The Oregon Garden

I'm going in reverse order here...

We had a lot of fun at the Oregon Garden. It's a haul from my house, about an hour away, and a little too close to work for my comfort. Plus there are practically no trees, none with shade anyway, so on a hot day it can get very uncomfortable. But we trooped out there anyway to celebrate Jean Grayburn's 85th birthday with Richard, Anne, David, Linda, Doug, Jack and Andrew.

It was the first time we'd been to the Children's Garden, and it was really charming. There were plants in funny things like an old toilet, an old sink and an old bed, and a toy train that ran around a track and made noise when you pushed a button, and some wooden decking with a pirate wheel, and bushes sculpted into the shape of animals. And the coolest little hobbit house (really a long pipe covered up with grass and and wildflowers with two small doors at each end). Rachel loved it. Then I got the idea to join her in there, and she and I proclaimed to Drew that NO BOYS WERE ALLOWED. Go away! we told him. So, he pretended to be a bear and scare us but just as he got up close he ended up tickling and kissing Rachel, so her fear turned into laughter. It was fantastic, she couldn't get enough.

Later at the lily pond, we saw a FROG! I reminded her of The Frog Prince, a story she made me read approximately 4,098 times while Drew was gone. Wanna kiss him and see if he'll turn into a prince? Drew asked. "Nooo," she said firmly, and we laughed.

(Best exchange of the weekend, by the way, while David and Rachel were at breakfast:
David: Rachel, what do you want to be when you grow up? Have you thought about it?
Rachel, with the faintest tone of exasperation in her voice: A GROWNUP!)

Then we said goodbye to everyone except Richard, went home, opened some of Drew's little gifts from New York, and grilled steak and potatoes and had watermelon for dessert. Rachel said a nice goodbye to PopPop and gave him a hug and a kiss.

As he was heading upstairs to bed, Richard remarked what a great kid Rachel is. During present-opening time, he noted that she isn't the type of kid to tear into gifts and then hunt for another; she opens one present, takes it out, plays with it or tries to read it (if it's a puzzle or book) and really tries to get the hang of it. That impressed him no end.

"She'll do exceptional things," he predicted, which warmed my heart. Thanks, PopPop, for sharing her special weekend with us!