16 July 2023

After genetic testing showed she had a BRIP1 gene mutation and with a family history of reproductive cancers, Becky's doctor recommended she have a total hysterectomy. We scheduled the surgery in July when it was easy to block out time for recovery. Her surgery was on Monday and everything went great. Brandan took the week off work and provided Becky with excellent care. Since Becky spent most of the week looking like a nearsighted manatee with dreadlocks, here's a photo of the beautiful flowers Sarah sent instead. We're super thankful for a fantastic doctor and nursing team and for the peace of mind from removing the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers. 

 

Gibson left on Wednesday for our ward's High Adventure camp. The leaders planned a great activity that balanced adventure and effort with a lot of fun. On Wednesday the boys rafted the Rogue River. On Thursday and Friday, they biked and drove from Grants Pass to Gold Beach on Forest Service roads, camping along the way. This is a photo of the group as they loaded up on Wednesday morning. From the left are Charlie, Brant, Greg, Gibson, Cason, Diego, Bob, Ben, Spencer, Cameron, Scott, Andrew, Jason, Ike, Noah, Seth, Sam and Luke.

We love where we live and frequently find reasons to love it even more. Brandan scouted out a lavender festival happening this weekend and Brandan and Becky headed out on the lavender trail on Saturday morning. It turns out our climate is excellent for growing lavender. Six local farms join together every year to show off their farms and the products they create. This was the 10th anniversary of the festival, but the first for us.

We visited two of the farms. The first was Dos Mariposas in Jacksonville. We could smell the lavender in the air before we got to the fields. This farm plants 16 varieties of lavender, which seems like a lot, but we learned there are hundreds of varieties.

The second farm we visited was Kingfisher Farms in the Applegate.

Both farms distill some of their lavender to capture the essential oil which they use to make all kinds of soaps and lotions. This is a photo of Dos Mariposas' distillery and Kingfisher Farms had a similar contraption. Steam rises through a giant pot of cut lavender stems, dissolving the oil in the blossoms. The steam then cools and condenses in the long tube connected to the top of the vat, separating into water and oil. The glass flask allows the oil to float to the top and the water can be drained from the bottom. The large vat will produce ¼-½ cups of oil. The oil preserves the lavender scent in a highly concentrated form. We enjoyed visiting the beautiful farms, sampling lavender products and learning a little chemistry all on the same day.