Family Legacy

Road Trip ~ To Bend and Beyond

Bend is a city of 76,000 people located in the middle of nowhere.  And that's exactly what I love about this place.  I always said if I could pick up my home town and drop it in the middle of nowhere, I would be living in heaven.  Granted, "nowhere" must come complete with spectacular scenery, mountains, water, terrific outdoor weather and lots of outdoor activities.  Bend is it.


We spent the day riding our bikes around the"old town" area that pays homage to this city's history.  It was fun visiting some of our favorite places and finding new ones.  About 5 years ago, we (okay, I) seriously talked about buying a place here but it never happened. Once we thought about logistics like relocating my husband's business and dealing with winter (snow), the idea took a seat on the shelf, only to be taken down, dusted off and re-visited periodically (by me).

My very favorite thing about Bend in the summer is the flowers, more specifically the black-eyed Susans and sunflowers that pop up all around town.  Their yellow faces glow in the sunshine and make me very happy.

This trip we found a floral treasure that is very special to me.  Riding through our favorite neighborhood along the river, we came across a house that hosted my grandmother's flowers in the front yard.  I don't know their real name as most people aren't familiar with them, although I have heard them called by their generic name, "yellow sunflower."  My grandmother grew them in her yard, and my mother took some and grew them in her's.  I loved them so much that my dad dug some up, roots and all, wrapped them in airtight plastic and mailed them 3,000 miles to me.  So my flowers are the 3rd generation of the original plants in grandma's garden.  I have never seen them anywhere except our families' gardens, and once in a magazine~ until now.  I was so excited I almost went to the front door to ask the owners about them, but I didn't.  Maybe I will before we leave Bend.  Or maybe I don't want to know their real name.  Maybe I just want them to remain "grandmother's flowers."  It's like a family legacy.