Carla's Classroom

 Carla, Levi, and I made several trips to Memphis Elementary to set up Carla's new classroom.

 Where's the baby???

 There he is, wide awake and ready to go...

 and happy as a clam!

 We're best buds.

 This baby is ultra-mobile and will eat anywhere.

Levi is about to experience his first peas...for breakfast, no less.

The video says it all...

 Hmmm....not so sure about the peas.

 Carla's classroom is coming along quite nicely. I think it looks great.

Thanks for inviting me, Carla, I had a great time.

Gina!

 Last week, Gina gave us a call and said she was working with the Romeo High School band's summer camp. She wanted to meet Levi so she walked over to our house.

It was so nice seeing her again. Gina is always so much fun!

Levi had a few thoughts about his Gramma's high kicks!

 He certainly is a cute little guy!

 He was a wiggle worm for Gina, but she enjoyed holding him.

Yay! Thanks for visiting, Gina!

More Portland...

 While I was in Portland, Brian, Renee, and I decided to do a little hiking. This trail starts after this tunnel...

 We walked down to a river bed.

 We needed to maneuver a few log before getting to the gorge.

 It was absolutely beautiful.

I think Olive has the best balance of all.

 We then went to a different trail with a waterfall.

 It was also beautiful. The weather was perfect, too.

 You could walk behind the falls on this path...

 You can really appreciate the size! Check out Brian in the yellow t-shirt.

 At the top of the bluff was a wonderful view.

That's Washington state on the opposite side of the river.

Gorgeous! As we were enjoying the view, I noticed a plaque commemorating the demise of Glenn W. Reprogle who died by falling (jumping?) off of this cliff. He was only 14 years old....curious...

 Wow! They grow large blackberries in Oregon.

 Super large!

 Renee and I designed a raincoat and hat for Olive. We just needed the buttons to finish it off. We went to this antique button shop. Yes, they had buttons!

 And more buttons...

 Iconic Portland.

 Renee wanted to bring some small paintings to Europe for the family. We went to her studio so she could paint some of them.

 First she prepares her pallet...

 She sets out her colors and then mixes them...

 She's almost ready...

 Wow! That's a lot of color.

 The canvases have already been prepped.

 Hi, Olive!

 Renee works from the dark to the light. Here are her first two colors.

 She is amazing.

 I found it fascinating to watch her. She makes it looks so easy. It wasn't.

 Putting on the finishing touches.

Here are the 7 paintings Renee completed and one of mine. I dedicated mine to Renee and Brian.

 Remember I mentioned the raincoat we made for Olive? Well, after we attached the buttons, she was ready to go.

 She is so cute.

 Now the rain won't go into her eyes.

 What a great model.

 Renee made a top for herself also. We bought the material at a small shop in the city.

Wow! She did such a wonderful job. It's beautiful. Thanks, Brian, Renee and Olive for a wonderful visit.