...a trip to the city

John and I left here Saturday morning and took our time getting to Portland. It was still pretty cold out, and there were clouds to the west. We guessed we were heading into a snow storm. What we got instead was freezing rain. Yikes. We stopped at Multnomah Falls to take a look at the ice formations but didn't get too far up the walkway. When a large man in front of me starting slipping backwards I made a hasty retreat. If he went down I didn't want to be involved in any way!

At Wakeenah Falls I decided a quick picture from the comfort of a warm vehicle would suffice.

We made it to Portland without any mishaps, although many other folks were not so fortunate. I drove v-e-r-y carefully and got us to our hotel just fine. (My little truck didn't know how to act with valet parking--she's more of a small town girl!) It was a delightful evening with a friend--walking to an early dinner, enjoying the lights and decorations, and then...The Nutcracker. What fun! I'd never been to a ballet before and honestly had never seen this story in its entirety on TV. (How is that possible??) I cheated and took some quick pictures (minus the flash) before the curtain went up.

Since this was my first ballet, it all seemed magnificent to me--the music, the sets, the costumes, the athleticism--but I must admit, I enjoyed watching the children the most. It was over too soon.