hot & cold

it was also 110 degrees outside upon arriving in nashville.  the kids woke up from sweaty car naps & needed some refreshment.  on the recommendation of our dear (nashvillian) friend michelle mcever, we landed at hot & cold, where i indulged in jeni's riesling poached pear sorbet & the kids licked handmade strawberry & honeydew popsicles from las paletas.  

chattanooga choo-choo

we were planning to stay with our friends, the greens, in chattanooga, but their son was sick so we ended up with a fun alternative--the chattanooga choo-choo!  we slept in an old railway car, & the kids had a delightful time!

: we rode the trolley :

josh's show was two blocks away, so we were able to see a bit of his performance with josh & karl (formerly of infradig ensemble).  josh usually performs solo, so it was such a treat to hear songs he usually can't perform live, like "white owl", because they require live instruments.  

: the following morning, railway car :

mango at congo

it was 110 degrees when we were pulling out of chattanooga.  we stopped for lunch at the el salvadorian place congo on our way out of town, for some pupusas, fried plantains, & fresh mango juice.

fireside + fireflies

cicadas

josh & i didn't realize we'd raised such urbanites until we arrived at mom's house, 10 o'clock at night, to the blaring chorus of southern cicadas.  between the roaring cicadas & the fiddling crickets, heron & shepherd were frightened, & immediately wanted to go inside.  they eventually got used to the night sounds of the summertime south, & even came to enjoy them, but it was a shocking introduction, to say the least.  also new to them were thunder & lightning storms, observed in awe from the screened-in porch, & fireflies, which we don't have the fortune of catching in the pacific northwest.  here heron has just discovered a cicada shell during her daily hunt for bugs.  i can't tell by the look on her face if she is sad or disgusted, but, regardless, this photo represents our children's introduction to southern insects.

carowinds

a visit to nana's house wouldn't be complete without a visit to carowinds!  (this was the grand finale to our year-long stay with mom three years ago).  heron & sheppy had a blast!  & since carowinds has recently been bought by cedar point, & now has new + improved roller coasters, so did josh!  but mitchy, well, she was pregnant in the summertime again, & almost threw up after her very first ride, so she mostly enjoyed just watching the rest of the family have a good time ;)

: shepherd couldn't stop hugging these guys :

pops in the park

one of mom & dad's favorite things to do together was go to pops in the park in charlotte in the summertime.  so... we definitely made this a priority while we were in town.  it turned out to be a perfectly cool summer evening after many a sweaty night.  heron spent two hours dancing & prancing to the music.  it was lovely.

ashore

in waxhaw, NC, where my mama lives.  we are spending days outdoors.  pondside, poolside, catching frogs & fireflies, watching nighttime lightning storms from southern screened-in porches.

storytime with nana

aviators

today we went with nana to JAARS, the mission base where she works, & climbed around the planes that my dad--their "pop-pop," used to fly (helio couriers & cessnas).  the kids have been enthralled with planes since our journey here, & we've probably read planes by paul stickland thirty times to shepherd during the course of our stay here.  

: some new friends (all their papas are pilots preparing to serve overseas) :

: with nana & a helio courier :

first leg of a three-week tour

(portland to charlotte)

happy papa's day!

our neighborhood rose garden

berry picking on sauvie island

monday we drove out to sauvie island for the first berry-picking of the season.  we were joined by our friends amanda, jessica, & 9-month-old roman.  it was the sweetest morning of picking, eating, chatting, & picnicking.  berry-picking is one of our favorite portland summertime activities, & we're already dreaming about picking raspberries, marionberries, & blueberries in the coming months!

since reading blueberries for sal the kids love listening to the "kerplink, kerplank, kerplunk" of the berries in their tin pails.

: roman loved getting dirty :

sheppy at st. cupcake