Month: November 2022

Nan and Pop came for the week. We did many things – like eat donuts

and go to Hola and El Sancho.

We also played laser tag,

tennis,

and went to see Lyle, Lyle Crocodile (and then I made Nan read me ALL the books).

Nan and Pop took Mom to Spork for her birthday dinner.

You know with all the non-stop activities they have to do each day, I need a glass of wine (or bottle) after a day running after them.

Nan and I made a turkey,

but not to eat. For Thanksgiving dinner, we had a grilled, spatchcocked chicken,

roast squash and red onion with a tahini sauce,

lemony brussel sprout salad,

marinated mushrooms,

bread,

and a french apple tart.

I waited until the day after the day after Thanksgiving to become Christmas man and then I pulled out all the stops. I even threw Nan and Pop a Christmas themed going away party – complete with open bar

and soba noodles with seared tuna, baby bok choy, and avocado.

Afterwards, I set to work preparing the sled. What for? To transport the Christmas tree we cut down out of the forest.

I cut the tree down all by myself.

I also decorated it all by myself. What do The Bigs do? Good question. Don’t ask it too loud or the one typing this blog won’t keep doing it :).

I didn’t stop with the tree. I also decorated the mantle,

the hallway,

my room,

the front yard,

and the backyard.

I spent some of my allowance last week on a blanket kit. I had to cut all of the fringe and then tie the two sides together.

I didn’t have school on Friday for Veteran’s Day, so we went to the coast for a long weekend. We stayed at Nye Beach in Newport. This was the view from our balcony:

I enjoyed sitting by the window and sketching the waves:

Friday morning, we walked on the beach. Someone had created a labyrinth in the sand, so we walked it:

Next we headed to the Oregon Coast Aquarium:

I got to pet sea stars, anemones, urchins, sea cucumbers, and more:

There was an underwater tunnel with lots of sharks:

After the aquarium, we headed down the coast to see Thor’s Well, a spouting sea horn:

On Saturday, we went surfing at Otter Rock:

After a good number of spills

I was surfing!

After a couple of hours in the cold surf, we went to see Devil’s Punchbowl:

We ended the day with a trip to the harbor:

Sea lions:

We went to a tapas restaurant for dinner. Butternut squash soup:

Calamari:

Pisto Manchego:

Charred veggies:

And, my favorite, garlic shrimp:

First there was a tin man

Then there was Toto

Next, came The Cowardly Lion

And this year, we had the Scarecrow.

I was one of the very few trick or treaters in the neighborhood, so I got lots of candy from people trying to make sure they weren’t stuck with it when the night was over. One man actually ran out into the road yelling “Candy!” to get me to come and get some from him!

That was not the only costume I wore this week. On the weekend, I watched The Karate Kid with The Bigs, so I dressed like Daniel-san (headband = toilet paper, belt = gauze – The Bigs could learn something from me, I generated an entire costume using things in the bathroom).

Also this week, we got our first snow of the season,

hit balls using the ball machine for the first time,

and we made baked apples stuffed with spiced nuts. We all agreed; they were gross.