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We just returned from visiting Tucson, AZ for Mark’s 50th high school reunion. The weather couldn’t have been nicer. It was a real “blast from the past” for Mark and he really enjoyed seeing several old friends from his school days. We also got to re-visit his father’s grave and Mark showed me all the places they lived in Tucson and all the schools he went to during his youth. Very nostalgic for him.

On Sunday we left and drove to Phoenix with the rental car and spent one night there. On our way we stopped to see the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ. I wasn’t expecting much, but was incredibly surprised by this outstanding, “best in the world” museum. I highly, highly recommend it to anyone visiting AZ. It is an amazing museum that showcases musical instruments from every corner of the globe, and has audio and visual (heard thru headphones) of each country to accompany seeing the actual instruments. We only had 4 hours to see it all, but wish we could have stayed longer. This museum is a must-see! It was truly inspiring.

I just cooked “Atomic Split Pea Soup”. It’s a recipe I learned from the Native Foods restaurant cookbook. I substituted tempeh for the seitan and added 1/4 t. of smoke flavoring. It smells and tastes delicious. Here’s the recipe.

Yesterday I saw a wonderful new play called “Every Brilliant Thing” by Duncan Macmillan performed by Isaac Lamb at the Portland Center Stage. Isaac did a superb job in this one-man show which also involved plenty of audience participation and improvisation. Although the subject matter, suicide, was dark, the play as a whole incorporated plenty of humor and an uplifting message that “life is worth living” if we choose to focus on every brilliant thing around us. The play has also been produced on HBO and can be streamed.

It was an altogether great afternoon at the theatre!

We’ve been enjoying an unseasonably warm Fall this year. The colors are spectacular! Here it is the end of October and the rains have largely been delayed. The leaves are dry and easily picked up. The garden has been cleared and covered in ready for next Spring. Life is good!

Last night we attended our last concert with the Oregon Symphony for this season. The highlight was hearing Joshua Bell play the Sibelius Violin Concert. His playing was phenomenal! What a gift! If you ever get the chance to hear him in person, don’t miss it. The Sibelius was beautiful and extremely difficult. The audience went wild with applause. The Oregon Symphony also played Stravinsky’s complete Firebird Ballet. I can just imagine how tired the musicians were after such a night of playing very difficult music. Our conductor, Carlos Kalmar, is wonderful! We’re looking forward to next season’s concerts.

We enjoyed a quick getaway trip to Eastern Oregon to see the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. We stayed at the Condon Hotel which was an historic hotel built in the early 20th century. The weather was warm and dry which was a nice change from the cool wetness at home. I especially enjoyed seeing the Painted Hills near Mitchell, OR. They were as beautiful as all the photos I’d seen. We did a lot of driving, plus a few nice hikes. It’s a very sparsely populated area. I loved the smell of sagebrush…smelled just like a turkey in the oven! On our drive home we stopped to see the Maryhill Museum. That sure is a strange place! The best part of it was the huge collection of American Indian basketry.

Here’s a short video I made of our trip to the Fossil Beds and the Painted Hills.

I made this video of Ryan’s gymnastic events at the Men’s Junior Olympics in Long Beach. He took 4th in the Floor Event and 5th on Rings. We are so proud of him!

We had a nice time getting re-acquainted with John Wilson and his wife Trisha. Ryan got some good advice for “how to survive the military”. Then Ryan and Owen got dropped off at Knotts Berry Farm for the day. Karsten, Christine and I went to a sculpture garden and the Cerritos Library which was fabulous. A Lovely sunny day in LA, but too much traffic!

I’m here in Long Beach this week watching Ryan compete at the National Junior Olympics. He was fantastic and is now ranking # 7 in the nation. He’ll be competing in the finals now. Very exciting for him.

Mark and I joined Dena and her dad for a trip to Woodland, WA to see the Hulda Klager Lilac Garden. Only a few sprinkles of rain, but the lilacs were past their prime and so we missed enjoying the heavenly scent of lilacs. It was still a lovely outing and Dena bought me two lilac starts for my garden. So many varieties to choose from. I got a “Congo” lilac and a “Nadezhda” lilac. I can’t wait to see them bloom in my back yard!