portland: good coffee, old friends and bats.

in the past three months i've visited portland three times. granted, the first two were for flitting drive-bys lasting long enough for a quick meal and a cup of coffee to fuel me through the rest of the drive to california, but i liked it. this time, not only did i have time to seek out numerous great meals and coffee cups, but i had a week to explore the city, catch up with old friends and take in a whole lot of presentations pertaining to bat research.

the week started with arriving to crisp cool air in which i could see my own breath, followed by coffee at my favorite place: stumptown. two things that i thoroughly enjoy.

it then moved into catching up with my old friend jeremy as we reminisced about our crazy adventures in Mozambique Africa, while nearly getting blown off the top of a viewpoint overlooking the gorge.

the bulk of the week was dedicated to the annual North American Symposium of Bat Research which consisted of three days of research presentations, catching up with old colleagues and a whole bunch of networking. yes, you really can fill up three days with presentations about bat research.

and now i'm home. home with a head full of new information, a desk full of new work to get to and new griffin stories piling up like mad. apparently while i was gone, she swam a river and climbed a steep embankment in order to "exert her dominance" on another dog. now that's true commitment to holding your perceived place in the pack...even if no one is really challenging it.