wedding anniversary

Our 19th wedding anniversary is Sept 4th, but we often celebrate on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend instead of observing the exact date. We stopped by the Peninsula Park rose garden to see our wedding gazebo and the gorgeous late-summer blooms, and then joined Anne and Cuong for dinner at Dame.

end of summer wrap-up

School started this week for both kids, and it's Labor Day weekend, so I'm thinking back to our summer. It was busy and full and really happy -- we traveled, we hosted family visitors, the kids played soccer and saw their friends, we went camping and I hiked with friends, the weather was gorgeous.

For Seb, this summer was really marked by a newfound independence, with the car, to go out and explore. He and friends drove out to Sauvie Island and up Mt Tabor and around the Willamette valley; they hung out at Cathedral Park and Pittock; they drove out to watch the sunset at Cannon Beach and went swimming and paddle-boarding at Battleground Lake. They met up to play pickup soccer at Lincoln, went mini-golfing and bowling, went thrift-shopping on the east side. He had a soccer tournament in Seattle that he drove to by himself (with a friend) -- he got himself to and from the hotel to games, and got food, and recharged the Tesla appropriately, and got himself home safely. It was fun to see him stretch his wings and spend time just hanging out with friends in person, enjoying himself in classic teenage ways. After the lockdown of Covid and everything being remote, with too much screen time and video games and a seemingly slow return to normal interactivity amongst his peer group, it's been reassuring.

Liesl's adventures have also been really fun to see. She flew to California on her own to spend a week with Roxy and family, and she too has been spreading her wings on solo exploits. She and two friends decided to take the bus home from the Washington Square mall by themselves, but it wasn't one bus -- they had to take bus 78, transfer at Beaverton transit center to the Max, take that one stop to Sunset, and then get bus 20. Suffice to say that things went awry; they went the wrong direction not once but twice. They ended up back at Beaverton twice! But I was so proud -- they didn't call to be rescued or picked up, or text to be helped. They figured it out and made their way onto the right train, then the right bus, and home. On another evening, she and friends figured out their own shopping adventure, dinner, movie tickets, and snacks, and were out for hours at Cedar Hills. 

This fall is the first time we aren't juggling multiple car pools every day of the week -- Seb has himself and his schedule taken care of, and we only have one kid to schlep and arrange. It feels much, much easier.

first day of of school

 Seb in 11th grade.

And Liesl in 8th grade.

Timothy Lake continued

Thursday morning was cloudy but very calm. I've rarely seen the lake so glassy; it was perfect for kayaking and paddleboarding, so out we went.

Liesl attempted some yoga on the board.

We had originally intended to stay three nights, through Friday, but the weather forecast shifted and rain was now expected to blow in on Thursday night. We did not want to wake up on Friday to rain, to have to pack up all of our stuff while it was soaking wet. So we had a lovely Thursday enjoying the lake and riding bikes, and then packed everything up and drove home to Portland. We were home in time for dinner. Hot running water and indoor plumbing and comfortable beds are always so very welcome after camping.

And finally, in other news: a cougar was spotted in our actual campground -- on the trail near the lake -- on the Tuesday afternoon when we arrived. Apparently a bear was encountered the week before. Eep! We stuck together a little more closely than usual, and kept Jasper on leash.

Timothy Lake

Liesl, Ella, and I went camping this week at Timothy Lake on Mt Hood. We had a lovely time, kayaking/paddleboarding, biking, throwing sticks for Jasper, playing games and reading books. The girls did a lot of dancing on the docks and gathering their bravery to jump into the lake. The weather was acceptable -- scattered clouds, 60ish degrees, bit windy in the afternoon. The lake was really warm, so swimming would have been better if it had been slightly warmer in the air.

 

 

 

 

Site E6, right on the lake and near the water taps. We had our own private swimming area!

We went out on the lake immediately to enjoy the late-day sun.

 

It was a beautiful sunset, and after dancing on the dock for a bit, the girls felt warm enough to jump in the water. Night swimming!

 

 

 

 

We slept well, had oatmeal cups and coffee for breakfast, and went back out onto the water to enjoy the glassy stillness of the morning.

We spent pretty much the whole day on the docks and boats, the girls dancing and jumping in the water and then warming up and doing it all over again. In the evening, we rode bikes along the trail to the docks at Hoodview campground, Jasper loyally running along beside us the whole time. Such a good dog.