Fun times at the Aladdin Theater this past Wednesday! We attended the taping of Wits!, a public radio show, if you aren’t in the know. To be honest, we didn’t know much about it, but when Reggie Watts AND Jim Gaffigan occur on the same billing, you betcha we’re going to buy tickets. Hilarity, ingenuity, silliness, and some mighty fine tunes from Thao Nguyen ensued.

The timing really could not have been better, either. The hubster and I had been working ourselves ragged, the reason why you haven’t seen much of me here. Six weeks of cleaning, pruning, polishing, purging, painting, all in preparation to sell our house and move to Pittsburgh. W h a t ? ! I know. I waxed poetic about Oregon being home in July! Well, what can I say? A mind changes.

Our house has felt big lately, and we began pondering a smaller one. We looked around town and didn’t like what we saw. Then we wondered about other places and how much we want to really know America and how difficult it is to visit the unknown places from three thousand miles away. Click, whir. Click, whir, our collective brain (after twenty three years together, we DO have one) searching and searching. It stopped on Pittsburgh, another city of hills, rivers, and bridges. A day’s drive to New York City, Montreal, Providence, Boston, Chicago, Louisville, Burlington, Memphis, Charleston…

So here we are, nearly not Oregonians any longer. Jubilant to start a new chapter in a great, and very Portland-like, city! Melancholy to leave such marvelous people and a home we truly love. Our wonderful home, which pretty much sold on the first day we showed it, with buyers to spare. It was a fine bit of recognition for our labor and incredibly sad to disappoint such kindly people.

Now we play the waiting game. Hoping nothing major is wrong with the house, radon tests and inspections, nerve racking and not much sleep. Send us your kindest thoughts, a prayer or two, won’t you please?

Now, a taste of what we will miss.

Wacky Oregonians!

Walking to the Slingshot

and the Albina Press

and every neighborhood gem we pass along the way…