This photo is actually looking down into Oneonta Gorge.
Back at the bottom, Sebastian proudly displaying the snow he carefully collected and carried all the way down from the top of the hike.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
sunny winter hike
Schools were closed on Monday for a teacher planning day, so I took the day off and went on an outdoor adventure with the children. It was sunny and warm - 50 degrees - and so we headed out to the Gorge for a waterfall hike with Anne and Camille. We hadn't explored Horsetail Falls in awhile and I wanted the experience of going behind the Ponytail Falls when the water was high. It was gorgeous out there - sunny blue sky, tons of water gushing through the streams, mossy green forest. I love Oregon.
Two photos, nearly identical: which do you think is better? A above, or B below?
Sunshine hitting the mossy green of the trees. Sigh. Be still my heart.
Sebastian threw a stick down to the water, and his glove accidentally flew off his hand and followed it down. So he intrepidly clambered down the steep embankment of the gorge to retrieve it. There was a slip-sliding fall at the bottom but he recovered well, got the glove, and climbed back up. I was proud to see his bravery, especially after he got scraped up.
The intrepid three (plus one!) at Triple Falls. We had attempted to make it to this third waterfall on previous trips to Horsetail, but the kids always pooped out - so pleased to have finally made it! The hike was 4.5-5 miles and I was happy with all three children for hiking it easily. Can't wait for spring and summer hikes together!
Friday, January 22, 2016
winter pursuits
Every summer I look around at all of our games, toys, craft supplies, etc, and wonder why we have them... they sit unused and gather dust, taking up valuable closet and shelf space. And then in December and January we get cozy in here and play games and read old books and make collages, and I remember. :) We have been really enjoying these rainy weeks.
For Christmas, we gave Steve a new chess set and he taught the children to play. Sebastian has been pretty enthusiastic about it, even playing against our neighbor Nadine (they each won a game). We moved the piano up from Sebastian's cold (and lonely) bedroom downstairs into the living room, and have been rewarded with more frequent practicing and playing by both children. Seb practiced today without being reminded, a first! He is getting more and more confident in his playing, his improvising, and his sight-reading, which is fantastic.
Liesl's drawing has continued to grow and develop. She made a big mural for our front hallway with a bunny rainbow, and has recently turned her attention from drawing people to drawing castles with moats and fairy mushroom houses.
Kim gave her a sewing kit for Christmas to stitch together two felt elephants - we worked on it together and finished the pink baby one, and she was so proud. She was especially keen on demonstrating to me that she already knew, from teacher Ellie at preschool, how to use a pencil to get the stuffing into the trunk and feet.
Both kids have taken a renewed interest in cooking. Liesl has been interested for awhile now - learning to make scrambled eggs, to peel a hardboiled egg, to bake muffins and cakes, to make salads - but she's freshly keen on learning to cook things on the stove. We made split pea soup together today - I chopped and she put things into the pot and stirred - as well as stromboli. She did a great job rolling out the dough and sprinkling on the spinach, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Sebastian saw dried macaroni pasta in the bulk bins at New Seasons and asked for it - I consented on the condition that he would have to learn to cook the pasta himself. :) He is still afraid of the stove and fire and steam, but the desire for macaroni was stronger than his fear and he successfully cooked it.
Sebastian continues to read - mostly sports books, although we've had a recent and welcome diversion into fiction about dogs - and he has become interested in learning cursive handwriting. The 3rd-graders in his blended class are learning cursive this year and he wants to join them. He was practicing his name and some other words this evening before bed.
For Christmas, we gave Steve a new chess set and he taught the children to play. Sebastian has been pretty enthusiastic about it, even playing against our neighbor Nadine (they each won a game). We moved the piano up from Sebastian's cold (and lonely) bedroom downstairs into the living room, and have been rewarded with more frequent practicing and playing by both children. Seb practiced today without being reminded, a first! He is getting more and more confident in his playing, his improvising, and his sight-reading, which is fantastic.
Liesl's drawing has continued to grow and develop. She made a big mural for our front hallway with a bunny rainbow, and has recently turned her attention from drawing people to drawing castles with moats and fairy mushroom houses.
Both kids have taken a renewed interest in cooking. Liesl has been interested for awhile now - learning to make scrambled eggs, to peel a hardboiled egg, to bake muffins and cakes, to make salads - but she's freshly keen on learning to cook things on the stove. We made split pea soup together today - I chopped and she put things into the pot and stirred - as well as stromboli. She did a great job rolling out the dough and sprinkling on the spinach, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Sebastian saw dried macaroni pasta in the bulk bins at New Seasons and asked for it - I consented on the condition that he would have to learn to cook the pasta himself. :) He is still afraid of the stove and fire and steam, but the desire for macaroni was stronger than his fear and he successfully cooked it.
Monday, January 18, 2016
knock on wood!
At the risk of tempting fate, our normal luck seems to have returned. The car is fixed, the various cards are on their way, our new kitchen faucet is beautiful and functional, the heating specialists identified the problem, and we had a good family weekend together... The Steelers lost their playoff game yesterday, sadly, but we ate BBQ pulled pork and had plentiful snacks and invited Anne and Cuong for company (and post-game solace), and so altogether I'm feeling restored.
Saturday was the usual flurry of activities - indoor soccer game, dance class, basketball practice, birthday party - lots of car time, and waiting for children. But since today was a holiday, and the heavy rains of January took a brief break, the children and I went for a hike along the Balch Creek trail. The creek was running high but had not overflowed its banks - unlike our local Forest Heights streams, which have been wreaking havoc on the trails of our neighborhood. The kids continued their game of doggie and owner - red leash in hand - and had a grand time. I love watching them reconnect on the weekends and really play cooperatively and imaginatively with each other. (Seb and I went grocery shopping while Liesl was at gymnastics, and he commented at the end: "It's just not as much fun without Liesl.") The icing on the cake of our lovely morning was that we ran into our friends Adrienne and Elise (and kiddos) on the trail! We love our like-minded friends and our local forests and trails and this small town we live in. :)
Saturday was the usual flurry of activities - indoor soccer game, dance class, basketball practice, birthday party - lots of car time, and waiting for children. But since today was a holiday, and the heavy rains of January took a brief break, the children and I went for a hike along the Balch Creek trail. The creek was running high but had not overflowed its banks - unlike our local Forest Heights streams, which have been wreaking havoc on the trails of our neighborhood. The kids continued their game of doggie and owner - red leash in hand - and had a grand time. I love watching them reconnect on the weekends and really play cooperatively and imaginatively with each other. (Seb and I went grocery shopping while Liesl was at gymnastics, and he commented at the end: "It's just not as much fun without Liesl.") The icing on the cake of our lovely morning was that we ran into our friends Adrienne and Elise (and kiddos) on the trail! We love our like-minded friends and our local forests and trails and this small town we live in. :)
Spot the Liesl face!
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
grouchy complaining rant
So far, I must say, 2016 has been pretty wretched. I'm ready for it to be over. Anne fortunately reminded me that February 8th marks the start of the Lunar New Year, so I've only got a few more weeks to endure.
We've all been sick with a nasty cold that just won't go away - lingering in our lungs and making us cough and blow our noses and lose sleep. Steve has had a migraine aura circling for the last few days.
We had a new tankless hot water heater installed, because our old boiler was on its last legs, and the new one is either malfunctioning or is an utter failure of new technology to improve upon the old - our showers are alternately lukewarm, freezing, and then scalding. There's also a leaking pipe in the garage which we think is connected to the new water heater. In other water news, a watermain pipe broke on our street last Wednesday - we had half a day without water, and then when it returned we got a blast of sediment that clogged our kitchen faucet. A plumber came and tried to repair it, but failed, which was frustrating and expensive and meant that we've been living with a trickle of cold water and no hot at all for the last week. We went to Home Depot and bought a new faucet and Steve tried valiantly to install it, but our old one is so jammed in there that he couldn't get it out. So we have another plumber coming tomorrow to replace our faucet, and the water heater people coming Thursday to hopefully fix this system...
We finally got around to contacting a garage door repair company regarding our broken door. The guy said it couldn't really be salvaged and made safe, and should be replaced entirely. ASAP, of course.
And then last night our car window was smashed and my belongings stolen - purse, handbag, wallet, clothes, hat and gloves, library book. I have spent the day canceling cards, ordering new ones, getting the car window replaced, visiting the DMV, and mourning the loss of my favorite purple hoodie. And the goat stew that was in a cooler bag, thanks to a trade between Cuong and Steve. Sigh. I'm just upset that I left my valuables on the passenger seat instead of safely hidden, and upset that there'll be no recourse, and upset that we added yet more THINGS to our to-do list. Sigh.
Bring on the new year.
We've all been sick with a nasty cold that just won't go away - lingering in our lungs and making us cough and blow our noses and lose sleep. Steve has had a migraine aura circling for the last few days.
We had a new tankless hot water heater installed, because our old boiler was on its last legs, and the new one is either malfunctioning or is an utter failure of new technology to improve upon the old - our showers are alternately lukewarm, freezing, and then scalding. There's also a leaking pipe in the garage which we think is connected to the new water heater. In other water news, a watermain pipe broke on our street last Wednesday - we had half a day without water, and then when it returned we got a blast of sediment that clogged our kitchen faucet. A plumber came and tried to repair it, but failed, which was frustrating and expensive and meant that we've been living with a trickle of cold water and no hot at all for the last week. We went to Home Depot and bought a new faucet and Steve tried valiantly to install it, but our old one is so jammed in there that he couldn't get it out. So we have another plumber coming tomorrow to replace our faucet, and the water heater people coming Thursday to hopefully fix this system...
We finally got around to contacting a garage door repair company regarding our broken door. The guy said it couldn't really be salvaged and made safe, and should be replaced entirely. ASAP, of course.
And then last night our car window was smashed and my belongings stolen - purse, handbag, wallet, clothes, hat and gloves, library book. I have spent the day canceling cards, ordering new ones, getting the car window replaced, visiting the DMV, and mourning the loss of my favorite purple hoodie. And the goat stew that was in a cooler bag, thanks to a trade between Cuong and Steve. Sigh. I'm just upset that I left my valuables on the passenger seat instead of safely hidden, and upset that there'll be no recourse, and upset that we added yet more THINGS to our to-do list. Sigh.
Bring on the new year.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
snow/ice day
For day two of our winter storm, it sleeted overnight and then everything froze, making the roads and sidewalks into rivers of sheer ice. The wind also picked up and so it was utterly miserable out there. For me, at least - Sebastian was once again outside playing from 9-5, happy as a clam to sled on the icy snow with Liesl and Oscar and Nadine, with the briefest of breaks for chicken noodle soup at lunch.
Portland has few snow plows and refuses to salt the roads, and so everyone stayed home on Sunday and Monday. Schools were closed, businesses were closed, cars were abandoned by the sides of the road - NW Miller Rd, NW Cornell, and NW Thompson were all officially closed on Monday, so there was no way out of the neighborhood. Happily, we had enough food and I was glad of the extra day before returning to the usual race. I was less happy this morning when Portland Public Schools once again closed the schools; PSU was open and the roads seemed perfectly clear. Steve took one for the team and stayed home with Sebastian while Liesl and I went about our usual business. Tomorrow, Wednesday, I think we're finally going to be back to normal. :)
Portland has few snow plows and refuses to salt the roads, and so everyone stayed home on Sunday and Monday. Schools were closed, businesses were closed, cars were abandoned by the sides of the road - NW Miller Rd, NW Cornell, and NW Thompson were all officially closed on Monday, so there was no way out of the neighborhood. Happily, we had enough food and I was glad of the extra day before returning to the usual race. I was less happy this morning when Portland Public Schools once again closed the schools; PSU was open and the roads seemed perfectly clear. Steve took one for the team and stayed home with Sebastian while Liesl and I went about our usual business. Tomorrow, Wednesday, I think we're finally going to be back to normal. :)
Sunday, January 3, 2016
snow day!
We woke up and were astonished to see white flakes falling from the sky and a thin blanket of the white stuff already on the ground. SNOW!!! What could be a better treat for the last day of Christmas vacation?! Next-door neighbors Oscar and Nadine knocked on the door at 8:30, asking if Seb and Liesl could play. YES!! Out they all went: they sledded, they threw snowballs, they built ramps, they built snow caves, they tramped around... with the exception of lunch, which he wolfed down in about 10 minutes, Sebastian was outside playing from 8:30 until 4, when the advent of freezing rain brought him inside.
Liesl spent more time moving between inside and outside - her hands and toes get cold, like mama's - so she and I played piano, read books, wrote a winter bucket list, made granola and chicken soup, did some sewing, cleaned up and organized and sorted, pretended to be various creatures.... It was a good day. I have had a cold since Friday and was glad to be cozy inside for most of today.
Steve romped around outside with the kids, getting pelted with snowballs by four children, shoveling snow into a ramp and runway... and since the Buffalo Bills and Steelers both won today, the Steelers unexpectedly made the playoffs - and he was overjoyed. Happy day.
Liesl spent more time moving between inside and outside - her hands and toes get cold, like mama's - so she and I played piano, read books, wrote a winter bucket list, made granola and chicken soup, did some sewing, cleaned up and organized and sorted, pretended to be various creatures.... It was a good day. I have had a cold since Friday and was glad to be cozy inside for most of today.
Steve romped around outside with the kids, getting pelted with snowballs by four children, shoveling snow into a ramp and runway... and since the Buffalo Bills and Steelers both won today, the Steelers unexpectedly made the playoffs - and he was overjoyed. Happy day.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Portland Art Museum
The Averys all left this morning, and we were sad. It was the best visit. The cousins were simply magic together; Christmas was festive and special; I reconnected and had some great conversations with my brother and sister-in-law; the adults each got some independent time to run and climb and shop; the kitchen hummed along smoothly; the local grocery store grew rich; games were played indoor and out; we adventured to Mt. Hood... You couldn't ask for more.
We assuaged our sorrows today with some croissants and cookies from Pearl Bakery, homemade hot chocolate and popcorn, and some movies. We also took in the special exhibit at the Portland Art Museum - landscape masterpieces spanning a few centuries. We managed to keep the kids entertained and engaged by playing games in each gallery - pick your favorite painting, guess each other's favorite one, investigate how old each artwork was, find x object on a painting in this room, etc. We stayed for about 75 minutes, which was pretty much the limit. Still, it felt more fun and interactive than last time, and I've got some tools to build on for our next visit.
In the afternoon, Sebastian and Liesl were super eager to show off their newfound skating talents to daddy, and so we made our second visit to the ice rink. Both children did great - they were much more confident and able to move without wobbling - although at the end they both fell and hurt their wrists and tailbones respectively, and we came home.
Cooking dinner for only four people was absurdly easy, although my elves have disappeared and the dishes await me...
We assuaged our sorrows today with some croissants and cookies from Pearl Bakery, homemade hot chocolate and popcorn, and some movies. We also took in the special exhibit at the Portland Art Museum - landscape masterpieces spanning a few centuries. We managed to keep the kids entertained and engaged by playing games in each gallery - pick your favorite painting, guess each other's favorite one, investigate how old each artwork was, find x object on a painting in this room, etc. We stayed for about 75 minutes, which was pretty much the limit. Still, it felt more fun and interactive than last time, and I've got some tools to build on for our next visit.
In the afternoon, Sebastian and Liesl were super eager to show off their newfound skating talents to daddy, and so we made our second visit to the ice rink. Both children did great - they were much more confident and able to move without wobbling - although at the end they both fell and hurt their wrists and tailbones respectively, and we came home.
Cooking dinner for only four people was absurdly easy, although my elves have disappeared and the dishes await me...
Friday, January 1, 2016
New Year's Eve
Kim was inspired by a smitten kitchen recipe to make a tarte soleil, with chocolate and almond butter filling.
Adrienne and Jeff hosted a party at Planet Granite for New Year's - food, climbing, hanging out, counting down at 7:00 pm. It was really nice to see my friends again and to do a little bit of climbing - we've all been busy with holidays and family and trips and visits, and I haven't seen them that much.
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