Historical Valentine's Day

What better way to spend Valentine's Day than doing something you love, in a place you love, with the person you love!

I awoke to find my bathroom floor covered with hearts (they look so striking against the white tile that I'm going to leave them there for a few days!). Jim has always managed to find a clever and dramatic way to surprise me, but has never surpassed our first year together when he filled my shower with heart-shaped balloons, but he still manages to find ways to surprise me!

After reading the newspaper and taking my morning walk, I had an appointment with the Red Cross to give blood. By 11:00 I was home and Jim and I were ready to begin our Valentine's Day Adventure! Yesterday, you see, was also Oregon's Sesquicentennial and we two history buffs had promised ourselves a day immersed in the history of this beautiful state.

We live just north of Oregon City, which was the capital of the Oregon Territory and the first Capital of the State. In honor of the day, many of the historic sites were admission-free, and the City's trolley was on a special route to hit the highlights. (As an aside for any other history buffs, Oregon City's archives holds the original plat for the city of San Francisco. Since OC was the territorial capital, it had to be filed here, and here it has stayed!)

We enjoyed two museums and two local homes, most notably that of Dr. John McLoughlin who is known as "The Father of Oregon." We viewed the city and the Willamette River from OC's own outdoor elevator, and then headed over to our favorite little wine bar, Winestock.

All in all, it was a lovely, if exhausting, day for two people who love sharing time together, and who love the history of our State and our Nation.

I hope you and your Valentine had a special day as well.