Skip to main content

Rainy Sunday Parkways

16 weeks
 Today was the last Sunday Parkways of the season. Parkways are one of our favorite events in Portland, as the city closes streets in a designated neighborhood to allow for bicycle and pedestrian traffic to take over for several hours. Our participation has been quite limited this year as Nathan is not old enough for bicycle carriers. When he was about three weeks old, we walked part of the North Portland route. Today, the Parkways came to our neighborhood and Jennifer, Nathan and I set out in the fall weather (blustery and cool followed by total downpour and drenched). To prepare for the cooler weather, I finally put Nathan into his first pair of jeans. I love how they look on, but are significantly more work to put on and take off compared to the sweats he usually wears.

Since Nathan is growing, I adjusted his stroller so he is no longer lying flat, but reclined slightly. He didn't seem to notice the difference much and didn't pay any more attention to his surroundings. Bundled with a warm lap quilt, we headed toward the nearest park to find food for Jennifer and myself first. After eating, we began to walk the Parkways route when the skies truly opened and we were stuck in the first real downpour of the season. We hid out under the cover of trees while the storm passed and then I decided I was ready to go home again. Nathan, of course, slept through the entire storm. Once home, Jennifer grabbed her bike and went back to the parkways, while Nathan enjoyed a little tummy time at home.









Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Nathan, 18 months

Can you believe it? Can you believe that Little Man Nate is already 18 months? Nathan's Famous Hot Dog on Halloween. At 18 months, Nathan is 33.25 inches tall and nearly 29 pounds, but mostly, he is on the go. Nathan is curious about the world around him, spending lots of time opening doors or drawers, saying "uh-oh" when he finds something new. I know for certain I will have to buy a new set of measuring cups when we move again, as Nathan has adopted some into his toy collection, while others are just plain MIA. He loves pushing his cars, trucks and lawn mower around the house. He is quickly learning to match shapes with puzzles and point to his nose, ears and belly. He uses sign language to say "please" and "more" as well as ask for "help". We have just started practicing the sign for "thank you" and he seems to be grasping that one. Nathan will put his cup in the refrigerator or sink when he is "all done", and u...

Christmas 2020

Have yourself a merry little Christmas Let your heart be light From now on Our troubles will be out of sight As a result of the pandemic, the model train festival we typically enjoy this time of year was canceled (thus no pictures with Santa). We missed family and friends this year. The fun energy of the last few school days before Winter Break was not quite the same over Zoom. I missed singing carols in church during month of December.  As the season progressed, I couldn't help but reflect on other times in history where celebrations were small and often just a nuclear family. Times and places where travel was too difficult or too expensive to justify leaving home. For those generations of families, the traditions were as simple as reading the Christmas story together or baking a special bread. In so many ways that was our Christmas this year and by seeking the joy in each moment, we found our hearts lighter.  We visited our favorite local tree farm to find THE TREE.  We...

The Drive

    I love our new home in Battle Ground!  However, I am still a little unsure about living in Battle Ground.  Battle Ground itself seems nice, just a bit further out than I ever imagined I would live.  Six months ago we had a cute little NE Portland home, where we could walk to Breakside Brewery or Podnah's BBQ Pit.  There were multiple parks close by and despite the energy of the city we had a peaceful backyard retreat to relax in.    Now, it may seem strange, but having a 20-25 minute commute seems like an eternity for me.  Not since our first year of marriage have I had to commute more than 15 minutes.  It was the trek across Lake Washington  from West Seattle to Kirkland that made me vow to always have a short commute.  While I do not mind the extra time to make phone calls or listen to some talk radio, I can't decide if the drive is peaceful and relaxing or just a slog to and from the country.  I imagine it will tu...