Portlandia

Wayne and I have been in Portland OR for the past several days, staying with my grandson Jack and his family's foreign exchange student Alvaro while my son and daughter-in-law are in Mexico. Alvaro is from Madrid. He's 13, will be 14 in April, and has been studying English since he was 5 years old, in pre-school. His English is very good. On top of that, he's a delightful boy/young man, right where he should be - balanced between the worlds of child and adult. I have been texting with his mom in Madrid, and she can hardly wait to get him back. Obviously. He's been here in Portland with my son's family for a month. It's a long time, but the experience will be with him for a lifetime.

Here is Alvaro, doing homework from Spain at the dining room table.

We thought we had rain in northern California! It's been a really hard winter in Portland - endless rain, snow, more rain, cold, snow. So when my son asked us to come, we of course said yes. They have an annual vacation in Mexico with my daughter-in-law's family and it gives them a mid-winter chance to see and feel some sun. Totally necessary.

Jack, my 14-year-old grandson, did not want to go. He didn't want to miss school. All his cousins are much younger so there's no one his age. There's spotty internet. Big Problems when you're 14. Not to mention they wouldn't have been able to have Alvaro if they were all going away. This is the last week he will be here before going home to Madrid.


We brought a little sun from California. For the first time in months (according to my son), there was a day of sun after we arrived and before they left for Mexico. It's rained every day since, but Thursday (day after tomorrow) there's supposed to be sun in Portland. Hallelujia! There's some hope for spring, I can see crocus and daffodils in yards as I walk Tuli, the adorable little-girl dog. Here's Tuli (short for Tulip) on the left.

Here's sun in Portland on the right. Verified.

I love both these boys, and my son and daughter-in-law, or I wouldn't put up with this weather. We are having fun, although most of it is indoors. On Friday, I'll deliver Alvaro to his group to begin their journey back to Madrid. My son and daughter-in-law return from Mexico on Saturday, we return to Oakland on Sunday. It's all going fast.

Here is a caricature of Jack and Alvaro, amazingly accurate, that was drawn by an artist at the Portland Saturday Market before we came. Alvaro will take it back to Spain with him, but I have a photo, which I will cherish. Youth. Love.