Another rainy day in Portland…

Diana and I went out last night to the Country Cat for dinner. Click here to check out their menu… I had a Ginger Lee (similar to those fabulous ginger martinis from the other night, but with more lemon), and we shared three appetizers for dinner: Paprika Fried Potatoes with ricotta and honey, Oregon Black Truffle Potato dumplings, and Brussel sprouts in a lemon cream sauce with walnuts. For dessert, a warm pear tart with vanilla ice cream, drizzled with a light caramel sauce. WOW! What a meal…

Today is another typical late-winter day here. It’s not so cold as it’s been, but still overcast. After breakfast, Max and I went over to the dog park for a romp. I decided, mud or no mud, he needed to run around and be a dog! He’s been so patient here, gentle and settled in the house – no rowdiness at all. I took a ball, just in case there were no dogs to run with, and we set out down the street.

He knows the way, and was pretty anxious to get to that spot where I unclip the leash and let him run free along the path to the park. Man, do I love seeing that boy run! He’s so graceful loping along with big long strides, ears flying, tail high – the epitome of happy dog. He can eat up distance so fast, that he was out of sight around the bend at the top of the hill in no time.

I picked up my pace, and when I got to the top of the hill, he was waiting for me! What a pleasure to see how much he’s matured. (Knock wood) he never runs off on me anymore… (double knock wood!) I praised him, giving him the OK and encouragement to continue down to the park, and he was off again.

At first, there were no other dogs, so I pulled out the ball and began playing with him. After about three throw and returns, he spotted two dogs coming into the park from the other side and raced off to see them, ball firmly between his teeth. There was an enthusiastic three-dog greeting of nose to rear end in a wagging circle, then he bounded off, followed by both of the newcomers – a large black and white Great Dane, and a small Black Lab/mix.

Their owner Judy, and I had a nice time talking while the dogs ran and played, with Max occasionally bringing the ball to me for another throw. After about a half hour, the sun came out! It was actually warm so I unzipped my jacket. I swear, less than two minutes later, it started raining! Judy said goodbye, heading off to her car with her dogs, and Max and I began heading for home.

By the time we got back to the house, my jacket was soaked, Max had mud up to his armpits, and it looked like that big grey cloud overhead was here for the duration. Since then, it’s gotten brighter, rained a little bit more, and brightened up again. Typical for here…

Today is Jim’s birthday and we are all going out to dinner to celebrate. I think we’ve settled on Jake’s, which Diana says is a longtime Portland tradition. Jim says they have great seafood, and it sounds like we’ll have a good time. More on that later…

Meanwhile, I’m making plans to go up to Olympia, WA on Thursday to see Anna (my stepdaughter), who’s finishing her senior year at Evergreen College, then on to Seattle for the weekend. Hopefully, we’ll have some fun adventures to report, and some new photos to post.

And Max? He’s got the right rainy day thing down perfectly: a nap on the bed…

I don’t have any photos today, so I went back through all the photos I’ve taken on this trip and picked a couple of Max to put in here. In the process, I was reminded of all the places, people, and things we’ve seen so far. Places I’ve “forgotten.” We’ve had one helluva trip! And it’s not over yet.

I have a couple of little videos of him playing on the dog beach somewhere along the Gulf Coast in Florida (can’t remember exactly where at the moment…). They’re not really interesting, except to me, because I can smell the air, and feel the sun on my arms when I watch them – just as it was that morning.

Photos bring visceral memories. Needles, CA. Flagstaff, Santa Fe, Austin, New Orleans. The list is long… Part of me has been yearning to start for home. Seeing these photos and feeling the tug of the memories, make me want to keep on the road for a while longer. I want to make more memories, store them up, and let them wash over me.

My love letter to everyone who’s been following us on this adventure. Thanks for riding along! (Max in Austin, TX next to Jo’s - that great coffe place on South Congress Ave.