In December, I was asked to attend a meeting with several communities, being held in Portland OR. Not only was I excited by the meeting itself -- folks I hadn't seen in a while and some new folks, plus SCIENCE! -- it was a chance to see Kati. So I went out early and spent the weekend with her before the meeting began.
On Saturday, we went to the Forestry Center. It's a science museum for kids, based on the regional ecology. It was well done and we had a good time, especially trying to find all the hidden animal signs in the displays. We felt we did rather poorly, particularly for two girls who like and study science.
Of course, we did find Papa Smurf hiding among the mushrooms! And another action figure later among the forest floor. Oddly, these weren't listed on the items we were supposed to be looking for….
Kati did a much better job with her smoke jumper landing than I did, however. We then did some local shopping and eating, and shared some Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes. Excellent.
Sunday we went to a lovely French bistro for breakfast, then headed to the Portland Art Museum, to see the Samurai exhibit. I saw two Samurai exhibits in the past two years, and I think this was the one I'd see in Quebec. It was still fabulous.
Right at the start - intimidating samurai horsemen.
So glad I don't need to knot my clothes like this every morning.
Dragon masks for your horse -- all the better to intimidate your opponent! The workmanship is phenomenal.
We then wandered the museum for a while. Of course, I found the Calder! That always makes me so very happy.
The museum was very close to my hotel, so we went there next and I checked in. We then grabbed a bite to eat, and then Kati headed home to prep for the work week. I got ready for my meeting.
The meeting was great, with folks from Oregon, Hawaii, and Australia. It was inspiring, fun, and immensely interesting. I learn so much every time I get to spend time with community folks. What a great couple of days!
And since no community meeting is complete without some field trip or experience in the local territory, we headed out Tuesday afternoon, first to Multnomah Falls. I should mention that it was unseasonably cold in Portland this December…..
Lots of ice in the falls. So dramatically beautiful.
There is a path you can take to the bridge, and then up to the top. We all walked up the bridge, but it was too slippery to go further. Especially with people who haven't seen snow before!
All in all, a wonderful week! Family, friends, good talks, good food, good place -- lots of wonderful sharing and learning. I look forward to the February Skype call to see where things are headed and what next steps might be.
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