Spring Tulips

My flight from Sydney departed at 10am on a Sunday and landed in LA at 8am that same day (after a 14-hour flight). Needless to say, it was a long day but a beautiful one--spring had arrived in Portland! I had left town on a frosty morning at the end of February and returned on a 60-degree sunny afternoon in late March, enhanced by the sound of chirping birds and the smell of freshly-mowed grass; easily one of my favorite times of year. I was pleased that the first wave of budding flowers had already surfaced: daffodils, hyacinths, and cherry blossoms.

 



  

I was anxious to return to normalcy after a month of traveling, but I tried to remain patient in getting caught up with life, work, climbing, etc. Before I could get back into a routine, however, my sister Rita and her friend Michelle flew in for a visit. They rented a car and with it, the freedom to travel leisurely through Oregon. The highlight of their Portland stop was the annual Wooden Shoe Tulip Fest in Woodburn (about an hour south in the Willamette Valley). Apparently the tulips had bloomed to only 15% of their capacity that weekend (better to go mid-late April), but we were still in awe of the colorful fields. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Rita, who shares my love of the PNW.



  






 



 



  



  

The following weekend, it was back to the airport with sights set on Pittsburgh! A family weekend was in order to visit my dear German grandmother, and to celebrate several occasions: the marriage of my cousin Maria to her husband Fran, three April birthdays, and Easter. It was a fun trip home, spent mostly eating and talking over each other. I am already looking forward to the next reunion! Family.