back from Portland

• I bought nice sandals from REI, pizza, coffee, a burger and fries, ice cream, pie, a candy bar, and 6-bladed disposable shavers from 7-11.  Pierre shaved his beard with a new trimmer.

  we went to a puppet show, at a N branch library next to Jefferson high (the Democrats!)

  There's a train museum (real trains, not model ones), kinda like the one in Sacto, I guess.  I saw "drinking fountains" that are bubbling, always on (!), by the river and at the nearby branch library.  I picked up a library card application.  I played with Augie a few times, and watched him a couple times, too.  Augie played with my phone, the tablet (youtube and google zombies and dinosaurs, etc.), trains, toy dinosaurs, a book, toy cars, and his brand new "jumpoline."  The flight in was "hazy and smoky", from the fires.  I found a scrabble dictionary, at a nearby "little free library".   Jesse means "to jess" (!), which I didn't know.  jess means to fasten straps around the legs of a hawk  (which i did know).  There's an ebike store near Reed, on Powell.  There's another, near Killingsworth.   I ripped a pair of shorts, at the zoo (they were too tight).  Portland is 133 square miles (land area), Reed is 116 acres, and their S:F ration is 10:1.  I looked up what kratom is, it's an herbal drug with "opioid properties", which is legal in Oregon, but not California.  I didn't ride any public transportation, or go downtown, or visit any Ymca's.  I looked at a bike route map, but I want a street map (free from AAA?).  Wag works there.  Augie was on a quest for a lollipop, but the only one we found was sugar-free, so Sara convinced him to get gummy worms, instead.  She made a tasty nachos and vietnamese salad.  Pierre made burgers and chili.  I think I'm forgetting something.  Oh, the soup.  Yum.

  Hi Mom
  Yes, Sara opened the gift, and told me she will send you a card.   She loves it, and says they are made in Arizona, where she has family.  I've been sitting Augie, but a meal is a good idea, too.  We went to a street fair today.  I got an accidental FaceTime call from dad, before he left to visit Jeannine.  I went to Reed (where I talked with a professor, and a librarian), the branch library (you can check out 150 items at a time!!), a bike ride (the 4 of us) along willamette river (I bought a 'biketown ' rental).  Augie got swim instruction at a nice indoor pool, and received a certificate.  He also got a trampoline, which I helped Pierre assemble.  I read Augie a (short) book, and showed him trains on my tablet, zombies, and kept an eye on him as we made our way through the crowd.  He went to a puppet show.  He met the second grader next door (Sebastian).  They have 2 rocking chairs on the porch.  I've been reading my Economist.  I brought, but didn't even start, Stephen King's short story collection, bazaar of bad dreams.  They made smoothies.  We went out for ice cream.  I bought them 3 slices of peach pie.  We just bought some gourmet donuts.  We played ball, trains, dinosaurs, and I did some exercise lifting him up 40 times, and push-ups out in the yard.  There's a gym nearby ($110/3 months).  Pierre is cooking chili for tonight.  I showed Augie where the trains are on a map of Portland, and where the zombies are (Haiti).  There's a Wikipedia for kids.  I explained zombies are people dressed up in costumes, trying to be scary, using ketchup, and are probably friendly.  the google pics are scary, though.  But there are pictures of zombie dogs and dinosaurs, and even zombie minions.  Augie has been to the movies twice (Coco, and the Incredibles).  Pierre made burgers the first night.  Sara made 2 yummy dinners.  I've only taken 3 photos, so far.  The Reed library is 2.2 miles away (15m bike ride), and the branch is .8 miles away.  Wifi at both.  There are special streets, for bicycles.  I was perusing a scrabble dictionary, and found shrieval, "pertaining to sheriffs".  I wonder if Vicki knows that one.  I showed Sara the picture of Ben with his chaulk board for his first day back at school.  Augie starts in 2 weeks.  Sara has 5 clients, as an accountant.  Tata (Pierre's Mom), made a FaceTime call, and so did Peter (who knows me, also), who is coming to visit soon too, I think.  Sofia, from Italy, left before I got here.  We saw spiders, and a grasshopper, and a baby woodpecker, and crows, a cat, and lots of dogs.  I could have done a couple wag walks.  Good to know they're there.  Poutine made an exciting break for the corner from the porch, which surprised everybody.  I walked her, too.  She's eating plants, and still licking her paws.  She's been sleeping on the bed with me in the guest bedroom, possibly because she's too lazy to climb the stairs.  Augie sleeps with mom n dad upstairs, even though he has his own room.  Pierre and Sara both got new bikes.  Augie has a scooter that he's pretty good with.  I said he has an "eagle-eye", when it comes to trains.  He's learning about looking both ways at street corners (and driveways, too), and holding hands/waiting to cross with Mom and dad.  Sara wanted me to follow him, when he was going to scoot around the block (like you did!).  There's a community garden around the corner.  I sent an email to Julie in San Leandro (it's national dog day, I got a poem email about dogs, which I forwarded), who said she hopes I don't move because she (and the dogs) will miss me.