As we lit fireworks after midnight, I found myself mixed with emotions. I regard myself as aggressively balanced, so it surprised me to feel both deep sadness and hopeful expectation as twenty twenty-two began. It only became clear after looking back at twenty twenty-one in photos that I realized what I’ll be missing and be thankful for.
For each of the kids’ 10th birthdays, I take them on a special trip. Kadie visited Seattle, Violet explored Victoria B.C., and now, Bruce and I played near Olympia, WA.
COVID did limit some of our options, but thankfully we were able to enjoy two new destinations just Bruce and me.
Great Wolf Lodge entertained us for an afternoon with its water parks and magic quests. I think it is a great destination vacation for families as they have activities to suit a range of interests and ages.
The Hands-On Museum reminded me of our closed Portland Children Museum, where kids and adults can explore fun activities in science, engineering, and exploration. We spent a lot of time at the dry ice fountain, ball launcher, sock skating, and the tube maze.
We are sadden to have lost one of our gerbils. She unfortunately passed while we were on vacation and we discovered her in her temporary enclosure after we returned home. We had left both our gerbils with a friend while we were away for ten days.
She was always a skittish one but a great companion to our Rosie. She enjoyed food, running around, and always up to explore new areas. We are very blessed to have shared a year with her and will always remember her fondly. Thank you Pearl for the love and joy you’ve given us.
Charlene was chatting with my brother and me one late night two years ago. She was great about coming up to Portland to visit family between (or because of) adventures and I always try to get some time with her.
We were stewing around the dance of dating and relationships. It was a thoughtful discussion and I remember being confident that someday I would travel to California for her wedding.
My parents were always great about going to new places when I was growing up. This is the second trip we’ve gone exploring the Pacific Northwest together. Lost Lake wasn’t as clear with the smoke and haze, but it was still quite a sight and the waters were amazingly clear.
One of my new annual traditions, after doing the Bridge Stride in 2018, Family Ride in 2019, I embarked on the Main Ride this year to see how the 20-mile route goes.
Jake Hopkins joined me on the expedition, and we enjoyed a casual ride over seven Portland bridges. I couldn’t have asked for better weather and better company.
Many thanks to the organizers and volunteers for hosting the event. It’s a great joy to ride on the bridges and freeways without cars and a proud citizen of a city that promotes biking!