Raf and I visited Bend, Oregon this week. I got to go to the Oregon Library Association conference and Raf got to check out the area hiking. The conference was actually very good. I learned lots and got a much needed professional shot in the arm. I didn’t get to see much of the area but I did check out a few places. Wednesday night we had dinner at the Deschutes Brewery and I had a Black Butte Porter (my favorite). Being a children’s librarian, I get to go to the best workshops. I made a ring in one of them (among other things). A pink sharpie also exploded all over my hand in that same workshop so I got to walk around the conference among my professional colleagues looking like I murdered a clown. So that was fun. Afterward, I had time to wander around downtown and we spied this shoe in a shop that Raf hilariously nicknamed “The Nutbuster.” And finally, while following his intuitive voice, Raf procured this very cool mini spinning wheel for me at a thrift store. I love it!

Here is a shot of the Deschutes River from the hotel that the conference was at.