Gee, It's Good To Be Back Home Again

I just got back from a week in Portland, with a 12 hour layover in Seattle.

The Seattle part was lots of fun - I took the light rail into downtown Seattle from the airport (so easy and quick!) and was in (window) shopping heaven for several hours.

I bought new walking shoes, a new wallet and a tank top, but mostly just walked around.  It was hotter than the hinges of hell (at least to me), so I spent more time inside than outside.  I stopped into allrecipes.com to surprise my friend Anne, who is an editor there.  It was a nice, although short, visit.

Then back to SEATAC and on to Portland.

I had a fun visit with my family, and spent some quality time with my brothers and sisters, especially my brother Marc, who was celebrating his 60th birthday.  Marc being 60 means that I only have three short years before I too become a 60 year old.

We went to his family's cabin by Mt. Hood.  The weather was perfect - hot and sunny.  I went for a two hour hike with my sister in law and some of her friends, and I did great until the last part, which was steep.  I was puffing like a steam engine and sweating like a pig at the end.  Back to the cabin for a nice party for 50 of Marc's friends.  Marc introduced me to a nice cocktail that is called a "Dark and Stormy" although he has renamed it a "Cabin 10" after their mountain house.  You put a jigger of dark rum in a tall glass with ice, squeeze a half a lime into the glass, and then put the lime half in, and fill the glass with good ginger ale (the strong and gingery kind).  Stir and enjoy.  YUM!

The menu was enchiladas, grilled flank steak, pasta salad, green salad, grilled sweet peppers, cakes made by their friend Emily (a professional chef), and pies (apple, peach and cherry) made by my sister Rita, who is a tremendous pie expert.

After the weekend, it was back to Portland, where we all crashed for a nap and then a light supper of leftovers from the party.

Miguel and I went shopping downtown and at Lloyd Center, which is really close to Marc's house.  We got some necessary items and a couple of fun things, one of which is a beautiful short sleeve cashmere sweater in a lovely blue shade for me (a bargain at fifteen bucks at Buffalo Exchange)!

I came home on Tuesday, and Miguel set off on his road trip adventure (meeting a friend in Prince Rupert. B.C. and driving to Montana).

I came home to blue skies, and cooler temperatures, thank God!

I am glad to be home, and later I will be posting the few pictures I took, along with pictures of my new goodies.

I have some catching up to do, blog reading-wise, but I also have a LOT of housekeeping to catch up on, bread to make, restocking of kitchen staples, etc.

Charles was in New Hampshire the same week I was in Oregon, and Phoebe was holding down the fort with the two dogs.   Right before I came home, Frida and Beans got into a little fight, and Beans (who I think Just. Couldn't. Take. It. Any. More.), bit Frida on the ear.   Frida's ear bled like a fountain, and so Phoebe had to clean up the mess, tend to the wound (not bad) and scold Beans, who was sulking.  Beans is the most patient dog in the universe, so if she snapped, I think Frida must have
 deserved it.  It was just the usual pandemonium at Fortress Rohrbacher.

It is good to be home in the peaceful, quiet, and tidy (HA!) bosom of my family!