Author Archives: Andrea Middleton

Currently at Reddit, I spent 10 years as a community organizer on the WordPress open source project. I'm also an avid reader, wine enthusiast, and parent of two.

Our 10-year Anniversary Getaway to the Columbia Gorge

Yesterday the kids went off with their grandparents so Tom and I could spend a night at the Bonneville Hot Springs Resort on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge. On our way, we stopped for a 4 mile, “easy” hike to Punchbowl Falls. It rained a little on the way back, but the canopy was so thick in most places that we barely felt it. The beauty of the forest and the scent of the rain was intoxicating. Also, waterfalls are magic, and I love them. 

We ended the day in the hot tub on  our room’s covered balcony, watching the rain and sipping champagne. Happy anniversary to us! Here’s to 10 years more.    

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
 

Baxter on Dramamine

 Baxter gets car sick, so when we drive to the coast, we give Baxter a dose of Dramamine so he’ll sleep through the mountains. 

There’s usually a time either before he falls asleep or after he wakes up when he’s still tripping, and sometimes he gets chatty. This last trip to the coast, I recorded some of his musings. 

  1. Mama, some of my fingers are thicker.
  2. Mama, when will we see Lewis and Clark?
  3. I know a lot about the earth. I know a lot about nature too. Because it’s living. And it’s not pretty when it’s dead. And when it’s alive, it is pretty. And I just saw a squirrel.
  4. Wait a second! Where’s all of that sand from?
  5. It’s hard to take care of a baby because they have very soft bones. Even if they’re a boy or a girl.
  6. This is a very exciting day.