Early Spring

Spring in Portland is temperamental; blue skies one minute, rain the next. But mostly rain. However, Portlanders got their first taste of warm, dry weather by late March. It's on these days, that the entire city is outside and in good spirits. There is a palpable sense of connectedness for having survived another gloomy winter. The first blooms are daffodils, tulips, and cherry blossoms. 

 

 

I am excited to be back on my bike, and thinking about another summer of triathlons. I am also reading a lot of books and studying German. Tom placed third in the first Marshall disc golf tournament of the season.

ENSO winery is a neighborhood urban winery with old-world style wines. It is fabulous!

In Pittsburgh, my retired mother is hard at work growing her candy business. Pat is a talented second-generation chocolatier and baker. Aside from gourmet dipped chocolate, her treats include cakes, pies, and breads. They are without doubt the very best out there. Website to come!

Tom and I spent Easter Sunday at the Marshall house.

 

Snowpocalypse

The weekend after I returned from Costa Rica, Tom suggested a snowshoe adventure on Mt. Hood. Mirror Lake was the perfect trail for this. Little did we know that a "surprise" snowstorm was to blow through Portland later that week.

 

With almost a foot of snow in parts of the metro area, February 22nd became the city's second snowiest day on record. The unexpected slippery conditions and freezing temperatures wreaked havoc on the highways. Commuters were trapped in gridlock traffic for hours on Wednesday evening. Some were forced to sleep in their cars overnight, while others abandoned their cars and set out on foot. At least 70 cars were abandoned overnight on Highway 26. I cautiously took Tom's Subaru to the pharmacy the next morning, and was in disbelief at the post-apocalyptic scene of the empty, snow-swept highway littered with empty cars. 

Photo from OHSU intranet

In early March, Tom and I planned a weekend getaway to the coast for some needed rest and relaxation. We felt grateful to leave our electronics at home and curl up next to the fireplace with a book. We stayed at The Waves oceanfront condo in Cannon Beach. Saturday surprised us with unseasonably dry weather.