Little Sisters and Other Cool Things

Wow, am I ever behind on this blog. It's been one crazy summer, and I haven't had time to breathe, let alone write. Tonight is really no different. I spent most of the evening packing for my first bike camping trip. I leave at 7am tomorrow. It's supposed to be a beginner's ride, but the organizers have offered no advice on what I should pack or how I should prepare, and I don't know if 40 miles out and 40 miles back should really be considered "beginner's", but I'm game. It's pretty much backpacking on wheels, right?

Since I last sat down and wrote, I've had visits from Jen, Amelie, and Gilbert and my sister Jess and her husband Todd. I also got to spend a few wonderful days in Anaheim with my family. And I bought a house and moved in 4 weeks ago! I still haven't unpacked entirely, but it's definitely starting to feel like home. I am finally getting around to posting some pictures on Ofoto, along with other summer fun.

Summer Pictures

I had hoped to include some pictures of my other Little Sister. I started the Big Sister program about 3 months ago, and though it was trying at first, it's become a part of my week I look forward to. Patience is 11 years old, and will be in 6th grade next year. And yes, that's her name. And no, it doesn't suit her at all!

For the first 3 months, I was not allowed to introduce her to my friends or bring her to my place, so we did a number of outings - the arcade, roller skating, a movie, lots of parks. It was challenging in the beginning, trying to find things we both wanted to do, trying to be her friend but also in control. She made me feel like the whitest girl in the world. But we have found some common ground. She makes me laugh. She asks the best questions. "What kind of food do you like so much that you want to marry it?"

Now that she's allowed to come over, she's helped me in the garden, and we've ordered pizza and played Twister. My car absolutely adores her, because every time I see her, she wants to know if we can take "Penelope" to the car wash. Last night, we double dated with Candice and her little sister, who is 12. We took them out to a berry farm on Sauvie Island. There was a sprinkler for us to run in, a concert, a tractor ride, roasted corn, fresh berries and flowers to pick. It was a blast. I got some great shots of us together, but alas, my little angel appears to have deleted all of the pictures on my camera.

This includes the 100 or so pictures I took at Bridge Pedal last weekend. Eight of us did the 37 mile ride that took us over 11 bridges in Portland. It's the biggest bike event of the year, attracting about 20,000 riders and shutting down car traffic across the Willamette on almost all of the bridges. It was a blast, and since it started 4 blocks from my house, we all came back here for a hearty brunch.

I guess I'll have to do it again next year and take pictures again. Hopefully Candice got some good shots of me and Patience, and I'll be able to post them soon. It's past my bedtime. I'll try to get back to this soon.