Outer space to Trout Lake to a freaky green sky

Hello there!

I had a really great weekend! Friday afternoon Gina & I went to visit a kitten that she's going to be getting in a few weeks. It's still nursing and too young to be weaned. It's a cutie little orange boy that Gina named Dump Truck, Truck for short. He's adorable and very sweet.

That evening Gina & I went to a Space/Future party at Ben's house. They went all out decorating their whole house and there were tons of people in costume (astronauts, aliens, people with computer monitors on their head). Our friends' band played so it was really cool to see them. I had tons of fun checking out people's costumes and talking with my friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in a long time. I stayed until late and then Bryan and I split a cab home from our cabbie friend.

Saturday it was beautiful and sunny out. Portland has been exceptionally rainy and cool for June so I took advantage of the lovely weather. I sat outside in a camping chair and read my book in the sun for a long time. I decided to move to the back yard where I picked raspberries (mmmmmmm!) and read my book in the warm, warm sun. I listened to my neighbors bickering in Russian and wondered what they were saying. Gina showed up and took me back to her house for some fabulous breakfast bagel sandwiches with her and Ben. We then got all our stuff together to go up to Trout Lake for the night. We arrived in the early evening and met Elaine and Dave at Wampler's house. From there we all went over to the Trout Lake Country Inn, which Wampler had just taken over as manager. We ate dinner out on the back deck with the sun shining on Sleeping Beauty and Mt Adams looming above. The Inn looks great and it's just going to keep getting better as Wampler and Jimmy work on it. The music started with Dave's friend Alexa who had come up from Portland. She's got a great voice and writes really lovely songs. I hope to see one of her shows in Portland soon. After her set it was Jimmy, Steve, Dave and Wampler on the stage. It was so fun to see them up on stage at Wampler's new place. They sounded great and everyone had fun. Gina and I went out on the back deck to see the stars. The moon was so bright that we could see Mt Adams by moonlight. I was mesmerized! We headed home late and slept at Wampler's house.

Sunday I woke up to find it very warm and sunny. Dave got mochas for us from the cafe nearby. Gina and Elaine both had to head back to Portland but I decided to stay and go frisbee golfing with the guys. I borrowed Dave's phone (the only cell with service in Trout Lake) and talked to my dad for a while. Dave then took me to see Trout Lake for which the town is named. It was so beautiful with the green plants growing in the water and the blue blue sky against the white clouds and snow on the mountain. We stopped by the Inn to pick up Jimmy who was golfing with us. He and Alexa had just written a song together on the porch and they played it for us before we headed out. How lucky! We met up with everyone at Jason's cabin and walked over to the course. It was my first time playing there and it was beautiful! There were fields of daisies everywhere and big patches of wild strawberries. We stopped at one point at a pond and Dave and Jason went swimming with the dog. We didn't get through the course very fast because we kept stopping to pick the tiny wild strawberries. They are so tiny and sweet and tart and wonderful. It was ridiculously nice!

We went back to the Inn famished and Jimmy made us sandwiches which we devoured. Dave and Daisy went swimming in the creek nearby as I enjoyed the sun. Next time I'll be prepared for swimming. Dave and I had a really beautiful drive back to Portland. We could see huge towering clouds as we approached Portland and it was a sign of things to come. We had a crazy thunderstorm as the sun was setting. Thunderstorms are very rare in these parts and they are one of the few things about Midwestern weather that I miss. There was a double rainbow and the sky was green and the lightning would fork across the whole sky. It really was a spectacle and I had a great time sitting out on the porch and watching it all. I really do feel so lucky to live here!

I hope you all had a great weekend. Please let me know what you did and how you are!

xoxoxo,
carolyn