Summer in Eugene

So far the summer has been great here in Eugene. The weather has been warm and sunny, I am off of work (one of the many reasons I like teaching!), and I get to hang out with Morgan every day. That has been even more fun than I expected, except when she decided to skip naps in lieu of crawling around and getting into stuff...like closets.

Last week, Morgan and I went to the pool for the first time with my friend, Beth Anne, and her two little ones. Amazon Pool is outdoors and is a very popular place in the summer. They have a baby pool that is really shallow and covered with a big umbrella, and even have certain hours where only little kiddos can swim. I wasn't sure what Morgan would think, but she approached it with her usual laid-back, happy attitude. She sat in the water and splashed, and didn't seem to mind it when I laid her down in it. But she mostly loved watching the other kids. She would clap and jabber at them with a great amount of joy. I think this will become our new summer routine.

Another part of summer in Eugene was the US Track and Field Olympic Trials, or "Eugene '08" as they were called. The trials have ended, but it was a pretty big deal to have them in Eugene. Everywhere around town, things got spruced up for the big event. Flowers were planted, road construction projects were finished, and the annual field burning was put on hold so that the air would be clear. (Ironically it was hazy most of the time because of the California wildfires.) The trials had not been here in "Track Town USA" since the 1980's. Eugene has always had a big reputation for running, yet it seems that not too much has changed in the last 20+ years because Steve Prefontaine is still the biggest icon in town.
There was a big festival area that was free for anyone to go to. They had vendors and entertainment, big screens to watch the events on, and even a place you could ride stationary bikes (like a spinning class) to generate power for the event (yes, Eugene is and always has been pretty green!) Sam and I took Morgan there on the 4th of July. We were lucky to be given tickets to go watch the trials, but figured it would be impossible to find a sitter that day. So we packed her up, and as usual, conducted experiments in child-rearing. Morgan did great, watching people from her stroller, and getting smiles from strangers. We did go into Hayward Field to watch the events, so we did get to technically see the trials - it just happened to be men's javelin. She ate Cheerios and clapped from the bleachers. But the big track events weren't until late in the evening, and we figured that squirmy Morgan couldn't hang out until then. Experiment over. So we strolled up Agate Street, got ice cream and Prince Pucklers, and found a swing set for Morgan. From there we could hear the cheers from inside the stadium, and then we read the paper the next day about UO runner, Galen Rupp, and record setter Tyson Gay. A few weeks ago I couldn't even name three Olympic track and field events let alone a single athlete, but having the trials in Eugene made me a bit of a fan. I guess it will make watching the Olympics next month a little more interesting. (Here's a cool slide show of photos from the trials. )