...summer

Summer is officially here.

Yesterday was the last day with students, and today I slowly and methodically packed up my classroom. When I was younger and had kids at home I couldn't wait to get away from school. Things would be crammed into cupboards in a slap-dash fashion, and I'd be at the district office, ready to check out, as early as allowed. The car would have been packed the night before, and the kids would be eagerly waiting for our summer adventures to begin. But now...while I do have adventures planned, there's no sense of urgency. Now I prefer to sort and toss because in just a few short weeks I'll be back in that clean, freshly painted classroom, pulling everything out again. I'll be glad I took the time to organize, but I do miss the excitement of the.first.day.of.summer! Time to start planning my adventures....

...a fun, full weekend

The fun started on Friday morning when my students put on their Little Red Riding Hood skit and ate the cookies we had made earlier in the week. Not a single one of them had ever made cookies before. What a delight to hear shy little Sandra read her lines out clear and loud.

Friday evening I drove to Pendleton for Ayanel's graduation. Such a proud family! (And rightly so!) It was a fun surprise to get to see another former student graduate as well, and I managed to find her in the crowd to give her a hug.

After graduation was over I hurried back home--my youngest sister Lani had called and said they would be driving through on their way to Montana. Could they stop by for a visit? Of course! They were going to keep driving and get a motel in Washington, but I offered beds and camping mats instead. Lani and I were up before anyone else and got a rare chance to sit on the patio with our coffee and visit. I made pancakes, then sent them on their way. I needed to get to Portland!

The weather was absolutely beautiful that morning, and the drive through the gorge was, well, gorgeous. Nate had looked online to see what was happening in Portland that day, and had discovered a bike festival and parade. After we parked and were walking towards the main street we saw all kinds of bikes and trailers. I thought that what we were seeing was the tail-end of the parade.

We wandered down the street, enjoying the people and their bikes, then found a spot at Amnesia Brewing for a bite to eat. It turns out we hadn't missed the parade at all. I must admit I've never seen/heard a goth drum corps before--they were quite good!

Next up were all kinds of people on all kinds of bikes. The families we had seen earlier were part of the parade, along with some not-so traditional participants.

After a bit it appeared that the parade had come to an end, but then there was an excited buzz in the crowd. What's this? Nude cyclists? Can that be legal? It turns out it is. (It's a protest, protected under Oregon's constitution.)

After that bit of excitement, Nate and I were ready to move on. He took me to one of his favorite longboarding sites--Mt. Tabor. I strolled around, soaking in some much-needed sunshine while he did his thing. The view of Mt. Hood was spectacular!

By evening, we were tired and hungry, so we collected Andrea and headed out to the pub where Katie works. She loves the new aprons I made for her, and got lots of compliments.

On Sunday we slept in, had a leisurely breakfast, then just hung out all day. The wide front porch on Nate's house was the perfect hangout for me and my book. That evening we headed downtown for Carlos' graduation bash. It was a lot of fun, and many people came out to celebrate his accomplishment. I got to meet his mom--what a sweet person!

Katie and I spent some time together on Monday doing (serious, non-fun personal business because I had taken a personal day and they are not to be used for fun) then it was time for me to come home.

A good weekend.

...Christmas

Just a few days ago my house was busy, noisy, crowded, and filled with merry-making.
Nate brought his girlfriend Genavieve and his roommate Anthony home for Christmas this year.

On Christmas eve we packed five adults, one medium sized dog, presents, and goodies into a smallish car and headed over the mountain to my folks' house.

Once there, we played games, laughed a lot,

ate non-stop,

sang songs,

(Good King Wenceslas is "our" song. We know all the verses and have been singing it together for many years.)

and exchanged gifts.

On Christmas day my brother Tim and his family joined us,

and my brother Dave came for dessert.

(We shore do loves us some pie!)

Taylor (one of my birthday twins) and his newlaptop from Santa.

Anthony had mom in stitches. "Sounds beautiful!"

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A fun Christmas.

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This morning my house is quiet, very quiet, and I am enjoying the solitude. Happy New Year, everyone!

...just the girls

This weekend four of us--two sisters and two sisters-in-law--will be getting together. We're going to wander through antique stores, art galleries, fruit stands, and maybe even a winery or two. We're going to eat good food, catch up on life's happenings, and celebrate each other. Life is good. :-)

...Jadyn, of course

"Farmer Joe" came to see if I was awake in the morning... then crawled in to cuddle for a bit.
Chasse looks so beautiful with a necklace on her head!

A little tease didn't want me to make the bed.

With her "Gamma"

Giving mommy big hugs.

I love this one--all smiles!

...getting out of Dodge

It's time for a road trip. I'm headed to Boise to stay with my favorite big sister and hopefully get to see my favorite great-niece.

On Saturday I'll be doing this century: Bob LeBow Bike Tour with Bob from our local group.

Sunday will be spent hanging out, relaxing, and eating great food. (Arlene is the best cook. I know she will feed me well.)

On Monday I'll be headed to Cove to spend some time with more of my favorite people. Mowing lawns, weeding flower beds, coffee on the back porch, a beautiful valley to ride...and this job: helping dad with the woodpile.

Ahhhh summer!

...Memorial Day

Every Memorial Day weekend my folks make a trek up to the cemetary to put flowers on my grandparents' graves. Some years several of us are home to join them; this year it was just me. But--many or few of us--there are traditions to be followed:

1. Stop at Grandma Vernona's (dad's mom) and Grandpa Mel's (dad's step-dad) gravesite at the bottom of the hill. 2. Place daisies in Grandpa's pot. (His mother's name was Daisy and he loved the flower.) 3. Lament the plastic flowers placed earlier in the day by dad's cousin. (Grandpa hated fake flowers.) 4. Place a flower on the memorial plaque for my cousin Storey. He'd be 33 now. Wonder again with sadness why he chose to end his life a decade ago. 5. Climb the hill to Grandma Irene's grave (mom's mom). Look at old gravestones along the way. Try to rid myself of the goosebumps that chill me on this warm day when I realize I'm looking at the grave of a child or worse, children who died within days of each other.

6. Clean off Grandma's gravestone and give her lots of flowers. She loved flowers.

7. Add some flowers to those already on Great-Grandma's and Great-Grandpa's grave (mom's grandparents). Do the math to see how old they were when they died. 8. Reminisce about loved ones now gone. Wonder at how quickly the years have gone by. 9. Sweep off Grandpa Fred's (dad's dad) gravestone. Grumble that, once again, whoever is in charge of putting flags on the graves of veterans has missed Pap again.

10. Make a mental note to inform the cemetary staff of the oversight again. (Mom and Dad will return later in the day with a flag for his grave.)11. Visit make-out hill to enjoy the view of the valley. (How do I know it's called make-out hill? That's what my dad called it in his younger days. I wouldn't have any personal experience with that!) Exclaim at the houses now being built on the ridge.

Every year after visiting the cemetary my folks go to lunch at the Methodist church. Since I wasn't in a rush to get home, I tagged along. I was (at 50) one of the youngest in the room! Mrs. Goodson, one of the nicest, kindest, most loving persons on this planet greeted us with hugs. (She's the one standing at the back.)

Dad enjoyed "shooting the breeze" with people he has known since he was a small boy. The man on the left had a story for me: "I tend to forget things, and once I even forgot my own name! A woman told me to write my name on a piece of paper when I finally did remember it. So, I did as she said. Now I can't remember which pocket I put it in!" He chortled with laughter, so tickled with his own joke. :-) The "young" man driving this machine caused some excitement. A vintage BMW motorcycle and sidecar from WWII, complete with three dogs wearing goggles!

Another Memorial Day come and gone. Another day of remembering loved ones and reminiscing. I'm glad I was part of the tradition.