Rain drops keep falling on my head!

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Reunited! Distance makes the heart grow fonder.

"Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head"

[Originally by B. J. Thomas]

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
Just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Nothing seems to fit
Oh, raindrops keep fallin' on my head
Keep a-fallin'

Cause I just done me some talking to the sun
And I said I didn't like the way he got things done
Sleeping on the job
Oh, raindrops keep fallin' on my head
Keep a-fallin'

Besides the constant rain-turned-snow, we had a perfect week in Portland and then a winter wonderland weekend in Whistler! We were only home for 5 days to work before we were busy traveling again.  I had to go to the American Heart Association - Epidemiology and Lifestyle conference in Portland this past week so Grandpa Pastorius and Theo tagged along.
Dr. Jerry Bloomfield and Dr. Lisandro Colantonio at the AHA EPI meeting.  We were all Fogarty Fellows in 2009-10.
We had crashed with Grandpa the prior weekend at his conference in Disneyland. Then we flew into Portland for my conference and then decided to take the Amtrak back to Seattle and head up to Whistler for the weekend to ski and snowboard at the world famous resort at least once before we move back to Minnesota! While in Portland, we had dinner with Annie Borton and took a trip to the Columbia Gorge to see a few waterfalls. There was still snow on the ground from the massive snowstorm last month that left Portland covered in over a foot of snow and it didn't stop raining/snowing the entire time Grandpa was in the Pacific Northwest - welcome to winter here Gramps! We ate lunch at the beautiful Multnomah Falls Lodge and had hot chocolate by the fireplace to warm up before heading back to Portland. The train was delayed a few hours due to a single track between Olympia and Tacoma and the southbound trains getting priority but eventually after another 1.5 hour delay in Vancouver traffic and a total of 12 hours of travel in not-so-great conditions, we finally arrived in Whistler. The ski conditions, on the other hand, were perfect! Over 8 inches of fresh powder on the first day, if only the visibility was better in the mid-mountain. Theo got to go to ski school and learned how to do the pizza stop and make a few turns. Marit was in Whistler Kids daycare and enjoyed playing in the snow. Theo also tried ice skating for the first time. Overall, a great trip and now the fun is over so we back to work we go.
Mommy visits another Olympic venue!

Theo's first time ice skating


Elowah Falls in the Columbia Gorge




Elowah falls

Getting wet from the spray from the falls

Moss covered trees and Theo throwing rocks off the cliff into the river below

Multnomah Falls

On the bridge above the lower Multnomah falls

The Lego Exhibit at the Oregon museum of science and industry


Watching movies on the train

Relaxing on the train to Seattle

Family pic at the Blackholm base


Walking to snow school at Whistler-Blackholm. Not a bad place to learn to ski!

The Aspens condo with 3 hot tubs and a heated outdoor pool.

These were packed with people after the lifts close at 4pm.

A short walk to the ski in/ski out path down to the Blackholm base

Seth snowboarding

Covered in snow!

Grandpa showing off his stuff in the powder




Finally the sun!

The Glacier Peak chair to the top of Blackholm

Making our way back down the mountain


Theo's in blue (the only one in his class with skis on) doing a pizza stop on his first day!

And then he fell down!

Exhausted after day 1 of snow school at Whistler!

Marit running down to hill from the condo to the Blackholm base

Crossing the creek to the Whistler Village for dinner

Daddy, Marit and Grandpa on the bridge




Day #2 - ready for the greens!

Trying not to crash into Mommy...

Crashed into the tree instead!

Racing down the green to the 7th Heaven lift

It didn't stop snowing for 2 days!

An Inukshuk at the top of the mountain!

Lots of snow at the Glacier Creek Lodge

Look at that form

Pow-pow, sorry Eric

Seth on the move

Go Grandpa in your pow-pow skis!

View from the Excalibur gondola of the base


Ready to play in the snow after ski school and day camp

Grandpa getting Theo started down the hill

All fall down


Too tired for any more runs

View of the Howe Sound from Porteau Cove Provincal Park off the Sea-to-Sky Highway in BC

Porteau Cove, a popular scuba diving spot with 2 sunken vessels and artificial reefs






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