An afternoon tea

I finally set aside some look-around time on my last business trip. My trips of late are typically for User testing - which, while important and very useful, are also draining and hectic.  I usually am too exhausted and / or grumpy to explore after testing. Which pretty much sums up all my trips so far.

- Which is unfortunate as I have met some great people from Burning Man that always mention that I should look them up on my travels. It is hard in the face of such welcoming that i have to some how relay that I am grumpy and just want to hide on my hotel room.

My flight home was later on a friday, so I set aside some time that afternoon to explore. I sent a note early in the week to a former coworker Marcia to ask if she might be available to meet up.  I had no set agenda for the day other than to track down Portland's famous food trucks, so Marcia took the opportunity to take me to the Portland Chinese garden. 

I will be the first to admit - that this is not typically a venue I seek out on my own.  It does not seem to hit my my mechanical or techno buttons. But I was definitely in follow mode once we met up, so i was

really up for anything.  It turned out to be a wonderful afternoon, both weather wise and tempo.  Marcia has a membership to the facility and took the time we has to carefully show me many aspects of the garden as well as partake in a very quiet round of tea in the on site tea house.  The quiet, non complicated afternoon was just what i needed and it was great to catch up with Marcia.

I highly recommend the place on a quiet weekday afternoon. If you are lucky - you can have the whole place to yourself like we did  :O)

Easter with the family

Eric and I headed to Owego to join the family this past weekend. We ( I ) were looking forward to throwing an Easter Egg hunt for the nieces and nephews. Jimmy and Grace could not join us this year - so we saved some eggs for them. :O)

Kristin put on a grand easter dinner and Marks sister and her sons joined us as well.