On our way South 9/2013

Our calendar has been full this summer and so much fun. We had a big wedding to attend and we are saying goodbye to family. The big wedding was Rachel Mather our nieces daughter and David Pratt.

Reception was fun and we had time to visit with family. All cousins Hallie, Sarah, the bride Rachel, Renee, McKenna, and Lexi.

Wedding Cupcakes.

Throwing the bouquet

When we are in Keizer we park at the Keizer Elks.

My Mom came for a visit.

Next stop is Myrtle Point to say goodbye to Mae, Dick’s Mom. This is her yard that blooms with gusto year around.

We stay at the Coquille Elks and coming home one evening we came across turkeys. More than likely trying to escape the Thanksgiving Dinner.

They have a Harvest Festival in Myrtle Point every year. Classic cars line the streets.

And 50’s entertainment.

Just one of many unique cars.

Next stop is Hawthorne NV.

Hop Farm Tour in Keizer OR 9/2013

Our Nephew Paul took us on a tour of a local hop farm. The hops are ready for harvest.

From the field to the barn.

We inspect what a hop really looks like. Paul with Larry, Linda, and Rockey.

This is what they look like. If they split exactly down the middle like this they are ready to harvest.

The truck brings them in and they are hung not to dry but to go through a series of conveyor belts and machinery to shake the hops from the vines.

It takes the hops off and the vines go to be ground up and eventually put back into the field.

Another view of the machinery. The hops are headed to a drying room.

We walked to the top to look down on the process.

Ready to follow the hops to the drying room

There they go into the drying room.

The drying process.

When they are totally dry they are sent to the packing room.

They are packaged into tightly packed bales.

Then loaded onto trucks.

They are their way to a special processor in WA. Most are dried and vacuum packed in Mylar. So at that point they are returned to OR for storage and sales distribution.