The Enchanted Forest

Mike's parents spoiled us by taking us to a beautiful hotel on the grounds of the Oregon Botanical Gardens. Amazing room and unbelievable scenery.

Mike has a photographic memory of his childhood- Not me. He can remember specifics about special events, regular days, and even what he ate at a restaurant 20 years ago. Not me! But, one childhood memory that I have is my parents taking my family to the Enchanted Forest in Salem, OR. I was excited and nostalgic to take the kids there during our OR trip. It was kind of like going back to visit your 1st grade classroom when you're grown up.....it just looks so small and unfamiliar. Turns out, I didn't recognize a single thing there and it was like my first time there ever. Oh well. I still remember that we had great fun there as kids and now I can add that my kids had great fun there too, almost 3 decades later. We went with Grandma.pa O'Leary, Aunt Becky, and Cousins Nat & Everett. The kids loved going on all the rides.
Grandma/pa had taken Mike, the kids, and I to the Chinese Gardens earlier in the day. BEAUTIFUL! So, the kids were worn out by the time we finished our day. Thursday and Friday were spent at Grandma/pa's house on the beach. We tried our skills at sand castle making but, It was evident that we were city people. On Saturday, we all met up with Mark/Becky and family and a park in Portland for some splash time in the fountains and a picnic. All of the kids loved the splashpad and it was hard to get them out of there to head to the airport to come home.
We had a great trip and loved spending time with all our family making wonderful memories.