Leaving Seaside we headed to stay 2 nights in Keizer, OR at the Keizer Elks Club. What a nice Elks Club … they have a really nice club house, pool, hot tub, and playground. It is located just a few miles from Brent’s favorite restaurant … In-N-Out! That is the closest In-N-Out to Moses Lake and he was super happy to get his first Double Double of the trip!
My Dad and Mom met in Grants Pass, OR when they were in high school. My Dad is the 2nd of the 5 kids and the only one who really went far from home when he became an adult. When they graduated high school my dad took the train all the way to Ithaca, NY and attended Cornell University. My mom went to Corvallis, OR to attend Oregon State University. As so often happens with young love they couldn’t see how they could live 4 long years away from each other and after just 1.5 yrs of college they got married and went back to Ithaca so my Dad could finish his degree. Mom made this possible for him working and adulting while he finished his degree and moved on to get his Masters Degree. I digress … but that is probably why we never lived in Oregon … they chose to have their life adventures far away from “home”.
While we were in Keizer, I was lucky enough to have my cousin Suzy come visit. She lives outside of Portland. Suzy is the 1st grandchild and I am the 3rd on the Amberg side of the family. We were close growing up and used to write each other letters since we lived so far apart. We enjoyed each others company and got caught up on life. She just changed careers so that was fun to hear about and also has a beautiful little granddaughter named Ruth. As a matter of fact when she left me she was headed up for some baby Ruth time.
Our next stop was the Deerwood RV Park in Eugene. We hosted a fun get together at our campsite and got to see my Grandma, Aunt Bonnie, Dad, cousin Jamie and 2 of her kids Hunter and Lucy. My Dad just happened to be visiting the area to help my Grandma, house sit and dog sit for my Aunt Bonnie while she goes on a trip. My Grandma is 98 years old and will be 99 in November. She is an amazing Matriarch of the Amberg family. She still lives on her own and drives. We had a nice visit about what next year would look like for her 100th year birthday and a summer family reunion. My Grandma is amazing! She sends all her kids, grandkids, great grandkids and even her great great grandkids birthday and anniversary cards. She cross stitches each new baby a gift, plays games and enjoys receiving letters and pictures.
We got to play Mexican Train Dominoes and an Amberg Family favorite, Hand and Foot, with my Grandma, Aunt Bonnie and Dad. Playing games has always been a big part of the Amberg Family culture and it was fun to carry that on this visit. Grace loves to play games with GG, my Grandma, and I love that she sees the importance of taking this time with GG.
While we were in Eugene we also had a visit from my Aunt Janelle. She lives in Corvallis and brought us some Crumbl Cookies which we enjoyed very much. It was nice to visit with her and get caught up. We found some wonderful sourdough bread at the Creswell Bakery in Creswell, OR. I thought one of my cousins worked at their Chamber of Commerce so I stopped in for a hug, but he doesn’t work there anymore. LOL!
The rest of my family that lives in the area were busy or gone but I got a chance to think about them and the fun things we used to do when we would visit Grandma and Grandpa’s ranch. My Grandpa died at 69 from a heart attack. He was so many things - a wonderful dad, grandpa, and husband. He raised cattle and grew hay. He was a carpenter at different times in his life. We had the chance to go to his grave and put flowers on it. It was a nice time to think of him and remember his life and the influence he has had on us.
When we left Eugene we went to Grants Pass. Here we celebrated my Mom’s side of the family. We toured where my Granddaddy Pete and Nana Grace Cudd lived when my mom was growing up. My mom’s favorite place to live was at Paradise Ranch just outside Grants Pass.
Over the years different people have tried to make it into a dude ranch, wedding venue (my cousin Suzy got married there), golf course retreat and most recently a subdivision. The last owners went bankrupt back in 2008 and it’s in pretty bad repair, but we still go there and swing on Nana Grace’s swing and remember what it once was for my mom, her brother and parents. It’s where Mom feels closest to them. So of course we went there … for our picture and a visit. We even found the Grants Pass soda fountain and had a phosphate just like mom used to in her teens.
We went to their graves and spent some time remembering their contributions to our lives. Grace is named after my Nana Grace. She passed away when I was just 3 years old and my Granddaddy Pete passed away before I was born. My Granddaddy Pete owned grocery stores in his life. This started in Corpus Christi, TX where my Mom was born but they moved to Grants Pass when she was 12 years old. My Granddaddy Pete loved the mountains around Grants Pass. My mom remembers and has shared with us how much my Granddaddy Pete and Nana Grace loved each other. In his later life my Granddaddy Pete became a real estate agent and my Nana Grace owned a nursery in the same strip mall they owned with the grocery store. They were so close. After my Grandaddy passed away my Nana just missed him so much. She died from emphysema, but also a broken heart!
When we were in Grants Pass my dad's brother, my Uncle Larry, Aunt Diane and cousin Cindy came for a BBQ at our campsite. We had a great visit. They are the only part of my mom or dad's family that stayed in Grants Pass. Cindy has two boys, one of which is my Grandma's oldest great grandchild. Cindy is going to be a Grandma soon too! We are growing up! LOL!
We are going to California next. Stay tuned for more adventures.
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