Longboarding on the Switchbacks

My nephew James raced today on the Switchbacks in Washington Park, Portland. Rick, Missy and I went to watch, and it was cool and amazing and sometimes a little bit terrifying. James got cut from the first heat (oops, Missy says it was the 2nd heat), but it was a great day.

Bonus: after the race, James mowed the lawn for Rick. How great is that?!


the Momgoose

mother's day

Waffles were the order of the day on Sunday, Mother's Day. And espresso and flowers. I either saw or heard from all of my darling children today, and I love them all dearly. I even got to talk to my own mother during her busy day in Utah between doctor guests and grandkids.

Rick climbed Mount St. Helens with the Mazamas. He served as the assistant on the climb and had a great climb and reached the summit. Traditional dress for the climb on Mother's Day is a dress your mother wore, so you'll see some of they guys in lovely gowns. Rick says his mother never wore a dress, so he meant to take his Hawaiian shirt because that's where she was born, but in his rush to get out the door, he left it on the rocking chair by the door. He's still adorable. And he's my hero for chasing after his dream of climbing mountains and succeeding. There he is, at the top.

I love my family.

The Momgoose

is it spring?

Lately, the days are a schizophrenic mix of downpour rain, hail, and brilliant sunshine. Tonight, there was a swirling dark cloud to the east that looked like it could easily drop a house out of the sky, kill a witch, and swoop us off over the rainbow. Nothing so dramatic as that happened, but it was weird and impressive.

There is a frost warning tonight. I am hopeful that the flowers that have survived the hail storms so far will survive the cold tonight.

This afternoon, Missy and I saw these birds at the feeders on the back porch. I think they are Evening Grosbeaks, and even though this is not our photo (we couldn't get a good shot before they flew away), they looked exactly like this. Only more of them. They were beautiful and super cool looking.


Yup. It's spring.

Sherri