Crafts and Smells and Puppy Dog Tails

 Today we have journeyed to many places in the Eugene and Springfield area. Since Tuesday is Terry's official birthday, but wanted to include his daughter, Mallory. Weekends are best for Mallory, so we picked her up and headed out to enjoy our day. First stop was the Saturday Market in Eugene. 

The day started off with a slight chill in the wind, but the weather overall was fairly warm. It was a perfect day to walk through the market. Vendors were set up for about three blocks and each booth was in close proximity to the next. The hand-crafted items lie in wait for their forever home. Everything from wooden kitchen items to vegetable starts, honey, bees wax candles and other creations. Jewelry hung on display through quite a few booths, each item carefully designed by the seller. 

Table after table of sewn clothing and purses, crocheted bikinis, and of course, the coveted tie-dye clothing. Music was being played by several artists in sporadic spots of the market area. Dancers gathered to put on a show for those interested. Some joined the dance, some tossed money into guitar cases or jars and moved onto something else. 

The entire venue smelled of food. Walking through the market is like walking through outdoor markets in different countries. Hot food, cold food, the aroma of homemade savory and sweet delectables rode on the wind, teased our noses, then moved to the next group of market goers. 

The large fountain in the center of the Eugene Saturday Market wasn't on today. It was strange, as I remember the fountain always bubbling with cool water, delivering a reprieve from the heat. Today it was missing, leaving a large hole in the market experience. I was feeling the warmer temperatures of the day and was hoping for that misty spritz of water to cool off a bit. But no such luck. 

We spent about two hours walking through the aisles and aisles of tents that vendors had displayed their wares in. Beautiful items. The stoneware caught my eye a couple of times since we are moving into our new house soon. But I resisted the temptation to buy anything until after the move. As difficult as that was, we continued our stroll. 

Mallory and I were interested in the jewelry. Neither of us bought anything in the end, but it sure was fun looking and dreaming. Butterfly shaped sunglasses, children's hand stitched clothing, dreamcatchers and crystals, semi-precious stones and even hand-blown glassware lined the tables by the dozens. 

We decided to "window" shop along the outer edge of the Saturday Market on our way back toward the car. But then, out of nowhere, we met Ron and our hearts melted. 

Mallory immediately dropped to her knees. I bent over to pet Ron but remained standing. Ron captured everyone's attention, searching for love in all the right places. He was all over Mallory, giving wonderful puppy kisses and cuddles. What a doll he was. Seeing Ron made me wonder why I didn't get another puppy. Then Ron turned around and bit into the tablecloth covering the booth next to him. He pulled and items were unbalanced due to the yanking gesture. I suddenly remembered why I don't get another puppy. They're adorable, but as I'm getting older, I don't have the energy to chase around after them.

A few moments of snuggling and kissing and we moved on. We had to park at the end of the street due to the amount of traffic there was around the market today. It was a good walk and didn't really matter because it was warm and not raining. Once in the car, we began our route to the Valley River Center and Barnes and Noble bookstore, which the area is also inclusive of the lovely, popular eatery, The Texas Roadhouse steakhouse. 

Barnes and Noble was first on the list of things to do. We decided not to go into Valley River Center today as we had fulfilled our shopping cravings at the Eugene Saturday Market. So off we went, in search of books, movies, and fun things to do in Barnes and Noble. 

Terry began his jaunt through the store and Mallory commenced hers in a different section. I plopped into a very comfortable wing chair to watch it all unfold. I saw Terry dart in and out of my view at random moments. He looked as though he was on a mission. Mallory took a more relaxed approach to finding the perfect item to take home. She came across a book for her son and a couple of movies. Terry found nothing that interested him at this point. All in all, it was a good experience in Barnes and Noble once again. Me? I sat in comfort, taking photos and did some people watching. It was all good. 

Barnes and Noble gave their store a splash of spring color with planters of tulips. While they were fake tulips, they added that splash of color to various corners of the store that were needed. It was nice. Our trio came, we saw, we grew hungry. The planned date with the Texas Roadhouse was up next. I had a steak calling my name! I'm sure the birthday boy was up for his visit to the eatery too. Off we went, right across the street, to park in front of the restaurant.

Before heading in, we decided to have Terry open his gifts from Mallory and her son, Hayden. There was no reason to bring everything in with us, so we sat in the car, giving us a private spot. Terry opened his gifts and read his beautiful, heartfelt cards from both Mallory and his grandson. He was touched and it was a great moment. 

 Gifts were awesome, but we had some hot rolls calling out to us! To our surprise, we timed this visit just right. Nobody was in front of us, nobody waiting in the entry, and we were seated almost immediately. 

Once we arrived at our "trough", oh, I mean our booth, they brought the bread! Those heavenly hot rolls, fresh from the oven, made my mouth water. Tearing off a piece, I placed it on my tongue and wow! Suddenly I was reminded as to why we come to this specific restaurant every time we visit Eugene. The cinnamon butter is a quaint addition, but that bread is the star of the show. If you listen closely, choirs of angels sing each time those rolls are delivered to the table. Every bite just as delicious as the one before, and they are brought to the tables by the droves. Basket after basket, pound after pound gained, we ate some rolls! Dinner? What's that? 

Country fried steak and green beans. Bet you can't guess who ordered this! 

I tried the macaroni and cheese with the country fried steak this time, instead of potatoes. 

Not sure why this pic came out blurry, but Terry ordered his usual. A sirloin with baked potato and the green beans. 

Mallory had the chicken, salad, and the veggies. 

Upon finishing dinner, I was going to tell the waiters to bring a cake out or pieces of cake and embarrass my guy with a round of happy birthday from the wait staff, but he heard the song being sung before we finished and did ask that we not do that to him. While it would have been fun, I didn't want to humiliate him or disregard his wishes for his birthday. We did order desserts but left out the singing staff. 

Terry had the "Big Brownie" a la mode. Yes, because it's not sugary enough with just a large brownie. It has to be covered with that beautiful ice cream, with chocolate sauce splashed across the top. 

Happy birthday baby! I'll see you when you wake from your sugar coma. 

Mallory ordered the strawberry cheesecake. It looked gorgeous!

I ordered the apple pie, topped with ice cream and swirls of caramel sauce. The pie was served hot, creating a lovely bath of cream, apple pie, and the delicious caramel sauce. The mixture of the three was superb. 

We waddled out to the car and thank God it was parked close. I couldn't walk any longer, not with the food I had just eaten. I had my dinner and leftover pie in boxes and climbed into the seat, feeling stuffed to the gills. Telling myself, "No dessert next time," I knew it would happen again if we chose to order from the dessert menu a second time. Love apple pie!

The three of us moaned and groaned on our way to my daughter, Brandy's house. We discussed stopping by, showing her our love while she is healing from surgery, and getting out again to let her sleep. Brandy yelled, "Come in!" the moment I knocked. The dog was barking, giving me bad thoughts about interrupting her day. The visit went as planned. A hug, discussion for a few moments, and then out the door again. She needed her rest. 

We drove up the main thoroughfare in Springfield, heading to my oldest daughter, Dawn's house. Finding Dawn, her husband Andy, and his father Lorenzo at home, we sat out back on the deck and caught up on the happenings in each other's lives. I could feel my body giving in to the tiredness coming on and was ready to go home. We left shortly after we arrived.

The trip was perfect! I got to hug my two daughters and tell them how much they mean to me. We ate dinner, including dessert, we shopped, visited the bookstore and we were exhausted. Our trusty steed took us there and would return home carrying its passengers one more time. Home is a great place to be, especially after a long day. Tomorrow is Sunday and another adventure awaits us. Not sure what that will be yet, but we will find some way to have fun yet another day.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and happy, happy birthday to my sweet man.