Predators

On Saturday a new exhibit opened at the Portland Zoo.

"Predators" had been under construction ever since our first zoo trip,
and each time we walked past the promotional sign,
our anticipation mounted.
Orin was particularly excited about petting the lions
(I haven't bothered to break the news to him yet)
So on Monday (the first day we figured the crowds would be bearable),
we set off for the zoo with our neighbor Jon and his son Dakota.
Instead of rushing straight for Predators, we instead paced ourselves
first working through the Northwest
where we saw birds, fish, bears, wolves, and mountain goats;
the Amazon, where we saw snakes, turtles
and (Dakota's favorite) alligators;
the Antarctic where the boys got
up close and personal with two sea lions;

and the Arctic,
where the got to hang out with some polar bear cubs.
Finally, after are long trek around the world,
we arrived at the Predators.
On the way in, there was a lion statue that begged for a photo-op.
As it turned out, it was the only photograph of a lion
that we would get to take that day.
Apparently, we missed the real beasts by about a half an hour...
they were down for an afternoon snooze,
sprawled out behind a hill at the back of the exhibit.
Much of the rest of the exhibit was still under construction,
so it looks like we will be making another trip to the zoo pretty soon.
The only bonus to missing the predators was that
it looks like I will be able to delay my "petting lions" speech
a little bit longer.
I am anticipating heartbreak.

Orin Updates

Sometimes I forget that the purpose of this blog is really

to serve as a scrapbook for Orin,
and therefore should be full of little bits of information
about all his various developments,
not just those that deserve a full post.
With that said here is an update on the main man:
Orin is currently 15 months old.

He has 12 teeth.

I am guessing he still weighs 20 pounds.

He does not have much interest in real food
although he can be persuaded to snack from time to time.

His favorite toys are his ride-on cars,
his puzzles, his kitties, and his ball.
His spoken vocabulary consists of:

juice, pop(sicle), bird, pig, uh oh, dada, mama (finally!),
doggie, puppy, more, babu (his stuffed bear), pee pee,
butt (I didn't teach him that), hi, bye-bye, ball, keys, baby, kitty,
bats, bike, out, (ba)nana, fish, book, and happy

He is capable of signing:
bird, fish, milk, cookie, juice, book, Tails,
popsicle, doggie, kitty, turtle, and all done

His favorite thing to do is empty his bookshelves.

Some of his recent skill-set additions are:

Learning how to take his diaper off on the run (not fun for me)

Walking down stairs facing forward (also not fun for me)

and jumping (still being perfected)

He is also beginning to play around with the concept of throwing

temper tantrums to get what he wants
in the check out line of the grocery store.He is keeping us on our toes to say the least.
Goodnight.

The weekend in Washington

We left for the DMB concert late Saturday night,

figuring that Orin would be on his best behavior for the 4 and 1/2
hour drive to the venue if he was not awake.
I am not sure if you are aware of this,

but lately our docile little infant
has undergone a striking transformation into a Terrible Toddler.
(Orin claims that he sees no point in waiting until he turns two
to begin his career as a demon child. "I am close enough," he asserts.)
Anyway, the driving plan worked pretty well.
Orin slept soundly for the first 4 hours of the trip.
But when he woke up, he wasn't happy, and we weren't
sure that there would be a camping spot left when we arrived
so instead of continuing on we slept here:
A rest area ten miles away from the show.
By now I am sure that you have noticed
that October is back in action.
After several months of being stuck in the driveway
due to a small hold-up with DEQ
(she was blowing hydrocarbons at concentrations about 12 times
the legal limit... sort of a problem)
she is back on the road and running like a top.
Orin was certainly glad to have her back.
October is his favorite car because the steering wheel
is big enough he can actually step through it and sit down,
which is apparently a fun activity for a baby.
Casey and I were equally happy to have the van back
on the road again, especially after we pulled into the campground
to be greeted with near-hurricane-force winds.
Casey pulled the van in sideways to block most of the wind
and we spent the afternoon hanging out in the sun
playing with Orin, drinking margaritas, and watching
our less fortunate neighbors trying
to keep their stuff from blowing away.The van also proved essential when it came time for Orin's nap.
I just threw a blanket and some pillows in the back and presto:
an instant crib.
When the sun started to set, we packed up the van and drove
the 10 extra miles to the venue.
There we were greeted by Casey's cousin Morgan,
(who worked very hard to get this pose right)
and friends Kyle and Steve.
The concert was better that I ever could have imagined.
I think they played every one of my favorite songs
and we all danced the night away.
Orin stayed awake for the entire show
but was pretty mellow and didn't even show off
any of his aforementioned dance moves.
Maybe next year.
The next day we woke up and hung out at the river for
a couple of hours before packing up and driving home.
It was a long drive back to Oregon,
especially with Orin driving,
but it was all well worth it.
Until next time.

Preparing for Dave Matthews

This weekend we are going to see Dave Matthews Band

play at the Gorge Amphitheater in Washington.

Orin, being a huge DMB fan, is really excited.

He has been practicing some dance moves to show off at the concert.

Think of this as a sneak preview:

Zucchini Processing

You may have noticed that it has been a while since my last post.

If you are really observant, you may have also noticed that

the long break came right at the time

when Orin and I left Massachusetts.

The reason for this is that although we made the flight back home,

my camera did not... in fact, it didn't even make it to the airport.

So although you have missed a couple post-worthy happenings

-including a camping trip with our neighbors,

an amazing Amos Lee concert, and Orin cutting several new teeth-,

I felt that without pictures you would find

my ramblings to be dull at best.

However, my camera arrived yesterday, just in time for a spectacular

event that I am sure you will be very grateful you didn't have to miss:

Zucchini Processing Day.

You might remember my troubles earlier in the year involving

my super-productive zucchini plants.

Well, after making zucchini soup, zucchini bread, and freezing a bag

for winter recipes, I still had a problem:

But I was not alone, my neighbor Hillary had the same problem:

Luckily, she had a solution:

A state of the art Zucchini Processing Machine.

All you have to do is cut the zucchini into chunks

and stuff it into the top of the machine.

A wonderful grinding noise follows and then, presto,

grated zucchini dumps into your waiting bowl.

Trust me, if you are in the market for any grated zucchini,

this machine beats the heck out of doing it by hand.

We got to work immediately.

Hillary's son, Cole, offered to help with the grinding

while Dakota scooped the seeds from the chunks before

they were fed through the machine.

Orin refused to help, stating haughtily

that he didn't even like zucchini.

But regardless of being down one set of hands,

the assembly line was quite productive.

Grated zucchini spilled forth almost faster than I could bag it.

In the end, however, we were defeated by the enormous pile.

Tired and sticky, after several hours

we decided to call the processing operation to a close.

Here are the survivors:

And my share of the less fortunate:

I am already looking forward to fresh zucchini bread in January.