Fleeting


Photo courtesy of KellyRy

The days of summer are fast and fleeting. To those who are disappointed by my failure to keep current...sorry. It seems that one day takes the next--breakfast, laundry, guests, walks, watering the lawn and just barely keeping up. (Am I the only one that feels this way?) Alas, blogging has fallen by the way side.

Highlights from the past weeks:

- a 4th of July children's parade in our neighborhood. Hilarious and delightful. Droves and droves of children in their wagons, on foot, on bike--all decorated with patriotic fanfare. We all circled several blocks on Reed College Pl.
Incidentally and curiously- we live just a few blocks away from Reed and every time we pass it, Audrey says, 'church!' Curious because Reed is one of the academic environments most hostile towards faith of any kind. It's a really beautiful campus and I plan on auditing a course or two this Fall.

-Gelato, ice cream, popcicles and more gelato



-if you're looking for us on Wednesday nights, you'll probably find us hanging out with our new friends and neighbors at our local Farmers Market. In addition to buying yummy stuff, everyone hangs out and eats dinner while their kids play on the grass.


Photo courtesy of Kellyry. Oh wait a second, I took this picture.

- a delightful but painfully brief visit from our precious Kelly...soon on her way to Chicago. Ever losing my camera, Kelly's photos of her recent visit are far superior anyhow. We also had the pleasure of a relaxing afternoon with Phoebe and her sweet babes....See Kell's photostream from her visit here and some family photos of us too. Man is she talented, and man am I looking old.

-among the highlights of Kelly's visit were finding a collection of minature dinasaurs hidden in a neighbors landscaping...


Photo courtesy of Kellyry


Photo courtesy of Kellyry

and a trip to Voodoo donuts (a renowned Portland establishement), where Kell so bravely ordered a Maple Bacon Bar which she declares to be 'probably the best donut that she has ever had in her life.'

-first time we hosted playgroup at our house. pretzels and popscicles everwhere. oh-and thank goodness for that slip-n-slide we bought last year. it has already earned it's keep.

-Audrey told me I was 'stinky' for the first time, after we had been outside in the hot sun (thanks alot).

-another visit to Seattle to see the Holts (Mike has stories to tell about a death-defying hike and river-crossing with Eric) and dinner at Salty's with the Lindbergs (from Denmark, on a 6-week tour of the U.S.).

-Mike played in the Imago Dei McKinley Kickball Tournament. His team lost, but they sure did have fun.

- a failed levain liquide (a French sourdough starter). Besides my determination to learn the art of artisan bread-baking, it was actually a secret litmus test to guage the readiness of whether or not I could manage the responsibility of an additional child. The answer: resounding 'no.'

It was going so well and I followed instructions religiously...for the most part. I fed and watered the dang thing for 10 days; it looked very hopeful and at times promising, but could not carry it to term. Well, at least I know what went wrong. The problem is that I like to keep my house cool and aired out; as such, I could not achieve the constant temperature of 75-80F, necessary for successful fermentation. With my windows always open or the aircon. on those especially warm days, it was just always closer to 70 or so.

-when not walking or biking around, we've been experimenting with taking the bus--downtown and to Woodstock. Super easy and convenient. The closest busstop is 3 minutes away.

-0n biking-we LOVE it. our bikes especially like to visit Stacatto Gelato and Speilwerk--the coolest toy store ever.



This weekend, we are looking forward to the arrival of our dear friend Marian, together with her fiancée, Peter, from Denmark. They'll be with us until the end of the month. YEAH!!!!!!