Sunday, June 3, 2012

SHOPPING, DUCKS, FRIENDS

Saturday, June 2 – Today is Marsha's birthday. She began the day's celebration with a coffee from Starbucks. The older she gets, the easier it is to satisfy her….hehe.

We drove over to Eugene, OR, this morning for the famous Farmer's Market. Man-O-Man...this is the biggest farmer's market we've ever seen. Over 200 booths according to Eugene Farmer's Market literature.

Farmer's market

The fresh fruits and vegetables looked amazing. Carrots, strawberries, lettuce, radishes, etc... Just about any vegetable or fruit you can imagine. They had goat milk cheese and other products, fresh eggs, meats, and of course, all types of organic grown items.

vegetables

flowers

Then there were the fresh baked pastries....yummmmm! We just had to make a few purchases here.

Yes, that is Paul approaching one of his weaknesses…pastries.baked goods

This Market has a huge diverse food area. We have never been to a Farmer's Market where they offer Indian, American, Chinese, Twain, Afghani Cuisine, Mexican and many other foods. The smells were delightful.

food concessions

Making wood-fire pizza.
wood-fire pizza

There were all types of hand craft items with a significant edge toward alternative culture items like tie-died clothing, pipes, kaleidoscopes, leather goods, and numerous people selling jewelry of all types.

A Oregon Farmer's Market wouldn't be complete without the opportunity to purchase a duck hat.
duck hats

There were several street entertainers for the crowd to enjoy, Occupy Eugene was there, and numerous people asking you to sign petitions covering all aspects of the political spectrum. And don't forget the panhandlers asking for money....at least they had signs and weren't bugging us by asking for money.

Occupy Eugene

Latest rage in Eugene…coming soon to a town near you!tails

It was a great time and we made a few contributions to the Eugene economy before leaving. Our next stop was the University of Oregon, third-oldest public university in Oregon.

University of Oregon sign

The Oregon Ducks are a local favorite to many Oregon fans. The exciting football team has sparked a national interest in the University of Oregon. The school is located in the heart of Eugene. It has a mixture of architectural themes. The student body is just wild about the school. It is growing dramatically with numerous construction projects evident throughout campus and enrollment growing each year.

Gerlinger is home to the Asian Studies Program, Alumni Lounge, an indoor gymnasium, pool, and the Department of Dance.
 
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The John E. Jaqua Center for Student Athletes. It gives the student-athletes a place to gather as a community focused on study and learning.
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Our visit wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Duck's softball field. The softball team was a final eight team in the tournament, but lost on Saturday.

softball field

The center of the student enthusiasm is the Oregon Duck's Football Stadium. It is located several miles off campus, and it is HUGE, and getting bigger, with construction gear all around the facility.

University of Oregon

University of Oregon 1

We then met fellow bloggers and Eugene residents, Donna and Russ Krecklow at Roaring Rapids Pizza. We follow each others' blog and frequently leave comments for each other. Meeting this couple was like meeting old friends.

Always smiling.
Donna and Russ

We shared stories on the rear deck of the restaurant, laughed, and enjoyed our pizza. Russ brought along a bag of tourist brochures for us to enjoy and take home with us. What a wonderful thought!

Roaring Rapids

We ate outside with the sound of rapids coming from the Willamette River.
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It was an enjoyable lunch with our “new” friends. Wish we could stay and spend some time with this fun couple. If we visit all the sights in the brochures Russ brought for us, we might be getting voting rights here in Eugene....ha ha! Thanks guys for a wonder visit to Eugene. You can get to know them through their blog, Travels with Therapy. They write with a wonderful sense of humor.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

23 comments:

  1. What a fantastic time you had. Happy Bday Marsha. I just love Russ and Donna. I really loved the look of those veggies! See you soon!(i hope)

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  2. Happy Birthday, Marsha! I sure hope that was a 'special' Starbuck's coffee Paul splurged on - maybe a Cappaccino or a Latte!

    Pizza with Russ and Donna at Roaring Rapids was a fun stop for us while passing through Eugene. Glad you got to meet this great and friendly couple.

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  3. Happy, Happy Birthday Marsha.

    We haven't been to the Eugene Farmer's Market but the Saturday Market in Portland is HUGE!

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  4. Happy birthday Marsha. Many more to follow is my wish for you..

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  5. Have a fantastic, super, wonderful birthday dear friend. It's so much fun to meet up with fellow bloggers. The picture of those veggies was just amazing. They make me want to try and find a Farmer's Market somewhere.

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  6. So glad you had a good time in our fair city. Have to admit, we avoid downtown as much as possible but perhaps this year we will have to break down and go to the market. Those stacks of veggies sure did entice me. Thanks for taking the time to have lunch with us and thanks for the U of O game day tattoos. I'll post a picture when football season starts!!

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  7. Happy Birthday Marsha!!!!
    What did Paul get you for your birthday?
    That farmers market looks great.

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  8. Happy Birthday Marsha!! Hope you got lots of nice stuff at that Farmers Market for your birthday!! I would go wild in a place like that.

    When we get to Oregon we will have to make sure we stop in Eugene!!

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  9. Looks like you had a great birthday, Marsha. Hope to meet Russ and Donna one day. They seem like a fun couple, and they own a Lazy Daze so they must be alright!

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  10. Happy Belated Birthday to you Marsha. I can blame you and your birthday now for eating that huge piece of key lime pie yesterday. :-) You folks continue to amaze me with all you do and places you visit. Keep the words and pictures coming!

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  11. Marsha, hope you had a terrific birthday yesterday. Looks like yo had a great time at the Eugene Farmers Market. If you ever get over to Astoria on the Oregon coast, check out their Farmers Market held every Sunday.
    I had the joy of meeting Donna and Russ having lunch with them at Tebo's a restaurant in Gladstone near where we live. Then a couple of weeks ago we did a day trip to Eugene and my husband finally got to meet them also. I agree... they are a fun, wonderful couple and their writing talents go far beyond anything I can write.

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  12. I'll pass on that fad. Don't want to draw any attention to the size of my butt.

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  13. Russ and Donna are indeed the Eugene,Oregon bloggers to meet!!..glad that you got to spend some time with them!!

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  14. Wasn't that a terrific idea and so thoughtful to bring you tourist info! That's something I've put in one of the "spare" bedrooms at our new place in FL ... hoping that we have family and friends visiting at some point when we get back there!
    I just love your blog you two ... especially since we are in one place (VT again this summer) for a few months ... you certainly have a knack for finding lovely, interesting things to do and see wherever you land! Farmers markets are ALWAYS the first thing I search out when we arrive somewhere, but I've never seen one like you saw today. Looks a bit like Pikes Place in Seattle... We just never can see too much tie-dye....
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARSHA - hope it was very enjoyable .... isn't it great that a simple cup of coffee makes a celebration! We are so fortunate...

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  15. Marsha, it looks like you had a perfect birthday. The farmer's market looks wonderful. I imagine Gabe and Sophie had a booth there.

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  16. Happy Birthday

    Surprised to see Pasties in Oregon, we had some great ones on the UP

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  17. Wait are you guys in Eugene? So are we!! We're here for the next 8 days. Any chance to meet up?
    Nina (wheelingit)

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  18. Happy Happy birthday Marsha...sure looks like you had a super fine day...and meeting Donna and Russ is the frosting on the cake :)...love the duck hats.

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  19. Awe, p'shaw....missed your birthday, Marsha. Sounds like you had a lovely day. Wishing you abundant blessings in the year ahead.

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  20. Awe, p'shaw....missed your birthday, Marsha. Sounds like you had a lovely day. Wishing you abundant blessings in the year ahead.

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  21. Happy Birthday, Marsha ... just catching up on my blog reading, so the wishes are belated but heartfelt.

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  22. I am enjoying retracing your steps (and mine) on the Oregon Coast. Then, when I saw Eugene I thought, "I bet they're going to see Donna and Russ, two of my favorite bloggers."

    Your pictures are great. If I could live any one place, I think it would be Astoria and I'd spend my time going up and down the coast. :)

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