Sunday, July 3, 2011: We all got the blues...
Woke up to a cloudy and cool morning, just like the weatherman predicted. I climbed over the boys' bed to do my powerwalk, which in this area is totally uneventful. The berry brambles should be providing berries at this time of year but they are way behind. Heck, they are still flowering! It will be weeks before I would be able to channel my inner bear to graze on ripe juicy berries! Came back and we all just kind of lounged around, reading, doing my needlepoint.
Because the boys are using the foldout bed in our couch, it blocks our passage to the outside world. When Spouse feels the boys have had enough sleep, he deflates their air mattress. Crew is usually awake already. Dallas could probably sleep all day. They really don't move much when we climb over them. Fortunately, Bart can scoot under the bed.
Around 3pm, we gathered our stuff and headed to Bluesfest. This is a blues festival on the Willamette River in downtown Portland. There were 4 different stages and a gazillion people. But our mission was to hook up with my dear friend Albert Almeida. Cell phones are marvelous things but when the music is busting all decibel charts, they prove to be quite useless! I waited til the singer came up for air and found my Albie.
Albert and I used to work together at Blue Cross in the 1970's and 1980's. He moved to Portland around 1990 and we have kept in touch throughout the years. He is such a special friend and holds a permanent tender spot in my heart. The last time I saw him was about 10 years ago when I had a conference in Portland. He had hair then! Now he is shaved clean but he still looks like Albie!
We laid out our blanket. Spouse and the boys played dice. Soon some of our 'neighbors' joined in. The music was good. The venue is phenomenal. Scores of boats lined the cove to take advantage of the music. Dinghy's were lined up all around. The clouds departed and the sun came out. When a band finished at one stage, one would start immediately on another stage. There were screens broadcasting the talent scattered around so you could see something from any angle. Albie and I visited and caught each other up on our lives. He recommended some sights to see in the area.
Later in the evening, we said our goodbyes. As we exited the venue, the line to get in was probably a quarter mile long! We had parked in underground parking a few blocks away. Getting a truck around in those buildings is quite a challenge, but Spouse was able to inch our way out, with all of us holding our breaths expecting to take out a curb or two!
Woke up to a cloudy and cool morning, just like the weatherman predicted. I climbed over the boys' bed to do my powerwalk, which in this area is totally uneventful. The berry brambles should be providing berries at this time of year but they are way behind. Heck, they are still flowering! It will be weeks before I would be able to channel my inner bear to graze on ripe juicy berries! Came back and we all just kind of lounged around, reading, doing my needlepoint.
Because the boys are using the foldout bed in our couch, it blocks our passage to the outside world. When Spouse feels the boys have had enough sleep, he deflates their air mattress. Crew is usually awake already. Dallas could probably sleep all day. They really don't move much when we climb over them. Fortunately, Bart can scoot under the bed.
Around 3pm, we gathered our stuff and headed to Bluesfest. This is a blues festival on the Willamette River in downtown Portland. There were 4 different stages and a gazillion people. But our mission was to hook up with my dear friend Albert Almeida. Cell phones are marvelous things but when the music is busting all decibel charts, they prove to be quite useless! I waited til the singer came up for air and found my Albie.
Albert and I used to work together at Blue Cross in the 1970's and 1980's. He moved to Portland around 1990 and we have kept in touch throughout the years. He is such a special friend and holds a permanent tender spot in my heart. The last time I saw him was about 10 years ago when I had a conference in Portland. He had hair then! Now he is shaved clean but he still looks like Albie!
We laid out our blanket. Spouse and the boys played dice. Soon some of our 'neighbors' joined in. The music was good. The venue is phenomenal. Scores of boats lined the cove to take advantage of the music. Dinghy's were lined up all around. The clouds departed and the sun came out. When a band finished at one stage, one would start immediately on another stage. There were screens broadcasting the talent scattered around so you could see something from any angle. Albie and I visited and caught each other up on our lives. He recommended some sights to see in the area.
Later in the evening, we said our goodbyes. As we exited the venue, the line to get in was probably a quarter mile long! We had parked in underground parking a few blocks away. Getting a truck around in those buildings is quite a challenge, but Spouse was able to inch our way out, with all of us holding our breaths expecting to take out a curb or two!
Great to hear you are having a good time!
ReplyDeleteWe are so jealous
Stay in touch and be safe!
Jim /Terri