Picks and Pans – Nevada City and North San Juan, CA

Going to Sean’s hometown, after so many years, now makes me feel like I’m returning home too. This is mostly due to the fact that Sean’s family and friends have welcomed me with open arms and open hearts since my first visit. And, also, being a Montana girl, I’ll always feel at home in the […]

Picks and Pans – Chico, CA

PICKS: Bidwell Park

Bidwell Park offers many good reasons to spend your day outdoors — a huge natural swimming pool formed by damming the creek that runs through the park, large shady fields for lounging, picnicing or playing and miles of trail for walking, jogging or biking. We managed to spend two afternoons with fellow […]

Picks and Pans – In and around Arcata, CA

PICKS:

Ruby Van Deventer County Park in Del Norte County, CA

Due to California’s state budget crisis, their state park campgrounds now charge the astronomical rate of $35 per night (not including showers or any other extras). Lucky for us, Del Norte County has either done a better job managing their budget or they haven’t […]

Picks and Pans – In and around Ashland, OR

Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Oregon Shakespeare Festival is sort of a misnomer, as most festivals are temporary and relatively fleeting presences in a town. The OSF runs from February through November, occupies multiple permanent buildings in town, including the U.S.’s first Elizabethan Theater (a la the Globe), and brings in the major income source for the […]

Picks and Pans – In and around Portland

Sean and I each spent four years in Portland, with two of those years overlapping, so coming back was kind of like putting on an old, comfortable pair of jeans. I just slipped right in as though it had been a week and not a decade.

Ned Ludd

Our first night in Portland, Margot and […]