Portland visit

 

We went to Portland with Josh, Jen & the kids to visit the OR Boyers and had a lovely time. I'll have to post some people pictures courtesy of Uncle Mike. In the meantime, here is the house we rented from vrbo.com. It was a 1920's bungalow in the Portland Heights area. The entire neighborhood is on the side of a big hill and is totally vertical. My friend Natasha told me a few of these houses on stilts fall every year! Aaah!

 

Arts & Crafts architectural details.

 

Bedroom downstairs.

 

Look at all the heavy, almost Victorian drapery. This house was a trip.

 

Redone kitchen.

 PB&J ...

  on the phone book.

 Bedroom upstairs with old Mt. Hood photos. I love that my Dad and his sister and brothers hiked Mt. Hood together when they were younger.

 Groovy prints on the walls, including this Art Nouveau Electric Light Orchestra album cover.

 Council Crest Park at the top of the hill.

Toddy hug! Sorry no faces, more photos coming soon. It was very special for Freddie to get to meet & spend time with his Great Nana Toddy and his extended Boyer family!

Wow

Pittsburgh has an Afghan take-out place?

Baby gets the crib and Freddie gets...

just kidding. He put himself in here.

Walker's visit

 

 Walker came from GA to visit. We hung out, went to the conservatory, ate a bunch of frozen yogurt and everybody got stickers for using the potty. It was pretty major. We love Walker.

Mr. Tibbs, new neighborhood kitty

Rain walk and post bath duck

Thanks for the rain boots and coat (not shown here, but Freddie loves it), Uncle Josh, Aunt Jen and cousins Alex & Molly!

Finders keepers?

Okay, so probably I shouldn't have let him get in this thing. Freddie had a heart attack out of happiness while I did recon to make sure no one was looking. Maybe someone can get him one for Christmas? Grandpa?

A Saturday down in the Strip

 We went back to the Strip on a Saturday (open air market day) to get stuff to make carnitas. The only good Mexican food in Pittsburgh, there is a taco stand that has excellent tacos and agua frescas (this one is watermelon).

 Cheese in Pennsylvania Macaroni Company (the big Italian food store in the Strip),

 

olives,

 a million olive oils and vinegars,

 

breads,

 and cookies & pastries.

The Freds went in the Mexican store to get me tortillas, white cheese and a baby sombrero!

We got the stuff to make carnitas seasoned with onion, oranges, bay and cinnamon. You cook pork butt (shoulder) for 4 hours on low heat (basically it's BBQ.). And you get this:

Top it with salsa verde. It was very good and easy, next time I would put less cinnamon than it calls for. Recipe:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/07/no-waste-tacos-de-carnitas-with-salsa-verde-recipe.html

Fans at Home Depot

You would think this would be Freddie's heaven, but it's really his hell. Or purgatory. Because the fans AREN'T ON! He wanders up and down the aisle asking me to turn them on and I question whether I've brought him on a nice or mean field trip.

Freddie's idea of eating an apple

This piece is done. He is ready for the next piece.

Carrboro buds

Sometimes we get sentimental and look back at our buddies from our Carrboro playgroup.

Carrboro/Chapel Hill spring visit

 This was a very happy trip (I did miss my guys - I left Freddie with Fred for the first time and they both did great!). Mom's successful surgery being the MAJOR highlight, lovely cherry blossoms in front of Elmos, coffee with our old neighbors Jack & Arlene, Alex's apparent album cover, and Molly's old antics. Book her through her talent agent, Ashley Holmes (Ashley represents all of the Boyer & Stutzman children and got Freddie his Baby Gap campaign. "Show me the money" is on her business cards; she does not mess around).