Westmoreland Asays

Dr. Watson We enjoyed dry and mild temperatures for Halloween again this year. Trick-or-treating in Westmoreland/Sellwood still remains a great experience; Meg and I have determined, however, that next year we should stick to the northern part of the neighborhood because the houses there don't see the same amount of traffic as does the central region. We met some neighbors who hadn't seen a single trick-or-treater and others who prepared special treats for the kids that did visit them. Bad Ninja Edward, Ian, Meg, and I stuck together for the majority of the night, while Aaron toured the neighborhood with his friend Francesco. Edward and Ian performed as well as I've ever seen them, although Edward recommends wearing comfortable shoes as opposed to ones that match your costume. Some kind of Storm/Clone Trooper I ended up with almost as much candy as did the kids because they are so well parented and like to share and know that I like candy more than anybody e...

I'm a bit of a hoarder. But not like you think. Yes, I still have some of the baseball cards I collected from my youth boxed up in the garage, and yes I still have a few articles of clothing I wore in high school (they still fit, too, suckers). Letting go of physical items that might have some use in the future can create minor tension in my life. I have a similar tendency with information. To wit: my favorite time to visit the Oregon coast is in early fall, when the crowds of people return to their schools and offices, the winds calm to near nothingness, and the temperatures hover around perfectly-mild . I don't like telling people this, though, because I want to hog all of this to myself, or at least to my immediate family. So forget everything I just said and continue on to read about our latest Adventures in Testosterone. Meg had reserved a yurt at Nehalem Bay--north of the Tillamook but south of the Seaside--six months ago, knowing the kids would have a Friday free f...

Nearly 20 years ago while in Japan I thought I had lived through my last typhoon. Storms of this nature just don't find their way this far inland. Or so I thought . After a week where it felt like the rain was falling at all hours of the day, the sun came out with perhaps one last gift before the seasons shift back to the wet-and-grey of fall and winter. So hop in the mini-van we did, driving a few miles to the north and west to visit one of the many farms on Sauvie Island , and enjoyed a pleasant drive through quaint country. I'm not sure how much these farms rely upon the highly seasonal uptake in visitors--those like us hoping to get lost in their corn mazes and finding the great pumpkin and purchasing products grown within their borders--to pay the bills and feed the animals, but the city folk seem to enjoy walking through what is becoming more and more scarce within the urban growth boundary. We spent no more than three hours on the farm--including the time we dined ...

Aaron and Edward I dare you to find a person who does not love the first day of school (save the teachers, maybe, and overprotective parents--maybe easier than I think). Aaron begins his last year at Llewellyn Elementary (5th grade), while Edward joins his peers in the third grade. Ian has one more year to wear pajamas all day (I kid!) before he joins the ranks at Llewellyn. Although neither boy was pleased with the perceived lack of friends in their individual class and were somewhat tentative about their teacher, they both report that they are liking class so far. And even though we pushed the lights-out limit later than we ever have before during summer, they have had no problems adjusting to early-morning wake-ups.

I enjoy the end of August for various reasons. The temperatures aren't so hot, the kids are almost back in school, and Hood-to-Coast comes to town (literally, this year, as the exchange point for legs 12 and 13 was in our neighborhood, at Oaks Park, because of construction closer into town). I once again photographed the runners on Legs 5 and 35. Friday was mild and overcast and a bit rainy, and Saturday was warm, warm, warm. My body is still aging, and it takes three or four days for the extreme soreness in my upper legs to dissipate. Hood-to-Coast is all about the participants so, without further delay, I present to you my Hood-to-Coasties for 2013 (remember, these are all photos I took). I've noticed trends in race over the last decade, and 2013 was the year of the tongue and the high-five. I saw lots of tongue aimed at my direction, and five or six runners gave me high-fives or fist bumps (kind of sweaty-gross, but whatever). Here are the best tongue shots . Fam...

A few months ago Meg asked our children if they would prefer to visit Disneyland or Legoland. Apparently, they overwhelmingly voted for Legoland , much to Meg's disappointment (the kids are somewhat price-conscious, but I don't think that influenced their decision). Meg had thought to drive down with just the kids, but I convinced her to let me come, too, and to use our Southwest points to fly to Southern California (I'm not much of a road-tripper). We had thought to visit the Redwood forests of Northern California on our return drive, and although this omission disappointed Aaron, I think everyone enjoyed the relatively easy travel arrangements--plus, this leaves us with another travel destination for the future (we don't often repeat our travel destinations). Early Saturday morning we picked up some friends who drove us to the airport (and babysat the van for the week so they could pick us up again). We had to change planes in Sacramento, and that flight was del...

Ian loves going on adventures. His definition might be more inclusive than most people would allow, but sometimes our adventures are walks around the neighborhood, bike rides to the park, or just playing in the back yard. They are all adventures to him. Tonight, with Aaron and Edward staying in Salem with their friends so they could attend a day camp, I thought it would be a good time to take the boy out. We rode our bikes to the Oaks Bottom trailhead, then hiked along the trail to the meadow below Sellwood Park. Ian pretended that all other hikers were zombies and he wasn't shy about letting them know this while he shot them with his squirt gun (sans water, of course). I appreciate that Ian likes to spend time with me, and that he still likes to hold my hand as we walk.