Andy had a very busy birthday this year! He traveled out of town for work earlier in the week, and on the morning of his birthday he woke up at 4a.m. to drive to the airport in time to catch his flight home. Yuck. Good thing he took the rest of the day off. His hometown friend Ryan, who lives in California, was also winging his way to Oregon with his girlfriend Christina. Ryan and Christina were attending a weekend concert in the Columbia Gorge, and since Ryan holds his private pilot's license, he flew the two of them up in a small Cessna plane, then landed for the day and night in Hillsboro to spend Andy's birthday with us. How fun...and even more fun that after he landed, he took Andy and Alton up in the air for a little spin!
They climb into the airplane.
All belted in--Alton has his own booster seat to ensure that the lap belt sits firmly across his lap for takeoff.
Don't forget hearing protection: these airplanes can be LOUD!
They go up! I stayed on the ground because I get motion sickness in small aircraft (and often in the large ones, too). I didn't want to be feeling ill for Andy's birthday dinner. It was a little hard seeing my guys go up without me, but I was confident in Ryan's experience as a pilot and in their short trip encircling the city of Hillsboro. Alton gives the experience two thumbs up!
Andy and Alton were in the backseat of the four-seater aircraft; this was their view of Ryan at the cockpit.
A foggy Mount Hood.
Back on the ground, Pilot Ryan poses in the whipping wind with Passenger Alton.
After the mini-flight, it was time for Andy's birthday dinner! We went to Mingo West, one of our favorite restaurants in the area. Great Italian food, great wine list, and a view of the Beaverton Central Max stop, so that Alton can watch the trains going by all through his dinner. We were joined at dinner by Andy's brother Zach, his wife Karen, and of course Alton's cousin *P!
The kids were eager for dinner to start and trains to go by.
*P is sporting fun little springy pigtails for the bday dinner!
They both cleaned their plates, then it was on to a chocolatey chocolate cake for dessert.
Yum!
At the end of the meal, Andy and Ryan took the kids outside to burn off some energy. Outside the restaurant, adjacent to the Max stop, is a concrete-and-grass amphitheater called "The Round." Sometimes there are musicians performing there. It has a small rock fountain and plenty of great running around space for the little ones. Alton demonstrates his "airplane" impression, regaling his audience with tales of his afternoon flight.
Ryan puts him up in the air for a real acrobatic experience!
Ah, trains.
Hey, it's almost past your bedtimes! Alton and *P crack each other up one more time.
Don't they look so grown-up in this picture? Awww.
Happy Birthday, Andy-Daddy!
Alton in the fall! Here are some of the "autumn" things we've been doing lately:
Shopping in our long sleeves.
"Drinking coffee." (Some mornings, even Pooh Bear gets in on that act.)
Enjoying a crisp day's bike ride.
Starting a new session of swimming lessons. Big man with his backpack!
Cooking dinner together--this one we do all year round!
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Fall also is slowly bringing about the end of our CSA. You might remember that earlier this summer we joined a local farm's community-supported agriculture share system, and each week we've been the recipients of bountiful produce and fresh things. We only have a month to go and are already lamenting the thought of the lackluster winter veggies awaiting us at the grocery store when our CSA experience is over. Red potatoes have been on offer for the past few weeks, so when we visited Brian and Alexa over Labor Day weekend at their home in Seattle, Alexa and I put our hands to making homemade potato gnocchi for the first time. We dressed it simply, with olive oil, fresh chopped parsley and basil, and pepper and sea salt. It was delicious!
And speaking of pasta, it was only recently that Alton enjoyed his first dinner of spaghetti and meatballs! I know, I know, you're thinking: "How is it that a kid spawned of a Sicilian-heritage mother and carb-loving father has never has spaghetti and meatballs?" Well, he's had pasta, he's had red sauce, he's had (homemade) meatballs...but I never cook spaghetti! Somehow when I'm in the pasta aisle, contemplating my choices, I always opt for easy-to-spear penne, or rigatoni, or even farfalle. Although my parents taught me to wind spaghetti around my fork from a young age (no cut-up spaghetti pieces allowed in our house), I am always so fearful of splattering sauce on my clothing from a wayward strand that I steer clear of anything in the long 'n thin pasta variety. But the idea of ALTON with sauce on his chin and strands of spaghetti hanging from his lips conjured up an image too cute to resist, so spaghetti it was!
And as you can see, he did not disappoint.
We had a nice visit last weekend from friends Kyle and Blaire, who were in town for Kyle to run a crazy three-mile mud obstacle course called the "Warrior Run." They hunkered down with the little guy to check out his tractors.
Andy noted that our pantry door was in need of repairs, so he took it off the hinges and removed the rack installed on the interior for spices and seasonings. He put the rack aside while he mended the door and Alton promptly commandeered it to make a Pooh Bear youth hostel.
It can't get more fun! (At least, it's important to landmark these fun times, because he is two years old, after all. His emotional M.O. is that of an eight-months-pregnant woman: giggles and chatting one minute, then inexplicable, tearful breakdowns over the placement of his shoes the next minute. Mommy drowned some sorrows in crackers and cheese with pepper jelly this afternoon. Thanks Peg and Bobbie.)
In honor of 9/11, each year at Andy's work they host an Emergency Preparedness Day, where the emergency response teams from the building as well as local law enforcement and medical teams set up booths to discuss safety and what else? Emergency preparedness. Employees were encouraged to bring their families to the large outdoor parking lot to tour the various tables of information and learn more. Since Alton is in awe of vehicles of all sizes and people in uniform, we knew he would be captivated. He gaped with a wide open mouth at all of the teams of officials and their equipment, and hopefully even absorbed some of the facts we tried to mention to him!
One of our first stops was at the fire truck from the Hillsboro Fire Department. But since Alton has already toured these fire trucks and they were not letting people climb in them today, we quickly moved on.
Next up was an armored emergency vehicle from our local Hillsboro P.D.
We approached it rather shyly, but when the policemen said that Alton could climb inside and even sit in the driver's seat...you didn't have to tell him twice!
When he climbs into the driver's seats of vehicles, he likes to announce "I am the driver," or "I am going to be the driver," or (when he wants to adopt a European persona) "I am being the driver."
Next up was your basic squad car. He looks a little squeamish at the thought of cruisin' in this Crown Victoria.
But after a minute he settled right in, looking for buttons to push!
The officer sat inside with Alton to show him how the computer on the dash worked, and even let Alton turn all the rooftop lights on and off.
He even clambered up into the backseat to see what it's like for the perps.
I don't think the criminals get to pop their heads through that little window though, Alton.
Oooh, motorcycles! They also said that Alton could sit on these.
A quick photo op with Mommy and Daddy...
...and he was ready to zoom off! He compares choppers with the cop to his left. (Alton's is a BMW. 'Nuff said.) Hey Alton, didn't you forget a helmet?!
The remote-controlled vehicles from the Washington County Sheriff's Department were interesting for a looong time. This little RC car has been modified with a hard outer shell and video camera mounted in front. Alton called it the "ATV."
This larger robot is equipped with gripping claws that can operate in place of a human hand for dangerous work, and can even be changed out for a big 'ol gun. Wowza! The officer had the gripper grab a piece of paper and try to hand it to Alton, which scared him and made him cry. Oh, no!
Okay, on to the S.W.A.T. truck! This huge armored vehicle is nicknamed "The Bear." Andy and Alton check out the optional sun roof.
Then Alton gets cozy on one of the backseat benches.
Don't forget about the Oregon State Troopers! By this time, it was all old hat to Alton, who hopped into the driver's seat and even reached for the Trooper's cellphone! Hmm, better put that away.
Andy and Alton pose in the backseat of the state trooper's car; hopefully the ONLY time this ever happens!
A Life Flight crew from the Portland Metro area also made an appearance. We got to see the helicopter land...
and Mr. Alton was only too glad to inspect the inside for them!
Always the generous hosts, Genentech also provided lunch for their employees, family members, and all of the hardworking emergency and law enforcement officials present for the showcase. We don't care if the sun's not shining, we'll still eat barbecue and watermelon.
I know, I know...it's been more than two weeks since my last blog post and now we're into a whole new month: September! I was really getting chastised by Mother Nature today; we've had grey clouds, drizzles, sprinkles, and even a couple of downpours so far. Okay, I get it! It's no longer summer, we're heading into fall, and my tales of weekend summer fun are backing up on me. I'll catch you up on one of the outdoor excursions we had this August: camping on the Rogue River.
In case you've missed out on some of our previous camping weekend blogs, you can read '08 Part One and Two and '09 in advance. Andy and I are proud to say that since we've been together, we've gone camping at least once every summer. While we might favor gear-laden car camping experiences to hardcore backpacking, we have a great time and figure that camping is a skill to practice just like any other. If you don't use it, you lose it; skip a few summers and suddenly Alton will be nine years old, glued to a Gameboy (Hey, do kids still use those? Speak up, Grandma can't hear you.) and soooo not interested in watching us try to remember how to construct our moldy tent after a decade of disuse. We'll keep our camping muscles flexed by doing a little weekend trip each year, loading up Andy's truck with firewood, sleeping bags and way too much food, eating s'mores and arriving home 48 hours later with 10 loads of laundry to do to get the campfire smoke smell out of everything we brought.
Toward the beginning of the summer, our friend Charlie and her husband suggested a camping trip with all the old camping gang--it's been a few years since we were all together. The only problem is that we are up in NW Oregon, while everyone else lives in Bay Area California! It took very little convincing and our wonderful friends easily agreed to meet us in the "middle" in Southern Oregon. I contacted my college friend Jenn, a So. Oregon native, for her campground recommendations and we found one that fit the bill on the Rogue River just outside the city of Grants Pass. Emails flew as we coordinated meals, gear, and arrival times, and a couple weeks ago we got the aforementioned truck all loaded up with our stuff and Minerva, of course. Andy and Alton sat in the backseat (bench seat, not jump seats), and Little Miss Sad Face was in the front passenger seat with the airbag turned off.
Minerva acted very put-upon that her seat was pushed so far forward to accommodate Alton's carseat behind her, so she deigned to set her chin on the armrest with my sweatshirt for a pillow.
This was the first year that Alton would be camping and actually remember it! We talked about camping for weeks ahead of time, he was so excited to go, and he took to it like a duck to water. Our two adjoining sites were actually RV-enabled sites, so we had a water spigot and electrical outlet of our very own. Alton went and performed frequent drip checks on the faucet.
After awhile, we took off that adorable floppy sun hat of his and found sweaty punk hair underneath!
But really Alton, what's not to love about camping? You get to hang outside all day, get dirty, you hardly ever have to wash your hands, and crackers on tap 24/7. He plopped down on Mac's dog bed, figuring that he might as well use it if she wasn't!
Mmm, more crackers. You'll notice that we caved this year and bought him a little fold-up camp chair of his very own! Cross your fingers that it fits until age 6, like the tag said.
The adults don't mind camping, either. We decided this was a great weekend for all of us to sit back, relax, and just be. The water in the river was so cold that you would have only wanted to swim in it if it was scorching hot, which it wasn't, so we basked in low-80s temps underneath a heavy tree cover and moving cloud layer.
In addition to our friend Charlie (below right) and her husband Jesse, we were joined by sisters Peg and Bobbie, the camping experts, and our friend Josie (below left), who has nieces and nephews in the double digits and therefore arrived with a Lightning McQueen car as a gift for Alton!
Josie, how did you know?! He was of course in love with it.
Since we Rhynes expected to be the first ones to arrive at the campsite (we didn't count on those early-rising Solveson sisters, though), we signed up to cook Friday night's dinner.
Along with some delicious (and low-fat) turkey burgers, we prepared a big batch of delicious fresh green beans from our CSA. Farm-fresh green beans are one of Alton's new favorite foods. At dinnertime, I have actually said the words, "Alton, you have to finish your pasta before you can have your green beans." We like to sauté them with a little olive oil and sea salt, but for camping I opted to blanch them in a big pot on the stove at home and put them in a ziploc baggie to serve cold at the campsite. I'd planned to toss them with a little salad dressing, but everyone insisted that they were tasty naked, just the way they were!
After dinner, Alton received a delicious melty mini Kit-Kat bar while the rest of us did the dishes. Charlie taught him how to lick chocolate off his fingers.
Soon we were into the kicking-back-with-a-glass-of-wine-around-the-campfire stage. Below, the gang cozies up to our colorful picnic table.
Alton and Jesse survey the campfire from their chairs. How cute is Alton's little chair?
An eventful first day and the little guy was happy to conk out in the tent. We still brought along his travel crib for this trip--we'll wait until next year to put him in a sleeping bag of his own! Mornings dawn a little chilly underneath all those trees, so Alton and I snuggle up in the a.m. with coffee (mine) and Lightning McQueen (his).
In addition to the red race car, we had brought along some campground-friendly toys to keep Alton entertained. On past trips, we'd noticed the plethora of kids biking, skateboarding, and scootering around the sites, since the winding paved loops with 5mph speed limits in the state parks usually mean you don't have to worry about too much car traffic. We thought that perhaps Alton would like a cruising vessel of his own, so the day before we departed we snapped up a cheap used Radio Flyer tricycle on craigslist.
He was definitely interested in his "bike," as he called it, although when he realized that he could go much faster when someone pushed him instead of him slooowly turning the pedals, he requested that most often! He also LOVED the little bell on the handlebars.
All that cycling makes me hungry! We've learned from past camping trips that we do best with a hearty breakfast, snacking throughout the day, and hot dinner 'n dessert around the campfire, so with the sisters on duty for breakfast Alton was in top form eating eggs and canadian bacon.
After some more loafing, we were ready to explore the river with our sea otters, I mean dogs, in tow. Alton acclimated to the icy water by dipping his toes in with Jesse...
...and doing some splashing with Charlie!
The dogs pretended to never get tired, swimming and leaping for sticks that we'd throw into the water. Below is evidence that Minerva fetched. Sort of.
Another fun activity that we invented was a camera lesson for Alton! We found an old instant-use camera at home and, assuming that it was probably too old to take reliable pictures, decided that it would make a perfect practice piece for our littlest camper.
He's had so much practice in front of the lens, he relished the opportunity to get behind it!
Hydration is also important while you are taking pictures.
His collection of photos depicted his wide variety of interests. You had categories like People...
Tractors and Trucks...
His Feet...
and a couple that just turned out incredibly awesome, like this riverscape below.
Whew! All that camping fun is enough to wear anyone out. We loaded the truck back up on Sunday after a great breakfast and some more time around the campfire, then promptly conked out with Pooh Bear for several hours on the drive home. Until next year!
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