Making a list and checking it twice

The week before Christmas we finished up our decorations, our shopping and cleaning. Kristin had knee surgery (again) and so far it seems like it's going to go really well. 
Bring on Santa and the elves!

Seeing the forest through the trees

Chantel and Brian cut a tree

We hit a tree farm this year, this one closer to home in West Linn. Debbie knew the owners and it was a quiet little place, we had it almost to ourselves. Deb and her roommate Chantel found a petite little tree and we found a skinny 9-footer. It's perfect in our living room.

Debbie and Kodiak on the hunt

Brian and Sarah's friend Andy put up the tree

Snowpocalyse

Leslie's coworker at his desk

We had two cold snaps in December. First came freezing rain and an ice storm that keep legions of Portlanders home for a couple of days. Then came snow, nothing very deep but it hit at commute time and nearly shut the city down because no one seemed prepared (and the streets were legitimately slick).

Lots of tinsel but not all on the tree

Leslie and her best friend Mary made it to the Festival of Trees in Portland this year. Even more amazing than the trees and other holiday decor was the cheerleading competition going on in another part of the event center.

The girls were 5-14 or so and made up like they were in a kids' beauty pageant. It was surreal.

Giving thanks again

Thanksgiving was modest this year, or at least that's how it started out. In the end, Jess came from Ashland, Travis from Redmond, Mom-Nancy from Wenatchee and Leah and Michael from Tacoma. Plus Kristin's Steven joined us and a friend of Sarah's later in the evening. It was a full house.

Our very own Big Chill 2016-style

See our very own Big Chill-2016 style

After the holiday's Jess' Rob came to town and the kids helped hang lights outside the house. 

Then we capped THAT off with a visit to The Grotto, a Catholic monastery/shrine in NE Portland that has a huge holiday display. None of us had been before and it was universally liked. 

Where the rainbow ends

Early November saw us down in PC, to do a few chores and close up shop for the winter. B replaced the window in the back of the cabin and L cleaned out an exterior shed -- where she found two petrified rats and tons of rat poo. Fun times.

A bit of autumn madness

Autumn was a busy season, but what else is new?

More music in our life. We finally made it to the infamous Old Church downtown. Deb's boyfriend Stephen played there with his band. The music venue still had an old church organ, the huge kind with all the pipes. We got to hear a bit of it before the main event. The building still looked very much like a church; including a huge rack for wet umbrellas in the vestibule.

Another accidental fundraiser in our lives. This one was for Caldera Arts. We attended as part of a party for L's work. It was held in the Pearl, across the street from friend Mary's work. There was a live auction, where things were going for many thousands. And yes, Thomas Lauderdale was there. We think he has our appointment calendar. 


In late fall we headed to the Lakewood Theater in Lake Oswego to see friend Brad act in a slapstick English comedy. It was a group event, with Jason, Abby and Dave. It was a great show and the evening was grand.

Lucky 13

This year our 13th anniversary fell on a weekday. We went out for pizza, to an old-school parlor with the great salad bar. It was lovely and low-key, because our real celebration came the following weekend. 
We cruised some quilt shops, went for a walk along the waterfront and dined at an unusual sushi restaurant. 

Sushi comes on a train

East bank of the Willamette

Tillicum Bridge

Cider version 2

Julie and Jess man the press

After the Methow cider weekend, we brought the press back to PDX, along with nearly a half-ton of apples. We invited friends, family and neighbors to our house to press cider and had a good turnout. The weather was odd, very strong winds and sprinkles of rain, but not as bad as expected.

Dave and son make some cider

Kristin and Steven pair up for their own batch

Halfway through the bin

Debbie gets ready for a batch of hard cider

Cider version 1

Jann and Keith in their office

It was a low-key cider year. No kids made it. No extra relatives. Just the Hole siblings and outlaws there to pick and press the apples. 

We met with the contractor to go over house plans and get feedback.

B and contractor Steve V check the plans

B checks over the house site

just the four of us picking apples

Small cider batch

Jann and Leah play games

Virgos and Libras rule

Kristin threw herself a birthday brunch at the home she shares with roommates, a vegan extravaganza. We enjoyed chatting with and meeting many of her friends, some known to use and many not. 

And then for Mary's birthday the "Girls" gathered at a lakeside restaurant in Lake Oswego for a lovely dinner and catch-up. Travis would not let us celebrate his birthday at all, as usual.

Thomas Lauderdale is following me

Lauderdale on the stairs of his enormous loft

a view from the stairs

the most amazing library either of us have ever seen

So in September L received an email inviting us to a fundraiser for Outdoor Schools, something she had previously donated to. The event was private performance/drinks etc... in the private home of Thomas Lauderdale, leader of the band Pink Martini. It seemed like a mistake, because those sort of functions typically target movers and shakers who donate thousands to fav causes. 

But we went anyway.

and there we are, in the back on the left, hobnobbing with the swells

China Forbes and Thomas Lauderdale lead a sing-along

Yes, and there we are again, on the left!

But it all began in the end of summer, when we heard about a unusual musical performance by pianist Hunter Noack in Portland. The classical musician was offering concerts in unusual settings in the outdoors, complete with wireless headphones so the ambient noise would not interfere. We attended and loved it and were tickled that Lauderdale and two other Pink Martini musicians performed. The show we saw was in the Hoyt Arboretum in Washington Park.