Hello... yes, I'm still here....

I know it has been over a month since my last post, but my life has been very, very full. Things are starting to slow down a bit, so I'm breathing easier. Those of you who know me have seen my bullet lists... those of you who are new to this side of me, this seems to be the easiest way to organize my thoughts and convey a lot of information....

1. Elsie started 2nd Grade and loves it!

2. I have been busy with freelance work which involves travel. I have been traveling almost every other week since the beginning of August. Some for personal and some for work... either way, I haven't been home enough.

3. I have been teaching an online class at the University of Idaho (which I teach every semester).... and then I had the idea for a field trip. So I took a group of students 9 students plus my director to Los Angeles last week on a fully packed 4-day field trip complete with a factory tour and trip to the California Mart for a fabric show. (The prior 3 days were spent working with a client in Irvine, so I was in LA/Orange County for a week.)
We spent the last day at the Getty Center... which was gorgeous and relaxing and amazing. The entire setting from the tram ride up the hill (at 10mph) to the buildings themselves was designed to elevate you out of the hectic pace of LA. It must have worked, because as I was making my purchases at the store the salesman touched my arm and told me that I had the most serene eyes. It had been a long week at this point, so I took that as a great compliment.




The spouse was very happy to have me home... so were the kids. Mister Ewan has not been far from me since I came home Saturday night.

4. My wonderful Grandmother Agnes passed away in mid-September. We will miss her very much. She lived to be 97 and up until June was living at home on her farm.


This is Grandma at her high school graduation.

The family all gathered in Idaho to celebrate her life and, in Grandma's words, give her a "good send off". Grandma would have been very pleased with the flowers.

5. Somewhere in the middle of all this, Mister Ewan turned 3. We celebrated part of his birthday in Idaho. We still need to have a Portland party for him for the family down here.... all in due time.

6. Had a successful Tag-A-Long pick up from school yesterday... and Miss Elsie and I were able to pedal all the way up the hill in front of the house and into the back yard.... and that's something.