Linda and I went on a Labor Day drive, east of town, and we picked up flyers from houses for sale along the way. The subdivisions just kept going east and south of Highway 20, which turned into little pockets of big houses with big porches, (and refreshingly few 'faux' craftsman designs), that turned into...I'll call them "McRanches. "(James Dean in Giant would be very comfortable.) Turned back south to get on back on Highway 20 and was amazed how far out we'd gone.

Some observations; houses that were being "sold by owner" were way overpriced. There were a couple of subdivisions with bigger and nicer houses than I expected (Sandelwood?)-- still too close together, however. There is an openness, a cleanness to the terrain that is very attractive, in ways the west side of Bend doesn't have. Even the subdivisions have more of a country feel, whereas the westside seems to have more of an urban (crowded) neighborhood feel. Houses built 2o years or more ago face the road, whatever direction the road is, whereas houses built in the last few years face the mountains. There are plenty of unfinished subdivisions, and it looked to me like there was plenty of land that could be developed. Anyone who thinks there isn't land available, just hasn't driven around.

I've always wondered if there is a desert mentality and a forest mentality, and they are reflected by the two sides of Bend. My mom didn't much care for the high desert, she was a gardener who would've been happy in the valley. But growing up here, I learned to love the wide open spaces of the high desert. I spent the first 9 years of my life on East 12th, clambering up Pilot Butte on the weekends, so maybe I'm just nostalgic for the feel of it. We went hunting east of Bend, most of the time, but then went fishing west of Bend most of the time. I spent the next 9 years up on N.W.Roanoke Avenue, and a very lush garden, and so I love that too. Just not enough to pay an extra 40% for it.

We talked alot about colors, because I've never been satisfied with the tan color of our house. Someday, we are going to change it, and I'd like a kind of 'forest red' or a 'forest green' or a 'lake blue' ; colors that many houses in Central Oregon were colored 30 or 40 years ago. I think of the red color that all of Gilchrist houses were painted as a 'natural' color for this area, and there was a kind of dark green color I like as well. I don't remember much pastel, and -- strangely -- earth tones, the boring endless greens, and browns that you see on the west side, weren't the norm.

I like the juniper and rock outcroppings and yes, sage brush in the wild half of my backyard, and they are going to remain wild. The other half of my yard is going to be turned into green lawn and lush garden, so I'll have the best of both worlds.