The Christmas Season

It was a busy month for me and Eleanor with twice weekly swim classes, violin lessons and daily practices, art classes, parties, field trips, and December merry-making galore.  I missed photographing most of it.  Mike came home on Saturday, December 21st, and his parents flew in two days later for a cozy week of good holiday cheer.  Judy photographed some of that so here is a little of what Christmas looked like around these parts...

Nutcracker Tea

Another year enjoying the abridged, but still beautiful, version of the Nutcracker performed by the Northwest Dance Theater.  Just me and E, Mike is in Austin.

Cookie Day

Mike is in Austin for most of December, but he found cheap tickets and flew home this weekend for some family time.  We squeezed in a St. Clair holiday tradition we call Cookie Day.  Eleanor made doll sized treats too.

Holiday Card 2013

18 for Thanksgiving

Kid table before...

Kid table with kids!...

Set for 10...

Let's eat!...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween!

This year we added some homemade Dia de los Muertos to our decor collection. Sugar skull and flower designs by Eleanor and Stephanie.  Also notable this year, Eleanor carved her own pumpkin start to finish without us pitching in... even the stuff with the knife.  Eight is different.

Suzuki Halloween at the Schnitzer Concert Hall

It wasn't on the main stage, in fact, it wasn't on any stage and the room (as you can see in the photo) wasn't big enough for the enthusiasm of Portland's Suzuki community.  But.  The people at the Oregon Symphony hosted a play-through open to any Suzuki student in the city.  And, you could wear your Halloween costume. If you hunt, you'll see Luna Lovegood in her SpectraSpecs buried in there!

Seattle trip for mother+daughter

Mike was away on a business trip and Eleanor and I had a three-day weekend to kill, so we headed to Seattle together.  We got a great hotel room on Lake Union, where we could enjoy watching sea planes taking off and landing.  A visit to the zoo, some relaxed reading in the room, swimming in the hotel pool, and a trip to the American Girl Doll store = it was a great time!

view from our room at Silver Cloud Inn

Apple picking in Hood River

We live in apple growing country, and in 1 hours time we can be picking apples or pears on a farm in Hood River.  We've learned to only go when the Fall is dry, but when it is good weather man is it glorious out there.  We picked apples and just generally enjoyed the sun and scenery.  This year we stopped at Rasmussen farms (a new one for us, they also had pumpkins and a simple, free corn maze) and of course the family friendly standby, the Kiyokawa Family Orchards.

Cox Orange Pippin rows, with view of Hood, at Kiyokawa