Hot summer days in Oregon

If it's above 80 degrees in Oregon, it is HOT. And-hoo boy-when it gets over 90 degrees , people get crazy. And people complain. We wait all year for the splendor of summer, so the complaining is just nuts. Really all you need to do is find water and jump in. Which is what we did yesterday, along with a boat load full of rowdy, mostly well-behaved children.   Later there were much needed mojitos for the adults. A perfect ending to an early summer day. Cheers to summer!

"How do I do this?"

That's what Jackson said to me last night when I told him it was okay to watch TV. And, then I realized how infrequently he (or Sean) watch TV. I've never been a big TV fan. Well, maybe I was back in the days of Love Boat and Fantasy Island...you know, back when there was "good" TV to watch (HA). But in the last few years, we don't watch much TV at all. During the school year, the boys are busy with activities or homework on weekdays and on weekends we are busy with sports and often end up going out for dinner in the evening. Sometimes the boys will end up watching a movie with friends. If given the choice, the boys will most likely play a Wii game or a game on the ipad or a iphone. No American Idol, no So You Think You Can Dance, no reality TV. It's an interesting shift and I wasn't fully aware of it till last night when Jackson didn't know how to use the remote. So, maybe this summer we will actually watch more TV just to see what's out there.  And the beauty of summer is that we will actually have the downtime to partake in a little bit of mindless entertainment.

Scenes from last week

Photo 1: Creative clutter. I really don't mind the art supplies strewn all over he kitchen table. Mail clutter? Leftover newspapers? Dirty dishes? I can't relax unless those kinds of things are tidied up. But seeing a bunch of paint brushes and a canvas and other miscellaneous art supplies makes me happy. I still have hope that we will figure out a way to have a small dedicated arts corner in our house. For now, we've relocated everything to the dining room table so Jackson can paint when he wants to. Sean hasn't started anything yet but I'm hoping he'll get inspired soon.
Photo 2: The Reader. We've already been to the library twice so there's tons of new reading material floating around. The sight of Sean reading on the roof of the tree house made me laugh.
Photo 3: The Chef. He makes amazing breakfast burritos almost every morning. And, at night he's usually in the kitchen asking to help make dinner. I love that cooking is something we do as a family and that more often than not, we can sit together and eat dinner.
Photo 4: Cool evening sky. I need to get better about taking photos outside. I had my camera with me everywhere in New Zealand and I've gotten out of the habit. But there are beautiful sights all around, especially this time of year.

Summer is here!

I guess this post is really all about Jackson because I don't seem to have any end of year photos from Sean's class. There is a good reason for this....the fifth grade graduation is a big deal because it's the last year of elemetary school. Junior high starts next fall. Whoa!! So the last two weeks of school have been chock full of special celebrations and parties and popsicles and extra recess and so on. The events culminated with the 5th grade graduation ceremony and a party afterward at a local aquatic park. Its been an amazing end to a great year ,but boy, are we all tired!!
So many great friends and families have been part of our elementary years. The kids are all growing up but hopefully staying their same sweet selves, even if it is masked by adolescent indifference (otherwise known as the surliness of pre-adolescents). Truly some of the kids already seem like teenagers....carrying phones, constantly texting, too cool to be near moms and dads. We are lucky in that Jackson doesn't mind spending time with us and doesn't seem too caught up in being "cool". That time will come, I'm sure, but for now we are enjoying the last bit of the pre-junior high years.  

Homemade Pantry party

My friend Mary and I decided to put together a little gathering inspired by the book Homemade Pantry. This book has recipes for all kinds of kitchen items you can make yourself. The items run the gamut from granola bars and ketchup to toaster pastries, even mozzarella cheese. What did I end up making? Something sweet, of course, and a recipe that's not even from the book....homemade almond butter cups!  Several food blogs I follow have mentioned these treats and apparently they are part of the Paleo diet which seems very popular lately. I do not follow a Paleo plan but I was intrigued by the idea of making a treat that's healthier than the original version. They are very good!

We had a small group this time due to the fact that it's a very busy time of year and other people were out of town. But we plan to aim to host the event quarterly. And next time I plan to make a savory item...bread?   Salsa? Hummus? In the meantime, I'm definitely going to try the Nutella filled toaster pastries.

Almond Butter Cups:
Combine 1/2 cup each almond butter, melted coconut oil and raw cacao powder. Add 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1 tsp vanilla. Pour into cupcake lined pan ( I used the mini cupcake size) and freeze 15 minutes. Store in frig.

That's a wrap

Lacrosse season wrapped up today with an 3 game extravaganza. Jackson's team did really well and best of all...it was just the nicest, sunniest of days for sitting outside.
On a separate note, Sean was all smiles getting off the bus yesterday. Not even a single mention of the terrible, new shoes I forced him to wear earlier that morning. Good to know we can all bounce back after little challenges come our way.

Thoughts on having a bad morning

I remember reading an article last year about elite athletes that described the concept of flow state. It is  when everything just clicks and what normally feels like a strenuous, intense amount of effort suddenly feels effortless.  This morning I was trying to come up with a word for the opposite of flow state. It was just one of those mornings. We are encouraging the boys to be more independent with their responsibilities as opposed to us hovering every step of the way..."Did you brush your teeth"..."did you make your bed"....."Did you pack up your homework?". And most  of the time, it seems to be working.  It just felt like we were off our game this morning. The boys were squabbling about making eggs...Jackson refusing to help Sean...Sean, in turn making a big mess....People doing everything except what they are supposed to be doing. And, then, of course, the big Kahuna of Sean's New Shoes. Sean's current shoes are old, stinky and completely worn out. He has new shoes in the exact same style, just a bit bigger that he has refused to wear. Today was the day the old shoes were going to go away. Maybe there needed to be discussion before hand, but that would have prolonged the misery for all involved. Let's just say he was angry, I was angry and I knew there was not going to be any resolution before the bus arrived at 8:30am. So I just stopped talking and listened to him vent the entire walk down to the bus stop.  I felt awful about him going off to school feeling so upset. However, with most situations like this, once the wave of emotion has passed, things don't seem quite so miserable and with any luck, by the day's end, the new shoes won't seem quite so offensive anymore.

Holiday fun in the desert

Sean tries to relax in the pool

Yes, those are my boys wearing Corona beer buckets

Catching shrimp

Sean caught one, too!

Would've been a great picture except for one funny guy...fortunately many more were taken!

We made a quick trip to Palm Desert over the holiday weekend. Lots of pool time, family time and of course a bit of shrimp catching, too. It's always nice to get away from Oregon when its been raining, but after just a few days of hot ,dry weather, I was quite happy to come home to cooler, rainy weather. I think I must still be benefiting from all the sunny days we had in New Zealand because I'm not minding the rain at all lately. Next winter may be a different story. But, really, it's not so bad in Oregon in the Spring. This time of year, even when it is rainy, we still have an amazing array of flowers, trees and plants to appreciate. Everything is exploding with color right now. And, if the forecast holds true, we are in for sun again beginning tomorrow.

The sports dilemma

Heading home from practice

Lacrosse season continues!  We've been enjoying a lovely spring and as a result, spectating at practices and games has been very nice. Jackson jumped right back into lacrosse, heading to practice one day after our return from New Zealand. And then playing in a game, the day after that. He says he likes lacrosse but it is definitely more intense compared to last year. Way more aggressive and also, because it's a 5th/6th grade combo, there are some huge kids out there.  Some kids his age seems so passionate about a certain sport. Our guys like running around and playing with their friends but maybe don't have quite the intensity that you see in other kids. I always wonder if we don't push them enough but deep down, I know that pushing them would only backfire and make them dislike whatever sport it is they are doing. It's a different world out there when it comes to sports. I miss the days of kids just organizing a neighborhood game of baseball or kickball or soccer. Sometimes I feel like we have to have a game plan for their sporting activities all figured out by the time they hit 3rd grade! But again, I realize that is not our style. The boys will always be active but what they choose to do will need to come from them. As we tell them, all we expect is for them to go out and try their best and be respectful to the coaches and other players.

An 11 year old lives here?!?

When did this happen? When did he get so big? I swear, both the boys grew at an accelerated rate in New Zealand. It's startling to stand next to them and see how tall they are and how big their feet are getting.     Jackson's birthday came quickly...only 2 days after our arrival home. Fortunately we pulled together a quick celebration and were lucky enough to still have Jim's mom and dad (aka Gram and Pop)still in town to join the fun. And ,I have to say, the caramel cake was pretty good! Happy 11th Birthday, Jackson!

Quick weekend getaway

The day after Jackson's all day class trip, we packed up and headed to Powell Butte, Oregon for the annual retreat held by Jim's office. It's a great drive because you see the gorgeous, wooded landscape that surrounds Mt. Hood, then cross over into the more desert like landscape of Central Oregon. It's remarkable how different it is here....the smell of juniper in the dry air, the interesting rocks and canyons, and of course the fact that there are wild horses and jack rabbits running around.  We stayed at a place called Brasada Ranch and everything here is top notch. The property sits up high above the valley so there of views of mountains in every direction. The accommodations are all individual houses with porches, hot tubs and beautifully decorated interiors. The house are connected by winding pathways and at the base of the property is the main lodge with restaurants, a bar and a pool, tennis courts, kid hang out area and golf. The food was amazing. Yummy, healthy and just about everything made from scratch.

Sunset smores. With homemade graham crackers!



One of the meeting facilities 




Views




Entrance to dining hall




La familia



A day with fifth graders

We were in New Zealand when the request came through..."Chaperones needed for an all day field trip to the Oregon coast to explore tide pools and do a fish dissection".    Of course I said "yes!". We missed several field trips while away so I figured this would be a great way to put in my time as a volunteer. It was only later that I realized it was 7am to 7pm. Almost 5 hours of bus time! But...it was amazing! We rode on large Blue Star "luxury" coaches complete with bathrooms and TV screens. And, we truly hit the weather jackpot since it was gloriously sunny all day. (Early May at the coast can be blustery).  I was assigned to an all boy group with one other parent and they were lots of fun. Just a little bit rowdy but well behaved overall. These boys loved being outside, checking out the tide pools and learning all about the marine life. We learned quite a bit from Ranger Roy about  the tide pools and the different species that make the Oregon coast their home. Roy even taught the boys how to walk like a seal and then had a race to see who was the fastest seal in the bunch.  After a quick lunch outside, we headed to the Hatfield Science center to participate in a fish dissection. Only one student couldn't handle the process and was moved to a different desk with an alternate activity. The rest of the kids happily cut into the fish and counted gills, cut out hearts, observed the very interesting swimming bladder and even got to slice open an eyeball. Fun times! On the the trip home , we made a surprise stop at Dairy Queen for Dilly Bars. Yes, even the parents got one and they were delicious! Finally the kids all got to watch Sponge Bob (this is the point at which I wished I'd brought ear plugs) for the rest of the ride at at almost exactly 7pm we were back at school.

Re-entry is hard

First Day in New Zealand

Last Day in New Zealand

We made it home! It was both exciting and overwhelming to be back to our normal lives here in Oregon. The boys went back to school after a morning of sleeping in and right away were busy catching up with friends, doing school work and swimming and lacrosse practices. Jackson had a lacrosse game the second day we were home! There really was no easy way to do the transition. It was kind of like ripping off a band-aid.  But a week later things feel more settled. There's still mail to be sorted through, a few outstanding school projects and getting up to speed on junior high planning, but we are all doing well.
      The trip was nicely timed. We left Fall and came back to Spring! Flowers are blooming everywhere and the sun is out...not a bad time to be back in Oregon. The one thing I miss like crazy is the view of the water. At our rental house, driving to the grocery store, taking the ferry to Auckland....just about everywhere you go in New Zealand, there's a view of that beautiful blue water.

This nicely captures Jim's sabbatical experience!

Another good sabbatical moment

 New Zealand was a great spot for a sabbatical trip that was both adventuresome and relaxing. It was an easy country to explore with so many unique and beautiful areas. We didn't have a language barrier though at times the accent wasn't easy to understand. It was fun learning all the New Zealand names for things....togs/swimsuits, torch/flashlight, chilly bin/cooler, chockers/full, boot/car trunk, jandals/flip-flops. It was more ethically diverse than I imagined.....so many different nationalities in one country. I liked that just in our little neighborhood there was quite a mix of Maori/Pacific Islanders, Asian and Indian families. Probably the only small negative was the food. To be fair, this was not a foodie kind of trip so I can't say we really tried to find good restaurants.  However, the baked goods left something to be desired! (Most bread tasted like really cheap French bread). On the plus side...ice cream!!! So much good ice cream!! It's a good thing we were all pretty active during the trip because we certainly ate our fair share of that wonderful New Zealand specialty...hokey pokey ice cream. We look forward to more travel adventures as a family. The boys may be a little behind in school but they'll catch up. And the education we all received in exploring New Zealand is priceless.....or, as they say in NZ, truly "sweet as"!

And finally, Raglan

Our mini trip was to Raglan, a little surf town about 2 1/2 hours from Auckland. It was featured in the 1966 surf movie, Endless Summer and is known for having the longest left hand break in the world. I'm not exactly sure what that means but basically it means very good surfing conditions.  We rented a little house high up on the hill above town. It had a small view of the Tasman Sea and was surrounded by exotic plants and trees and chirping birds. We heard lots of tuis which are native New Zealand birds that have the ability to mimic many different sounds. They also have 2 voice boxes so they are interesting to listen to. (I really need to do a separate post all about NZ birds!).  Anyway, back to Raglan. The town is a quintessential laid back surf town. There are just enough stores and cafes to make it a fun destination. But as with most New Zealand places, the natural beauty steals the show.

The boys did a surfing lesson.

Jackson did really well!

Father son bonding.

Another attempt at a nice photo...look at Jackson's face.Grrr!

Looking out across the Tasman Sea.

A common expression here...something good is "sweet as" .

 

Baches and Hiking on Rangitoto

One more thing on our New Zealand "To-Do" list was to take the ferry to Rangitoto Island and hike to the top. Rangitoto is a volcano that erupted here 600 years ago. There's no worry in eruptions happening anytime soon, according to local vulcanologists.(Side note: there are quite a few vulcanologists in the Auckland area and they are regularly featured in the local paper!).  

A trip to Rangitoto isn't complete without an understanding of the history of the baches or beach houses on the island. There are about 35 "baches" or beach houses left here from a time when there was a lively community of New Zealanders living on the island. The baches were built in the 1920s and 1930s and prison labor built roads, pathways and even tennis courts. Bach owners formed a tight knit community throughout many generations. By 1937 there were 140 baches in three different areas on the island.  There was quite a busy social scene here for a while. There were community dances, film nights, fishing contests and tennis tournaments. There were even holiday traditions like Santa arriving on a boat, dress parades and carols with the island's very own band.    It sounds like an amazing time, but sadly it wouldn't last. Because the baches were built on public land, many people began to question the legality of their existence. There was also concern about the impact on the island's flora and fauna. Initially bach owners were given a time frame of 20 years to remove the structures. In 1956, another review was conducted and this time bach owners were given the right to keep the structures for the lifetime of the current lease owners.

Many leases expired in the 70s and 80s and baches were torn down until only 35 remained. By this point, some wise individuals realized there was historical value to the baches and the destruction was halted. The future is still uncertain but as it stands now, the baches will remain until there aren't any remaining family members to take over ownership. At some point the baches may be turned over to the DOC (Department of Conservation) but for now they remain in use by families, mostly for summer activities.     

 As you can see in the photos, the baches are small! They do not have electricity, water is collected from the roof and the toilets are rustic. Cooking is done with bottled gas, a wood range or open fire.  But I imagine there are many wonderful memories shared by the owners and they are still a very magical place to be in the summer. 

Here are some photos from the hike....

The start of the hike is on pathways. It turns into a steep trail near the top.

There are lava tubes carved out by the eruption so of course there was exploring!

The view at the top was amazing.

One of the lava fields. You can see Jackson and Sean peeking over the top.

Volcano facts!