Date: Thu, 10 Jul 1997 08:21:06 -0700

Subject: Postcard from Portland

Dear Family and Friends,

June saw summer blooms showered with tears of sorrow, staked by golden
roots, and gently swayed by the breath of the future.

First, the tears...

It is with deep sadness that I relay the news that Liz's Grandmom Maxine
has passed on. She was blessed with 91 years filled with the love of
family and friends. I feel fortunate to be counted among them. She was
gentle and selfless to a fault. One of the principle reasons Liz and I
decided to find out the sex of our baby was so that we could share the
news with Grandma Maxine - we knew it was unlikely they would know each
other and we wanted her to at least know we're expecting a little girl.
Our daughter's middle name will be Maxine in her memory, with our hopes
that she is endowed with the goodness that flowed from her great-
grandmother's heart.

...and next the stakes...

I had phase-I of my oral surgery in June. This involved drilling into my
jaw and implanting two titanium-gold alloy screws which will eventually
support three crowns. I had expected this to be pretty traumatic and
painful, but thankfully it was not. I had very little postoperative
swelling or discomfort. The most difficult part was staying on a liquid
diet for the first week. Soup, shakes and jello (which qualifies as a
'liquid') get *real* old in short order. I'm glad I had the sustaining
memory to savor of a 'last supper' consisting of pizza (which Liz and I
love, but in which we seldom indulge) and a sinful dessert aptly named
"Death by Chocolate". The second week I was permitted to have 'soft'
food. I don't think I've ever relished mashed potatoes as much as I did
the first night of that week! At least the forced starvation helped me
to shed nearly ten pounds. 

Phase-II of the implants will await osseointegration (fusing of the bone
with the implants). This will take around four months, and then each
implant will be fitted with an abutment. This is a relatively minor
procedure. It then takes around a month for the gum tissue to heal
around the extensions, at which time I go back to my regular dentist for
impressions and fabrication of the porcelain bridge on which the crowns
will be anchored. I'm looking forward to the final chapter in the saga
of the bionic boca!

...and lastly the gentle swaying...

Last month Liz wrote that she'd begun to feel 'quickenings'. Lil' "E"
has been quite active this past month, especially just before meals and
when Liz is driving. On June 21 (at 8:08 am) *I* finally felt her - and
was even able to _see_ her move. Knowing that there is a life growing
inside of Liz has been wonderfully exciting - but actually seeing and
feeling our daughter-to-be is totally overwhelming. I don't know any way
to convey in words how magical a moment that was. It will be forever
forged in my memory, in much the same way as the moment I first saw Liz
on June 24, 1993.

Elizabeth grows rounder by the day. Passersby all cast their glance down
to what was once a waistline and look up with a knowing smile. We smile,
too :-)

Since I'm so late in getting this PfP out, I'll include a little of
July's activities. Liz and I celebrated my dental diet emancipation by
having a sensational dinner at McCormick and Schmick's by waterfront park
on the 4th of July. Liz had a lite fare of Spinach Salad with Blackened
Salmon. I lingered over Linguini with Salmon and Wild Mushrooms. The
repast at M&S is always regal, but I don't think I've ever appreciated
it as much before. Being a hostage to my health made tasting freedom all
the more savory. After sharing a wonderful peach cobbler for dessert, we
meandered out to the sidewalk overlooking the Willamette River and found
a place to plotz that offered a good view of the fireworks. The
pyrotechnics commenced at 10:00 sharp and emblazoned the sky with
streaks, rays and shards of spectral splashes punctuated by pulse
quickening blasts. After twenty minutes of mayhem silence returned to
the river and we headed home - satiated and ready for slumber.

This month we will be celebrating Liz's birthday on the 22nd. And now
that we have no immediate plans for any more travel, we also look
forward to having more time for each other and preparing our home for
the arrival of lil' E_Max.

Until whatever August augers, have a jubilant July!

we love and miss you all,
Sandy, Liz and lil' E_Max
     _________________________________________________________________

climatic summary for portland oregon     
national weather service portland oregon               
300 am pdt tue jul 01 1997

 ...temperature...

high yesterday... 70 
 low yesterday... 56 
mean temp........ 63   departure from normal...   -3

normal high for today... 78
normal  low for today... 55
record high for today... 105 set in 1942
record  low for today...  48 set in 1963

...degree day data...

heating
yesterday...      2 departure...     0
month.......     79 departure...   -12
season......    436 departure... -486

cooling
yesterday...      0 departure...    -3
month.......     21 departure...   -25
season......     65 departure...    19

...precipitation...

yesterday.............   0.54
total for the month...   2.83
normal month to date..   1.48
total for the year....  26.41   total since oct 1...  54.87
normal year to date...  18.69   normal from oct 1...  32.83

...wind data in mph...

average wind speed yesterday... 5.1  
fastest 2-min wind yesterday... 22 from 340 degrees
peak wind gust yesterday....... 28 from 340 degrees

...astronomical data...

sunrise today...525 am    pdt
sunset  today...903 pm    pdt
sunrise tomorrow...526 am    pdt
sunset  tomorrow...903 pm    pdt


-- 
Sandy & Liz Herring         Tigard, Oregon         Peck of Pickled Pisces
webfeet@herring.org     bigfish@sns-access.com     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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