The Many Adventures of Becky and RaNita

RaNita is my partner in crime...and my ally in this crazy environment we work in. RaNita was hired three weeks before I was and, as a result, we have learned how to navigate our way through the BrucePac trials and tribulations together. Her problems are my problems. My victories are her victories. We share the same varying levels of loyalty and sense of duty. So, as two employees who have decided not to live and die with BrucePac, we decided early on to try and enjoy what we could throughout the day. Lunch in the park instead of the break room, walks to the post office, the occasional trip to Goodwill and The Red Bench to find priceless treasures are crucial in our attempts to make it through the week, to break up the monotony of office work. Sometimes, we get off early on Fridays, which pleases both of us enormously because then we can plan extravagant outings without having to worry about getting back to work. Fridays are the days for long lunches, trips to the bank, and excursions into the otherwise unexplored territories of Silverton and the surrounding areas. A couple of Fridays ago, we got off at one in the afternoon and decided to treat ourselves to a trip to Silver Falls. RaNita had been dying to go for a while and since the weather was perfect (not too cold, not sweltering), I agreed wholeheartedly that it was time to go hiking. So, off we went with me driving along winding roads, whizzing past field and forest towards the falls. Here are some pictures I took while walking along the trail.

Here we are briskly walking towards the falls along the forested path...

You come to the stream before getting to the waterfall itself and RaNita patiently waited for me while I waded in the cool water taking pictures.


Here is a couple of views of the water from the trail that winds from the right side, behind, then to the left side of the falls. See the Salmon Berries? They were all over the place and added a strategic pick-me-up to a certain fat kid hiker...



Another Friday afternoon adventure: the Strawberry Shortcake Stand in Kiezer. This place is an awesome combination of country grocery store, fruit stand, gift shop, plant nursery, and garden. They also boast the best seasonal shortcake stand I've ever been to. The first time we went in early June, we had the classical strawberries. However, this time we decided to take advantage of berry season and had the Mixed Berry Shortcake. God, it was good. We sat at a shaded picnic bench and enjoyed the breeze and flower garden. We came back to work totally blissed out, only to turn off our computers and go home. Yeah, Fridays are good....

The fruit: blackberries, cherries, black raspberries, marionberries, blueberries, red raspberries, gooseberries, figs, and many more I had never even heard of.



I don't need to tell you how good it was....