Sunday Parkways 2017; Kate bikes solo

Audrey and Kate participated of another round of Portland's Sunday Parkways bike rides today. The girls rode a little over 5 miles, starting from home and then traveling to Khunamowkst Park and Fernhill Park and then reversing course to head back home. GPa joined the girls for part of the route.

Unlike previous Parkways, Kate rode her own bike and was not towed in a trailer or on a tag-a-long. There were several stops and the obligatory sugary treat as an incentive (in this case, a sno-cone), but she made the whole trip under her own power.

Tennis pros

Audrey and Kate joined Mom and Dad for another round of family tennis sessions at Grant Park. Neighbors Elli and Madi joined them for the first two sessions.

Audrey tries SUPing

After trying it out recently during the annual Camp Sherman trip, Audrey went out for standup paddling a second time. She joined Mom's bootcamp group for a SUPing session on the Tualatin River.

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.

Father's Day bike ride

Audrey and Kate strapped on their helmets and headed out for a bike ride during the Sunday Parkways event in North Portland today. They met up with Honey and GPa and Grandpa Dave and Judy at Arbor Lodge Park for an informal Father's Day gathering. The girls played on the playground and with stilts from Circus Cascadia, listened to Celtic rock and Indian dance music, and ate snowcones, hot dogs, and Cheetos.

 

Audrey runs a 5K

Audrey ran a 5K this morning with Mama. It was a Portland Parks "$5 5K," and was held at Lents Park in Southeast Portland. A 5K is about 3 miles, and Audrey completed it in 39 minutes and 44 seconds.

Kate dances with Ms. Kat

As with Audrey, Kate's kindergarten class got some dance lessons from Ms. Kat thanks to the money they raised with their Run for the Arts. Today was their final performance.

Checking out a new park

Audrey and Kate and their friend and neighbor Olivia biked over to check out the new Khunamokwst Park today. They stopped for frozen yogurt on the way home.

Mosier Plateau hike

Audrey and Kate headed out on I-84 today for some recreation in the nice weather. After stopping for lunch in Hood River at the Full Sail brewery and walking around the town for a bit, they headed further east for a short hike on the Mosier Plateau Trail. They didn't last too long on the hike, as it was mostly uphill and the weather was hotter than was expected, but they did find a waterfall to cool off in, as well as some pretty wildflowers and a pioneer cemetery. They had some ice cream from a minimart and then headed home.

Westmoreland Nature Play Park visit

Audrey, Kate, Lily, and Cora played in the new nature-based playground at Westmoreland Park today. They climbed on rocks and logs, had a picnic, climbed on the low-hanging limbs of some cedar trees, and fished sticks out of the casting pond.

Hike at Smith and Bybee Wetlands

Audrey and Kate and their cousins went for a hike at Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area this morning. It was a beautiful day for a walk in the woods, although much time was taken up with snacking and complaining about "mosquitoes." At the end of the trek much amusement was had with a hollowed-out boulder.

A February(!) bike ride

Audrey and Kate took advantage of the unseasonably warm winter weather and went for a bike ride on the Springwater Corridor today. They got on the trail at Oaks Park and then rode up to the new TriMet bridge, stopping to throw some rocks in the river. Audrey pedaled her own bike the whole way, about 6-7 miles round-trip. They stopped for lunch at Cha Cha Cha in Sellwood on the way home.

Athletic endeavors

Audrey and Kate show off some newly developed gymnastic skills: doorway-climbing for Kate (taking a cue from big sister), and some playground acrobatics for Audrey after school.

Lil' hoopsters

Audrey and Kate started some basketball lessons today at Grant High School. They were coached by Grant student basketball players. They were initially reluctant to go, but participated the whole time and seemed to like it. They practicing dribbling, shooting, passing, layups, and a little defense.

Run for the Arts 2013

Audrey's school held its Run for the Arts today, in the fall rather than in the spring like last year. Audrey put in a good showing, completing 6 laps, one more than last year. Mama and Kate and Honey Grandma showed up to cheer her on.

Flexibility

Audrey's taking another dance class with Ms. Kat, this time a beginning ballet class at the Northeast Community Center. Her friend Hannah is taking it with her. It's a "real" ballet class, in that there are certain dress and grooming standards, including girls required to have their hair in buns. The timing is such that Dada is the one to take Audrey and Hannah to class, so he has to help with the hair. This first time out showed that he has much to learn.

Audrey's first soccer game

Today's was Audrey's first official soccer game, complete with uniform and opponents, the Cubs of the Holy Redeemer Soccer Club. At her level, the girls play three-on-three with no goalie, parents volunteer as the refs, and they don't keep score. Audrey got lots of playing time, and seemed to have a good time.

Pedal power

Audrey and Kate wound down their summer vacations with one last trip to swim at Grant Pool. On their way there, they stopped at the food-cart pod on Sandy Blvd. near their house for lunch. Audrey helped make part of their lunch by pedaling a bike-powered blender to make a smoothie.

Soccer start

Audrey's playing soccer this fall, and today was her first practice. She's taken lessons a couple of times before, but this will be her first experience with an organized team playing other teams from across Portland. Her team is the Unicorns, part of the Northeast United Soccer Club. Practices are held at her school, and she knows several kids from Alameda on her team (including her friend Hannah) and on another first-grade girls team that practices with them at the same time.

Children's Gym camp

Audrey and Kate both spent some time at the Children's Gym this week. Although officially a "summer camp," the girls just attended on Monday and today. They had done a camp together at the East Portland Community Center awhile back, but this time they were separated into different groups based on their age and didn't see each other most of the day (so was perhaps Kate's first real "camp" experience). The girls got to do crafts and use gymnastics equipment, as well as play outside at the Buckman School playground and do some climbing and bouldering at an indoor rock gym, both of which were nearby. Today, they both had open gym at the same time, and were very excited to see each other and play together.