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.

Camp Sherman Trip 2016

Audrey and Kate traveled to Camp Sherman this week for the annual Gutzler family gathering. A move to a different cabin this trip was a source of some concern for them at first, but was quickly forgotten once settling in and meeting up with cousins Lily, Cora, Liam, Elsa, and Wyatt. The group did not venture too far afield from Lake Creek Lodge (save for a shopping trip for Audrey into Sisters with Mama, GG, and Morgan). They were content to stuff themselves with lots of yummy food and sugary drinks supplied by great-uncle Mark and Sharon (margarita mix--sans tequila--proving a surprise hit), dress up in superhero garb supplied by Sharon, play in the pool, walk to the Camp Sherman store, and pose for lots of photos. New activities tried out this year were catching crawdads and baby fish in the creek to be "pets,"roasting marshmallows for s'mores in a new fire pit, a short creek walk, studying amphibian life along the fishing pond at dusk, and the kids getting some limited freedom to wander the resort on their own. (More Camp Sherman photos here.)