And now Dan's whole family has been here

Katie makes Oswalt number 3 to visit us. She only had one full day to be here, so we didn't have too much time, but it was good to see her. We saw an Irish-style band on the night she arrived and Dan showed her downtown while I was at work the next day. Then when Dan went to work, she and I hiked up Mt. Tabor and then went back downtown for dinner and what have you. While out, we had lively conversation on such topics as death, babies, and pimples (She and I should maybe apologize to anyone within an earshot of these discussions :) ). She said she wanted to come back to visit every so often, and I hope she does. If and when that happens, we will go on some real excursions.

Here are some possibilities for next time, or for other visitors (This is intended to entice you all to visit) :

A Jetboat Trip
Shanghai Tunnel Tour
Redbull Flugtag
Adult Soapbox Derby
The Aerial Tram
Wine Country
Tillamook Cheese
Mt. Hood Dinner Train
Pittock Mansion
Brewpub Hop

4th of July

For the 4th, we decided to go to a ball game. We made the mistake of not having dinner beforehand, and it ended up costing about $45 for each of us to have a chili dog and a couple of drinks. But it was a good game that ended with fireworks. AND a character they call "Harry Canary" (Pictured above) came out and danced! Well worth the money, right?

But we will be back to PGE park, because that's where Portland's soccer team, the Timbers, play.

Sterling!

Dan's dad came to visit too! As soon as he arrived, we were walking him up Mt. Tabor. Then Dan went to work, and Sterling and I hung out for the first day of his stay. We had lunch where I work, drove to where Dan and I lived before, and then to the St. John's Bridge (my favorite bridge in Portland- 1st picture above). Then we took the MAX lightrail downtown where we went to Powell's books (2nd pic), and Pioneer Courthouse Square (the 3rd).

On the 2nd day of the visit, it was his birthday. Dan told him that he would like to take him out to lunch to celebrate, and Sterling chose a German Restaurant to do so (The Rheinlander, picture 4). The highlight of the meal may have been when Sterling, holding a beer in his hand (a rare occasion) declared, "It's a good thing I'm not drinking!" He meant to say driving.

Then I drove us East of Portland down historic, scenic "Columbia River Highway" to go on a waterfall tour. Above in picture 5 are Dan & Sterling looking at the Bridal Veil falls, and the last two pictures are Multnomah Falls.

I worked on the last day of his visit, but I hear he and Dan went to a bad hot dog place for lunch, and Sterling, per his request, got to see a real-life hippie!

The New Apartment

So, about a month ago, we moved from North Portland to the Southeast, and I love it here. We were pretty lucky to find the apartment that we did. We found the Craigslist ad for it within 15 minutes or so of its being posted, and arranged to see it a couple of hours later, and we were the first to apply for it. Our landlord said that about 30 others were interested in applying later that day. We've talked to some of our neighbors in the same building, and all of them have lived here for multiple years, so that's a good sign.

Our place is a short walk from Mt. Tabor Park, which is a wooded area on top of an extinct volcanic cinder cone. So, it's a decent walk up hill, but the view is worth it. On one side you look over downtown (see 1st picture above), and on the other side there is a good view of Mt. Hood. I've jogged to the top a few times, Dan and I have played tennis in the park, and we walked to the top with both Dan's dad and sister when they came to visit.

So our apartment is right along one of the bus lines, which is convenient, but we've mostly been riding our bikes (we've spent less than 30$ on transportation costs this month!). We also have a little table out front, though we only use it occasionally when we go out there to read, eat or play cards.

I've done a little bit of gardening out front-- mostly herbs-- spearmint & lemon balm for tea, then we have liquorice plant, dill, and I believe oregano and thyme. You can see some of them hanging in front of our door.

After some visits to IKEA, Goodwill and some yard sales, we managed to furnish the place without spending much money, and it even looks presentable :).

Finally, as you will see in the last picture, we have a friendly cat visitor every so often at the new place. She belongs to the neighbor, and she likes to be very sneaky and wander in our apartment as if invited. We call her "Creep". In the picture, she is relaxing and looking out the door, making herself very at home.