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Subject: Postcard from Portland
Dear Family and Friends,
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Happy Independence Day! [1] Or, "Dah/lee-koo/wah!" [2], as Toh-Loo [3]
might say. Liz and I were astonished at the amount, intensity and
proximity of the pyrotechnics. I guess our parenthood is showing - we
were both concerned by the types of consumer fireworks that may be
legally purchased in Washington and Idaho, and then easily smuggled into
Oregon. We did, however, have fun lighting a few (legal in OR) sparklers
in the driveway. Elisha was kept at a safe distance, she *was*
fascinated - exclaiming, "whee!"
In years past, Liz and I have gone down to the Willamette River for the
grand spectacle sponsored by the city of Portland. We didn't go last
year because Elisha was far too young to have enjoyed it. We decided to
pass again this year for several reasons, not the least of which is
Elisha's bout of pharyngitis :-(. It has also been unseasonably cold
(even for Portland), as you can see from the weather summary this month.
So we parked ourselves in front of the tube and delighted in the Boston
Pops. My one regret about my ten years in Boston is that I never took
advantage of the opportunity to see Arthur Fiedler hold forth on the
Esplanade. But Keith Lockhart, the "new" [4] kid on the block, acquitted
himself admirably. And seeing Seiji Ozawa lead the Pops in Tchaikovsky's
1812 Overture added zing and zest to the pageantry. Unfortunately, TV
doesn't capture the lung-filling thunder of the howitzers.
Elisha has been in tremendous spirits, viral malady notwithstanding.
We've been dispensing Naldecon for her cough, Albuterol for her
"wheeze", and a healthy dose of patience for mom and dad. We'll all be
glad when she shakes this latest infection. It's made sleeping difficult
for her (and us).
Our little adventurer has discovered how to climb up onto the sofa.
Fortunately, she also knows how to gracefully get down. Elisha now turns
on the TV by herself, something we're trying to discourage. We have
three TV sets, each one a bit different, and she's mastered them all. We
can only wonder what obstacle will be the object of her next conquest.
She has obviously acquired a lot more confidence when it comes to
physical quests. Her latest trick is walking with her arms extended and
her head turned nearly to the rear. Hopefully she'll reconsider that
mode of transportation before she runs into trouble.
Her vocabulary is finally starting to take off, although the
articulation is simplified. Her latest linguistics include...
Hi! even to strangers (her stranger anxiety if finally
subsiding)
ball! always punctuated with excitement
clap! always as a command to Liz or me, sometimes enforced
physically
socks! generally soon followed by their removal
"sigh" outside, where she'd rather be
bath which she loves
"dee-OH'" video... a plea for Teletubbies, Elmo, or Bear in the
Big Blue House
cheese virtually tied for favorite with Pepperidge Farm Fish
cheek as well as other face parts (ear, eye. hair), we're
working on "nose"
kikkee cookie... usually accompanied by an attempted raid on
the pantry
uh-tu-tee 1-2-3 (in preparation for being lifted from the
changing table)
and, Po her favorite Tellytubby and stuffed bedtime toy
But the best part is the hugs. Lots and lots of hugs, for both Liz and
me. Ironically, she has none to spare for Sheila (daycare), whom she
absolutely adores (and vice versa). On more than one occasion Elisha has
played what I call "kiss tag". When Liz and I are both seated on the
floor, she'll kiss one of us, run to the other and give a kiss, back to
the first with another kiss, lather, rinse, repeat. It's too precious
for words!
I've been playing hide the cork with her. I secret an old cork in one
fist and present both fists to her for her to choose one. She peers into
the gap I purposefully leave near the thumb to see where the cork is and
beams with pride when the hand she selects is correct.
Elisha has been practicing for her second birthday... when I blow in her
face she now blows back at me.
Father's Day was even more special this year than last since Elisha was
old enough to join in. With Liz's help, she created her first artwork
for me. I will be getting it framed :-) Thank heavens she's not yet old
enough to select neckties (which I seldom wear).
After four years at ADP I've been promoted! The extra loot will come in
handy - but it's also gratifying to have my hard work acknowledged.
Our plans for this month include the Lilith Fair [5] - which will be an
early birthday present for Liz, and something she's wanted to do for two
years. I also pledge to rectify a dereliction of duty by scanning and
posting to the web some recent photos of Elisha. As a former freelance
photographer, all I can say is... not keeping current on that project is
akin to the cobbler letting his children go barefoot.
Until August, and hopefully warmer weather [6]...
we love and miss you all,
Sandy, Liz and Elisha
[0] Ascii art by Joan Stark http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7373/july4.htm
[1] "The holiday was first observed in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776, at
which time the Declaration of Independence was read aloud, city
bells rang, and bands played. It was not declared a legal holiday,
however, until 1941."
Encarta® 98 Desk Encyclopedia © & 1996-97 Microsoft Corporation.
All rights reserved.
[2] Loud sound!
[3] Elisha's Furby.
[4] OK, so 1995 isn't exactly new, but Fiedler's reign was 50 years
[5] http://www.lilithfair.com/
[6] to be fair, it hit 89 today! [7]
[7] but didn't make it past 65 yesterday [8]
[8] or 61 the day before *grumble*
_________________________________________________________________
Data harvested from http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/climate/index.php?wfo=pqr
CLIMATIC SUMMARY FOR PORTLAND OREGON
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OREGON
333 AM PDT THU JUL 01 1999
...TEMPERATURE...
HIGH YESTERDAY... 70
LOW YESTERDAY... 60
MEAN TEMP........ 65 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL... -1
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... 0 DEPARTURE... -2
MONTH....... 151 DEPARTURE... 60
SEASON...... 4341 DEPARTURE... -181
COOLING
YESTERDAY... 0 DEPARTURE... -3
MONTH....... 41 DEPARTURE... -5
SEASON...... 50 DEPARTURE... 4
...PRECIPITATION...
YESTERDAY............. 0.01
TOTAL FOR THE MONTH... 1.73
NORMAL MONTH TO DATE.. 1.48
TOTAL FOR THE YEAR.... 24.63 TOTAL SINCE OCT 1... 44.60
NORMAL YEAR TO DATE... 18.69 NORMAL FROM OCT 1... 32.83
...WIND DATA IN MPH...
AVERAGE WIND SPEED YESTERDAY... 6.3
FASTEST 2-MIN WIND YESTERDAY... 13 (FROM 350 DEGREES
PEAK WIND GUST YESTERDAY....... 17 FROM 340 DEGREES
...ASTRONOMICAL DATA...
SUNRISE TODAY...526 AM PDT
SUNSET TODAY...903 PM PDT
SUNRISE TOMORROW...526 AM PDT
SUNSET TOMORROW...903 PM PDT
JUN CLIMATOLOGICAL REPORT FOR PORTLAND OREGON...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OREGON
425 AM PDT THU JUL 01 1999
TEMPERATURE DATA......
(DEGREES F)
AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE.... 61.2 OR 2.3 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL
AVERAGE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE.... 69.3
AVERAGE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE.... 53.0
HIGHEST TEMPERATURE WAS 87 ON DAY 14
LOWEST TEMPERATURE WAS 44 ON DAY 2
HEATING DEGREE DAYS (BASE 65) COOLING DEGREE DAYS
MONTHLY TOTAL ........... 151 MONTHLY TOTAL .......... 41
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.... 60 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL... -5
SEASONAL TOTAL (JUL-JUN). 4341 SEASONAL TOTAL (JAN-DEC) 50
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL.... -181 DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL... 4
PRECIPITATION DATA....
..RAIN..
TOTAL FOR THE MONTH......... 1.73 OR 0.25 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL
TOTAL SINCE JANUARY 1ST..... 24.63 OR 5.94 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL
GREATEST 24 HOUR RAINFALL WAS 0.67 INCHES ON DAY(S) 24
..SNOW..
TOTAL FOR THE MONTH......... 0.0
TOTAL FOR THE SEASON........ M
GREATEST 24 HOUR SNOWFALL WAS INCHES ON DAY(S) __ __
..NUMBER OF DAYS..
WITH .01 INCHES OR MORE 13 HIGHS 32 DEGREES OR COLDER 0
WITH .10 INCHES OR MORE 5 HIGHS 90 DEGREES OR WARMER 0
WITH .50 INCHES OR MORE 1 LOWS 32 DEGREES OR COLDER 0
WITH 1.00 INCHES OR MORE 0 LOWS 0 DEGREES OR COLDER 0
SKY CONDITION......... SEA LEVEL PRESSURE............
NUMBER OF DAYS CLEAR .. MM HIGHEST 30.21 INCHES ON DAY 27
NUMBER OF DAYS PTCLDY .. MM LOWEST 29.77 INCHES ON DAY 24
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY .. MM
WIND DATA.............
THE AVERAGE MONTHLY WIND SPEED WAS 5.9 MPH
THE FASTEST TWO-MINUTE WIND WAS... 22 MPH FROM 300 DEGREES
THE HIGHEST PEAK WIND GUST WAS.... 26 FROM 290 DEGREES
REMARKS...
RECORDS...MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 44 DEGREES ON 7TH TIED THE RECORD
LOW FOR THE DATE SET IN 1979.
THIS PRODUCT SUBJECT TO ADDITIONAL CORRECTION AFTER FURTHER CHECKING.
RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
530 PM PDT WED JUN 02 1999
RECORD LOWS ACROSS NORTHWESTERN OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON
THIS MORNING.
HERE ARE THIS MORNINGS LOWS...
LOCATION LO STATUS OLD RECORD
N.VANCOUVER 36 NEW RECORD 37 IN 1977
ASTORIA 40 COOL BUT NO RECORD 39 IN 1987
PORTLAND 44 COOL BUT NO RECORD 41 IN 1977
SALEM 41 COOL BUT NO RECORD 34 IN 1976
EUGENE 36 COOL BUT NO RECORD 34 IN 1977
FLORENCE 38 COOL BUT NO RECORD 37 IN 1976
NWS PORTLAND CLIMATE CENTER
RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
733 AM PDT THU JUN 10 1999
THE EUGENE AIRPORT HAS RECORDED A MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 36 DEGREES
SO FAR THIS MORNING. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 39 DEGREES SET IN
1984.
YESTERDAY...JUNE 9TH...THE MINUMIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 34 WAS A RECORD.
THE OLD RECORD WAS 38 SET IN 1976. THIS MARKS THE SECOND COLDEST
TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE SINCE 1931. THE COLDEST EVER WAS 32
SET ON JUNE 13TH 1976. BRRRRRR.........
NWS PORTLAND PAYNE CLIMATE CENTER
ROCKEY
--
Sandy, Liz & Elisha Tigard, Oregon School of Herring
webfeet@herring.org bigfish@aracnet.com http://herring.org/
And that's the news from Portland
where everything is green, rolling stones gather moss,
and the rainfall is always above average.
Most Recent Update: Friday, 12-Sep-2008 14:39:40 PDT
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