After nearly a month in the warm and sunny Bahamas teaching about type 2 diabetes, our return to Oregon was, predictably, a shock. Sunday morning we left for the Rock Sound airport just before sunrise with clear skies and temps in the low 60’s. Arriving at Portland well after dark, we met temps in the upper 20’s with a forecast for colder weather and snow on the valley floor in the next few days.

Tuesday AM, we both had appointments for checkups with our dentist in McMinnville. Despite the below freezing temperature and breezy conditions, we pulled out our LHTs and cold weather riding gear and pedaled for just over an hour to the office. This was followed by a wonderful 2nd breakfast at a favorite eatery in Mac, the Wildwood Cafe.

Jay then took a scenic route to ride home while Janet spent a few hours working on campus. Janet’s ride home, later, ended at another favorite stop, the Carlton Bakery. Delicious breads, pastries, soups and French macarons are the house specialties.

Today we are working from home, tending the wood stove, while watching the snow cover our backyard in a thick, white blanket. Jay is back to work at the hospital tomorrow morning and will probably leave a bit earlier. Luckily, there isn’t much traffic before 6AM. Janet is finishing her preparations for the new semester, starting Monday.

Enjoy the ride,

Janet and Jay

PS – FAIR WARNING FOR USERS OF COMPACT, WATERPROOF DIGITAL CAMERAS: For the second time in as many trips, Jay’s waterproof Panasonic camera (TS1 last time, TS3 this time) died during the Bahamas trip following a snorkeling excursion…explaining the lack of ride photos for this post. In one isolated statement in the owner’s manual, Panasonic recommends replacement of the camera seals on a yearly basis to maintain its waterproofness, obviously not noticed before. This must be done, apparently, by the factory service center at a cost of $75-100. We will check if Nikon has the same recommendation for Janet’s camera too. YMMV!