. The best time to climb it is late afternoon when you would be in the shadows.

On the east side of the Cascades, take time out for a peaceful relaxing day on one of its many lakes.

At downtown Portland's Pioneer Square, you can find your way to kangaroos from this quirky sign.

Recycling in Oregon has become a habit, mainly because stores charge a redeemable 5c deposit on every bottle or can of soft drink (= soda pop) or beer. It was the first state in the USA to require deposits on cans and bottles.

These boys are looking forward to their ride at the local county fair in Oregon. Yay!!!!!!!!!

...
in Oregon!

As the "Silicon Forest" high tech industry is growing, the population west of Portland is growing, and more and more houses are springing up where forest once was.

In this moment I am organising the postcard layout for my Oregon state display.

If it's June, then the currants are ripe! Oregon is well-known for growing many kinds of berries.

The lava cave near Bend (in Oregon's high desert east of the Cascades) can be scary to those who are claustrophobic.
They are glad to see light at the end of the tunnel!

The Goonies never stopped dreaming about pirates and buried treasure, and in the end, when One-Eyed Willie sailed away from this very beach, they did indeed find treasure after all!

The Goonies is one of many movies filmed in Oregon. Kindergarten Cop, National Lampoon's Animal House and Short Circuit are just a few more.

I am loving Oregon's berry season:

June - raspberries and currants,
July - blueberries,
August - blackberries, marionberries, boisenberries, loganberrries ...

Yum!

We were fascinated by the lava beds in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument south of Bend, Oregon. Astronauts had used them for practising walking on rough terrain before their moon missions.

Even more fascinating was the obsidian bed, seen here from Paulina Peak. We walked on it later in the afternoon.

Tamish ground squirrels at Oregon's tourist attractions are always a delight. This one at the Newberry National Volcanic Monument south of Bend was adventurous enough to give me a delightful photo and squirrel lover hubby a delightful experience.

It's the end of the trail. The Oregon Trail.

Lewis and Clark have finally reached their destination - the Pacific Ocean!

These photos are just a taste of Oregon.

But there are lots more photos which I could have shown you. The Oregon coast, camping spots, the mountains and lakes, the high desert, the elegant bridges...

I could not let the month end without showing you Oregon's crown jewel of Crater Lake. The deepest lake in the USA, and spectacularly beautiful at any time of year.