SheSue Experience

What’s the best souvenir? A bookmark. It’s inexpensive, very easy to pack and describes the area you were visiting through pictures and words.

I started collecting bookmarks a long time ago. My mother traveled extensively and loved to bring home souvenirs. Like I said, what is easier to pack than a bookmark? Since I have started to travel a little, I have continued my collection. Today I have over a hundred bookmarks.

I worked at a library for many years and found some fabulous bookmarks left in returned books. One of these days I will actually organize them in some fashion. Some of my favorites are one from Hawaii made out of a taro plant, one carved from wood, one folded origami style, and of course, one shaped like a bunny. (check for a future post on my collection of bunnies). Here is a picture of a few of my favorites.

When someone tells you to take care of yourself, it shouldn’t just mean eat right and get some sleep. It’s about nurturing your whole self. And it’s not about doing this every once in a while, you should consider the following each and every day.

Get Physical!

Here comes the part about eating right. Taking care of the physical aspect of yourself includes a well balanced diet, getting 7-8 hours of sleep per night, drinking lots of water and exercising daily.

Get Brainy!

When was the last time you read a good book? Or even a good magazine. I don’t mean a graphic novel or People magazine. Use your brain. Instead of Family Guy, check out an intellectual TV program or movie. Or you could take up a new craft or hobby. Just like muscles, if you don’t use your brain, you will lose that too.

Get Spiritual!

Do you sing in the shower? Dance in the living room? Great, you need it. Do something creative, something that just feels good. You can try meditation, going to that place in your head where everything is just right. You might try painting or writing in a journal. Volunteering is always good for the soul. Coming away from a project knowing that you have helped make someone else’s life a little better is humbling.

Studies have shown that 30 minutes per day doing nothing can help eliminate stress, headaches and insomnia. Inactivity can slow the production of the stress hormone cortisol. A quick nap allows the immune system to replenish stores of antibodies.

What’s your favorite way to relax? Being in the woods is mine.

Imagine the perfect blue. The color of a cloudless sky on a warm summer afternoon. This is the color of Crater Lake in southern Oregon. It is the deepest lake in the United States, the 7^th deepest lake in the world. My daughter and I spent a day here over the summer. We hadn’t been in over 10 years and I was just as amazed this time around. Unfortunately our vacation coincided with some huge forest fires near enough to cause the haze you see in the pictures.

Coming into the park from the north, you first encounter the pumice desert. Covering 5 ½ miles, this desert was formed after the eruption of Mt. Mazama 7700 years ago. Today, this pumice is up to 200’ deep and has left the land virtually barren. You get the feeling that you might be on the moon.

The first glimpses of the lake are breathtaking. I am always astounded by the beautiful color of the lake. To the left is Wizard island. It may look big in this photo, but in comparison to the lake, it’s tiny. You can take a boat ride on the lake with the option of staying on the island for several hours. We only had one day at the lake, which we soon discovered is not nearly long enough. We chose to do some hiking. We drove the rim of the lake so my daughter could get some pictures.

Another hike we took was along the bluff of Wheeler Creek Canyon. Here we witnessed the pinnacles, another volcanic formation. Some as tall as 200’, they were formed when gases escaping through cracks in the surface cemented pumice into tubes. Erosion created the formations of today. I felt like I was at the beach for a sand castle building contest.

Our last hike was up the Garfield Peak Trail. Fairly steep, it leads to the top of Garfield Peak which was covered in snow and gave glorious views of the lake and the Phantom Ship. Here we met up with quite a bit of snow. We met some folks from England who we swapped picture taking with.

If you go, plan on going between mid-July through late August. Watch the weather reports as snow is common late into July. Three days seems like a good amount of time if you want to truly experience the lake and all it has to offer. If you want to stay at the lodge, book a reservation at least 6 months in advance. Even if you don’t stay at the lodge, you should check it out.  It’s really beautiful inside and has a tiny museum.

They also have a camp ground close by.   For more information on lodging and the park, check out www.craterlakelodges.com  For the government website information which includes several brochures  and maps you can download, check out:  http://www.nps.gov/crla.

And don’t forget the bug spray!

Sorry folks, but this is false. The length, texture and coarseness of your hair are determined by genetics and hormone levels. Studies have been done since the 1920’s all proving that trimming does not affect hair growth. In fact, the hair you see on the outside of your head is actually dead, which means there’s no way that cutting it can affect the living section that we don’t see. No matter how often you trim your hair, it will always grow back at the rate of around ½ inch per month.

I have worn hard contact lenses for 33 years. When I was first diagnosed with near-sighted vision, it was the 70’s, so I bought these cool wire-framed glasses. Hated them. My mother relented and bought me contact lenses. Over the years, I have advanced to gas permeable lenses. When I turned 40, it was time to add reading glasses.

At this point, I began reading about laser surgery. At that point in time, it cost around $10,000 per eye and was only guaranteed for 3 years. Finally a few weeks ago, I decided it was time. The cost is down to $3,500 – 4,000 total and lifetime guarantee. I made an appointment to have a consultation.

I filled out a basic health information form. Then they ran some basic tests on my eyes to see if I was a candidate. The surgery was described. The various medications used were described. I would have to wear glasses for about 2 months so that my eyes would revert to their natural shape. I was worried about moving during the surgery. They said my eyes would be anesthetized and held steady. If I moved in the slightest, the laser would shut off and remember where it was. I was ready to go. They set up a second appointment to meet with the surgeon and do further tests.

I came to the second appointment, eager to get the process started. They went over my health questionnaire. Did I have rheumatoid arthritis? Yes. I flunked. Why, you ask. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease which apparently would prevent proper healing of the eyes. I was crushed. Now what?

Back to the regular doctor. He suggested trying soft contact lenses. I had been having trouble with my eyes constantly getting foggy, I assumed due to protein being trapped beneath the contact. The soft contact would be a closer fit. He also talked to me about mono-vision. This is when one contact is made for close vision and the other is made for far vision. Thus eliminating the need for reading glasses. I agreed and went home with the new lenses.

On my way home, it was beautiful. I could see! I read every street sign as I drove. I hadn’t been able to read street signs until I was practically in front of them for many years. I was totally excited.

During the day, I could feel something at the edges of the contact. I figured it was the protein. The next day, I couldn’t see the trees in the yard. It was the distance vision contact that was giving me all the problems. But when I put eye drops in my eyes, it got better. So I went to work with the new lenses, but without the eye drops, my vision was terrible. Remember, I had the mono vision contacts. Since it was the far distance contact that was giving me problems, I couldn’t see anything. Out came the new lenses and in went the old ones. Back to square one.

Stay tuned for next doctor visit.

We are on a jetboat cruising along pretty fast. The boat slows down, and then abruptly stops just before a Okay, yeah, they said we’d get wet. I had come prepared with my Alaska coat. Named by my daughter, it was a hand-me-down coat, much too big and made of heavy rubber type fabric. It keeps you very dry. But if you’re sitting on a vinyl seat, the water rolls down the sides of the coat and onto the vinyl seat where it rolls down to your pants. Top dry, pants soaked. wall of water comes over the front of the boat.

Out of downtown Portland, Oregon, the Willamette Jetboat cruises on the Willamette River. You learn a lot about the Willamette valley through sometimes sarcastic narration. He liked to point out things like when we were underneath a metal grate bridge, we were “Seeing something few people saw.” He pauses for dramatic effect as we all look up. “The underside of cars.” He says and sure enough, you can see right through the metal grate and see the bottoms of all the vehicles.

This part of the Willamette River hosts 3 islands, all inaccessible by car, so a variety of wildlife lives there. Along the way we got to see a bald eagle, a blue heron, a hawk and lots of seagulls. The destination is Willamette Falls in Oregon City, Oregon. A horseshoe shaped falls, 40 feet high and 1500 feet wide, it is the largest falls in the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, there is major construction going on near the falls, so were unable to get anywhere near.

Interspersed through the tour, you get wet many times over, both through these sudden stops and e-brake type turns where he puts on the brakes while whipping the boat around in a circle. These e-brake type turns were sort of like being on a carnival ride.  The water comes over the side, but you don’t get nearly as wet. There were also some times of just cruising at high speed when you had a chance to dry out.

I took my son with me on this trip. He knows a good portion of the river due to his summer job, but still had fun. To find out more, go to www.willamettejet.com.

Inside Willamette Locks.

Portland, Oregon in the background. My son in green.