Bits of Melissa: 30 things in 30 days for 30 years

Sorry for the delay on the blog postings. The weekend was a bit packed full and crazy and during the down time I just wanted to lay on the couch and do nothing!

Day 6 - visit a new museum.

The Sandy Historical Museum in town was near the top of my list of places to see in our town and when I added "visit a new museum" to my list I knew in a heartbeat which one I wanted to visit. On Friday afternoon after work we loaded up the stroller and walked into town. It's only about a 20 minute walk, and one we often take as the museum is conveniently located barely a block up from my favorite coffee shop in town, Mountain Moka, if you haven't been there you should go the next time you're in town. It not only serves up delicious coffee with an array of sugar free flavored syrups to choose from but its also offers up something magical. It offers peace between a waring set of enemies that the world has know for generations - the hippies vs the loggers. The very first time I walk through the doors of Mountain Moka when we first moved to town was like walking into the back woods version of West Side Story! The west side of the cafe raising their tan carhartt colored gang colors in response to the tie dye being flashed on the east side. I was instantly in love.

The Sandy Historical Museum, while short on country gang drama, is packed with rich local history. The museum is located in the the exact location of Barlow Road, which was the last part of the Oregon Trail journey that brought thousands of pioneers over the Cascades to Western Oregon. Pioneers being the Sandy HS school mascot for this exact reason - GO PIONEERS!

Currently the museum is featuring it's 13th annual quilt show. The upstairs of the museum is littered with some of the most beautiful quilts. They also have a Swedish loom from the 1800s along with an variety of sewing machines from different eras. Downstairs you can find different items illustrating the towns rich past, including a blacksmith exhibit, various original town models, and even a few flint lock riffles from the early eighteen century!

So the next time your in the Sandy area or just passing though, stop at Mountain Moka for a java and walk a block up for tour of the sweetest museum this side of the Oregon Trail.