Photos: Oregon, Enchanted Forest

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Lydia (in her stroller), mom, and a cowboy

Western town

The main areas within the Enchanted Forest are Storybook Lane (which features nursery rhyme characters and venues), Western Town (which features the American West), Old Europe Village, Kiddy Rides, Theatre, Log Ride, and Ice Mountain.

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Ma Wee, Lydia, and dad are standing under an arch

Old Europe Village

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Mom and Lydia are visiting with someone who looks like Abraham Lincoln

Western town

Note: All of these pictures were taken on July 3, 2008 at the Enchanted Forest in Turner, Oregon.

Photos: Oregon, Nursery Rhymes 2

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Lydia is cautiously approaching this exhibit because she is apprehensive about the dark, and during our visit to the Enchanted Forest, she often refused to walk into these places.

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This exhibit of Mary Had a Little Lamb was among Lydia's favorites because she likes that nursery rhyme very much.

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Lydia is gazing at the Alice in Wonderland sign.

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Lydia is looking at Jack and the pumpkin.

Note: SiowFong took all of these pictures on July 3, 2008 at the Enchanted Forest in Turner, Oregon.

Photos: Oregon, Nursery Rhymes 1

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Dad and Lydia are in front of Humpty Dumpty, one of Lydia's favorite nursery rhymes.

Mom brought a nursery rhyme CD that she played in the car during our road trip to the Woitte home, and Lydia often requested that her mother replay the Humpty Dumpty song.

When Lydia is eating a hard boiled egg now, she frequently says, "I'm eating Humpty Dumpty!"

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Mom and Lydia are standing in front of a witch's home.

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Mom and Lydia are standing in front of the Crooked House.

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Lydia is gazing at Little Red Riding Hood.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on July 3, 2008 at the Enchanted Forest in Turner, Oregon.

The Enchanted Forest

July 3, 2008

The Enchanted Forest

Today’s special event for Lydia was a visit to the Enchanted Forest, which she read about in Frommer’s guidebook to Oregon and which is located about twenty minutes from Dennis’ and Frances’ home.

Here is how one past visitor described the experience:

“Enchanted Forest is a small park built on a hillside outside Turner, Oregon, and accessible from IR-5. It's almost, but not quite, entirely unlike any other park I have ever seen. Once suitably entranced, I headed up the hill and came to two steep paths leading off to the left and right. A sign lays down the ground rules (no running, no high heels...it's really steep, have fun, etc.), and another sign says to "start at the castle". Yet another sign points to the left and says, "This way."
At the castle entrance, you pass through a narrow passage where an illuminated manuscript is posted on the wall:

Welcome to the Enchanted Forest
We sincerely hope you will find your visit most enjoyable.
This park will undergo constant change and what you see today is just the beginning.
I began designing & building my dream in 1964, opened to the public in 1974, and am still creating new dreams today with my family.
Thank you for your visit and do come again.
--Roger Tofte

Apparently the whole park is a figment of Roger Tofte's imagination. Which is apparently fairly extensive. The bulk of the park is a ‘Storybook Forest’ kind of place, with scenes from nursery rhymes and children's literature. Notices are posted relating to difficulties fond in various rhymes.

Steps later, we go through the looking glass into Alice's wonderland. Well, there is no looking glass to step through, but there is a rabbit hole to crawl through. The detailing is very interesting, right down to the steel handrails, which are coated so that they look exactly like tree saplings, are even bent in natural-looking ways.

On up the hill are the home of the three bears, the cottage where an animated witch tried to get the best of Hansel & Gretel...and the little crooked man's crooked little house. There is a self-guided tour through the seven dwarfs' mine, and a visit to the old woman's shoe, which includes a rather large slide.”

(Source: http://capital2.capital.edu/admin-staff/dalthoff/v99/enchant.html)

Photos: Oregon, Woittes, Flag

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Lydia is preparing for Independence Day as she examines an American flag on the side porch.

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Lydia the flagbearer

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Lydia is examining the stars and stripes on the flag.

Note: SiowFong took all of these pictures using the camcorder on July 3, 2008 at the home of Dennis and Frances Woitte in Dallas, Oregon.

Photos: Oregon, Woittes, Feeding Fish

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While kneeling on the small wooden bridge, Lydia and Dennis are looking at the fish that are swimming in the pond. In his left hand, Dennis is holding the orange bottle of fish food that he uses to feed the fish each day.

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Lydia, who is holding the empty bottle of bubbles, is squatting peacefully on the wooden bridge.

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Lydia is surveying other areas of the yard from the vantage of the wooden bridge.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on July 3, 2008 at the home of Dennis and Frances Woitte in Dallas, Oregon.

Photos: Oregon, Woittes, Chicken

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Dennis, whom we refer to as "Uncle Dennis", is showing Lydia the hens in the chicken pen. The chicken pen is connected to the hen house (which is to the right of the image). Seemingly oblivious to Dennis and Lydia are the hens which are enjoying their breakfast.

July 5, 2008

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Three fresh chicken eggs in the hen house

Lydia relished visiting the chicken house and chicken pen with "Auntie Frances" or "Uncle Dennis" to see the hens and the eggs every day.

July 3, 2008

Note: Both of these pictures were taken at the home of Dennis and Frances Woitte in Dallas, Oregon.

Photos: Oregon, Woittes, Cats

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Lydia is touching Tiger, one of the three cats that lives at Dennis' and Frances' home. The name of the other cats are Miss Kitty (a gray cat) and barn cat (a white cat). Of the three, Tiger was Lydia's favorite because of his name.

During each of the days during which we were guests at the Woitte home, Lydia regularly stated, "I like to touch the cat," and Dennis and Frances gave her plenty of opportunities to do that.

July 3, 2008

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While Ma Wee is resting in a rocking chair on the front porch, Dennis and Lydia are petting Miss Kitty.

July 3, 2008

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Lydia is touching Miss Kitty again.

Of the three cats, the barn cat was one that was the most wary of humans and the least approachable, so Lydia did not touch barn cat during this trip.

July 4, 2008

Note: All of these pictures were taken at the home of Dennis and Frances Woitte in Dallas, Oregon.

Photos: Oregon, Woittes, Bubbles

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While Ma Wee is observing Lydia, Lydia is preparing to blow some bubbles.

Frances gave this bottle of bubbles to Lydia today, and Lydia played with the bubbles until she used the entire bottle.

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Lydia is looking at her handiwork, the floating bubbles.

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Lydia is ready to do it again.

Note: SiowFong took all of these pictures on July 3, 2008 at the home of Dennis and Frances Woitte in Dallas, Oregon.

On to Oregon

July 2, 2008

On to Oregon

We are fortunate that Lydia tolerates trips in the car that last longer than 2 hours. Lydia’s patience permits us to travel to places beyond just our local sites. Today we are visiting one of SiowFong’s friends whom she has known for over 15 years. In the early 1990s, SiowFong met Frances at church. Later they played tennis together and became friends. In 2003, Frances married Dennis Woitte, and after her wedding, she relocated to Dallas, Oregon. For the last five years, Dennis and Frances have regularly invited us to visit them at their home. This is Lydia’s first trip and Ma Wee’s first trip to Oregon, and we hope that it will be a very special one for both of them.