Fun in Portland OR

With Bug's birthday coming up, I packed 3 new t-shirts (wrapped) and handed them to her on our first morning in Portland. I told her that she could open one, but that she would have to wear whatever it was. 

The first one was pretty cool!

We hopped onto the streetcar and headed to OMSI.

They had an exhibit about mazes and illusions. Bug had fun with this balance board maze. She ALMOST got the ball into the center.

This was a giant model of a human ear. The curved red line to the left of Bug (in the ear canal) moved across, demonstrating how sound waves move through our ears. The parts to the right also moved. It was pretty cool.

This had various organs that would light up when you pushed the button next to their name...except, apparently, the stomach.

Shark tooth bracelet.

One of many bridges in Portland.

On our way to OMSI, Bug spotted this shop. We stopped on our way back. 

Finally, somewhere that I wanted to visit. ;)  YARNIA!

Bug picked out some red and yellow bamboo yarn. I'm going to make a hat similar to the gray one she's wearing in some of the other photos. Here you can see the yarn on the holder, attached to the winding machine.

The 2 cones of yarn are what I bought at Yarnia. The purple/orange/green is for me (bamboo and wool) and the red & yellow bamboo is for Bug.

Vacation - part 1: train ride to Portand

Bug & I just got back after being gone for 16 days. She turned 13 while we were gone. Unbelievable. Of course, we took the train.

Hobbes, the one-eyed lion, was ready to go with his official Amtrak scarf wrapped securely around his shoulders. 

Looking over the Amtrak timetable with Dad.

Bug is READY!

Here it is, the Empire Builder.

Settled in and on our way.

We stepped out to stretch in Minot, ND.

A very friendly man from India took our picture next to our sleeper car.

Drawing, knitting...

Pokemon.

This is Jean. She worked in the dining car and was great.

Almost there.

In Spokane, part of the train (including the dining car) went on to Seattle. Our section had the observation/snack car. Sleeping car passengers got this for breakfast. It was good.

We got to see Mt. Hood.

Mocking the people who would take photos of their feet on the carpet at the Portland airport.  ;)

We took a wrong turn on our way to the bus stop, but saw this leaning tree.

We also spotted these great Hogwarts and Gryffindor stickers on a parked car.

I spy, in an eye, something which is Bug! We were on our way to catch the MAX to go meet some homeschooling friends that we only knew on the internet. We had a great time.

We rented a basement apartment in a house through airbnb. It was great!

Our favorite Chinese place in Portland was only 2 blocks away. 

Lemon chicken and green beans. We ate the leftovers the next night. So good. 

My fortune made me laugh a bit. 

MAJORA'S MASK 3D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you haven't noticed, Bug LOVES The Legend of Zelda. The games, the characters, the books. All of it. For nearly 2 years she's been hoping that someday Nintendo would re-release the Zelda game Majora's Mask. Earlier this year the news hit the internet: it was happening. It would be available to play on her Nintendo 3DS. She was so happy. The release date was finally announced: Feb. 13. Bug decided that if she didn't get it for her birthday (mid-May) she would buy it. She didn't know that I had pre-ordered it before Christmas and it would be arriving on the 16th. In the meantime, I'd spotted this Majora's Mask t-shirt on ShirtPunch.com and had it tucked away, waiting.

We walked over to the shop where her dad works and I told her that we had a bit of a surprise for her. I handed her the box and here's what happened:

She's been having a blast trying to figure everything out. Thankfully, the manager at the comic/game shop where she goes to play Pokemon and D&D is also a Zelda fan so that she's got someone to talk to about this who actually understands what she's saying.  ;)
I played the first few when they first came out, but haven't played the newer ones. Maybe I will, one of these days.

Update - knitting and Halloween

Since I always post on facebook, this blog tends to get neglected. I'll try to work on that. I've been knitting a lot. Bug is very much into the Legend of Zelda video games these days. She really, REALLY wanted to be the main character, Link, for Halloween. Between youtube, Goodwill and ebay (and some knitting - the gauntlets) we came up with this: 

We're pretty happy with how it turned out.  :)

Here's a side-by-side in case you're not familiar with the game. Bug won TWO costume contests for a total of $150 in gift certificates. That's a LOT of Pokemon cards!

I also knit a baby Link costume for my niece's boy. Super-cute.

With the cold weather approaching, I started knitting mittens. These are 2 layers of wool. It turns out that I need the larger size, so Bug gets both of these.

This fall I asked Bug if she wanted me to knit her a sweater. She did, so we sat down and looked at patterns and she loved this one. It was a lot of work, but very fun to make. I still need to get 2 buttons for the collar. (and better photos)

This hood/cowl was made for a friend, but Bug was willing to pose for a photo. I love this pattern.