Hi there! We drove north to meet George at Patty and Jeff's horse ranch in Trail on Thursday. What a beautiful place they have! They had planned a wonderful day for the kids and me. We began by mining tiny rubies and garnets in their creek, which we then viewed under a microscope. We hiked through their property, which has views you can't believe.

Patty and Jeff showed us how to mine in their creek.

Elliot enjoyed riding the ATV through the hills. Caleb meanwhile took some beautiful panorama shots.

Emily and I brushed two of their eight wonderful Arabian horses, which was Emily's highlight, of course. After that, we played croquet!

We slept at the Edgewater Inn. Here's the view from our room. We could hear the Rogue River.

I forgot Caleb's diabetes bag, so George made an extra trip from his sister's to deliver it. So far I have also forgotten my purse and my credit card. (I retrieved them both.) Seem to be a theme on this trip! The irony of watching King Lear, a play about an aging parent losing his wits, was not lost on any of us.

Yesterday, George drove us to the Oregon Caves National Monument:

We walked a mile through the cave system. It was unforgettable.

The kids are still asleep at the Best Western in Grants Pass. We had a good night's sleep. I told George he could bang on the wall if we kept him awake, but apparently we were quiet.
George is going to drive us to Roseburg today, where we will visit the Wildlife Safari. More later. Thanks for your prayers!
Love,
Lisa and kids