Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 06:09:19 -0800

Subject: Postcard from Portland

Dear Family and Friends,

Whoa... wait a minute. Can it be? Down in your inbox, it's a bird, it's a
plane, it's a...

                P o s t c a r d   f r o m   P o r t l a n d

Yes! After a /four/ year hiatus, another PfP!! I won't guarantee this will
be a regular monthly occurrence - but that is the goal.

There's no way I'm going to attempt to recap the past four years, so let's
wind the clock back around six months and take it from there...

The past summer was the best we've had here. The weather was spectacular. We
got two ceiling fans (master bedroom & family room) at the beginning of the
summer (we have no air conditioning), and they helped make comfortable what
would otherwise have been numerous days/nights of shvitzing. I'm amazed at
the effectiveness of such low tech devices.

In July we got Elisha her first bicycle (replete with training wheels, of
course)...

http://herring.org/photos/Elisha/2003_July4th.html

She was very timid at first, but made terrific progress before the rains
recently returned.

Elisha is now taking beginning tap on Saturdays (she had been taking ballet
before and does still - but at KinderCare). I'm amazed at how much dance
she's assimilated. It's a delight to watch her launch into an impromptu
performance. We all went out to celebrate Liz and my anniversary (9th
already!) down by the river. After dinner we took a walk and watched as the
Hawthorne bridge (http://www.bizave.com/portland/bridges/) raised to allow
a sternwheeler to pass under. An itinerant trumpet player under the bridge
improvised (quite nicely) an accompaniment to the warning horn being sounded
at regular intervals to caution bridge traffic of the impending raising. His
medley included "Rollin' on the River" - perfect! I gave Elisha a dollar to
put in his case, which prompted a medley of children's tunes - and Elisha
broke into ballet al fresco. I wish I had my camera with me :-(

We also took in two terrific concerts in July, within weeks of each other -
The Dixie Chicks and then Fleetwood Mac. They were both totally awesome.

We took a mini-vacation to Cannon Beach (http://www.cannonbeach.org/) and
enjoyed perfect August weather (contrary to the forecast of rain). Elisha
had been pleading for a chance to collect seashells, which was one impetus
for the trip (the other being Liz and I love it there and our last visit was
before Elisha was born). The pickin's were slim, but Elisha had a great time
gathering shell fragments at two different beaches...

http://herring.org/photos/Elisha/2003_08_CannonBeach.html

20030811022.jpg is a closeup of what Elisha thought was a shell - until she
picked it up and it wiggled furiously in an attempted escape. The getaway
was a success - Elisha shrieked, jumping back two feet and dropping the
relieved sand crab like a hot spud (or is that squid?). We had fun window
shopping and stopped in Tillamook to watch cheese being made - and, of
course, have grilled cheese sandwiches and ice cream.

At the beginning of October we went to the Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie's
Island...

http://herring.org/photos/Elisha/2003_10_PumpkinPatch.html

The Corn Maize (http://www.thepumpkinpatch.com/theMaize.htm) was
incredible. Elisha helped to guide us through it by answering the questions
at checkpoints where a correct answer showed us which turn to take.

Our most recent outing was a mini-vacation to Seattle...

http://herring.org/photos/Elisha/2003_10_Seattle.html

It was a combo pleasure/business trip. The vendor with which I've worked
closely since 1996 (WRQ - http://www.wrq.com/) has been eager to have me
come visit. It was wonderful meeting face-to-face the people I've gotten to
know well. We had a /very/ productive meeting. It was heartwarming to the
point of flattering to see the turnout - around 30 people in all. While I
conducted business, Liz and Elisha went to the top of the Space Needle - a
tourist treat we'll repeat on our next trip so that I can join them. The
folks at WRQ treated us all to pizza and bowling in the afternoon. Elisha
has been bowling with me a few times previously, but this time was special.
She bowled her first strike! The ball sped down the lane at a blinding 3mph,
struck the sweet spot without the benefit of a ricochet off the bumpers, and
the pins all went down - one by one in slow motion. All of us erupted in
whoops and applause - Elisha was stunned. The following day we spent the
morning and early afternoon at Pike Place Market and then drove home. Elisha
was a real trouper. I had insured us against too many "are we there yet"s by
giving her one of her birthday gifts a bit early (see the first picture on
the 2003_10_Seattle.html page).

Last Friday we got decked out for Halloween and went to a party at a
friend's house...

http://herring.org/photos/Elisha/2003_10_Halloween.html

Elisha was, of course, a princess. Liz and I were (naturally) her servants.
Okay, I guess that wasn't too much of a departure from the real world :-)

Work has been keeping the both of us /very/ busy. Liz's school district
previously had 5 Speech Language Pathologists. This year, they started with
3 (but the same case load) - and one of them gave her two week notice very
recently. Liz is /not/ pleased with how the school administration is
handling this emergency. The district in which she works (Molalla) is in the
boonies an hour's drive from us. She plans to look into the towns that
surround us for the next school year (she's under contract and can't leave
mid-year, unlike the SLP who just bailed). I've had several interesting
projects at ADP recently. I'm currently hacking (and learning as I go) a VB
app. As much as I'm a linux/open source devotee, this work has actually been
fun.

Elisha is doing really well in kindergarten, although she misses the
wonderful woman who provided daycare and preschool since she was 3 months
old. But we visit Sheila often. She's like a second mom to Elisha. The love
they share is very special and will endure forever.

The Beaverton public school has a /very/ short day for kindergarten (2.5
hours!), so instead Elisha is attending KinderCare (which has a full day
program). I can't believe our little princess is going to be a "grader" next
year! She's already lost six baby teeth!!

The weather here has taken a wintry turn. We had our first dusting of snow
two days ago - no accumulation, but it generated a lot of excitement at the
Herring household. This morning we had our first ice warning. We don't
normally see this kind of weather until at least December. It has not
deterred the goldfinches from dining at our two feeders (we get a dozen or
so customers). They are not migratory, so we're looking forward to their
continued company this winter. The hummingbirds are still feeding, too. They
will no doubt be heading for warmer climes soon.

Lastly, after an 8 year hiatus, I've started training in Krav Maga again. A
school has /finally/ opened in Portland (http://kravmagapdx.com/). I've
been training for a few weeks now. Man are my muscles sore the day after!

Our upcoming plans include Elisha's 6th birthday (a bowling party), Disney
on Ice, Thanksgiving in San Francisco, and Christmas in Orange County.


Addendum: Kids Say the Darndest Things Dept.
============================================

(commenting on daddy's explanation that he bought her a present on the 'net)
"What kind of dot com did you buy it on?"

"Mom and me saw a bird in a green forever tree."

"Mom, I wanna see takeouts" (meaning 'outtakes' of her video)


we love and miss you all, 
Sandy, Liz and Elisha
-- 
Sandy, Liz & Elisha      http://herring.org/      webfeet@herring.org
                  And that's the news from Portland
       where everything is green, rolling stones gather moss,
              and the rainfall is always above average.

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