A Sayulita Thanksgiving
Fun with baby sea turtles on the beach, colorful sunsets, more jungle hikes, and a special day done low key…just the way we like ’em.
North America
Return to San Pancho
With Noe out of school for a while, we look north to San Francisco (better known as San Pancho) for a welcome change of scenery.
We Got Wheels!
We get ourselves a totally sweet, eco-friendly, off-road…ahem…golf cart! And other updates from Sayulita in the month of November.
Carricitos Beach: 5-Mile Beach Hike With Riley
Riley and I brave the jungle and the unknown in search of another mysterious beach on the windswept Pacific-facing side of Sayulita Point.
Malpaso Beach: An Unexpected Journey
We encounter a mysterious man who leads us on a harrowing journey through the jungle to a wild and deserted beach.
Settling Into Sayulita
Day of the Dead, a big provisioning trip, and other adventures and goings on from our second week living in Sayulita, Mexico.
Beach of the Dead & Our Mexican Bungalow
We pay a visit to a graveyard beach and finally make the move from our temp housing to our longer-term home in Sayulita.
Surprise! You’re Homeless! First Week in Sayulita
Suddenly finding ourselves without a place to stay on arrival in Mexico, we begin an exhausting weeklong search for a home at the cusp of tourist season.
A New Chapter Begins South of the Border
Our move to Mexico is upon us! No international move would be complete without a few last hiccups to contend with…some more serious than others.
Waiting on a Passport
Watching autumn creeping in and our planned departure date come and go, as we continue to be held captive by the glacial U.S. passport renewal process during Covid.
Pacific City
A midway meetup with Lori’s brother and sister-in-law in another coastal location after nearly two years apart. And fun with Oregon’s unpredictable coastal weather.
Socially-Distanced Outdoor Birthday in the PacNW
Seizing upon a window of clear skies and low Covid numbers, we set out to explore an overlooked corner of our own backyard.
Safe Harbor
Fleeing fire and smoke-ravaged inland Oregon for coastal breezes and a much needed change of scenery.
Apocalypse Now
Devastating wildfires join forces with Covid to push us deeper into our protective bubbles, as we concoct creative ways to keep 2 young boys and 6 adults sane in captivity.
Reunion
Reconnecting with both sets of grandparents in Oregon, following two weeks in captivity (i.e. quarantine), and 20 months apart.
Quarantine
Adventures in self-imposed isolation with two young kids in the Pacific Northwest. Do we make it out alive? Find out!
Breaking-in Baby (Pt.1): Riley’s First Flight
40 hours, 3 flights, 9,000 miles, 10 pieces of luggage, a 2.5-year-old, and a 3-month-old with his first cold. Here’s the first leg of our journey as a newly-minted expat family of four.
Welcome Riley Ernest
Yep, that’s right! The wait is over and Baby #2 is finally here. And — surprise, surprise — IT’S ANOTHER BOY!
The Waiting Game
With Lori’s brother’s wedding behind us, the countdown begins until Baby #2 decides to grace us with his/her presence. But not before daddy reclaims his own birthday for himself.
Late Summer ’18 Update
We’re quickly approaching the one month mark Stateside and thought it was time for an update. Fun times with family and friends, and awaiting the arrival of Number Two.
Summer in the USA: Path of Totality
Venturing into the Path of Totality as Eclipse Apocalypse grips the nation in the final days of our 2017 visit to the U.S.
Summer in the USA: Oregon Coast
Soaking up the sunshine in and around Florence, Oregon with Grammy and Grampy.
Summer in the USA: Tahoe Road Trip
After two weeks in Portland and Roseburg, it was time to road trip it South with Nanny and Poppi.
Summer in the USA: Portland & Roseburg
Shaking off jet lag with a full schedule with family and friends in Portland, then south to Roseburg for quality time with the grandparents.
Portland to Brussels
By his seventeenth it was pretty clear that Noe was starting to get bored with wineries, so we got on a plane and moved to Laos. While that might not be entirely true, the weather leaving Portland was a good sign it was time to move on.
Month Two with Noe
Wow. Noe’s already 2+ months old! Well, that’s what everyone keeps saying. When he hit the two month mark last week we couldn’t believe he’s only been with us for such a short period of time. […]
Momentum
I was steaming mad. Well, probably more exhausted than anything, but symptomatically I was presenting as pretty darn perturbed. Lori and I found ourselves on this sweltering […]
First Month with Noe
We’re here in Roseburg now and will be for another six or seven weeks. We’ve got some big news to share in terms of next steps, so stay tuned. Last Thursday, Noe celebrated his one month birthday […]
It’s a Boy!
Our sweet baby boy, Noe Owen (rhymes with “Joey”), was born on June 21, 2016 at 6:38am (6lbs.5oz.). Contractions began Saturday night, water broke early Father’s Day morning, laboring […]
Leach Botanical Garden
40 weeks + 4 days. My question to Lori today, “Do you ever feel like you’re just waiting around for something to happen?” Since Lori wrapped up work a week ago — and particularly since […]
Trekking Portland’s Alameda Ridge Stairs
We set out to conquer Alameda Ridge of NE Portland and its 400 stairs spread out over 30 blocks.
Southern Oregon’s Wildlife Safari
A few weeks back we joined my parents on safari through a game reserve featuring over 70 species of exotic animals, including tigers, giraffes, zebras, lions, elephants, […]
Riding the Rails in the PacNW
We cover two of the Pacific Northwest’s best rail adventures in this post: The Mount Hood Railroad and the Seattle-Eugene portion of Amtrak’s Coast Starlight […]
Hiking Northwest Portland’s Balch Gulch Loop
Exploring Northwest Portland’s Wildwood Trail and Lower Macleay Trail along the Balch Gulch Loop.
Portland’s 4T Trail
Taking advantage of a beautiful May morning to explore Portland by Trail, Tram, Trolley & Train via the 4T Trail.
Mirror Lake & Trillium Lake: Hike Report
Our Mirror Lake & Trillium Lake Hike report — a worthwhile alternative to Columbia River Gorge hiking at the foot of Oregon’s majestic Mt. Hood.
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in Southeast Portland is a local secret that is worth the time and effort to visit. Here’s our detailed trip report.
The Grotto
View of downtown Portland from Mt. Tabor. Lori’s parents came up to Portland a few weeks back in mid-April to hang out and check on the status of the belly […]
Bend: River Walk & High Desert Museum
In addition to visiting Smith Rock State Park in Terrebonne (near Redmond), we also made a few trips into Bend. We walked about three miles of Bend’s one-of-a-kind Deschutes River Walk […]
Smith Rock State Park
We took a last-minute weekend trip to Central Oregon to take advantage of the abundant sunshine and warmer temps forecast there […]
Hiking Tom McCall Point & Rowena Plateau
Rowena Plateau and Tom McCall Point hike offers Gorge-ous views year-round an hour’s drive from Portland. Our trail report.
Hiking Coyote Wall and the Labyrinth
We took a drive out east to tackle Coyote Wall and the Labyrinth. Just an hour outside of Portland, the landscape changes dramatically, offering countless […]
Portland’s Lan Su Chinese Garden: Guide for Visiting
Lan Su Chinese Garden is a peaceful and evocative oasis in the bustling heart of downtown Portland. Here’s what to expect plus helpful tips for visiting.
Welcoming the Monkey at LanSu
Happy Year of the Monkey! This month marks one year in Portland for us, and our second Chinese New Years celebration at Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland […]
San Diego: Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Point Loma
The last day of our California Coast Babymoon road trip began in San Diego and ended 200 miles and 4,000 feet in elevation on the summit of the notorious Grapevine, covering 95% of the mileage after sunset. It would have been a […]
San Diego: Mission Beach, Old Town, Coronado
Ah. San Diego. Good to be back. It’s been about 12 years since my last visit and to my eyes the city has changed very little — which is a very good thing. Why mess with perfection, right? Of course […]
Mission San Juan Capistrano
Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded twice, about a year apart from one another. Yet, it was a significant year that saw a collection of 13 British colonies form an independent federation […]