Live Oregon

Home Is Where Oregon Is

Home Is Where Oregon Is written by Maiah Miller The love I feel for Oregon grows in my life much like the native pine tree. I have a delicate version inked on my wrist as a constant reminder of the Pacific Northwest, and each flash of the boughs peeking from my sleeve reminds me of home. As a military spouse, I move often, seemingly farther away from my birthplace of Eugene with each duty station. I carry this love for my home state like a security blanket. It is something I can reach for and cling to in times of homesickness. Oregon invades my thoughts when daydreaming, like the fog along the coast. I find ways to weave my love of the state into my life, even when I’m physically far from the valley I grew up in. When I first left the state to move with my twin to…

Travel

Alysia Kezerian of Wheelies Around the World

Wheelies Around the World: Alysia Kezerian may use a wheelchair, but that’s not stopping her travels written by Mackenzie Wilson If The Little Engine That Could was a person, it would be Alysia Kezerian. The 24-year-old, from Danville, California, hasn’t let anything get in the way of her seeing the world, not even a devastating injury. In 2015, Kezerian, then a student at the University of Oregon, was paralyzed from a fall at Smith Rock State Park near Terrebonne. She was bouldering up a 10-foot rock face and on the way back down, a section of the rock broke off, sending her to the ground. Adrenaline dulled her initial understanding of whether she was hurt. “I thought, oh I didn’t hit my head, I’m fine,” Kezerian said. “ Then I tried to move my legs and I couldn’t.” It took rescue crews seven hours to get Kezerian out of the…

Oregon Sports

Ian Sharman’s Approach to Ultrarunning

Grit, training and Bend beer Ian Sharman takes a more casual approach to ultrarunning written by Mackenzie Wilson How does an economist from London who’s lived most of his life at sea level transform into an ultrarunner capable of conquering 100-milers above 10,000 feet? For Ian Sharman, 37 and of Bend, it all started with walking. In 2005, Sharman was living in London and saw a TV show highlighting the Marathon des Sables race, 150 miles in six stages over seven days. It made him wonder if he could do something like that. He played sports growing up, but had never focused on running. “On the TV show, I saw people walking most of it and I thought, I’m sure I can walk for a week, that doesn’t seem like a big deal.” The next year, Sharman signed up for the race. During stage three he got hyponatremia—dangerously low levels…

Oregon Travel

The giant sequoia of Queen of Angels Monastery

Travel Spotlight: In the shadow of the giant sequoia of Queen of Angels Monastery written and photographed by Betsy L. Howell More than 700 miles from its native range in California, a 125-year- old giant sequoia tree welcomes visitors to the Queen of Angels Monastery in Mount Angel. In 1893, Sister Protasia Schindler found the seedling growing beside the railroad tracks. She immediately dug it up to plant next to the monastery’s entrance. Many years later, she said that if she’d known how large it would grow, she never would have planted it so close to the monastery. The tree now dwarfs the building as well as the other trees on the grounds, including one of its progeny planted in 1982. In 2004, the giant sequoia was designated an Oregon Heritage Tree. This honor is bestowed for an individual tree’s historical significance, accessibility to the public, and general health. The…

Home+Garden

Modern ‘Mid’ Look Design Finds

Design Finds Get the modern ‘Mid’ look of the West Hills bath Go bold with Clayhaus Ceramics’ Futura Collection. It’s comprised of five different tile designs that can be mixed and matched in a rainbow of glazes, all with a distinctive three-dimensional quality to their surface. clayhaustile.com There’s no need to have disparate packaging around when the cotton balls and Q-tips can be decanted into these chic stoneware vessels, available in a variety of sizes. Offered in either white or black and topped with low-profile acacia lids, they’ll create a much more cohesive display. rejuvenation.com For a minimalist treatment similar to the floating light fixtures in the West Hills bath, try the Baird Aged Brass Sconce from Hudson Valley Lighting, which combines a simple brass base with an oversized orbital shade. Pick it up at Globe Lighting, an outpost for fine lighting in the Pacific Northwest since its first store…

Oregon Architecture

Athletic Pursuits: New Oregon athletic facilities, big and small, around the state

New Oregon athletic facilities, big and small, around the state written by Sheila G. Miller Many track and field buffs are in mourning at the changes underway at historic Hayward Field. The facility, which was built in 1919 to house football and grew into the legendary location of Olympic Trials and USA Track and Field championships, has been torn down and will be rebuilt entirely using funds from the Phil and Penny Knight Foundation and other donors. The new facility is the result of Eugene hosting the 2021 World Outdoor Championships. It will have an expanded capacity—from 8,500 to 12,900 with room for temporary seating up to 30,000—and a nine-story tower with an observation deck, as well as a locker room and an indoor practice facility. Missing from the facility will be the wooden stands where fans have cheered on racers for nearly a century. The project was designed by…

Business

Baseballism Is Creating Baseball For All

Oregon may not have a baseball team (yet), but it has a successful baseball company written by Beau Eastes | photography by Brian Holstein Baseballism has retail shops in baseball hot spots around the country—Cooperstown, New York; Scottsdale, Arizona; Boston; and San Francisco to highlight a few—but its flagship store is in a beautifully renovated warehouse on Northwest 22nd and Quimby in Portland, just seven blocks from the Portland Beavers’ original stadium, Vaughn Street Park. What started out as a youth baseball camp put on by four former University of Oregon club baseball players is now a $10 million a year lifestyle brand built around America’s pastime. That means you can purchase everything from T-shirts adorned with baseball terms like “Southpaw” and “Live Life Like a 3-1 Count” to $85 leather toiletry bags. The company doesn’t have a licensing agreement with Major League Baseball, instead creating products from sayings and slogans…

Food+Drink

Gastronomy: Wild About Game

Gastronomy: Wild About Game written by Jen Stevenson Run (and eat) wild with a thicketful of the Pacific Northwest’s best chefs at Nicky USA’s annual celebration of wild game and culinary camaraderie, returning on September 30 to the Mt. Hood Oregon Resort in Welches, Oregon. Now in its eighteenth year, the festival promises an impressive lineup of local cooking talent, from Castagna’s Justin Woodward and Aviary’s Sarah Pliner to Seattle chefs David Nichols (Rider) and Alex Barkley (Manolin). Against a backdrop of the Oregon high country’s brilliant fall foliage, guests sample gourmet meats, craft beers, charcuterie, spirits, cheeses, wine, cider, chocolate and coffee from nearly fifty top local purveyors including Olympia Provisions, Salt & Straw and Crowley Wines, plus meat-centric bites from more than a dozen acclaimed chefs like Gregory Gourdet of Departure and Kachka’s Bonnie Morales. The meaty merriment turns serious come the Carter Cutlery Cooking Competition, which pits…

Explore Oregon

Wines Going Rogue: The Gateway to Southern Oregon Wine

The Gateway to Southern Oregon Wine sponsored content provided by Travel Medford Medford is the perfect starting point to explore Southern Oregon’s famous wine. Known for a distinctive climate and soil that create perfect growing conditions, Southern Oregon Wine Country has been named a Top 12 global wine destination by Forbes and a Top 10 travel wine destination worldwide by Wine Enthusiast. Three wine trails around the region highlight this special place. The Applegate Wine Trail features seventeen wineries and vineyards nestled into the hills of the Applegate Valley along Highway 238. Check out biodynamic winemaking at Troon Vineyard and Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden, or taste American Bordeaux at Cricket Hill Winery. The Bear Creek Wine Trail runs from Medford along Highway 99 to Ashland. With eleven wineries to choose from, the trail features wine made in the southernmost part of the Rogue Valley AVA. Grab a Bear Creek Wine…

Things to do in Oregon

A Perfect Pair – Theater and Dining In Downtown Medford

A Perfect Pair – Theater and Dining In Downtown Medford sponsored content provided by Travel Medford Downtown Medford is a mecca for theater-lovers and foodies. Feed your mind, body and soul, and experience the thrills of downtown — all within walking distance! Great performances are a cornerstone of Medford’s downtown core. The Craterian Theater is the Rogue Valley’s premier live performance venue. Enjoy everything from ballet, to professional acrobatics, the local symphony and performances from famous musicians. As a cultural focal point of downtown Medford, every performance will amaze you. We guarantee you’ll return for an encore. But the fun doesn’t end there for theater fans. The Randall Theatre Company has a jam-packed season of stage plays and musicals. If you make a last-minute decision to see a show, the Randall Theatre allows you to pay what you want at the door for seats that remain unsold 30 minutes before showtime….