spring break

Our spring break plans were sadly altered when mom/Popo became so ill that we had to leave Surrey - instead of staying through Friday, we came back on Wednesday afternoon.  We stopped in Seattle on the way south and walked around Green Lake Park, played at the playground, and had lunch at Macrina Bakery.

On Thursday morning, no one could face driving anywhere in the car, so we played at home, did some chores, and went to the field to play soccer.  In the afternoon we investigated a new nature playground that was recently created - it's just across the county line towards Beaverton, about 5 minutes from home. We had a great time making a play house from stumps and logs. After that we got some frozen yogurt and went to Cornell Farms garden store, where I indulged my semi-green thumb with new potted flowers, edible greens, big outdoor pots, and planting soil. I've started transplanting and re-potting all my new lovelies and can't wait to see them all around the outside of our home.

Friday morning we headed downtown to the Central Library for our usual orgy of returning/checking out scads of books. I think we have more than 90 books checked out right now. :)  After that we hopped on our bikes - Sebastian on his own, and Liesl behind me in the Topeak bike seat - and rode down to the river, along the waterfront, across the Steel Bridge, and then along the east side to OMSI.  Liesl really wanted to go in, so we parked our bikes and played in the little kid room for half an hour, and then biked across the Hawthorne Bridge back to our car.  Friday afternoon was back at home, Sebastian at the field playing soccer and basketball, and Liesl playing Legos and riding scooters with friend Rowan.  I baked a raspberry almond cake for my birthday, did a few hours of work-related emails, and got my hands dirty with my new plants. 

Saturday felt like sort of a classic Portland day: soccer, pork, hiking, bakery, soccer. :) 
We started off a little slowly at home, with the children constructing various play forts around the house, and then played soccer at the field for an hour before hopping in the car and going out for lunch at a barbecue place called People's Pig. We got ribs and pork shoulder and a fried chicken sandwich - along with collard greens, macaroni salad, black-eyed peas. It was tasty, although I felt smoky and overstuffed all day afterwards, and probably won't make a habit of it.

We decided to walk it off with a stroll up the Balch Creek trail, looping back along the Wildwood trail and the streets of NW Portland, over the newly reconstructed Thurman bridge.

Steve's soccer team played a late game, at 9:20, and I decided to join in the fun once again - we asked Lilly to babysit so we could both go play. Steve tweaked his ankle/Achilles lunging for the ball, which was just frustrating. It's feeling better today.

And finally, today we enjoyed a bike adventure with the Hoangs and Delloways.  We biked along the Banks-Vernonia trail from the Manning trailhead to the Stub Stewart visitor center, about a 14-mile round trip. We had picnic lunches, let the kids chase each other around, hiked up to the top of the hill where the campground is, and biked back. It was a wonderful sunny day to be with friends, a good last adventure to mark the end of spring break. Back to work tomorrow, and school, and rain is coming in...