Gazing at ballon animals in the middle distance

Nana and Uncle Ted were only with us a week. But in that time they managed to:

Snuggle with short people,

watch short people gaze into the middle distance,

enjoy Sylvia's first balloon animal and

Rose Festival Parade,

and settle in for a big smile.

Much love!

A rare cloudless sunrise

While I intend to refrain from a Oliver Twistian introduction to the life of Camilla Beth, I will begin before her beginning with an image we saw the morning she was born: Mount Hood glowing in a rare cloudless sunrise.

Two pigeons who had kept watch over us through the night, ruffled their feathers in the dawn.

The actual birth was as wonderful as it was fast. Ask us sometime if you want the whole story but suffice it to say that I don't think it is possible to leave your home any later and still give birth at the hospital. But the result was two happy and tired adults and one slightly bruised and sleepy bundle.

Sylvia visited her sister a few hours after the birth. Below she helps Camilla open the gift she brought her.

And then scores a gift from Camilla.

Camilla slept through most of the action,

with mom joining her for some well deserved rest.

And Mount Hood shone radiant
over the Willamette Valley and
across the city of Portland.

4,879 miles

4,879 miles.
That's the distance between Portland and Cuenca, Ecuador.
That the distance Torcasa, Juan Manuel and little Rafael traveled to visit us.


Of course we took them to the South Park Blocks,

a tasty brew pub,

the Japanese Garden,

and our back yard.

We had a wonderful time with them and this means it's our turn to travel South.

Red Wig Ride

I'd like to thanks everyone (and there were lots of you) who sponsored my ride for Harper and Amy. As a group, my firm alone magaged to donate over $60,000 to help them manage the finalcial distress that comes along with ALS.

The ride was amazing. Over 200 people arrived from all quarters of the city to ride. All is wigs and other crimson headdresses.

 As you can see, some wigs were redder than others.

The throng grew and grew as people from my office (THA) and others arrived. When we had critical mass the group departed on our five mile route. We stretched for over a mile and stopped traffic on a number of intersections. But people were positive, marveling at the parade of red, and no honking or agro occurred. 

Harper and Amy rode along in a rickshaw, absorbing the good vibes.

 

In Amy's words;

"Harper and I thought this bike ride was going to be a few friends getting together for a bike ride and raising a few hundred dollars to help us with some medical bills.  What it turned out to be was what some people estimated as 200 people, stopping traffic, making a ruckus and raising $60,000!!!  This tally doesn't even include the funds raised from San Fransisco, Boulder or Amsterdam. 

The Portland total alone has shocked us.  Completely shocked us.  And you all know that THA is responsible for raising a little over half of this total.  You can only imagine Harper and I's reaction as we explored the enormous envelope that held all of your donations.  Our wish is that we never have to touch this money but instead turn it into a foundation for others with ALS.  However, if dealt the cards that we may need to use this money, we are thinking this will go towards the demands of a more accessible lifestyle. 

Thank you all for being so amazing.  I am so proud to be a part of the THA family."

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR KIND AND LOVING GENEROSITY!!!!

Love,

Miguel

Samurai Divorce Kits and other Noodle Drama

The weekend is our chance to unwind, sleep in (at least until 5:45 AM), and wear baggy clothing. It is also the time when we search out Portland's parks on our ever increasingly wide search for swings, slides, and small fragments of wood to gnaw on. To whet our pre-twig appetite we visited the Hawthorne District for some Pho.

Some was left behind.
(big tip).

Walking to the park we did some window shopping.

Then we hit the park to feed the beast. More, faster, and higher!

Sylvia's favorite activities includes walking up the small stairs to the top of the slide and then zipping down (all with some parental spotting and assist). I expect parental help will be neither needed nor appreciated in the near future.

7.5 and 1

Let's see...how many teeth do you have Sylvia?
Hmmmm, I count 7.5 still.

Yup, 7.5 very fast moving teeth.

7.5 happy teeth.

7.5 teeth getting ready to go for a walk.

1 rainbow.

National day of digestion

With the family spread among the four corners of the country (and the world), thanksgiving was a simple affair. Aurelia, Sylvia, Ian, and I sat down to our feast of turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes and pecan (pronounced p'cahn, not pee-can) pie. Instead of baking the turkey we decided to grill the bird. This actually turned out easier than expected and had the added benefit of placing the turkey at an easy height for basting and inspection. Below, Aurelia prepared the bird for action.






Then the chef de la cuisine prepared the onions of the stuffing. Dried cherries and more pecans joined the party soon after.










As every internet article insists, we waited 15-25 minutes before slicing the bird. This allows the scent to fill the room and heightens the appetite. Whether it has the purposed benefit of the letting the juices within the turkey to come to rest is debatable. I believe this custom was invented by puritans who believe waiting is good for you. Sylvia and Papa pick at the resting bird in non-puritanical anticipation.











Aurelia and Ian have suggested that the image below shows Sylvia looking on dubiously as her father mangles the golden carcass. I disagree and see a doting child looking with awe upon her papa as he carves the holiday beast. (And as blogmaster I get the last word).








The day after thanksgiving is a national day of digestion. We worked off the pecan pie by walking through the Oregon Zoo. Sylvia enjoyed watching the dangerous critters that ran through the zoo, clutching plastic dinosaurs and coloring books. And she liked watching the caged animals too. Below we find my ladies gazing at the Oregon coast exhibit.






The Oregon Zoo, built in the 1950's on a former golf course, is the home of Packy, the first elephant born in captivity. He's now 66 and the father of two. It is also the home of numerous bears who are much larger than yours truly and the noodle.





Not everything was larger than Sylvia. Here we find her making friends with a tolerant bronze squirrel.





Due to Sylvia's ability to maintain her composure for about an hour and a half, we only managed to see a small part of the zoo. That means we will be enjoying our membership for a long time to come.

Avuncular Adventures

Sylvia can place another stamp in her family book this week with the visit of her uncle Chris.






Continuing his longstanding tradition of providing crustaceans with the opportunity to hit the skies, Chris brought along a box of beautiful blue crabs from New Orleans. After a refreshing swim in our cooler the crabs made for an aromatic and enjoyable evening.

To the bipedal and warmblooded go the spoils.

The next day uncle and niece enjoyed the early morning sun.

As mentioned before, Aurelia and I find our many guests draw us into new and interesting Portland adventures. This time the gang, including the noodle, attended a tour of a local brewery.

Beer well protected from thirsty Portlanders. (Probably empty kegs but just imagine all that beer).

Sylvia found her uncle more interesting than the tour.

A very clean brewery.

Vast conditioning tanks ready to launch if the President needs to initiate a world party.

Dos Locos

Come back soon uncle Chris!