Saturday

Lovely day. Went to Cafe au Play, a great kid-friendly coffee shop / gathering place. Had a chai, chatted with some other moms, watched August play with all the cool toys. One of the moms had two little boys- named August (of course) and Arlo (the name of my friend Darcy's new baby). Guess we're on the cutting edge.

Also, while there a woman came up to me and said I looked familiar. It took us a while to figure it out, but we finally came to it - we were at Trinity together. Fun connection. We exchanged info and I'm sure we'll get together soon.

After that, stopped by the Portland Green Parenting shop/cafe/warehouse. They have a club where you can buy local organic food in bulk (grains, produce, meat, etc) and I got the info to sign up.

Other than that, we just played, napped, cooked, and walked the dogs. And didn't lock ourselves in or out of anything.

Rescued

Our weekend started out with some excitement. On Friday we drove to Enterprise so John could rent a car for his work trip down to the North Umpqua River. We entered the parking lot and didn't pull into a spot b/c there were no openings and it was just a quick drop off. John got out, car still running, and closed the driver side door. I jumped out and closed my door to run around to get in the driver's seat.

Then we realized the car was locked. With both sets of keys still in the car. With our baby in the backseat.

Disbelief.

Then panic.

Then really freaking out.

The car was still running! Oh no. No no no no no no.

John ran into the office to see if the Enterprise guys had a key that would work for our car, or something to pick the lock. You'd think they'd at least have something to pick a car door lock, being a car rental place and all. But no, they didn't.

The Enterprise guy came back with a hammer. You can break the window, he said.

Yes, we could break the window. John took the hammer while I ran across the street to an auto body shop. I must have looked totally panicked because the mechanic immediately stopped what he was doing and looked at me like, Ok, chill lady, I will help you.

They didn't have a slim jim (great name for lock picking tool) but he said a tow truck was in the area and would bring one over. Max ten minutes.

Ten minutes! That seemed like an eternity. But thank you, thank you. Great.

Meanwhile, John was swinging the hammer and pacing in frustration around the Enterprise parking lot. I ran back over. August was safe, but crying in his car seat. We couldn't wait ten minutes.

We were going to break the window. John started strategizing - should we break the small part of the back window? But then the glass might fall on August.

Then we had a revelation - call the cops! They can pick locks, and can probably get here faster than anyone. So I made my first 911 call. And I have to say, it was a great experience, as far as those things go. The woman was super helpful and clear and reassuring.

As soon as I got off the phone, the tow truck guy showed up with a slim jim and got to work on the driver side front door. Two minutes later, the fire truck pulled up and five firemen got to work on the passenger side front door.

Meanwhile, August had stopped crying and seemed pleasantly entertained by all the activity.

The firemen got the door open - heros! - and I practically hugged all of them. Everybody safe and sound. A happy ending.

We were so dazed by the experience that John decided not to leave on his trip until this morning. And now August and I are looking forward to a very quiet, uneventful weekend.

Oh, and for future reference - we learned this from the auto body guy - if you have to break a car window, break the main big one, NOT the small one - the small ones are actually more expensive to replace. But since I am never letting go of my keys ever again, we shouldn't have this problem.

Sauvie Island pics

Photos from our pumpkin picking outing last weekend...

Boys and wagons




Can't get enough of my boy






Dirt. Would you like some?



Blue sky



This is fun



My parents are pretty cool. Can I have some more blueberry milkshake now?

Who is Eddy?

Several people have asked about the name of this blog. Eddy isn't a person. Well, she is the girlfriend of Gus in David James Duncan's book "The River Why" (no, we didn't name our Gus after that Gus, although many friends think we did. Our Gus is named after John's dad) - but this blog isn't named after that Eddy.

It is named after the place in a river, called an eddy, where the current runs counter to the main flow. It is the place, formed by a rock or jutting bank, where a kayaker can sit and rest and regroup and plan her next move. All kinds of things turn up in eddies - leaves, twigs, debris, lost water bottles, broken paddles...

In this eddy, I collect our stories and photos and other bits and pieces. It's my quiet spot amidst the rushing of work and family and environmental advocacy.

From here, I scout my line. I catch my breath and savor the wild and beautiful scenery.

Sunset

According to the NY Times, Sunset Magazine is hip again.

A couple years ago I traveled to Sunset's headquarters in Menlo Park, CA for a roundtable discussion about rivers and water in the west. The interview and article, Will Our Rivers Survive? was featured on the web and in the magazine.

While I was there they treated us to an amazing lunch. I toured the wine cellar and garden. The house, designed by Cliff May, is open and airy with great patios.

I like that Sunset, a lifestyle magazine, isn't afraid to tackle thorny issues like water policy along with recipes for date shakes and grilled tri-tip.

Lemon curd

Inspired by brunch at the Delta Cafe, I want to make lemon curd. Thinking it could make nice Christmas gifts (along with my nine little jars of fig preserves)...

Stumbled upon this recipe on Bread and Honey, a Portland arty-mom-food blog.

Why did I think lemon curd was healthier than it really is? Mainly egg yolks and butter. Hmm.

Pumpkins, Pok Pok, and Po' Boys

Great time on Sauvie Island on Saturday. It's an island formed by the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, just 30 mins from our house. Mostly farms and a wildlife refuge.

I had seen an ad for a pumpkin patch, Kruger's Farm, so we followed those directions. It was right off the exit, and it was mayhem. Hundreds and hundreds of people, cars, traffic. People directing traffic. Haunted corn mazes and beer gardens and a petting zoo. John, being from Montana, was appalled to see the hay ride pulled by a giant tractor, not a horse.

We got out while we still could. Disobeying the traffic director, we turned the car around and escaped. The boys were still asleep in their car seats, so we knew we had time. We pulled back on to the main road - see ya suckers! - and set off to explore the island and find a patch that was more our speed.

It was a beautiful sunny fall day and the trees were just starting to turn gold and red. We saw glimpses of the river as we drove. We stopped at a little country market for blueberry milkshakes and beer. Eventually we came to Columbia Farm. A barn, a pumpkin patch, and a pile of hay for the kids to climb on. And only one little line of cars parked in the grass in front of the barn.

The kids loved the wagon, we played on the hay, got a bunch of pumpkins and apples, and then made our way back to town, where we spent the rest of the day celebrating John's birthday. Beers in the Pearl. Dinner at Pok Pok. Wonderful having Barb and Sierra in town. So fun to be together with our boys.

Sunday, we had brunch at the Delta cafe. Delicious: beignets with lemon curd. Fried bananas. They also had a stellar fresh-squeezed lemonade. I drank one and got a refill. Everybody else had bloody Mary's, but I think they were jealous when they saw my lemonade.