Loving life

We had a lovely, lovely visit with good folks in Prosser, Washington yesterday, where Eric's camp friend, Jenny, got married. I forgot the camera, so we got a disposable one, so.... I'll have some pictures to share in three weeks or so :) It was so good to see the Moore family, who Eric worked for/with for years at Camp Twinlow in North Idaho and who are like family.

One of the best parts of the past weeks, though, has been doing all the ordinary stuff of life together. Last Monday, we spent tons of time elbow-to-elbow in the kitchen, singing, talking and cooking. Well, Eric was cooking. I was chopping fruit for the dehydrator and then chopping veggies for him, then just holding my glass of wine and talking.


He made the most amazing thing I've eaten in a long time--a coconut curry with tofu, veggies and rice noodles. It is making my mouth water just thinking about it again...

We've also enjoyed some grocery shopping, a couple of trips to the Goodwill for board games and random items, riding bikes to the gym, cleaning the house and driving lots (8 1/2 hours yesterday!). Not only was this weekend's weather perfect for driving, but the timing was good--we listened to Car Talk and Wait Wait Don't Tell Me on the way out of Portland. And when we lost signal, we put in some good sing-along music. And of course, we just love talking with each other. I am so thankful for the time we've been able to spend together these weeks.

Lions Run Walk for Sight

Our friend, Mike, is a member of the Lions Club in Forest Grove and invited us to participate in a 5k. It was good motivation to buy new running shoes and start running again. I've enjoyed getting out of the gym and enjoying the scenery.

Here we are before starting the race--Mike, Mat, Leah and me. Eric skipped the run because he is playing in a golf scramble today, but he was the cheerleader and photographer!


And we're off! You can see me on the right, about to wave at Eric.


Leah and I didn't start off to quickly, so we got to enjoy passing lots of folks (instead of being passed). Ok, so some of those we passed were walkers who had started earlier, but still...

Here are Mat and Mike coming into the finish line. They each got second place in their age groups--and cute little ribbons!

Leah and I approaching the finish. I think I thought I was smiling here.


After the race, we enjoyed the works in progress at the Forest Grove Chalk Art Festival and then had lunch at a delicious new mediterranean place. Falafel and hummus...mmm....

Coastal goodness

After two all-church conferences last weekend, we were wiped out. Ok, Eric was wiped out, but I had sympathy exhaustion. So once the meetings were over, we headed to the coast! Can you believe that we only live an hour and a half away from the PACIFIC OCEAN!?! This is still amazing to me.

We camped for a night at Cape Lookout State Park between Nehalem Bay and the ocean. If you look closely, you can see the RV part on this skinny stretch of land.

The fullish moon was so bright that we turned of our flashlights for a while and played Scrabble by moonlight.

In the morning, we walked on the beach in nearby Oceanside--a cute little town. It's hard to tell in the picture, but at the end of the beach, there is a cement slab sticking out of the sheer cliff...with a doorway in it! There's actually a tunnel that goes all the way through to the beach on the other side.

Checking out the other side.

In the afternoon we hiked out to Cape Lookout, which provides gorgeous views of the coastline in both directions.

Looking north past our campground and over Nehalem Bay.

Looking south.

We just really had a great time together, my Goose and me.

Oh, and here is a ship that, a few years back, sank partway. It just bobbed out there in the mist, looking a bit sinister.

There is something magical and magnetic about the ocean. It just makes you want to stay there and be with it.

Sunny weather

I don't think I've seen a single cloud in the sky all week. It is hard to believe that so many other parts of the country are being hit by severe weather right now because it has been so beautiful and peaceful here. We are sending good thoughts to those affected by hurricanes and, for our Chicago friends, are hoping that the rain stops soon and the sun comes out!

It has been a busy week for us, but a good one. Eric has his charge conferences, the annual all-church meetings, for both of his congregations tomorrow. That has been a lot of work for him--two churches make for twice the paperwork!

I have had the opportunity to connect and reconnect with lots of folks this week and to be part of some exciting conversations. We both attended a gathering of pastors from the Western District where there was a panel of young clergy who shared about issues facing elders and deacons of the younger generations. The website umcyoungclergy.com has some interesting videos that explore some of these issues.

Also this week were meetings with three different congregations in the county that are embarking on new community ministries related to the hispanic community. One is an ESL class and Bible study, another a community fair and another an international worship service. It is so exciting to be part of these conversations and to participate down the road as these programs are launched.

Last night, Mat and Leah came over for tofu enchiladas and salad (made almost exclusively from local items!).

After dinner, we played Taboo and ate heaps of Tillamook Mudslide ice cream! We had a great time visiting and kept our friends way past their bedtime (which is significantly earlier now that school has started again for them).

Mat and Leah also brought us a food dehydrator to borrow and we are currently drying some pears, plums, apples and oranges. I can't wait to see how they turn out!

We decided just yesterday that we need to take a trip to the coast! So, tomorrow after charge conference, we are going to head to a campground about an hour and forty-five minutes away and stay overnight--I can't wait! We might even have some dried fruit to snack on by then!

Perfect day off

To celebrate the sunshine, we loaded up our most recent garage-sale find, a picnic basket/backpack, with cheese, crackers, wine and fruit, and hopped on our bikes. Just a couple of miles south is the Fernhill Wetlands, home to heaps of birds and fish.

There was a lovely little gazebo with a bench, where we just sat and sat, watching the ducks and enjoying the quiet. After a while, we enjoyed some brie and crackers.


I thought this flock of enormous ducks would take off when Eric rode by, but they were unfazed. Not even fazed a little bit.

You can't tell from these pictures, but the fish were leaping like crazy! Flip, plop. It was hard to look away--it's kind of like waiting to see a shooting star.

We then rode into Forest Grove and spread out our picnic blanket under these huge trees--cedars maybe?--at McMenamins. We ate some more cheese--this time, Tillamook Sharp Cheddar, the best cheese in the world--and drank some wine. But we mostly just reclined and talked.


My trusty baika as they say around here. The "real" Spanish word is bicicleta, but my neighbors say baika (pronounced "bike-uh").


Some plants on the grounds having an afternoon drink.

We threw the frisbee around for a while, then made a stop at the Goodwill. It was a lovely, lovely day.

Oregon State Fair

A member of the Cornelius church gave us two tickets to the State Fair--thanks, Jim!

It was quite a spectacle! We watched people catapulted insanely high into the air on a giant slingshot. We saw dogs compete to see who could dive the longest distance--one lab leapt 24 feet before he hit the water! There were displays of beautiful photography, elaborate cakes, fancy pies, homemade wines. We smelled so many foods...elephant ears and corn on the cob and yakisoba noodles--even tofurky! We saw so many different kinds of people! We wandered through the booths and the carnival, which, with all its lights and sounds and smells and movement, would feel like an attack on my senses if it weren't so intriguing.

One of my favorite parts was going through the exhibit hall where endless gadgets are displayed and sold. It's like hundreds of live informercials happening at the same time and there is something great about meandering up and down the aisles, listening to the spiels, laughing at the ridiculousness of some of them. I was amazed at how many people were actually buying these items--special dusters and shammies, hand lotions and insoles, glass cutters and hose nozzles, knives, massaging chairs, giant sewing machines. I'm not sure why I enjoyed this hall so much. I hate malls and dislike shopping in general, but there is something that made it hard for me to pull myself away from this particular display of consumerism.

The trip to Salem was made complete by a stop at Marco Polo international restaurant where we ate, for the second time in one week, their vegetarian General Tso's "Chicken." This is the best thing I've ever eaten and I could eat it every day without tiring: