Sunday afternoon and I just put Keaton down for her nap.
Sharaun’s also asleep and so I’ve got the place to myself. I put George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass on the iPod and am currently enjoying the sound of the massive triple-album opus. If you know nothing about this album, I implore you to seek it out. Put simply: It may be the best solo album any ex-Beatle has ever made.
It was a good weekend; the kind I’ll find myself replaying in the highlight-reel in my head to break the monotony of the work week. Come Wednesday, our Saturday morning family bike ride to the park for a picnic lunch will have passed into legend. By Thursday, the beautiful weather we had for church on Sunday morning will have joined it. By 2019, provided I make it, they’ll both have joined the blurred apocrypha that will be these years. Yeah, a family-tight weekend; makes me appreciate what I have; and that’s good because, on occasion, I’ve been known to forget…
Saturday my brother called me from his home in southern Washington. “Hey lil’ bro,” I answered, “Whatca doin’?” “Not much,” came the reply, “I just went over to REI and went a little crazy; bought myself a backpack.” “Yeah?,” I asked, curious. “Yup. I think I want to try and take up hiking.” “Wow,” I said, “That sounds awesome. One of the better passtimes I ever got into myself.” He then mentioned that he was planning on taking a week off work in September, around the time of his birthday, and was considering a multi-day outing in the Columbia River Gorge. “What are you doing in late September,” he asked. “I’m flying to Oregon to go backpacking in the Columbia River Gorge,” I answered, “How about you?”
And so was planted the seed of the three-day, thirty mile loop that we’ve pretty much settled on. With about half of the miles on the locally famous Eagle Creek Trail and half on the globally famous Pacific Crest Trail, the loop goes through some of the most gorgeous waterfall country Northern Oregon has to offer. I’m excited; my bro is excited; we’re both looking forward to it. So that helped make Saturday enjoyable. A dinner with friends where the kids were allowed to run free-range wild worked to further the goodness.
And Sunday evening tied a bow on the whole weekend. After a nice meal up at the church building, Keaton and I had to drive home separate from Sharaun (who had to be there early for a meeting). On the ride home, the free limited-time XM that came with the new car was really on a roll and the weather was perfect. In a fit of spontaneaity, I turned the car up into the foothills close to where we live. Up to the crest of one of the more prominent ones we went. Once we reached a good vantage point, I pulled the car into the shoulder, flicked on the emergency flashers, and popped the tailgate so we could climb into the back and watch the sun set.
Fantastic. Goodnight internet.
Also written on this day...
- winning the bread - 2011
- a guy called filthy - 2007
- lonely people and holiday inns - 2006
- yet they still call - 2005
- seriously, for real? - 2004