Proteas and fynbos for sale at Wild Oats Farmer’s Market, Sedgefield, South Africa
Can’t help it: I’m always stacking the world up against Oregon. My home-state is in my blood, and I’m proud of it.
Local food? Gorgeous scenery? Check, check. Good friends? Double check.
Thanks to relationships built over our month-long stint volunteering at Carmel by the Sea, Ted and I were treated to a little taste of home way on the opposite side of the world.
Our new (and hopefully life-long) friends Gary and Susan surprised us on our last weekend at Carmel with tickets for a cruise on the Knysna Lagoon, gifted to us by the organization in thanks for our time volunteering. (No thanks needed, though! We’re still thanking them for three meals a day for a month and a beautiful retreat on the Indian Ocean…)
The Saturday itinerary: straight out of the playbook for a perfect day at home. Imagine a community farmers market (with a little taste of Eugene’s Oregon Country Fair thrown in the mix), and then a trip up to Oregon and Washington’s Columbia River Gorge for scenic views across majestic cliffs and waterways… Got the mental image in your head? (If not – here are a few cheat sheets from other visitors.)
Now just jump to South Africa, change the names, a few of the faces, and tell me if you see the similarities: Continue Reading…