Ten years ago today I pulled into Eugene for the first time in a '77 Mercury Monarch with a cartop carrier, a back seat piled with boxes and clothes, and three of us in the front seat.

I've been aware of this all week. The weather we've been having is similar to the weather when I first got here. We drove here from Minnesota and this time of year it's cold there. Not freezing, but cold. When we got into Oregon the sun was shining and we didn't need jackets.

Of course, I just needed to get acclimated. This week the weather has been balmy with very little rain. Seems to me last year in October it was cold.

Anyway, ten years later and the two friends that made the trek with me are long gone, back to Minnesota or wherever. Tuesday night workshops are still going strong. Downtown Eugene has had major changes. There's a place called Deb's Restaurant on Franklin and we ate breakfast there on one of the first days here. The sign said breakfast for $3.75. Today, ten years later, it says $3.95. Unless I'm not remembering the correct original price. My how things change and others pretty much stay the same.