32 salamanders and my girlfriend

Hello everyone!I had a really great weekend. Friday after work I went home and grabbed my stuff and headed over to Gina’s house. We had plans to head in to the Gorge immediately. Fooqua called right before we were about to leave and we invited him along. That boy has got some hustle-he was packed and at Gina’s house within 30 minutes. We piled into Gina’s rental car (since her car was smashed the weekend before) and drove into the Gorge. We crossed over the Columbia River at the Bridge of the Gods and drove the short way to the Wauna Lake Club. This is a private area in the Gorge and a fantastic spot. Gina’s childhood friend, Cory, has a cabin there and we were excited to be spending some time there. We unloaded our stuff and walked the short ways to the cabin. There’s a huge deck overlooking Wauna Lake and the surround forests and cliffs in the Gorge. It’s beautiful! We drank beers from a nearby brewery (Walking Man) and sat around talking and eating hummus while dinner was prepared. Cory grilled up a whole chicken along with a delicious risotto and salad. We drank wine and sat around the table talking.

It was incredibly mild out, no wind even which a treat in the Gorge. We decided to go down to the dock on the lake. Fooqua got in the canoe and I climbed in. He paddled us out and we sat there watching the clouds roll over the big cliffs of Table Mountain to the north. The water was glassy and beautiful. We paddled back in and Cory and Gina took the canoe out for a bit. They were lucky enough to come upon two beavers in the water who dove down and swam away as they approached them. Back in the cabin we sat around the warm fire until sleepiness took over.

Saturday morning was gray and the rain was starting and stopping with some frequency. We sat around drinking our morning coffee and watching the ospreys catching their breakfast. It was phenomenal to see them dive bomb the lake, flopping their big wings in the water then rising up with a fish. One of them even circled towards the cabin, the fish wriggling frantically in the bird’s talons. Eventually we motivated to head outside. We followed Cory as he took us on a meandering loop trail around Wauna Lake and several of the surrounding lakes. He pointed out a salamander in the middle of the trail so I wouldn’t step on it. I would go on to count 32 salamanders before we returned to the cabin and those were just the ones I noticed. The hike was beautiful and mossy with wild orchids, tiny and pink, along the trail.

We arrived back at the cabin and within moments it began pouring. Such timing! Cory threw some chicken and carrots on the grill and we re-heated the risotto from the previous night. We packed up our stuff and some more of Cory’s friends began arriving to stay at the cabin for the rest of the weekend. We loaded up the car and drove back to Portland where surprisingly it was sunny and beautiful out. I went home and unpacked and showered.

Later in the afternoon I went over to Elaine & Gina’s house where Elaine was already preparing dinner. Kelly, a Trout Lake friend who is soon to be moving to Portland, arrived with her friend Caitlyn. We drank beers on the porch and talked. Camille showed up and we all ate dinner which was wonderful as always. After dinner we played a game called Apples to Apples which was really fun. It was a relaxing fun evening with the girls.

Sunday was April Fool’s Day and I was on the lookout for any jokes. Camille especially loves April Fools. In the morning I chatted on the phone with Becky. She stars in a new show that's been airing on ABC, October Road. It's been so exciting to see my old, dear friend on the telly each week. In the afternoon I went over to Gina’s house and we drove to Erin & Terry’s house in Gladstone. I hadn’t seen their house yet so it was nice to see where they’re living now. They’re adjusting to life with a newborn very well and they both seem really relaxed and happy. Gina made us all sandwiches and we hung out talking for a long time, holding Hailey and going gaga over her great facial expressions. Shortly before leaving Gina told Erin & Terry that we had something we wanted to tell them. She announced that we (Gina & myself) had quietly started dating and that was part of the reason why Gina and the guy she had been dating had broken up. Erin and Terry both looked at us with very surprised expressions. Erin started asking questions and saying “Really?” then she shouts “It’s April Fools! It’s April Fools!” and we all burst into laughter. I literally rolled onto the floor laughing while Terry chucked a pillow at me. Ahhhhh the looks on their faces were priceless! I love April Fools! Gina and I are NOT dating. We’re just great friends. We both date MEN!

Sunday night I went down to Beulahland, a bar in Northeast Portland to see Lincoln play. They were recording another podcast. It’s always so wonderful to see Lincoln play. I ended up staying up far too late for a Sunday night, talking with friends, but it was well worth it.

So that was my weekend. Sorry I’m late this week. I’ll try to get this past weekend’s posting up a bit more quickly. Please let me know how you are and what you’ve been doing. Did you pull any April Fool’s jokes or have any pulled on you? Do tell…

xoxo,
carolyn