i've BEND to london

So all week we've told Owen that we are going to go to Bend this weekend, and he kept reciting the line "I've been to London to visit the Queen." (It's a line from a nursery rhyme.) We tried to understand why Owen thought Bend sounded like London, then we realized it was "been to".

Anyway, we went to Bend this weekend, on our annual Anniversary trip, this time bringing a miniature chaperon with us. It wasn't a romantic weekend, but a fun family get away. Bend is on the other side of the Cascades from Corvallis- about a 2.5 or 3 hour drive. We saw Tumalo Falls, went to a great museum, drove up Pilot Butte, and walked around town. Owen said that his favorite part was the waterfall, though I suspect he also liked sleeping in a King bed together and watching TV in bed. The weather was crisp all weekend- a little too chilly this morning but perfect fall temperatures the rest of the time.

the view

Here's a couple of pictures of the view of Sisters from our porch. It has been a beautiful and clear couple of weeks, and it has been a nice treat to get to see Sisters. One is at sunrise (a small concession for having to get up so darn early now that I'm back to full time!).

san diego

We had an anxious week, listening to the news about the fires in San Diego. The area hardest hit was in Rancho Bernardo- where the HP site is located and where many of our friends and colleagues live. We kept reading emails and web sites- hoping to get word that everyone and all their houses were safe. Luckily, as far as we know today, everyone at HP appears to be safe and accounted for. Their houses are not so lucky. Several of our friends have lost everything. It is hard for us to internalize what they are going through right now- our thoughts are with them.

The first picture on this link below is Henry and Adriana D'Souza's house- our good friends who watched Owen when he was 6 months to 1 year. Their house actually didn't burn down.

http://www.pbase.com/ahuse/image/87701744

a walk on a perfect fall day

i want to do the dishes!

Owen's current favorite activity? Doing the dishes and helping in the kitchen. He likes rinsing the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. He likes to pretend to make dinner- usually eggs and birthday cake, sometimes pancakes.

toys for the boys

Owen and Richard got new toys. Richard's came from Home Depot, Owen's from my friend Wendy in Japan. Both are very pleased.

pumpkin patch

We went to the pumpkin patch last weekend while Gramma was here- my mom flew in for the week to help out while I went to San Diego (again!) for work. It was a beautiful fall day and we had a great time at the farm. We took a tractor ride down to pick out our pumpkins. We went through a corn maze and got only a little lost.

aunt susie

Aunt Susie's birthday is two weeks after mine- which means more birthday cake! Owen really enjoyed practicing singing "Happy Birthday" for Aunt Susie (and also for Owen- seems it's always his birthday).

mom's birthday

After seeing the Hood Scenic Railroad, we spent the night in Washington at an inn that was an old train station. Sunday morning was my birthday, and Richard gave me a Nikon D40x. I now intend on being even more of a pest with my camera (Owen already dreads seeing it). But it has taken some nice pictures.

We drove back to Corvallis, and the Muhly's and the Delos-Reyes' joined us for pizza and cake. The kids had a great time together as usual, and everyone enjoyed the cake Susie brought.

mt. hood scenic railroad

Owen is currently fascinated by trains, so for my birthday weekend we decided to drive up to Hood River and take the 2 hour trip on the Mt. Hood Scenic Railroad. A diesel engine brings about 4 passenger cars and a caboose along Hood River, between the apple orchards and to some great views of Mt. Hood. Owen loved the entire ride- he missed only the end when he fell asleep on Richard's lap. We had a great dinner in Hood River, then spent the night across the Columbia River in Washington. We headed back to Corvallis Sunday morning.

welcome Robert Gerard!

Owen has a new cousin!

Robert Gerard Sullivan was born on September 18th, to Richard's sister Susan and her husband Bob. He was 8 pounds 12 oz, and 21" long- likely bigger now that he's a couple of weeks old.

That's Owen's 4th boy cousin on Richard's side! We have seen a couple of pictures of Robert from the hospital- and he's quite the cutie!! Susan, Bob, Chris and Ryan will have their hands full!