Scenic run

On Monday morning, Monica met a friend at the Tualatin Hills Nature Park so they could take the kids for a stroll and chat. I went along and ran the trails. The trails were paved and covered with a tree canopy. It was like something out of a movie. Like running through the rain forest. It was chilly, but fantastic.

I think the tree cover interfered with the GPS signal. I knew I was not running as slow as it indicated I was. I checked the distances with the official trail map distances and there was quite a discrepancy. Using the official distances, I ran 4.00 miles in 38:52 for an average pace of 9:43.

What a great time

I am really enjoying myself here in Portland. Friday Monica and I went to Powell's City of Books, which is HUGE!, Mellow Mushroom, and Voodoo Doughnuts. I could not believe the selection of vegan doughnuts. I got a Butterfinger doughnut (not vegan) that was a chocolate doughnut with white icing and chopped Butterfingers. I also picked up some vegan peanut butter and chocolate and oreo doughnuts. I am so glad I run!

On the drive back we accidentally passed the park where Occupy Portland is doing its thing.

And we drove by the rose gardens.

That night Monica and Dave went out to see a comedian. I stayed home with Elinor. She was a precious little angel. I had no trouble at all feeding her, playing with her, and putting her to bed.

Saturday Monica and I went to David Gabbe's Vegan Cheeze and Milk Making Class. He was a fantastic instructor and I learned a lot. I bought one of his books and I am eager to try making the cheeze. It turned out really well in class and was so tasty. The milks were easy and delicious. In class we made an unbelievable yummy "cream" of cauliflower soup. I am looking forward to including these in our diets.

Sunday I got up early and ran. Then we went downtown to the museum to meet up with a friend of mine from undergrad and see the body and brain exhibit. He's a pediatric neurologist, so who better to lead us on a tour of a brain exhibit?! As it turns out, the crowd was huge and we ended up skipping the exhibit and walking the waterfront instead. We went by the craft market too. I had to take this picture of Dave and Monica. Elinor is in Dave's jacket. You can barely see a little bit of the tam I knit her peeking out. I thought it was funny.

Then we went to Black Bear Diner for lunch, where Paul's wife Gina met us. I had told Monica that they had great Gardenburgers there, so she wanted to try it. After that I went to Paul's house to try and figure out the structural issue he's having with his house. It is built on the side of a hill, so some of it is elevated 30 feet on piles. He's having drainage issues in his driveway as well as in the room underneath the driveway. I think it is fixable, but it probably won't be cheap. He gave me a tour of his house, including the wine cellar, which was amazing. I want one of these rooms!

Tonight is another dinner in the common room. I'm looking forward to it.

In other great news, we found a buyer for our coach today! Many thanks to Bill for handling it while I'm up here. We posted it Friday night on craigslist and had two inquiries. Bill showed it to both today. One said it was nice, but didn't meet his needs. The other gave us a deposit. I'm very pleased with it. Once I get back there I'll take all our stuff out and then we'll turn over the keys and title. That is one less thing to worry about. In other not-as-great news, we rejected the counter offer from the potential buyers of our Pensacola house and have decided that it would be best under the circumstances to put it in the rental market. We are going to lose our shirts if we decide to continue to try to sell. Such is life. I hope we can rent it for something close to our mortgage payment.

Fantastic Five

I got up early today (the time change helped) and ran three laps around Monica's neighborhood. It was a good run. The temperature was 37 degrees, according to my weather channel app. I wore my running tights and my pink compression shirt. That was perfect.

I ran 5.25 miles in 53:25 for an average pace of 10:10.

Portland!

I wanted to visit my sister in Portland, Oregon, and was able to score a relatively cheap tickets. I took the shuttle to San Jose. Thankfully Mina talked me into taking the early one. We left a little late and ran into traffic. I got to the airport a half hour after scheduled arrival, which if it had been the shuttle I was originally on, I would have had about 30 minutes to check my bags, go through security, and get to the gate. This time I had almost two hours of slop.

I checked my bag and proceeded through security. I had to use the backscatter x-ray, which I wasn't thrilled about. You have to stand with your feet apart (on the painted footprints) and put your hands on your head. I felt like I was about to be arrested! Once I got the all-clear, I grabbed all my stuff and headed in to find some coffee and browse the bookstores. I stopped at Peet's. I thought about going to Starbucks, but I like Peet's brewed coffee better. Maybe the new blonde roast at SB will be better. After all that, I went to my gate to sit down. In a "power chair".

Not bad, huh? I also had free wi-fi and there was a SB right at the gate. All I needed was a massage chair and life would be great! The boarding of the flight was amazingly smooth and the flight was nearly empty. I got to sit in row 2 with no one in the center. We landed with no issues and Monica met me outside baggage claim.

We went from there to Dave's work and took a ride on the tram. Oregon Health and Sciences University has a tram that runs from the campus down at the waterfront to the hospitals up on the hill. It is really a cool ride, although slightly unnerving.

Then we came home and got ready for the dinner. Monica was the assistant cook for the common dinner. Her housing complex has two dinners a night for everyone who is on the meal plan. Someone cooks, someone assists, and someone cleans dishes. Everyone takes turns, so it is fair. Quiche was on the menu. There was a vegan quiche and a vegetarian one. There was also a green salad and a three-bean salad (although I think there were four beans in there), all of which were delicious. Monica made pumpkin pies for dessert. Yummy!

I am really going to enjoy my visit here!

Around Monica's neighborhood

I arrived in Portland, OR, yesterday afternoon. I'm here to see my sister, her husband, and my little niece. I decided to take a run around the neighborhood this morning. It was chilly; the temp was around 44 degrees. It rained overnight, but it wasn't raining this morning. I put on capris and my "new" cold gear shirt. I got it at the Exchange last spring. It was on sale for $8, marked down from $60. What a steal! It is lightly lined with fleece and it was perfect for the run.

I went out of the complex to SW 91st street, north to Canyon, west to SW 96th, and east on Beaverton-Hillsdale. The busy roads had sidewalks and the others had wide enough shoulders. I did not feel unsafe at all. It was a nice run. I did two loops.

I ran 3.63 miles in 35:51 for an average pace of 9:52. Splits: 10:17, 10:09, 9:38, 5:47 (=9:06 pace).