Canoeing the Slough

Audrey and Kate braved a slight drizzle to canoe the Columbia Slough in a regatta organized by the Columbia Slough Watershed Council. The paddling was mostly easygoing -- Audrey even took a turn at it -- except for a few minutes battling a strong current. It took Kate some convincing to go; she at first wanted to stay and watch from the shore. The ride was scenic, although there was not much wildlife spotted.

Junior Chefs

Over the past few months the girls have taken an on-again, off-again interest in cooking. It started with watching cooking shows on Netflix, including "Cupcake Wars," "Chopped" and "Chopped Junior," one episode of "The Great British Bake Off," and now "The Worst Cook in America" (Audrey's developed a small crush on Bobby Flay). They have also taken cooking classes together and separately, and some weeks help Mama plan for and prepare a dinner. Audrey offered to make pancakes this morning, and clearly has learned something about presentation.

The next Venus and Serena?

Mama and Dada have been working to get Audrey and Kate interested in tennis. Audrey's taken lessons off and on, including after school at Alameda, and this summer Kate joined her for lessons through Portland Parks and some family tennis lessons at Grant Park. They're starting to get the basic strokes down--Kate has a good underhand serve--and even occasionally get a ball over the net.