dad almost drowned, but he saved the beer

July 24: An hour into our 8-hour drive to Portland, mom made us pull over at Sears so that she could buy a dog bed for Nora to use in the car.

July 25: Ryan took a wrong turn and led us in a two-hour long drive that ended with us getting escorted out of the woods by a ranger because we had actually ended up trespassing at a federal water reserve.

July 26: We visited Powell’s today and I now have twice as much luggage to take home as I did on the trip up here. While waiting at the cash register, dad talked about my last essay. His favorite part about my work is how I tell two stories and he doesn’t know how I am going to connect the two, but then I somehow do.

July 27: The concert was too kid-friendly for my family’s liking, so we ended up playing badminton while still sitting on our blankets and holding a beer in one hand.

July 28: We all thought dad was joking when he tipped backwards and fell into the river the once time we hit bumpy water. It turns out that the rocks popped his inner tube. Ryan watched him calmly from his tube as dad resurfaced and walked towards land. “Dad almost drowned,” he yelled to let everyone know he was alright. “But he saved the beer.”

July 29: The woman who led us around the Oregon Vortex warned us to hold onto the handrails when we entered the house. “Earlier, I had a guy who thought he could handle it and then he superman-ed straight out of that window.”

July 30: I took my family to the Ferry Building for lunch and ice cream and somehow managed to come home with three more books. I think I’m up to nine just from this week now.

July 31: I slept in until noon today. My family is exhausting.




much love,
hedgie