OR: Weddings, Volcanos, and Guns

I headed out to Oregon at the end of Oregon to go to my friend Molly's wedding and to visit my Dad for the weekend. I got to Portland on Friday night and my dad and I found a hole-in-the-wall BBQ place that looked like it should have been somewhere in the deep south...not Portland, OR. It was great!

Molly and our dinner table crew

A lil Sass!

Saturday morning, my dad and I drove down to Ashland, OR. Molly's wedding was at her parent's farm in this super cool southern Oregon town. My friend Molly is one of the most vibrant and stunning people that I know. Whenever she comes to visit me, boys always ask about her long after her departure! Flip is a lucky guy to have snatched her off of the market! She was a beautiful bride, and the wedding was absolutely amazing. The weather was awesome and her parent's farm is a lovely place to celebrate a wedding! I'm so glad I was able to make the trip out there to share with them in their special day! :)

Stunning Crater Lake

Me and my dad

On Sunday, my dad and I headed up to Crater Lake and Bend to do a little of the touristy stuff. Crater Lake is an amazing geological landscape. The lake formed when a volcano essentially imploded on itself thousands of years ago. The lake formed over many, many years of collecting rain and snowfall. Apparently, it's the purest high alpine lake in the world. Anyway, it was really beautiful! After that, we headed up to Bend for dinner and a couple of beers from the Deschutes Brewery. Mmmmmmm!!

My dad's revolver

Super old revolver from an old family friend

My dad's black powder gun

I grew up in Montana and Wyoming, and as such, hunting and guns were part of my upbringing. In fact, the first time that I ever "skipped school" was in Kindergarten. My mom dropped me off at school, and a little while later my dad picked me up and took me pheasant hunting! It was great, so many years later, it is still vivid in my memory. As such, my dad owns quite a few guns ranging from random modern guns to a black powder gun that he put together from a kit to really old ones that he's inherited. We spent the better part of Monday afternoon checking them out and trying to track down some missing clips for a couple of them. It is always fun to get to spend time with my dad when he can share something he really enjoys with me!

All in all, my trip to OR was great! I love that state...it's just too bad that it rains so damn much there!