Yesterday, we picked up Mike and Eliza from the Portland bus station and met our internet-friends for the first time in real life! This morning, Eliza prepared a massive breakfast of waffles and garlicy kale quiche for all of us. She'd missed being away from her kitchen, and we reaped the benefits of her culinary reunion.
The rest of the day followed peacefully. Most of the afternoon was spent attending to our various projects (we all work from home), but we did take a few breaks. Eliza had to pick up their dog, Laika, from the kennel, and she wanted to stop by her parents' house to pick berries since they were gone on vacation and thus would be unable to enjoy them.
And so, on this sunny July day, we drove along tree-lined country roads under bright blue skies, up hills and down them, past farms and fields, rivers and meadows. When we arrived at Eliza's parents' house, she dropped us off with strict instructions to harvest as much of the ripening crop as we could. Tyler and I plucked to our hearts' content, employing the pick one/eat one/pick one tactic for the dusty blue berries.
When Eliza returned with her rambunctious canine in tow, we all moved on to the raspberries.
Strolling from one brambly bush to the next, we walked the perimeter of the property, played with Laika, picked a few yellow squash from the garden, and admired the industrious comings and goings of worker bees buzzing around their hives. I cannot wait to have berries and bees and dogs of our own someday!
When we returned from berry picking, we rounded Mike up for a walk in the woods behind their own property. As we meandered along, Laika running and bounding far ahead of us, Tyler and I decided with certainty that we want woods on our future land big enough to make a walking path of our own.
While we were deep in the forest, Kitten stayed curled up on the couch, fast asleep at home.
