Awake

Union Creek Pictures Posted

A healthy portion of our family (minus the Brant/Jackie/Tucker entourage) went camping at Union Creek this past weekend. We had a great time. (Union Creek 2008 Pictures posted over here.) I left Medford at about 11am and arrived at noon to find all of our traditional sites already occupied. So I went in search of a new site and found the perfect one, right on my favorite part of the creek—where the water falls in three places.

The Fun Squad (Seth, April, Adalie, Kylia, & Zoie) arrived a little bit before 8pm; Seth's friend Joel and his wife Katie arrived around 9:30pm on Friday; and Mom, Dad and Grandpa Doug arrived the next morning on Saturday. Despite my crafty representation of the precise location of the campsite (on a paper plate pinned to the campground bulletin board) where the Himes would be "living outside" (as Kylia put it) for the weekend , neither Dad nor Seth upon seeing the paper plate with the site number on it and with their last name written boldly on it with black inked capital letters knew how to comprehend what this new site number meant and proceeded directly to our traditional loop. Only after not seeing me at any of the sites in the loop that our past and present family had occupied for the last 50 years did they proceed to try and locate this mysterious new campsite, which was probably a mere 100 yards from the bulletin board where the paper plate directive was located.

Indeed, the site I had found was tucked away in the first loop of the campground—a loop that looks neither promising nor desireable because the sites all appear to be out in the open and not on the creek at all. But the site I found was tucked away and right on the creek, very spacious, private, and beautiful. It turned out to be a fine place to fish as well. Seth finally did come around and find it and upon a cursory inspection, heartily approved my choice.

On Saturday, when Mom and Dad were to arrive, all of us piled into Seth and April's station wagon and went to drop of Seth, April, Joel, Katie and their dog Ridley, their inflatable kayaks and fishing gear on a quiet meandering section of the Upper Rogue where they would spend the day floating and fishing (and getting bit quite comprehensively by mosquitoes). After saying our goodbyes (some of them quite tearful!), I drove my nieces and I back to Union Creek where Dad had been driving around, he still disbelieving that our traditional loop was not occupied by, well, Himeses, and confused in his doubt that the site number I indicated on the paper plate actually existed; until, I came around in the familiar red Taurus, and he pulled in right behind me (without my noticing). I got out of the driver's seat and turned around to find my parents and grandpa parked directly behind me and were now quite ready to believe that I had found a great new site for our present and future camping traditions.

Yes, everyone agreed that this new site was wonderful and good and how could we have overlooked it? It was so spacious and private and on such a pretty part of the creek. But in all the decades that our family has camped at this campground—even my mom has camped here since she was a little girl— none of us, not my grandparents, parents, nor any of us children had ever bothered even looking at another loop than 39-52 and here in loop 1-7 was an even more perfect place to be. We were indeed completely surprised and glad of it, too.

We helped the girls catch several fish on the creek right close to our campsite and even took them along the Rogue a little bit too. They learned to cross logs and fish and get dirty and play with leaves and pinecones and sticks—things that you just can't find at any store.

It was a fine weekend. The only slight disappointment was the copious amount of smoke at Crater Lake. But other than that, the air at Union Creek was quite clear and refreshing, the trees towering and magnificent, the creek clear and cool, and the fish caught and released.

On a personal note, on Friday afternoon after my tent was up, I took many walks but also took my chair down by the creek where the water falls a little over rock and log and read the afternoon away. I felt happy, centered, and content. Such a feeling I certainly needed for another big change is coming my way. As of an hour or so ago, change looks to come much more quickly than I thought. Instead of couple of months, I may, in fact, only remain here in Southern Oregon for a couple more weeks. Where exactly I should go or could go is the question weighing on me. When—well, "when" seems to be out of my hands. I think When will happen when When wants to and I needn't be that anxious where When is concerned. I am now quite convinced of that.

All this commotion for praying this.

C'mon, Jesus.

Update: Well, there's a studio next door to the salon renting for $450/month. I could live and work there and pop over to the salon for appointments. I have never been so confused. (Since last week anyway.)

Update: I'm taking it.