Loose Ends

After a rather significant delay leading to much lounging in the Denver airport, I am in Portland. The Pacific Northwest has greeted me kindly with sun and middling temperatures. After being in Michigan and Minnesota, it feels a bit like seasonal time travel. I haven't been here long, but I have been enjoying myself so far. Last night, I spectated at a fencing tournament. With the help of Kyle and others, I am learning a lot about the sport. I am now at the point where I feel like I have the beginnings of an idea of what is going on when I watch a bout (See, I know lingo!). Today, I ran some errands... including getting the paperwork I will need to get what Beth and I are actually owed by the property management company we have had the pleasure of dealing with for the last year (grrr...). Then I went to knit and drink tea at Abundant Yarn and Dyeworks in Sellwood. I think they may have the best knit-in cafe I have seen: lots of natural light, a variety of seating types and full of knitterly types. Yay! Still no knit pics to share... there will be an extravaganza after Chistmas is over and the secrecy is uneccesary.
Ethiopian food tonight and caving tomorrow!! Yay Yay!

I still have some pictures from the past few weeks that I would like to share, so here you have them!

I hiked to a beaver pond along the Superior Hiking trail in MN with Kathleen, a super amazing person I met at North House. Note the hunter's orange. Safety first!

Thanksgiving spread with hungry onlookers. Mom is giving me an especially good look here (yellow shirt). You can see our veggie dishes along the side of the table. The roasted roots were a big hit! Score one for the vegans.

Around the table: Aunt Cindy, Grandpa carving the turkey, Laura looking apprehensively at the vegan fare, Dad.

Apart from a few run-of-the-mill fist fights between brothers, Thanksgiving was peaceful. Our roasted roots dish put a damper on the annual mashed potato consistency dispute, and Don didn't go through with his pumpkin pie theft attempt. Speaking of Don, don't miss this winning shot of him in the background, watching with gravity as his sons pummel each other.

I gave my gifts for Ayla early so I could see her open them. I had a lot of books I had read and thought she would like. On top of it all, I gave her this knit hat that turned out super cute!

Before leaving Michigan, I got to see a pretty significant snowfall! In true Michigander style, most people were complaining about driving in it instead of rejoicing in the beauty and fun of it, but I loved it anyway!