Catch Up

Well....

While it's tempting to form some sort of whole-hearted apology for being so out of touch, I'd guess that you'd rather I just jump to letting you know what I've been up to in the form of cleverly worded text with embedded picture links. Exactly what I had in mind!

So far in 2008 I've been:

1. Robbed again and thought long and hard about moving out. Looked at many many rentals closer in to the city center, and found that I could pay much more for much less if I really wanted to. Sucked it up, put up some security, and settled on the idea that I'll instead try and buy my first home at the end of the summer, giving me the time I need to shed three bedrooms worth of crap (er, extraneous personal accumulations), and giving my sister Sarah time to get settled in Portland (yep, she's planning on moving out this summer!)
2. To the coast for a great weekend with ten close friends. In Otis, near Lincoln City, on a lake, we hiked on the coast, grilled oysters, went swimming in fifty degree water, and basically partied, danced, relaxed, and played games for 48 hours.
3. To Seattle to visit Nick by train, who travels the country doing 13 week stints as an ER nurse. They take care of the lodging, and he just travels, works, and experiences the city. He's got a great place on the hill with a rooftop hottub and a good view of the city. We checked out a barleywine festival and downed some sushi and sake.
   
4. Loading kegs on to my bike trailer. Living carfree is really easy when the weather is nice. Hauling cargo is the most fun, and having wheels of any kind makes it pretty easy to move large items around... such as a 155 lb keg of organic microbrew, or a sister.
5. Treated to sushi by my folks, who came into town for my 28th birthday. I was especially proud of my mom, who ate (teriyaki) in a sushi restaurant for the first time in her life, and used chopsticks!
6. Hiking in the gorge with Nick (at Elowah and Wahclella Falls) who came down to Portland for the weekend to raise hell and walk to some waterfalls. Typically, I'm a fair weather hiker (and oddly enough, a poor weather camper) but there is no feeling like hail falling around you while you are on a cliffside approaching the falls. It hails here frequently this time of year, but it never gets bigger than a BB, so it's all for show.
7. Hiking in the gorge with Steve and friends (at Multnomah and Wahkeena Falls). It's that time of year now when Portlanders are very tired of the long, wet winter and early spring, and take every opportunity to appreciate the natural wonders just outside the city. Last weekend's hike was a classic, my favorite hike in the inner gorge. 80% of the trail traces river, so the sound and view of water is never far. This time of year, there's a lot of water running down from the mountains, so it's especially green and wet, and there are falls that simply don't exist when the heat of summer has settled in.

Plans for the summer? The usual waterfront festivals, hikes, bike rides, farmer's markets... and hopefully more of that, and more diversity of activity, this year than ever.

Here's to summer in the Northwest... it's only just begun!