-- The first few weeks weren't as physically challenging as he expected, but his drill sergeant really stepped things up last week. He said he was sore all over, but welcomed the challenge. Others haven't fared so well, either because of illness or injury or because it's been more than they can handle. (One guy went AWOL but quickly returned when he realized all he had were the clothes on his back. Another faked being gay.)All in all, he sounded good, even if it was obvious he's fighting a cold himself. He readily admitted being homesick, but we'll be seeing him in a few weeks. His company is scheduled to graduate from basic training on July 3. Our plane tickets are booked.
-- They've been marching more and more -- even to target practice, which involves a two-mile uphill climb with all their gear on. The routine is getting harder because it's heating up; 90-degree days are becoming common. The most challenging and fun part of the experience so far is learning land navigation, at night as well during the day
-- The food is OK, better than expected, and they have more than the stereotypical five minutes to chow down. Still, he was thrilled to have his first bacon-cheeseburger that day at a restaurant in town.
-- They were scheduled to have a marksmanship test this week and Jordan was hopeful, even confident, that he'd score well.
On walks, don’t be surprised if you scare one up from the ground. It’s not where you’d expect to find a woodpecker, but flickers eat mainly ants and beetles, digging for them with their unusual, slightly curved bill.
Mongo is a creature of ritual...In this case, I'm not talking about the small woodland animal or stray cat kind of ritual, or as it's known in my house, "Thursday"...but instead, the preparation prior to a big ride.
I get almost as much joy and satisfaction in cleaning and prepping my bikes as I do riding them.
The sound and feel of a dialed-in bike operating at the peak of it's performance is unmistakable.
Ahhh....or should I say, urrp?
With help from daughter Simone, I made a superb paella that filled a pan as big as the hubcap on a Hummer. What a dish! risotto rice with saffron, chicken thighs, shrimp and mussels in the shell, fresh green beans, peas, roasted peppers, sauteed onions and garlic, seasoned with red pepper flakes, paprika, salt and pepper and chicken broth. Here's the recipe from The Oregonian: Really Good Paella.
[This final picture is one of my cherished Ali Harper photographs above my bed.]
On Wednesday, I began my day at the Oregon Convention Center, where I attended a fundraising breakfast for Habitat for Humanity. I made a modest contribution and left feeling pretty good, knowing the money raised would go to help low-income people in Lents (Southeast Portland) and Rockwood (west Gresham) in need of affordable housing.
Later in the day, I received an email from a Big Brothers Big Sisters staff member, telling those of us on the Latino Mentoring Advisory Council that our regularly scheduled May meeting isn't going to be held because the agency needs to devote more of its resources right now to fundraising.
On Thursday (today), I spent my lunch hour and more at a downtown law office in the Wells Fargo Bank, listening with other board members to an update on preparations for The Dougy Center's annual gala and auction, the agency's major fundraiser. All of us have bought tickets to the auction and contributed other goodies, within our means, that are being packaged as a live auction item. All the proceeds will go to finance The Dougy Center's internationally recognized programs in grief counseling for children and families that have lost a parent or sibling to death.
