Times of Refreshing

Here’s official proof that Paul is the Nicest Guy—he took Ben and Steven on a two-night canoe trip. Thursday evening Matt drove them down Coburg Road to the McKenzie River. They put in there, went a few miles, and then camped for the night.

Yesterday they merged into the Willamette and Jenny and I met them when they came by Harrisburg, since Paul had forgotten his jacket and Jenny was sure he had forgotten to hug her when he left. It looked so cool, these three guys paddling down the river, like the Lewis and Clark expedition. (Did you know there was one black guy on the L&C Exp.? William Clark’s slave I think. And when they reached the Oregon Coast they voted about how long to stay there or something and the black guy got to vote along with the rest, supposedly a first in American history.)(This is what comes of being married to the principal and getting to preview films at OMSI.)
Last night they camped on the riverbank behind Don Smith’s place and today they hope to make it to Albany. They had hoped for Salem but it would take too long.

Meanwhile. The house is occupied by gentle female creatures who do not go pounding through like a herd of migrating wildebeests and by Matt who is as elusive and quiet as the leopard we barely saw in the Nakuru Game Park. The silence is lovely. The kitchen floor stays clean for an hour after I mop it. I can get up at 7:00 and have an hour and a half of peace and quiet.

So, a round of applause for my husband.

The cherry on top of this restful experience was another Girls’ Night Out last evening. Among many other things, we learned that one woman has strong opinions about where she will be buried, most of us don’t care where we’re buried, and another sister doesn’t want to be buried at all because the thought gives her claustrophobia. "Cremate me. Or just lay me out in the woods."

I tell you, there’s nothing quite like a night out with the girls.

Quote of the Day:
"Do you really want the birds eating you up?"
--husband of ‘another sister’