A Stunning Place for a Shower

And no, I don't mean a fancy bathroom!!  Several weeks ago we headed down to LaGrande, Oregon, to attend a baby shower for Mariah, my nephew JR's wife.  They are expecting a little boy in July and the time had come to shower them with gifts.  

When the invitation came, the location was listed as the Stang Manor.  I texted my sister-in-law, Karen, and asked if pearls and high heels were required.  She laughed and said no, just comfy clothes.  Eric and Keaton were out of town on a school trip, so Ann and Daniel rode along with Dan and me.  It's a four-hour drive, so Ann suggested we spend the night and enjoy a leisurely drive home the next day.  It was a brilliant idea and Dan and I agreed.  (We tend to be quite linear and think, go, attend, drive home.)

We left home before eight, picked up Ann and the D-man and headed out.  The drive was spectacular, and spectacularly slow.  They don't call one of the grades "The Rattlesnake" for nothing.  Steep? Yes! Windy? Yes!  Up we went, down we went, up we went, and down we went. Thirty-five miles an hour was speedy for many miles.   But I digress...

Upon arrival in LaGrande, we dropped the Daniels off at JR and Mariah's to spend the afternoon with "the guys", and found our way to Stang Manor.  Turns out, it's a lovely 100-year-old home built by a timber baron using the same plans as his home back in the upper midwest. It is now a bed and breakfast and part of our family was actually staying there for the weekend, and because of the multiple days, we had access to the whole house, including the kitchen.  

I have taken some pictures from their website but encourage you to go to the actual site for even more pictures and history of the house. 

Front garden with house on the right

Kitchen of my dreams!

Sitting area for one of the suites

Dining room with original table and sideboard

Beautiful entryway

The shower was a great success as JR and Mariah received many lovely things for their soon-to-arrive little boy. I made my usual gift, a quilt, and though the design was very simple, the fabric made it one of my favorites.  

The motel was just the thing for an eight-year-old boy because it had a big, empty pool, and I'm here to say Daniel made excellent use of it.  After eating all kinds of treats at the shower (the boys all joined us after it was over and enjoyed treats, too), we checked into our rooms, D hit the pool, and Dan and I headed out to pick up a pizza to eat in our room. Following the pizza, D hit the pool again, this time with Ann joining him in the water, and needless to say, he spent an hour or more there again in the morning before we headed out.  

We meandered (literally!!) our way home, stopping to admire Lake Wallowa and skip rocks, and decided a stop at Costco when we reached Clarkston was a much-needed break.  What a fun weekend.  Family, food, swimming and Costco!!