A Last Bit of a Break

One of my coworkers was leaving for grad school in Hawaii so our boss threw a "Repiratement Party." Some of us decided to dress up. Just further proof that I work with awesome people. 

On the walk back from Winter Island

     This is my last month of summer vacation before classes resume, and so I've been trying to use the most of it. Next summer I will be in the middle of my rotations, so I won't have another break like this one. Much of this summer has been spent reading, exploring Salem, and going for walks, all things I greatly love. I've also been able to hang out with my coworkers more outside of work, a luxury I rarely seem to have during the school year. I'm very much going to miss the chances to spend so much time with them, though at least I'll see them when I work on some of the days when I have no classes. They're pretty amazing people. 

Lower Oneonta Falls

     I was able to end the month by flying back to Oregon to visit family and friends. Sadly the good health I've enjoyed for the last year finally decided to give out as I spent 36 hours battling a fever caused by a reaction to a vaccine, and recovered from that only to find that an opportunistic pathogen had joined forces with the allergens of Oregon to give me a sinus infection. It's not exactly how I expected this trip to go, but it happens. I was still functional and able to catch up with friends and family, as well as attend a concert of my favorite band, so I was fine. Plus, the fever didn't set in until after my family went for a hike, so I was able to explore the beauties of the Oneonta Gorge while still in good health. My sister and I even woke up early that morning to watch the sun rise over the Cascades. We realized how spoiled we were when we became disappointed that we could only see 3 mountains (Rainier, St. Helens, and Adams) from our vantage point, rather than the 5 we were used to (Hood and Jefferson were hidden behind clouds). I think I have been remarkably blessed to be able to live in such beautiful places in my life. 

     It was hard to leave friends and family back at home, but I'm planning to see them at Christmas, and I'm looking forward to starting the new school year. Less than a year until rotations!

Beauty In Small Things: Maine and New Hampshire Edition

     The second installment in my series of appreciation for the little things in life is thanks to two trips: a hike up Mt. Kearsarge in New Hampshire and a visit to Old Orchard Beach in Maine. I've tried to label the pictures with the correct names for the plants, but I was not sure about a couple.

Cairn on Mt. Kearsarge

Bunchberries (Cornus canadensis) 

Roots on the hike down Kearsarge

Mysterious pink fungi in NH

Baby starfish on a rock

African daisy