when it rains, it pours

Hope you're enjoying the new photos. Big Shanghai shout-out to my dad, the "shadow Gary," who has been posting pics for me. We've gone inter-continental, folks!

So here's some summer highlights. Many of our loyal blog readers (you know who you are) were involved in these activities, so let's reminisce, why don't we?

In no particular order, fun memories of summer '09:

* meeting new babies Arlo, Carter, Chloe and Nolan. (FYI--no one names their kids Mike or Jenny anymore.)

* playing spades with Mark and EB. now that I look thru my photos, it appears we seem to have a "no photos of adults" rule in effect when we're at the Ferdigs. so imagine, if you will, EB and Gary sitting across from one another, not table-talking like Mark and Sarah always do, then winning the last few games of the summer and riding off into the sunset as World Champs. smells like...victory.

* 4 words: Powell's City of Books

* visits with family on both sides. several Volzes in attendance, including the Shadow Blogger (see above). Grandma Milo, always a hoot. (to borrow 1 of her words)

* 2 weeks at the beach, with good friends and beer and chowder and WOW there are a lot of really big people in America. It really hit us at Mo's Chowder House (go figure). No offense America, but it looks like Texas ain't the only place where everything's bigger.

* eating burritos, and any other Mexican food we could get our hands on. the semi-permanent taco truck on 50th/Division is good. If you haven't made a run for that border yet you should. also, the Mexican restaurant in Pacific City, which we must have driven past many times without so much as a glance, was EXACTLY the kind of food I miss most. do yourself a favor, por favor, and sample their flavor.

* clownin' with Nawwal. and I mean that literally.

* riding Tri-Met. On one of my round trips, I actually paid again instead of using my transfer. "Twas but a small token of affection for the system that dragged my tired butt back and forth for 8 years.

* almost-daily trips to Sellwood Park to slide the slides, ride the barf-a-rama or play Monster. That's when I chase the kids around the play structure. I'm a very slow monster, more of a zombie, really. Still haven't caught Desi.

* Nice clean air and people stopping at red lights were wonderful. But I have to say we got annoyed when cars stopped for pedestrians who aren't at a real crosswalk and who, by all rights, should have to stand there and wait. There's the awkward attempt to make eye contact thru a windshield, and all the arm-waving like "YOU go" "No YOU go", and the nervous first couple steps off the curb. Meanwhile, precious seconds have slipped away FOREVER. Maybe I've been in a big city too long, but it's just easier if we all assume that cars only stop when they HAVE TO, aka at red things. How 'bout it, Portland?

* sorry 'bout that. must...focus...on...highlights

* Movies in the Park: Madagascar 2 at Brentwood Park. Opening act was middle-school break dancers, and they gave lessons to little kids (like ours). Beautiful night, no bugs, snuck in a couple beers, pic-a-nic dinner. so many great things about PDX all in one.

* so many great restaurants, we each gained like 10 pounds.

* Trader Joe's hummus, Goodwill's Ralph Lauren cargo shorts (I'm wearing right now) for 7 bucks

* our cool rental house in Sellwood. might just get that place again next year. after our 2-week RV adventure across the West, that is. MUCH more on that later.

This paltry list omits a lot of fun. I hope guest blogger Sarah adds anything major I forgot when she steps up to the plate this weekend. I'll be off at Day 3 of baseball tryouts (coaching JV this year). Then the big school welcome back BBQ.

and keep checking back for more photos...better Nate than Lever, I always heard