Why stop for research, when all I need is to throw in some brackets to remind myself to come back to the spot in the story? Here, I don’t actually need to understand astronomy, since my POV character doesn’t, but I do need some jargon for my young over-excited astronomy student to toss around as he’s leading his love interest on a tour of the observatory. The line I’ve got in there now gives me the giggles.

Within the vast stone walls of the observatory, the air stayed chill and dry. The touch of the cool breeze alleviated Pimi’s wooziness somewhat, but she still gripped the iron railing as if the room spun around them, rather than the stairs following the curve of the observatory’s wall. Above her, Duurir chattered happily about lenses and refractions.

She plucked at the ribbons binding her waist, wishing for one of the food stalls that stood on every corner in town. Her mother would not hear of her visiting Duurir’s observatory with an even slightly belled crop.

As if thinking his name had invoked his attention, Duurir spun on the steps, “[Here I say something about telescopes that Pimi doesn't understand!]”

Pimi blinked, hoping that her dazed expression appeared to be awe and not the confusion she felt.

To refresh your memory, while we were in Iceland, Rob bought a motorcycle. Through the vagaries of customs, the thing didn’t actually clear said customs until about four months after we left the country. Lovely. So Rob has a motorcycle in Iceland which we’ve never seen. He’s also been shopping for motorcycle gear, so we’re both outfitted with jackets, helmets, gloves and so forth. All for a bike that is on the other side of the world.

He’s begun covertly shopping for one here too, because of course, the urge is not out of his system. I mean, how could it be, since he’s never touched the one that he owns. It’s as if it doesn’t really exist.

After looking around, he found a place that rents them here in Portland. We’ve been invited down to the beach with some friends for the weekend, so it seemed like a perfect time to try it out.

I have never been on a motorcycle. The thought has terrified me, while I’ve been encouraging him to pursue the thing. So, when he brought the rental bike home today, I put on my leather jacket and my boots, pulled the helmet on and got on the motorcycle behind him.

You know what? It wasn’t so bad. Dare I say, it was actually sort of fun? I think I’ve spent enough time on bicycles, so I understand what the balance of two-wheeled vehicles is like. I had been expecting to freak out when we had to lean into a turn. Nope. I’m also crediting riding horses in Iceland with helping me get past the fear of being on large moving things over which I have little control.

We’re going back out and heading for Sauvie’s Island now. I gotta say, there are worse ways to spend a sunny day than sitting on a motorcycle, hugging one’s husband.

I just got off the phone with the fellow we’re house-swapping with. Mr. B– says that he’s been given formal approval for the houseswap. He’s still waiting on the written permission, but he got a call from the property manager giving the verbal okay. I’m stunned. I have honestly begun thinking that the whole thing was going to fall through.