#8 OREGON

When I think about Oregon I always picture healthy outdoor activities and cerebral, theatrical pursuits. Oregon definitely promotes the outdoor lifestyle and my visits generally include plays and lectures at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival along with hikes, snow shoeing or other activities.

My recent trip was short on the physical exercise but excelled with those mental. We drove up for a long weekend to visit my parents and enjoy the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Opening Weekend of the 2008 season. We saw four plays and attended accompanying lectures.

OSF continuously presents excellent theater and we're proud to support them. Opening weekend 2008 was no exception. Our first play was a preview The Clay Cart, a 2,000 year old Sanskrit classic. The romantic comedy was surprisingly current Well, I suppose I shouldn't be that

surprised, some things never change.

..........

Next was Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter, a world premiere heading to the Kennedy Center in June. Sutter is a returning soldier from Iraq and her alienation and difficult reentry was heart wrenching to watch at times at the same time heart warming. Not just your basic light evening out, that’s for sure.

August Wilson is one of my favorite playwrights. I’ve seen Fences at ACT before and was thrilled to see it again. I really enjoy Wilson’s work and would like to see all ten of his series. Each play explores the African American experience in a decade of the 20th century. Fences is set in 1950’s Pittsburgh.

A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream was the token Shakespeare play. I’m not sure how many times I’ve seen it but it’s good entertainment…”The course of true love never did run smooth” as Lysander said. Don’t fret, they sort it all out in the end.

Our weekend finale was a Tuscan Dinner & Cooking Class at The Willows, a bed and breakfast and cooking

I hope you enjoy the promised live animal pictures. Those alpacas are cute (and for sale, email and I’ll hook you up if you’re interested.)

I delayed this post until the end of March because it will be only state for this month. I got all sidetracked with Scotland but will be back touring USA in April!