Gogovivi

Just another rainy day

We're not a big Black Friday family; we tend toward small gifts and a last-second scramble. So when Thanksgiving was done, and Friday loomed long, rainy, and quiet, we opted to avoid the malls and get outside to Oregon's favorite tourist attraction, Multnomah Falls. Bruce and I had not been there in years (maybe even not together, ever) and I thought it would be a fun time for Vivian, rain or not.

Sure enough, once we braced ourselves for the rain, we had a great time. We only did a short hike, because trails in the Columbia Gorge tend to be steep, and in the driving rain it was slippery in places. We did manage to escape the small crowd of Chinese tourists (I felt right at home!) to find a private waterfall, perfect for splashing.

I bought seven (yes, seven!) new umbrellas before moving back to Portland, because I am determined that I will not use a black umbrella this year. For the first time I felt the wisdom of those many purchases as the water pounded harmlessly off my family.

Hooray for rain, for Bogs, for umbrellas, and raincoats, and Black Friday.

90 Pounds of Apples

You might have noticed that Gogovivi has been a little quiet since we returned to the U.S. Like my family, this blog is in a period of transition. I have been thinking a lot about its future; in some ways I think it may have come to the end of its natural life with our return home. After all, I started Gogovivi as a way to keep friends and family in touch with Vivian and the rest of us when we were overseas. Now that we are home, I am not sure of its purpose.

I have also been developing the idea for a new blog that has been eating most of my blog energy.

But enough of that; on to the apples!

I will admit it; we overpicked. 90 lbs of Gravensteins was WAY over the top, but by the time I realized how far our pickings had exceeded any reasonable harvest for a family of three, I was already comitted to 90 cents per pound and too embarassed to ask if some of the apples could be sold to someone else.

We overpicked because it was such a perfectly perfect Portland day, the kind I used to dream of fondly while I was sweating in Qingdao's foggy summer, and I never wanted it to end.

We overpicked because as we roamed the orchard, I indulged in the fond memory of one of my most special days in China, the day Vivian and I went to Xiao Li's family's village home and visited an orchard on the other end of the world, overpicking again, but for different reasons.

We overpicked because we were both in such a good mood and I had such an enthusiastic helper.

We overpicked because it was the last day of the u-pick season at Jossy Farms and it seemed a shame to let the apples fall.

We overpicked because I had dreams of pies, applesauce, and apple butter.

Final result:

• 90 lbs of apples @ 85 cents per = $77 spent on apples.
• 30 lbs given away to friends
• 24 apple turnovers in freezer
• 1 fresh apple pie
• 8 apple pie fillings in freezer ready to go
• 3 quarts of sliced apples in freezer
• 4 pints of apple butter
• 16 pints of applesauce
• Two weeks to get all the apples taken care of and eliminate the clouds of fruit flies in the kitchen.

 

 

 

Becoming American: Independence Day

For obvious reasons, Independence Day does not exist in China. We have not celebrated the 4th even once since Vivian has been born, unless we managed to blow up a noisy Chinese firecracker or eat a burger in honor of the Red White and Blue. This year, our first year home and at the beginning of Vivian's Becoming American, we also had the obligation to show our visiting Aussie friends what July 4th is all about.

It was the greatest July 4th. Ever.

We started with the Molalla parade, where Vivian learned how to scramble for the candy thrown from monster trucks and wave an American flag.

The parade was followed by the Molalla Buckeroo rodeo.

Finally, we followed the rodeo with an evening BBQ at the home of Patty and Dave, the parents of our friends Ruth and Nathan who live in Qingdao. Patty and Dave live outside of Molalla in an unbelievably beautiful spot full of trees, plants, horses, friends, and love.

Home...Garden Home

Finally we can call it ours. Today we officially took posession of our little house. Vivian, Pepper, and I did a little house-lovin' before undertaking a good scrub of the studio garage in preparation for our first house guests. Our Aussie-China friends the Tapleys, who were our closest neighbors in Qingdao, arrive tonight. Poor souls don't know what they are in for, considering they will be camping in the studio but there's not a stick of furniture in the house.

Hello! Come in!

The entry might need a little pruning...or not.

Farmhouse kitchen

Heaven is a fairy forest in your bedroom

Master bedroom...before the paint job

Detail of the antique bookshop door to the master bedroom...LOVE IT

Upstairs hall with fairy room to left and master to right

Living room

Another view of kitchen.

Back Garden

Yes, please

Mad wisteria

A sight for China-sore eyes...cool hydrangeas

She says, "You know how much I love housework, Mama"

Snuggy bed ready for friends

My charming studio...photography studio???

Becoming American Day 1: Library

I took Vivian to the library yesterday, and you should have seen the look on her face when the librarian told her..."you can take home as many books as you want..."

All the books I want? For free? What kind of magical world is this place called Oregon?

You have to understand, this is Vivian's first time at a public library. We have never lived in close proximity to a proper bookstore, let alone a library, so borrowing books without having to pay is a completely new concept.

I may have stumbled upon one of the unexpected delights of repatriation: the opportunity to see things I take for granted, like libraries, rope swings, and dog parks, through the eyes of a child who is seeing them for the first time.

Welcome to the Great Repatriation Mind-Blowing of Summer '12. Where Vivian starts to learn to be an American kid, and where I get to watch her in action.

 

Five reasons I love Central Oregon

• That special evening light over the Three Sisters

• Jack Frost

• Cousins

• Grandparents

• Blue skies and rocky crags

It's been a wonderful Christmas season, so far. So eventful, and so mellow.

Henry, our (former) dog

Just found this shot buried on our point-n-shoot, taken on our Christmas holiday in Sisters.

When we moved to Korea 4 years ago we left our beloved standard poodle Henry to live with my in-laws. The arrangement has worked out well, so well, in fact, that he's not really our dog anymore. His heart is definitely with Sally and Walt. But he's still happy to see us (we think) and we are definitely happy to see him!

Scenes from our holiday