Photoessay #6 - Trip to Eugene with grandparents 2004

In 2004, my parents came out to Seattle with my brother with the idea of going down to Eugene to watch some of the Ducks games. When I look back on this, it was a stressful but positive experience.

I did a ton of preparation. I realized that I was staying at all those hotels on Franklin Blvd to try them out to pick the best. I made a huge effort to get the Mac Court bathrooms open. I will write another time about that. I had all the food planned out. One of my friends, in passing, offered to make me a lasagna. "Oh no" I said "But thanks" But then, I thought "wouldn't it be so great to come home from Eugene and have a dinner waiting there ALL READY?" Oh yeah, I took her up on it.

My brother came with them and, even then, my father rented the car but my brother drove it. My father complained a little but every time my brother offered to let him drive, he turned him down. My mother carefully choreographed the softball t-shirts that I had given them. You can tell from the picture that this was the first day. The first day, my mother decreed, should be the high school shirts, the second day would be the travel shirts, the third day would culminate in the official University of Oregon t-shirts.

One thing that I had not realized was that my parents had never made the trip from Seattle to Portland and down the Willamette Valley. Or, if they did, they did not remember it. In a burst of inspiration, my brother and I realized that we could leave earlier in the day. We didn't have to wait for the other parts of the traveling party. That way, we would arrive in daylight hours, much to the relief of my parents. So we set out down I-5 and my mom thoroughly enjoyed all of the scenery. We made it through Portland and the tricky lane change "What tricky lane change?" my brother asks as he's speeding down I-5 across the Willamette from downtown Portland "Oh, THAT tricky lane change!'

Everything went smoothly, all the food and the games (I know I have some other pictures) and Doris' breakfast and the Awards Banquet. They did it all.

The picture was taken in the parking lot of the Pancake House in Eugene, they do have yummy pancakes.

My parents were completely exhausted at the end of this trip. My brother had to call for professional help by the time the plane landed in Chicago. It took my father six months and back surgery to recover. But he did it!