Sometimes you don't need a reason. Sometimes, the adventure of discovering something new is the only justification that you need. Sometimes, you just get it the car and drive to Portland. You know- just because you can. That is what we did, and it did not disappoint. Evelyn planned several hikes in the area, and Rachel and I planned some city things. We were there for three very full days, and in typical Hazard fashion, arrived home with just a few hours to spare before work the next day. It was worth it.

Before we get to into the trip though with pictures and all that, a few quick updates: Evelyn's new job has long hours and it isn't very fun, but she is making a lot of money and there is a possible end in sight if she can split her hours with something a little less soul-draining. Also, a few weeks ago, we went to the lake and Maren brought a bunch of water snails home and boiled them and then ate them because TikTock told her she could. This wasn't recent, but I just thought it should be recorded somewhere because that was really kind of gross and stupid, but funny in the end because she didn't die or even get sick, and this should be recorded in a way that we can look back and remember it. Also, in a separate incident, Lindsey was talking about how if she lived in the forest she would have to rely on natural foods only, like honey and berries and Raman noodles. I'm pretty sure she legitimately thought that these three foods were in the same category. Any guesses what we eat when we go camping?

Ok. On to Portland. Day one was a massive amount of hiking to a bunch of different waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge. I lost count of how many we saw. Maybe like 10ish? Day two was all in the city, doing things that are kind-of specific to Portland, walking around a bunch, and just getting a feel for what this city is all about. Some cities just seem like large population centers and nothing more. Others have very specific vibes that are usually pretty intentional but also evolve naturally because a lot of people living there have shared values. Portland is one of these, and that's pretty neat. Day three started out in the city, and then we drove to Mt. Hood and did some more hiking before heading home.

Here's some photos:

Let's start the photos at home, with July 4th fireworks. The neighborhood show was as spectacular as always.

There is no way that I am going to put all of these in order or attach labels to every one. It's more that, when taken as a whole, I think it captures the magic that is found in this place. Also, look for Lindsey in this picture. She is hiding :)

For a lot of the hiking we did on this trip, Jack and Lindsey wanted to stay back at the car. I think that they missed out.

We celebrated Lindsey's birthday in the hotel room on the first night

Portland is the City of Roses, and we had to check out some of their gardens. This picture is a huge area that is set aside in Washington Park just for roses, but we also saw several smaller gardens interspersed throughout the city.

I found this on my camera reel and had to include it, though I don't really know what is going on here. This is one of the more awkward pictures of Evelyn that I have come across.

We spent a couple of hours at the Portland art museum. I like art galleries and museums, and I like that our kids like them too.

Powell's City of Books- maybe the coolest bookstore I have ever been to. It claims to be the world's largest independent bookstore, and I totally believe it. We planned on spending an hour here. We ended up staying for almost two. This place had everything.

There are a ton of food cart pods throughout the city. This one, the Hawthorne Asylum, is particularly well-known. None of us are real "foodies," but I can honestly say that this was a fun and unique "dining experience." I don't use those words lightly. 

We spent a fair amount of time just walking around the different areas of the city. This was intentional. We'd park our car, and then walk to different points of interest that fell within about a mile from the car before going back and moving to a different area. We've done this as a family in a few different cities, and the walking itself always becomes a highlight of the trip for me. I think that slowing down and getting out on the street gives you a better feel for a place, and I really like that.

In the heat of the afternoon we stopped at a park along the Willamette River to cool off for a while. To some, this meant finding shade to read their new books. To others, it meant meandering through the pathways, or even cooling off in the various splashpads along the way.

Screen Door- a Portland icon that serves Southern food, and one of the best breakfasts around!

This is the Pittock Mansion. It's on a hill overlooking the city and was owned by a newspaper guy who also happened to be quite the mountaineer. We toured the house, and took in the amazing views.

Mt. Hood in the background. That would be our next stop!

Yep- there it is. Shout-out to Ev for planning the outdoor adventure part of this trip!

I think the relationship that these two have is pretty neat.

Also, a big shout-out to our little car. 1SEND1- the Sienna that goes where no mini-van should ever go. We have asked so much out of this car, with ice and deep snow in the winter, to un-maintained forest service roads and endless stretches of freeway in the summer. It doesn't really seem like it should, but it just keeps on going.

Have a good week!

I don't really know what to write this week. It seems like a lot of things are happening all at once. Rachel has much of her family here for a loose-ish family reunion. I just finished working the craziest month of my entire life. There was an act of senseless violence in our area that made national headlines. My sprained wrist is keeping me from enjoying much of what I love in terms of physical activity. Evelyn finally got a job as a dishwasher at a sushi restaurant. The saga of the lost stuffed-owl, dating back to March, came to frustrating close with many unanswered questions. And on and on and on. All of these things feel like they deserve a mention and could merit a post on their own, but I just don't have a ton to say about each. Maybe I'll just do little sections.

Family in town: As mentioned in the last post, Rachel's sister has moved to Post Falls. At various points during the next month, pretty much her entire family has come, or will come to visit and hang out and help with the move. We all do things together sometimes, but since I am usually at work during these moments not much has changed for me personally. It will be interesting to see, as time goes by, how these relationships evolve and how intertwined our lives become.

Work: There isn't a lot to say here, except that I have recently been taking on a few bigger cases with more complex treatment. This has resulted in more work stress than is normal for me, but I feel like it's good stress and that, professionally, I am growing. Cool. But still, it's nice sometimes to just do simple stuff and to push myself in other areas outside of work. It's a balancing act, for sure. I think in the end, it will result in greater fulfillment and satisfaction in all areas, but it would be nice to take breaks from time to time.

Violence: There was a shooting near here. It seems senseless. Then again, senseless doesn't seem surprising anymore, which makes it so it kind-of does make sense in it own convoluted way. I think we can all agree that it's dumb, a pointless tragedy, and that things like this resonate for years and years in small communities like the one we live in up here. There is also a powerful way that small communities come together and support each other in times like these. 

Evelyn's job: Ev has been trying to get a job for a while now, but it seems like for a while it was sort of a half-hearted type of trying. But then money started getting tight because of a series of traffic incidents, and her motivation went up. She finally found some part-time work as a dishwasher. It's not much, but it'll pay the bills.

My wrist: I think I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, but I went off a bike jump with a trailer attached to my bike, and got held back and didn't clear the gap, and fell and sprained my wrist. I'm sure it was funny to watch. It hasn't really affected every-day activities, and I can still work just fine (thank goodness), but rock climbing and heavy weightlifting are off the table for probably a few months. I am bummed about this more than I let on.

Stuffed owl: Addy had a stuffed owl named Puff that meant a lot to her. In March, we took a ski vacation to Boise, and Puff was left in the hotel room where we stayed. We have had ongoing talks with the hotel people, and tried to get them to send it back, but these attempts always ended in frustration. Finally, we decided to go on a rescue mission. We would drive to Boise, do some cool things along the way, and rescue the owl. We called the hotel to alert them of our plan, and it turns out that nobody actually knows what happened to Puff. It's not there. Puff is lost, probably forever. Addy is very sad about this.

Renaissance Faire: The world of "Ren-Faire's" (which overlaps into anime, sci-fi, and comic-conventions) is one that I have never fully understood. I still don't. But Jackson and a small group of Dungeons & Dragons friends are pretty into it, and they do all the cosplay things, and there was a thing in Sandpoint this weekend that they went to. Jack dressed as his D & D character, a warrior princess with a whip. That was interesting.

Ladies Weekend: Rachel got out with some of her friends for a weekend of relaxation. They paddleboarded, hiked, and played up in Wallace. I think they had a good time.

Addy in Montana: Addy was invited to go to Montana for several days on vacation with her friend. 

Upper Priest Lake: This is how me and the girls spent our weekend- a short overnighter to Upper Priest. It is beautiful up there. 

Maren's Recital: Maren had a voice recital this week where she sang "Popular" from the popular play, Wicked. I think she did a pretty good job, but she said she missed a few notes. Overall, I think she had a good night. It is always a pleasure to hear her sing. 

Here are some pictures:

I had a night to myself and I went and saw this play. Topdog/Underdog. It won a Pulitzer a while back. At first I didn't like it, but Rach and I met for dinner afterwards, and as I was describing it to her I found myself more and more impressed with the way the themes played out.

Addy and Sarah in Montana

This is from a night at our house where we all watched the stage version of Frozen (on tv). There were a few other activities surrounding this and some food and it made for a good Frozen party.

From Maren's recital

Ladies weekend

Jackson

I have a bunch of photos of our hiking trip. We were off to a little bit of a rough start because, when packing, both of these girls used broken packs. We have lots of other perfectly good packs sitting at home. This made their hike interesting. Good thing it was only three(ish) miles.

Have a good week!