Where does this musical talent come from?

Grandma Granger loved to play piano. She was a Kindergarten teacher for her entire career, and played and sang with her students. 

She also played and sang with her daily and friends, including at the retirement village. 

My Uncle Ralph taped some of these sessions and made memorial CDs. 

The cd cover featured a picture from Christmas 1977. Grandma (Doris Hartwell Granger) is at the piano. 

Counterclockwise is my brother, Greg, age 4; me, age 7 wearing a leotard are hair yarn and my Denny Terrio Dance Fever disco Lycra wrap skirt, cousins: David Whitlock, age 3, Jenny (Jennifer) Whitlock, age 8 months, and Justin Granger, age 3. Or maybe 4. Justin was born on Christmas Eve. 

David now lives in Portland, OR. 

David and his family took me to dinner on Monday night. It was the first time I got to meet my sweet second cousins!

David is the tall guy, obviously. Amelia is 8, and Serena is 5. 

Here are Amelia and Seamus after the concert. It was the first time they met.  Seamus flat out told David he didn't remember his wedding. Pffft, geez Seamus, you were 5, you don't remember?

The family shot: me, Amelia, Seamus, David. 

Powell City of Books and the Aerial Tram

Had to see the iconic City of Books. 

Bought Keagan two Walking Dead books. 

Then I had an easier way to carry the doughnuts. 

And off to the Aerial Tram which links the OSU medical center with the rest of the famous. Again, your federal tax dollars at work. 

But it is a lovely four minute ride with spectacular views of Mt Hood. 

Look at all the bikes!  The bikers are uphill at the medical center. 

Going up. 

Higher. 

Mt Hood. 

Pretty cool, eh?

Did you know that you're looking at a glacier?  

Disclaimer and apology: this post was written in the air between Portland and Phoenix at 9:45 PM PDT. 

Columbia River Gorge

I rented a car, as it was cheaper and more convenient than paying for and going on a bus tour for the two of us. 

The falls were stunning,

The trees and some leaves enormous. 

It was a general feeling of Jurassic Park, complete with a few tourists you wished might be eaten by a raptor. 

Here we are on the Oregon Trail. 

Fortunately, Keagan didn't get dysentery, I escaped a snakebite, and I was able to pre-forage for a Diet Coke. 

We had a heated conversation over who was cooler: Lewis or Clark. 

Then we drove on until we saw some falls. These are Latifah Falls. Or something like that. Queen Latifah's show seems to be on the hotel TV a lot. She's so sweet!  But back to these falls. 

Keagan wondered if that waterfall could knock you over. I love my baby, so I wouldn't let him try. 

Cue the Jurassic theme song. The title theme, as I was in a good mood. 

Fun climbing terrain. 

The beautiful, but tourist overrun Multnomah Falls. This one is the most famous. It has a gift shop, a snack bar, and tons of annoying, bossy people.  

On the way up...

Look at the moss on these trees!

Cool little cave. 

Then came the "Move it!  I just want to get a picture," guy.

The "People need to stop pushing" guy who glared at me as the actual pushers who had been in front of me the whole time gazelled up the trail.

Rachel Carson who knowingly informed me that I was in a real rainforest!

Raptors?  Where are you?

Then came these damned "switchback" signs. At switchback 3 of 11 my crew, already unimpressed at the ample signage warning of poison oak, mutinied. Keagan told me that I didn't tell him we would be hiking all of these distances, I know he's afraid of heights, and that he hates me and...well, back down Mt. Everest he went. 

I took my time. 

I took a few pictures for families. 

With their own cameras. Geez. Did you think I'd be a creeper and take them with my own camera?

I meandered on back down where an apologetic crew awaited me. My crew told me he loved me and was worried I fell down and got killed. 

All better now!

Cool sign, eh?

We headed off to one more fall: Bridal Veil Fall. 

I was the George Costanza of parking on this trip. We got lucky every time. And if you were wondering, I rented a "compact" car this time, what with mountains and all, and luckily this one had an actual engine, as opposed to a hamster wheel with a sick hamster. 

My crew was done smiling for photos. 

I wanted to try swimming here. Keagan wanted to swim in the hotel pool. 

Our final scenic vistas were enjoyed at Castle Vista or something like that. 

Stunning views of the Columbia and /or Willamette River Valley. 

What's Seamus Doing?

Seamus is very busy. His camp has 18 people. 8 are over 18, and the youngest is 12. 

Our of the 18, three have won the American Theatre Organ Society's very prestigious Young Organists Competition. And one of the instructors is also a past winner of the annual award. 

I've been keeping track of his schedule in pictures, so I'll share it here. 

Seamus has reached an age where I'm terribly embarrassing. I really only have a few. This one is from the first night at the hotel. 

This was right after breakfast on Monday. 

Seamus is the third head to the left. 

And Shawn sent me this today:

They will do a little recital on Friday night. Hopefully I can catch more then. 

Free walking tour of Portland

Keagan had spent too much time doing this:

So, with great resistance, I finally got him to come with me. 

This was our guide. Very nice 20-something guy. 

We started in front of Pioneer Square, which was crazy with Adidas and ESPN and other companies doing a huge soccer thing. 

There was a parade led by bagpipes and a great deal of hoopla, so our guide quickly moved us out of the way. 

This is the high flood like from 1852. 

Did I mention that our guide really wants to be a stand up comedian?

This is one of many haunted locations in Portland. Allegedly a guy was drunk and fell out of the window on the top floor.  

Anyone who stays in rooms 201, 301, 401, etc. hears a scream every night at 3:34 AM. So people change rooms a lot. 

Also, this hotel, or one near it is the setting for the 50 Shades series. 

The Portlandia statue. On a post-modernist building from the 80s. She isn't even facing the water. Years ago, someone hung a giant yo-yo from her fingers. The sculptor was greatly offended, allegedly. 

Great price. 

Plug in car outlet for free. They pour a ton  of money into public transit and green initiatives.  Portland thanks the rest of America for our federal tax dollars. 

Forget a Starbucks on every corner. There are two strip clubs and a medical marijuana business for every Starbucks. 

This hipster was using the ice water from one of those cold drink bins. The store owner was shooing him away. The hipster's hipster friend said, "It's cool man. It just begs for it."  

Portland's LL Bean?

The end of the tour. Across from Voodoo 

Doughnuts.