weir summering 2012

we dress seasonally, try to eat seasonally, and now, will blog seasonally.  hey, i'm trying to be honest here and not promise things i know i wont be able to follow through with.  to kick off this new blogging approach, we have summer 2012!  these adventures include, but are not limited to, a road trip to southern california to see family and friends, family hikes in oregon, blueberry picking (60 lbs. picked!), an extended family gathering (more info. below), and the PDX adult soapbox derby.  good times were had by all, despite the fact that elliot finally lost the nap and both children were eventually pretty lost without the routines and rhythms of our typical life.  we powered through however, with puzzles, lots of family togetherness, blueberries, and harvesting the bounty of our yard.

in the middle of the pictures you may notice an increase in family pictures, as we hosted a 13 person family reunion of sorts at the beginning of august.  my cousin kevin is the fastest tree climber in michigan, and he came out to portland this summer to compete in the international arborist competition.  this being a fantastic excuse for the whole family to join in the fun, my mother susie, aunt janet and uncle sam, cousin robin and her family and kevin's fiancé all came out for a great oregon adventure.

we spent the first week at rogue brewery's hop 'n' bed in independence, oregon on the banks of the willamette river.  in the heart of the willamette valley we were able to enjoy fresh picked fruit, very local beer, dips in the river, the state capitol, a day trip to the coast, and fresh crab.  when on the hop farm the free range chickens, turkeys, and on-site pigs kept the 4 kids under age 4 very entertained.

once back in portland for the competition, we settled in at the expanded weirhaus halsey compound for 4 days of pure portland:  bob's red mill (multiple bob sightings included), family bike riding, laurelhurst park (for the competition at which kevin took home a 3rd place win for his "tree rescue"), food carts, public transportation, vague sightings of mt. hood & st. helen's, public water fountains, local artisanal ice cream, and biscuits.  a portland good time!