Summer fun in Eugene

We spent the weekend in Eugene but not to do what 90% of everyone else did, go to the Oregon Country Fair.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good drum circle as much as the next guy, but OCF isn’t really my scene. I’m more of a get-in-nature-away-from-everbody-else kind of hippie.

Anyway, the weekend lived up to Eric’s nickname for the season: the Do It All Summer.

We spent one morning disc golfing at Dexter State Park. Peeper must be a lucky charm because Eric was 4 down within the first 5 holes.

Peeper wasn’t too interested in discs, though; all she wanted to do was play in the gravel and throw wood chips.

Ten Thousand Hour MamaTen Thousand Hour MamaTen Thousand Hour MamaIt was also about a million degrees outside, so my mom and I took Peeper to a riverside fountain in town. I had biked past it the night before, which reminded me of running or bicycling through it when I was young, so it seemed like the perfect antidote to the withering heat.

Despite feeling slightly creeped out by a person in a head-to-toe blue unitard who stopped to watch for a while (WTF? oh, Eugene), we had a great time. Peeper wasn’t so sure about the falling water at first, but once she got a little braver, she circled that fountain to touch every spout again and again and again.

Ten Thousand Hour MamaTen Thousand Hour MamaTen Thousand Hour MamaShe stumbled a few times, resulting in her first-ever scraped knees. That didn’t ruin her fun, though; I picked her up and she directed me with that ever-pointing finger. We made the rounds that way and she became expert at spraying me in the face.

Ten Thousand Hour MamaTen Thousand Hour MamaIn case that’s not enough cuteness for ya, you can see the little bug in action:

[vimeo 100615783 w=500 h=281]

Fountain Fun from Catherine Ryan Gregory on Vimeo.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get pictures of the rest of the weekend’s highlights: Eating Prince Puckler’s ice cream in the park (they still have fresh Oregon strawberry—go eat it while it lasts!—or you can always get President Obama’s favorite, mint chip), playing Euchre with my parents, BBQing, biking along the Willamette and kayaking (though Peeper and I stayed home during this adventure).

Part of me feels like the summer has already zoomed by and before I know it I’ll be picking apples instead of peaches, blackberries and strawberries. But with weekends as lovely as this one, we still have plenty of summer fun left.

0 thoughts on “Summer fun in Eugene

  • July 15, 2014 at 8:24 am
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    It’s so fun to watch the little ones start to enjoy water like that!

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    • July 16, 2014 at 6:59 pm
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      She looooooves the water, no matter if it’s in the tub, pool, fountain, sink or dog bowl. 😉

      Reply
  • July 15, 2014 at 12:49 pm
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    Looks like such a fun weekend. I love the splash pads… wish I had them growing up. My son is a huge fan!

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    • July 16, 2014 at 6:58 pm
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      We have to find some good splash pads around this area. We’ll be making them a regular part of our summer!

      Reply
  • July 16, 2014 at 12:48 pm
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    I am the same kind of hippie 😉 And what in the world is up with blue unitard dude? Creepy! I loved water fountains during summers when my kids were babies and little tots, and truth be told, they still love them to this day. What fun!

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    • July 16, 2014 at 6:57 pm
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      That’s the thing with public spaces—you have to take the good (fountains!) with the bad (creepy unitard guy). –> I should make a bumper sticker! Ha!

      Reply
  • July 17, 2014 at 1:02 pm
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    It’s such fun for kids to play in fountains like that. We have a wonderful park here in Hillsboro, where the water fountain jets alternate in different patterns. We take my nephews often in the summer.

    Reply

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