Bike Parade

One last visit and Dave & Chris' house, and we had a bike parade as promised. The neighborhood dog came over for some pats and treats, and we polished off some good food and a bottle of really cheap champagne we brought over. It was sad to go -- Nate and Julie simply cannot get enough of Katherine who has been super sweet and loving to both of them.

Playing Outside

 

Lawn Tractor Rides!

 

Portland's Saturday Market

We drove to the Portland Airport and rode the MAX red line train into Portland to visit the Saturday Market. We ate from a bunch of international food stands: here's Nate eating his first pork bun roll, and Julie reaching across her pad thai for more goldfish. 

Astoria Column

After Cannon Beach, we drove home via Astoria and did the 164 steps in the spiral staircase to the top of the Astoria Column. *whew*, what a work-out, especially holding two growing tykes. Great views out to the Columbia River and to the Astoria-Megler Bridge.

Self-portrait

 

Cannon Beach: Tidepools

At the tidepools, low tide.

Cannon Beach: Day 1

At Cannon Beach, the drizzly weather broke way to glorious blue sky. We bought lunch and sand toys at a nearby grocery store and headed off to play near Haystack Rock (third largest offshore rock in the world). Nate and Julie couldn't have been happier -- sliding around sand dunes, digging holes, stomping sand castles, flipping sand burgers, and finding ways to get sand everwhere. We headed to the town to find lodging, and ended up getting one of the last places available. Luckily we were only a half-block from the beach and went back the next morning. 

Largest Sitka Spruce in US

We drove out to Cannon Beach, a 1.5 hr drive that goes right by Oregon's largest tree. It's also the country's largest Sitka Spruce. Nate loved showing off the pine cones he collected around the base. 

Oregon Zoo - photo album

Oregon Zoo

Aug 27, 2006 - 32 Photos

Wednesday we "borrowed" Katherine for a day at the Oregon Zoo. Luckily we rented a double stroller, which Nate and Katherine enjoyed for most of the walk. After a long train ride to the Rose Garden and through the Zoo, we had a brief popcorn snack before passing out (all three kids) on the short ride home.

Tuesday is Train Day

Portland does it right: free rides through downtown both on the Waterfront Trolley (the red train above) and the three MAX lines. All electric, clean, 5 minutes between trains, and free. Why doesn't San Francisco do this? 

Frog visitor at the rental house

 

Playing at the Frenchman's Bar Regional Park near Vancouver Lake

 

Lunch at Old Wives Tale in Portland

 

Pittock Mansion in Portland Hills

 

Fun Filled Day at David/Chris' House

Friday was an exhausting day of house searching with our agent, so Saturday we have the enjoyable privledge of hanging out in Brush Prairie with Dave, Chris & Katherine. What luxury! We did it all: played in the splash pool, ran through the sprinklers as they cycled through the stations, picked wild blackberries on the property, ate salmon dinner, and home-made brownies on the deck. Nate was barely bothered by the face full of blackberry thorns (as he ran by an errand vine), he was having too much fun with his favorite hugging cousin Katherine. It was hard to leave for all of us. 

Multinomah Falls and Vista House

The end of a long but fun-filled day along the Columbia Gorge.