[sharonpdx]

it was all an elaborate ruse. [or, what a surprising weekend!]

My first trip to Oregon's coast will be memorable not just because it is beautiful  (it is).

 

And not just because I got to hike in Ecola State Park to the secluded Crescent Beach,  see the weathered wood shingle buildings and lie on the warm sand of Cannon Beach, and eat ice cream and ride the bumper cars in Seaside.

 

 

 

And not just because of all the wine.

It will be most memorable because I didn't see it coming.

I thought that I'd be spending Saturday afternoon at an event for Doug's work.  Turns out, there was no work event - instead, as we were returning from dinner with friends on Friday evening,  he turned to me and said, "So...  we're going to the coast tomorrow."

It took until Sunday for the shock to wear off.  I even had to pinch myself a little as we were soaking up the sun mid-day Saturday, laying directly on the sand because we hadn't thought to bring towels - "is this really happening?  am i really doing this?"

We spent the night in Seaside, and left early Sunday morning for Portland - where we spent a few hours in a long, long line and a few more hours under the hot, hot sun in Waterfront Park, asking ourselves, "is this really happening?  are we really about to be just 60 yards away from him?"

Yep.

 

 

 
 

What a surprising weekend.

p.s. Doug, me, Naomi, Erica, & Joe were just 5 of the 75,000 people on the waterfront that day to hear Senator Obama speak.  Here's some video of the event.

scenes from a mother-daughter weekend

overdue photos from our mother-daughter day in PDX two Saturdays ago. 

first up: The Dancer at the Portland Art Museum

after the museum, we made our way toward Pioneer Place.  i insisted we follow the noise and honking happening a few blocks over and we detoured past this protest.  it took us a minute to figure out they were protesting Scientology - specifically, the alleged practice of "Fair Game,"  which i knew nothing about but insisted on googling from my blackberry immediately.  Mom thought that was silly.

the protesters weren't the only ones out enjoying the weather; we also saw, and heard, this group singing on the corner for tips. 

more scenes from our day together:  [also, i don't know why this text is underlined.  weird.]

 

 

it was a lovely mother-daughter weekend.

fly away. fly, fly away. i won't stand in your way.*

good news:  i think that huge black fly that was buzzing around my apartment since last Friday must have died.  or, on a more hopeful note, maybe he finally figured out how to leave.  as i said to him several times over the last week, i do actually open the front door sometimes.

if he died, i guess i'll eventually find him, probably when i'm picking up clothes that fell behind my clothes hamper, or when i finally get around to hanging up the curtains that are stashed in a bag in my spare room.  or maybe i'll spot his huge, black, lifeless body when i'm on the floor doing a set of my 40-a-day pushups.   in any event, i'll find him when i'm not expecting it, and i'll feel a little sick my stomach.

maybe this is not good news after all.

to the huge black fly that kept me awake for the past several nights with your buzzing and your creepy size abnormality:  i sincerely hope you made it out my front door sometime in the last two days and that you're alive, bugging something or someone else.

(*points to you if you caught my Poe reference.)

happy birthday, dad!

Torrey Pines Beach, San Diego |  Christmas Day 2007

happy mother's day, mom!

at dinner last night at Nutshell in PDX.

More pics from our mother-daughter weekend to come.

there's a huge black fly buzzing around my apartment

Not a huge fan of this fly that started buzzing around a little while ago.

Fortunately, my brain is a little fuzzy from fatigue and the lovely pomegranate margarita I had with dinner tonight. Mom's in P-town after an a.m. meeting at OHSU. We shared a beet and avocado salad (yum!) and some tasty guac and chips at Fonda Rosa (which is probably why I wound up taking one of my shrimp tacos home as leftovers) - I love that restaurant, and I love that it's just a short walk from my apartment.

My apartment with the huge, annoying black fly.

Big day of mother-daughter fun tomorrow! Heading to bed now, where hopefully I will fall asleep quickly and not think about what that fly is doing while I'm in bed.

"your certificate is in the mail."

Congratulations!  We are pleased to inform you that you have passed the written portion of the Turbo Kick® Instructor Training and the practical portion as well.

Sweet.