What I learned so far in August

Things I've learned in August so far:

• Portland continues to have fine eating establishments. One my recent trip there, I ventured out to 3 or so new places for brunch. Of course now I can't remember them all. Renee was, once again, a great hostess who introduced me to Genies and The Tin Shed (or the Tin something - I was always forgetting - Tine Door? Tin Roof? Tin Siding?). I also stood in line and ate a biscuit from Pine Street Biscuits. And escaped the heat at the local Panera (Panera, I know, is not unique to Portland - but I do like their salads - and it was cool in there when it was about 100º outside thank you very much for taking me there Emily and Sanjay). And went to an Italian place with Heather and her kids but can't remember the name of it (but it was really good and I think we were waited on by three generations of a fun-looking Italian family after a 45 minute wait that meant we had to have dessert at the ice cream place first).


• The Tillamook cheese factory is a little bit of a letdown (I know - everybody told us that, but I still wanted to go). Here they are chopping up cheese into smaller pieces and packaging them. I was hoping for a little more about the cheese making...















• We did see some of the cows that give their best so you and I can eat good cheese and ice cream. Thank you cows.











• A huge cone of Sweet Centennial. Yummy stuff.













• Best ways to get out of the Portland heat (that I seems to find myself in every time I go there) include seeing a movie. Did others of you notice that Harry Potter's lighting-bolt scar moved slightly to the right for the new film? Why? Older, wiser, more aware of the dark side teenager looks more brooding with scar off center that can only be seen when the wind blows ominously through Hogwarts?

• Hawaii is pretty. And hot. And in the middle of typhoon paths. I got there just as Felicia was heading our way -- she downgraded and passed us with narry a scratch.















• Unlike the calm conditions you see here, surfers actually want surf. These poor souls spent a lot of time waiting for a few tiny waves. Not a great day in the water for them at Waikiki.










• This is some dude I can't remember. I liked his statue better than the surfer dude.












• This is where I used to live. When I was 2 and 3. ish. It's in Honolulu. I went there last week. It's much warmer there than it is here at home (which is, guess: 55º and raining).










• This is where my mom used to work and where my sister was born. It's giant. It's pink. It's also in Honolulu.











• This is someone's play kitchen. I want the refrigerator.












• Susu admiring the two pony tails I put in her hair. She's pretty darn cute!












• Washing a dog is a wet project. But more fun at the beach than in your bathtub. And less of a mess. At least it looked that way. I figured three cooks in this kitchen wouldn't really help all that much, so I left it to these two capable foes of dirt to tackle the task.








• Some people look really good in head scarves. And some people also look great with a shaved head. Bethany happens to be one of both kinds of those people.















• Some people who start whole educational models and schools of teaching and learning believe in gnomes. And Atlantis. But I believe in the power of positive thinking, so who knows what's real.

• There's still more August left!