Nancy Lynne Photography

I finally made it to Crater Lake ... after living in Oregon almost all my life and never seeing it before. It is absolutely breathtaking. This is Diamond Lake, on the way there. Another beautiful spot. The day was sunny and warm... and very dry. This was the first look at the lake and Wizard Island. The rim road is 33 miles long with more than 30 places to stop and stare... And take deep breaths and just soak it all in. It smelled like pine needles and sweet fresh forest up there. The slopes are steep and slippery all the way around. There is one trail down to the water, where they do the boat tours. I wanted to do that, but it was really crowded that day... and time just didn't allow. So that's on the to-do list for next time. The water really is that color. Like a jewel. There are no rivers or streams feeding the lake, only rain and snowmelt. They do get a lot of snow up there. This is the Phantom Ship. There were forest fires in the area that day, so this...

Recently I attended a luau at Oceanview with my mom and some of her friends. Here she is. This is Violet. She's a doll. This is Elvis . Isn't he purty? He did a great show, too. Shannon gave him a hula lesson. Then she gave everyone a hula lesson. This is Sharon, whippin up the yummy drinks. Isn't she a pretty lady? I don't know her name, but she was charming. The lady on the left was the school secretary at my grade school. She still looks the same. And she remembers me. Shannon dancin for the crowd. She is effervescent. And beautiful. Another pretty lady, Irene. Saw some friends visiting their kinfolk too. This is Dottie. She is often my mom's lunch partner. She has a sheltie and a big green parrot. It's High Tea on Friday, I'll bet that'll be just as fun. Especially if it keeps raining like it has this week. Enjoy!