Summer recap

The rain has set in here - unexpectedly, but I should have known it would happen since I've had out-of-town visitors! It's an unmistakeable reminder that summer is wrapping up. We should get a good month in September, but I view this rain as my nudge to consider what I've done this summer, and make a short list of things to do before the rainy season arrives for keeps!

I've been good on the social front - one highlight was when a friend visited a couple weeks ago and we had a potluck here, complete with twelve or so adults and an uncountable swarm of kids running around screaming happily (okay, maybe 8 kids).

This past weekend I had friends in town partly for my birthday, which was lovely. I had a couple of birthday gatherings, one of which included bubbly, appetizers, and cake. I sliced the hell out of my thumb making this app, so my friends finished assembling: bread, peach, tomato, mozzarella,basil, olive oil: all super fresh and so yummy.

My sister made cake:

Other summer highlights:
Making a dent in the billions of berries by making crumbles, cakes, smoothies, and even blueberry syrup:

Hanging out with several thousand of my people at a live-action Trek in the Park:

This year was the fifth and final year, and has become quite a Portland institution! They did The Trouble with Tribbles:

Sound quality wasn't great, but it was a ton of fun anyway.

Biking has slipped by the wayside, and I haven't gotten to explore the area quite as much as I'd like, so my goal for September is to get a couple of weekend rides in, do a day trip to wine country, and go camping. It's ambitious with everything else that's going on, but I'm willing to try!