Month: June 2022

When we read Harry Potter, I like to ask what words I don’t know mean. Just this week, I asked what orb, object (v), slipstream, stupidity, prophecy, accusations, ignorant, encompassed, gravely, mediocre, whereabouts, solicitously, dais, underestimate, reluctantly, justice, and cheeky meant. The Bigs solution? They bought me a very large dictionary (which was incredibly hard to find, but the nice folks at Dudley’s Bookshop found us one and told me the first word I needed to look up was etymology).

This week and next, I have mountain bike camp in the morning for three hours. I am the youngest rider. Afterwards, I go to swim lessons or help around the house.

Here I am walking to Freddies to pick up some groceries.

On Saturday I went to the pool to practice stuff from lessons.

I also got in a little tennis.

The Bigs found me napping a lot this week.

Some food of the week. Father’s Day dinner: chicken marbella and peach and raspberry salad with Chinese five spice.

We also went to the Yacht Club with a gift certificate I bought Dad for Father’s Day (wink, wink, Pop). Dad had a burrito bowl,

I had a shimshon bowl (hummus, pickled veggies, greens, israeli Salad, shrimp, flat bread, and sauce).

And Mom had a poke bowl with tuna, seaweed salad, avocado, and ghost sauce.

Another thing we made this week was roast sweet potatoes with fresh figs.

And I made raspberry lemonade using a recipe from my Highlights Magazine (thanks, Nan)

I also made my own popsicles. One half lime, one half pomegranate.

Since last Friday, we have only had ONE day that broke 65 F. Five days were less than 60 F. Plants in our planters died from the cold. It seems like it’s raining all the time. Everyone is grumpy. It was so cold on Mom’s run the other morning, there was ‘steam’ coming off the river.

The day I had mountain biking class, it was moderately warm, but not warm enough for our usual end of class popsicles.

On Saturday it was so cold and rainy we went climbing. Thanks, Papa.

Thankfully it cleared up for Oliver’s summer kickoff party.

This is the view from Oliver’s house. Fancy!

Every year ODOT plows Mackenzie Pass but does not open it to cars for a few weeks. Everyone in Central Oregon makes sure to get over and ride the pass while it is car free. We do it every year and this year we waited and waited for nice weather. It never came, so we bundled up and went today.

Our goal was the Castle of Dragons (AKA the Dee Wright Observatory). I made it no problem, riding almost all 20 miles myself, despite other riders passing me and yelling at me. They would holler things like ‘Nice job, kid!, Wow, buddy!, Good job, little fellow!’. You’d think I was the only 6 year old riding or something.

Enough of the picture taking. Let’s get going.

It was a very rainy weekend. Good gardening weather. I planted petunias:

the planters on the porch:

and the hanging baskets on the deck:

I spent a particularly rainy afternoon building Knex contraptions:

and learning to wax the skis before we put them away for the summer:

It was graduation weekend. I got all dressed up for a party for the graduating engineering students (the were impressed):

I wrote a letter to the Bigs during after care this week:

A few new dinners this week. Brown rice pasta with chickpeas and za’atar:

Rice noodle salad with cucumber and sesame seeds:

Baked rice with confit tomatoes and garlic:

Last week was spirit week at school. Monday was crazy hair day.

Tuesday was dress all in blue day, Mom forgot to get a picture of that. Wednesday was safari – dress like an animal day – so the lion suit came out of retirement. It was 70 out. I was hot.

Thursday was perhaps the BEST DAY ever. Dress like your favorite book character. I was Harry Potter of course.

And Friday was school spirit day. I wore all my DSM gear.

It was also the day we left for the coast. The weather forecast was NOT promising. Driving rain, gale winds, and 50 degree temperatures, but we had to make a reservation months in advance so we were going. There was much grumbling from The Bigs. We drove about half way on Friday and the first night we stayed along the North Umpqua River. No rain.

On the drive Saturday morning it was raining and the wind was so strong, the car got pushed into the other lane. Here we are eating lunch in the car

because it was pouring and the picnic table at our campsite was under water.

After lunch, we threw on our rain coasts and headed to the beach. Did we get wet? Nope. It maybe sprinkled on us. We walked and played and enjoyed the beauty!

And when even managed to make a fire.

The next morning I helped make breakfast.

Then we headed out for a hike where rhododendrons

and irises grew wild.

Again, despite a horrible forecast – no rain.

After all that walking, I needed a snack. A chocolate chip cookie at Bandon Coffee hit the spot.

Then it was off for a walk on the jetty.

Then skipping stones on the beach.

After a long day, we kicked back with some roasted marshmallows

and then watched the sunset.

The next day we walked from the campground to the mouth of the Sixes River…

where these guys found us almost as interesting as we found them.

Did we get wet? Nope. Did we have fun? Yup.