FIRST DAY IN EUGENE, OREGON

After spending Tuesday night in Ashland, Miryha and I made our way to Eugene, checked into our favorite La Quinta Inn, relaxed a bit and headed over, by way of a nice path, to a P.F. Changs for a glass of wine and dinner. Over and back to dinner, we marveled at how perhaps it might be February and not June in Oregon, with a brisk, chilly wind cutting through us. Cooler weather is actually a plus for Black Sheep Gathering since it can get to be sweltering in the marketplace barns at the fairgrounds if the temps are high.

Thursday morning, before heading over to the fairgrounds for set up, Miryha and I took a nice walk around Eugene, heading over the MacKenzie River into the downtown area.

Love the wide MacKenzie River. We just don't see such waterways in Southern California.

One destination on our walk was Soft Horizons, a cute yarn shop on 13th Street,in an old two-story Victorian house. Lots of wonderful yarns and spinning supplies, too. Then over to Full City Coffee to fortify ourselves with a latte for the walk back.

WooHoo!! We have arrived to set up for the 2010 Black Sheep Gathering.

Here's our marked off area and our "stuff" ready to be assembled into a booth. The buildings look so austere and empty before everyone gets set up. On Friday, when the show opens, the rooms and the booths will be full of all manner of fibery things and will be bustling with people.

Big bags of rovings waiting to be hung up.

The sign goes up. Next year, we'll also have a sign for Miryha's "Blarney Yarn".

TA DA!!!! We're all set up and looking very colorful. Yarn tree full of handpainted sock yarn.

Many racks of Blueface Leicester and Silk -- handpainted by both me and Miryha. A big hit at the show.

I don't know how she did it,but Miryha managed to fill this rack -- front and back -- to the max with our Blueface Leicester rovings.

Cloths on the tables and racks full.

Baskets of our colorful handpainted merino/silk rovings.

More yummy merino/silk rovings.

Handpainted Polwarth wool rovings.

Mid-afternoon, our friends Margie and Karen showed up. By about 6:00 p.m., the booth was all set up and we were ready to relax. Our little group headed over to have dinner at Johnny Oceans, one of our favorite restaurants in Eugene. Coconut curry, the best.