Little Mateo had a blast splashing in the Washougal River. Here he is after his swim, wrapped up in his blanket/towel and giving me one of his magical blue-eyed-boy looks!

I love the Washougal River in Washington…just across the Oregon/Washington border. Koali and I found a great little swimming hole there a few summers back and this year we returned with baby Mateo, Gabe and another baby family in tow. It was a great first river trip for little Mateo and Lewis, and a lot of fun for us adults too. Mateo even braved the cold river water for some wading and jumping fun. Here he is post swim, wrapped up in a towel blanket and his Mommy’s arms.

My dear friend Courtney loves fireworks and knows how to have a good time. It was wonderful to spend the 4th with her, meet her fiance and her friend Amber (pictured here, right). Courtney and Nick just got married this past weekend and I wish them a lifetime of love, light and laughter!

As the sun set on the 4th of July, people gathered by the Hudson to watch the fireworks.

The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday.  Everyone’s in a good mood, there are amazing fireworks (another favorite), it’s warm and summery, indulging in hot dogs and cheap beer is expected, barbeques last all day and the party lasts all night. It’s always fun to be with family, but there’s no pressure to do so like in other holidays.

I’ve been overseas for the last few 4th of July holidays so I was especially looking forward to it this year. And this Fourth was one of the better ones I’ve had. I was in NYC and spent the day lounging in central park with old friends and then saw the fireworks display over the Hudson while holding hands with the man I loved. I don’t think it could have been any better.

Gabe…big.  Mateo…little.  Isn’t it amazing that we were all once that small?

I miss Mexico. I miss the light. I miss the color. I miss the heat and the smells. I miss the food and the music and the commotion and activity. I miss Spanish…Mexican Spanish. More than anything though…I miss the people. I miss their warmth and generosity, joy of life…their humor, beautiful manners and customs and demonstrative way of being affectionate. I miss my friends, I miss the girls of the Buen Pastor and I miss my partner.

It’s spring in Oregon which means some beautiful days and then lots of rain in between. The cherry blossoms are everywhere though and that makes everything feel new and possible.

Jeannine and Ari are dear friends who were part of the group I hung out with at the coast recently. They are not only delightfully creative people who pursue their work as artists with passion and resiliency…but they also happen to be incredibly kind, generous, loving people as well. I like them separately, I like them together…I just plain like ‘em.

In this pic, Ari is helping Jeannine over some serious beach puddles on our morning walk. Eventually he picked her up in his arms and carried her across.

Friends and I rented a house at the coast last weekend. It was baby Mateo’s first trip away from Portland with his parents and his first taste of salty, Oregon coast wind. He was a great baby and watched everything with wide eyes and then snoozed away on his parents’ laps between walks on the beach.