Date: Sun, 02 Feb 1997 08:05:29 -0800

Subject: Postcard from Portland

Dear Family and Friends,

Ground Hog Day greetings to you all! Check out "The Story of
Punxsutawney Phil" at http://www.groundhog.org/about/history.php.

In our little knob, plenty of sunshine shepherded our shadows this past
month - in spite of the fact that we had (as always) above average
rainfall (climatic summary included below). In fact, we had FIVE
consecutive days with NO precipitation (1/12-1/16)! The local webfeet
actually grumbled about the blinding effect of all that sunshine (but
not about the cold weather it ushered in). Go figure.

If you've been checking the pictures posted at herring.org, then you
know how much progress has been made on our new home this past month.
Yesterday we uploaded another 18 photos. The roof is finished and the
siding is 95% completed. Last Friday I got a call from Anissa (of Don
Morissette Homes, Inc.) letting me know that the electrician was on-site
and that I should get over to the house to show him where I wanted the
phone jacks, cable TV hookups and overhead recessed lights. I'm glad I
had a chance to consult with him rather than just mark where I wanted
everything. It eliminated any possible confusion, and he had some good
suggestions about placement of the recessed lights which we'll use to
illuminate artwork we have and/or plan to purchase. I didn't get there a
moment too soon - he already had most of the house wired. While I was
there I was surprised to find that the fireplace is now installed!

I also heard from the bank last Friday. The loan officer indicated that
it may be time to lock in our interest rate. I will be checking with the
builder on Monday to see if we're within 90 days of closing. The rate is
currently 7 7/8ths and has been pretty stable for the past month.
Fortunately there has been little fear that the Fed will tighten credit
any time soon.

Liz and I went to Advanced Interiors two weeks ago and met with Randy
Marrs to select the carpet, padding, counter tops, and flooring. There
was a dizzying array of choices, but Randy was knowledgeable and
organized. In a mere hour and a half we had selected everything we
needed! We had already included an allowance for upgraded carpet
padding. The only other improvement for which we opted was acrylic
floors in the kitchen since that tends to be a high traffic area. We
selected mostly neutral colors, the exception being forest green tiles
for the garden tub and sink tops in the master bedroom. The only
remaining appointment we have is with the lighting fixture store on the
22nd of this month. We also need to arrange for window treatments,
landscaping and a sprinkler system for the yard. After we move in we'll
take care of adding air conditioning and fencing.

Liz has been putting in long days at work, as have I. At least she gets
paid overtime, which will be a big help when it comes time to furnish
our new home. I finally cracked the tough techo-nut that was driving me
crazy the past few months. I now have a working version of a setup
program using InstallShield for the terminal emulator (Reflection 2)
which I'm responsible for productizing. My next (and final) step is to
create a cross-platform InstallShield installation (the one I have is
for Windows 95 and Windows NT only).

Upcoming plans for this month include a romantic dinner for two on
Valentine's Day, which will be the third anniversary of our engagement.
We'd much prefer to celebrate at Pascal's in Orange County (the scene of
the crime), but we're looking forward to dinner at the Esplanade at
Riverplace, a fabulous restaurant with panoramic views of the Willamette
River and a wide selection of mouth watering entrees.

We hope your month is filled with love and warmth regardless of Phil's
prognostication today.

with love,
Sandy & Liz
     _________________________________________________________________

climatic summary for portland oregon
national weather service portland oregon
331 am pst sat feb 01 1997

...precipitation...

total for the month...   7.46
normal month to date..   5.35
total for the year....   7.46   total since oct 1...  35.92
normal year to date...   5.35   normal from oct 1...  19.49

-- 
Sandy & Liz Herring            Portland         Peck of Pickled Pisces
webfeet@herring.org             Oregon          http://www.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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