Central Oregon

Elk. Condemned mining buildings. Mexican food. Bugles.
What do these all have common? My day here in Bend, its been absolutely fantastic. Today I had three school visits, Madras and two Bend high schools. Two went really well, the middle one forgot I was coming and went home sick...therefore leaving me in a dark room alone for like 20 minutes in high hopes that a student might still show up. Which none did. It was a beautiful day over here though so I was really looking forward to going and finding an abandoned mill and water tower I saw a couple days ago to take some photos and explore it. But first, a nap and working out. Which actually means that I got back to my hotel, set an alarm clock for a 30 minute nap and then proceeded to sleep for an hour and 30 min, all the while hitting the alarm clock off every ten minutes. I truly though that every new set of ten minutes I'd be ready to get up, but it never failed that I was so exhausted I hit snooze "just one more time."
So I ended up finding this old mill, which was actually an old mining place with its own water tower. I went with some cousins I have that live here, Connie and Henry, and we had a great time exploring the grounds. I even climbed to the second story of the mill after some work and had such an awesome view. I must say, not only did I get some great photos, I also very proudly saw some small holes in the roofing and siding of the ruined building. Seeing these I also thought, hmm....they look like holes from a rifle, yes they are holes from a rifle! I then proceeded to find shell casings all around the building and thought, how its rifle casings! Why did I know this? From talking with my Grandpa in CA and learning all about guns, I was quite proud I remembered and was able to identify the holes and the casings, however easy they may or may not be to identify. It was quite the triumph for me.
After we had a good time exploring we also went and drove around these backroads for a little longer and found an elk farm. I pet an elk tonight! So they were bugling the whole time and all I kept thinking about was...mmm....bugles kind of sound good. You know, those crunchy ones, made of corn I think, a little salty. Needless to say, the bugling made me want bugles the food. We all see where my priority is.
So I'm pretty tired and more than ready for bed so I'm getting to go get some shut eye. But first I'll post some photos from today. I took 92, but I promise it will not be that thorough in the postings. :o)
Hope all is well with everyone!
Oh, also, I found the cutest dress at the white and black store, I think I might buy it for the wedding but its a little pricey......okay, a lot pricey. Do I do it still? Any suggestions for a good dress? Why do I even ask, we all know when I get my mind set on something specific its pretty hard to tear me away from it because everything less will pale in comparison.