Land Cruising

This past week we have been doing quite a bit of land cruising.  We are still on baby watch, so have kept the car in a parking garage nearby while at the RiverPlace public dock.

We have also been grateful for the air-conditioning in the car, as those trips have offered respite from the heat wave of the past few days.  (I have learned that you must have three days or more in a row of 90 degrees or more to be considered a 'heat wave')  And we HAVE had a heat wave.

In addition to Al's dental visit, we one day made a shopping expedition to Tigard and Willsonville, and then on to Hillsboro for a family gathering to visit with my neice Melissa and her new fiance, Nick, visiting from Colorado.  They had gone to Multnomah Falls for the day, and soon after they walked in the door, Melissa presented her hand for oohing and aahing over her new sparkly accessory.

The next day we went to a movie to escape the heat of the day.  Since we have both recently completed the Steig Larsson 'The Girl....' trilogy, we wanted to see the movie of the first book 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'.  We were too late to catch it at the Living Room Theaters, but Al found it was playing at the Laurelhurst Theater on E. Burnside.

We recommend the Laurelhurst for a great deal!  We got two tickets for a mid-day show, pizza for two, a beer and a soda, and a small popcorn for a total of $21.00!!!  Granted, it is a small, older theater, so there is no 'stadium seating', but there WERE tables so that you could take your pizza and drinks and relax in the theater.

And we agree with another friend who has read the books and seen the first TWO movies, that the actress cast as Lisbeth Salander did an excellent portrayal.

Took a break from land cruising yesterday to host Melissa and Nick for a RIVER cruise.  We took them upstream of RiverPlace to the Willamette Falls and back.  Time did not allow a trip through the locks on this excursion.  It was difficult to avoid the heat in the middle of the sunny river, and we exhausted our supply of ice to keep drinking water cool.

Melissa and Nick spent the night with us on the boat, and rose early to continue their trip up the West Coast to Seattle.

So today I took another land cruise to Hillsboro to pick up the oldest grandchild, Troy, and we met Al and Viking Star in Scappoose.  Al is working on a friend's generator.  Troy and I made a trip to the store, and we are looking forward to ice cream cones for dessert!

Tomorrow, another land cruise to Hillsboro for an oral surgeon's evaluation of Al's tooth, and to return Troy to home.

We are still anticipating the land cruise to meet the newest grandchild soon.  He/She has given two false alarms so far, and Mommy is quite uncomfortable with heat, size, and contractions.