I think I've dreamed of having a white Christmas for about 30 years now...every since moving to the Northwest. And I got my wish in 2008! We had a winter storm pass through our area (a few storms actually) but the most recent being earlier this week, and it left about a foot of snow! So even though the cold air has gone to the Cascades...the weather left it's mark on us here in the Portland area. I still have about 6" of snow in my apartment's driveway. Nothing MY vehicle can't trek through (even though I've taken all chains off) but a few of my neighbors have spent a bit of their Christmas day spinning their tires trying to get to a parking space.
We had snow, then a melt, then more snow, then some ice, then yet more snow... which all made for some beautiful scenery for sure. Here are a few pics of the area near my apartment. Didn't want to venture too far with the camera, as it was snowing! :) But a bit of winter from the Pacific Northwest for your viewing pleasure.
This is my ride...resting happily under the carport. I didn't take pictures after the "big snow...These are all from early in the week before the last couple inches. You can still see the curb here...And this is before I had the second set of chains for the back tires. It's like driving a snowcat! :) My rig is extremely capable, and I love having it!
This is a shot standing behind the carport, looking out the apartment driveway. It was so pretty this night because it was between snows and the lights were so orange silhouetting the trees...had to snap a few pics!
Another shot from my driveway. Again, the silhouetted trees look cool. I was just playing around with the camera, taking a few snaps before I went in to get warm!
Oh, and before I forget...I finally got my snowflakes up INSIDE! :) This is how I've been spending my snow days...camping out on my sofa with the fire ablaze!
Happy Christmas to all! :) Hope all your Christmas wishes come true.
I am lucky enough to have a new job this year...and even more lucky to have a week of vacation already!! So, after four months of hard work, I decided I needed a break :) so I was able to head to the greater Seattle area.
On the drive up, I was treated to some beautiful Northwest winter weather – sunny and cold – the mountains were out! I had a wonderful view of Mt. Rainier for many miles up I-5, and after stopping in Lacey, WA for a quick tour of Cabellas (I LOVE THAT STORE) I was able to snap a somewhat decent shot of the mountain before getting back on the highway.
Once at my destination on Puget Sound, the sky show was too much to pass up. And I had to grab my camera. I was moments away from being able to grab a beautiful shot of the sun glinting off the Olympic Mountain Range...but the low lying clouds got to them before I could. So instead, I snapped a few of the loons on the bay, and a beautiful sunset.
I decided to make a voyage over to Seattle proper, since I haven't been there in awhile... and I was needing a dose of "big city" living to bring the size of Beaverton back to reality for me. It takes visiting the hustle-bustle of a larger city to realize that we don't have it so bad, living in the Portland, OR area. It's a wonderful place to reside!
I have had the opportunity to take Seattle's ferries many times in the last few years, and each time is fun for me. I'm sure if you did it everyday, the rides would lose the significance, but for me, since I do it so rarely, it's fun and exciting. I took the Kingston-Edmonds ferry, which takes you from the Olympic Peninsula to the "mainland" just north of Seattle. And from Edmonds, it's only a 15 minute drive into downtown. The ride was cold, but beautiful...and thankfully, very few people out on the sundeck this time of year, so I could be my tourist self in relative privacy.
If any of you know me well – and you do, you'll know that I can't go without my coffee... So first stop was a nice warm Tully's near Pike Street, up a few stairs for this view. Seattle has built in a few "scenic" stairways to move people through downtown in a trendier fashion. I appreciate the waterfalls and their want to bring the neighborhoods into a more walk-friendly area. I dig it. One of these passageways is where the Tully's lives...and you can see the waterfront, and of course Hwy 99, as this elevated portion passes through town. The steps provide a great resting spot for a tired butt, and a very scenic spot to sip your hot coffee.
I got a few miles in traipsing up and down a few of downtown Seattle's waterfront district hills. I enjoyed a conversation with a few of Seattle's finest Community Enforcement officers, who were very eager to help me find my way and were interested to know what Cabella's offers! :)
Anyway, enjoy a few shots of the piers, the Seattle skyline (from a few vantage points) and of some of the architecture that Seattle has.
I was also able to visit the newly opened Columbia Sportswear store on 3rd Street in Seattle (right across from Macy's). Which at this time of year, is beautifully decorated for Christmas! I didn't get a shot of that because I neglected to bring my tripod (DOH!) so even the night shots from the ferry out of Seattle are blurry, but if you squint, you still get the idea of how pretty the city is at night. The best view of the city is from the trailing end of a ferry as you head back across the sound.
Pat and I took off for Oregon wine country on Saturday. Since I now live in Beaverton, she came down to see my new place, and we headed southwest towards Newberg, on Scholls Ferry Road. It's a nice little drive, over Chehalem Mountain, through beautiful Willamette Valley forests and farms.
We headed out to Dundee, and went to the top of the Dundee Hills where vineyards have absolutely taken over. As far as you can see, there are rows and rows of grapes!
What a beautiful day, once you get to the top you can see all the way to Salem and beyond, Mt. Hood looms in the distance and bees are everywhere, zooming back and forth between the acres of grapes. At least we know we still have SOME honey bees to sustain us! Thanks all you vintors! :) I took a few snaps of the view toward Salem and of course, of the fruits that will one day grace the inside of a bottle as a tasty red wine.
I had the opportunity to attend the Hillsboro Air Show this year. Was a blast. Wandered through the antique planes, and passed a very familiar silhouette that I know I'd seen before. Sure enough, a MIG 21 that used to take up residence in Fife, Washington at Jet Chevrolet, was sitting on the runway amongst a few other early era jets. Like this bright yellow F-86 Saber. Beautiful plane. It's cool to wander around these planes that you've always seen on TV and in movies, up close and personal.
Behind these older jets were a few "antique" type planes. One of which was this very cool biplane. I've always had a special place in my heart for biplanes, because they're just so cool! And they seem to be a very nostalgic part of America's history (crop dusters/etc) and to see one of these totally restored guys in person is awesome.
Of course, in addition to all the planes on display, our Armed Forces had all sorts of displays for recruiting and explanation. They had three of these huge helicopters and were giving tours, plus they had a few "rides" for kids. I walked by one tent where there was a completely blacked out mini-bike. Which after talking to the Special Forces Army Ranger sitting behind the table, he explained that the troops drop in the minibikes more often now because they're lighter and smaller and can get the boys to where they need to be faster. Pretty cool, actually.
Tucked over to the side was a very cool little plane, a Hawker Sea Fury. This plane has foldable wings, which allowed them to be easily "stored' on aircraft carriers during WWII. This plane was developed in 1944, and didn't really fly until 1947 by the Royal Navy. The handful that remain intact are now in the hands of collectors and those on the air show circuit.
Along with the F-15s out of PDX, and the F-16 that took a few high speed passes, the F-22 – likely the last of the manned war-time aircraft, awed us all with the amazing speed that plane has! One of the coolest points of the day for me was when the amazing cool and historic P51 Mustang took to the sky with the F-22. It was as kind of like the changing of the guard. The two planes flew a few patterns side by side. Very cool. History and present flying together. While the roar of the P51 was impressive, it was sort of sad when the F-22 kicked on the afterburner and when vertical, leaving the P51 "in the dust". Two very amazing planes and certainly the top of the line in both their eras. Wish I had a pic of the P51 to show you. But that is an amazingly hot looking plane. And seeing the two of them together was very cool.
I went with my friend Skye and her dog "puppy" to the beach to walk her puppy. Puppy is also known as Belly – she was one of two pups Skye had, the other's name was Jelly, get it? (Jelly Belly?) heehee, that was my idea.
We drove over to Seaside and wandered up and down the beach for awhile. Puppy isn't too great on a leash, but once she tires out, she's a sweet little thing and listens fairly well. Other folks on the beach aren't as leash-oriented as they should be, so while Skye had to hold fast to her dog, I was running interference and yelling at dog owners to call their dog away from running straight at us. People!! Dogs on leash!!!
Anyway, we parked at a little park, walked along the beach to the rock/land abutment and then we decided to go up! We hiked to the top (poor Puppy tagged along and was a good sport) and we got to see a great view of Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach from the top of the bluff. We saw a few surfers trying to catch a wave, some folks on a horse ride and just had a great day playing with the dog. Looking forward to walking the dog next time!!
One day I was wandering around downtown Portland with my camera. I like wandering past the new condos under the Freemont (I-405) bridge. They've built a whole community right on the edge of the Willamette, in the industrial area. It's a pretty cool place and if I had the money, I'd buy one of those condos and sit on my deck, enjoying the view of the freighters coming and going.
I also like this area because right down the street, there's a covered arena where you can sometimes spy the Portland's Police horses. That's right, the Portland mounted police's horses are right there in an old building bordering the Pearl District, on the Willamette. It's pretty cool. I had wandered past one day a year or so ago, and there was a girl there walking with a horse. She was a stable hand there. Talked to her for awhile. Pretty cool. She liked her job. Wish I could have that job!! :) But it's nice to see the horses right in downtown every now and again.
They're trying to get more draft-mix horses for the officers, since they're more "sturdy" and can handle the constant pounding of the pavement better than your average horse. They have one Belgian mix and one that's a draft mix with a buckskin. He's beautiful. Giant… so cool. I've always loved draft horses. I still want a pair of draft pair, so I can pull a sleigh one day. :)
One day I took off toward Mt. St. Helens area, and took off up this road past a big cinder cone over by Cougar. This was in July sometime… so I expected to be able to go over the mountains, over in to Skamania County and come out by Hwy 14 east of Washougal. Well, we got 20 miles up the mountain (what a beautiful drive!) and we hit snow! The road was closed, covered with two feet of snow. There were ruts, so those with more balls (& traction and horsepower) than me, had made it through. I wasn't about to try to make my way in the snow, since I was up there more or less by myself, with nobody to help, etc. So I took a few pictures, and turned my butt around and headed back down the mountain.
Got some great pics along the way. Wish I could've made it over the top, but I'm glad I had my camera, so I could grab a few snaps for myself. It's beautiful up there in them thar hills! :) I can see why folks live in the hills. I guess you could consider me a hillbilly too. Since I could think of almost nothing better than having a nice tidy little cabin in the hills. One of these days, look out. You might see Gert standing guard in front of a cabin in the hills!
My friend (and former neighbor) Pat and I took a mini-roadtrip a few months ago, just to get out of town, and get some wind in our hair. After the very wet spring and early summer that we had, we needed to find some sun! So we toured up to Longview, Washington to see what we could see. Pat and I found a little park on the edge of the Columbia River, and it was great! Lots of room to play, lots of driftwood, and of course the ever elusive SUN! :)
On the way to Longview, we headed up through Hockinson, and Pat all of a sudden screamed "STOP!" We turned around and drove up a driveway, and found this awesome view of Mt. St. Helens! Great spot Pat!! :)
We stayed and played and took some pics of boats, driftwood and the beautiful clouds that our Northwest early summer day provided.
I have very few photos of my Dad as a young man. This picture, taken of him while he was a young army soldier at Fort Bragg, around the age of 18 (1944). It's actually a cropped version of a picture of he and a few soldier buddies going for a horse ride. I'll have to see if I can find the whole version again, and post that. I know Mom has a copy of it.
Crazy to think of him with a full head of hair. As I only remember him with the classic bald head! He was a good looking kid. He seems so natural on a horse. It's no wonder why he loved them so much. Without him, my sister and I wouldn't have had such an interest in horses. Mom had a horse too, or course-of course, but Dad was more into it. Either way, I'm glad we had the opportunity to have horses.
Once I unpack my apartment, I'll upload a pic of my Mom in nursing school, and another of my Dad in uniform. Funky stuff to see them so young! :)
I'm a coffee shop snob. For me, it's not so much about the coffee that I'm drinking (because I do tend to break down and drink from the big green mermaid every so often) but more about the atmosphere. I like me a good relaxed, quiet, friendly coffee establishment where people can get into a good conversation and kick back on a sofa for a few hours. I have such a place in Vancouver. It's called River Maiden coffee. River Maiden used to be part of the Vancouver Farmer's Market, until the Markets' governing group of resident idiots decided to cast away the businesses who had made a successful go of it in the new FM building in downtown Vancouver. blah, blah, blah…
At any rate, River Maiden, and its owners Melissa and Aaron have become a tradition for me, and I don't intend to lose them, even though I don't live in the same state anymore. That never stopped me from going to the Blue Pepper in Salem! (another great coffee stop for the weary traveler).
I enjoy my usual Saturday morning cup of Hair Bender, and listen to other coffee drinkers harassing the ultra-liberal customers who drive Prius cars and spout off about traveling to Eqypt. I mostly sit and take it all in, while others there engage in these crazy, interesting conversations. After awhile you have 5 or 6 people sitting across the room from each other, invested in a conversation about one or another social issues plaguing our country, city or town. It's great. I love it. And you have to go to a place like River Maiden to experience these types of conversations. Places like Starbucks or Seattle's Best, or even Tully's are just too stick in the mud (or stick up the butt depending on what town you're in), and you cannot have a decent conversation with people. If you do, it's very rare.
That's why I'll always search for a little niche coffee joint (like Java Mama in Beaverton) where there are regulars, and an owner who actually makes coffee, and tells you "the Indian roast is really good today", that's the kind of flavor we need in life to keep us going. A place where you can go enjoy a good cup of coffee, and some great conversation with a friend.
So as those of you who know me know… I'm a HUGE fan of Chinese food. In fact, I've recently moved to Beaverton, Oregon and have yet to locate a good Chinese place. I've tried a few in the area, and none are to my liking. But given enough time, I'm sure I'll find a little hole in the wall joint that will become "my place".
One of the last times I was down visiting mom, I treated her to a Chinese dinner in Albany. At Lum Yien. Decent food (crazy yellow sweet & sour chicken though), but mostly a good conversation with Mama. She's a crazy little Polish lady, who I love very much. And she takes a cute picture too!
Lum Yien happens to sit at the end of the Albany Airport runway, and I happened to notice these two little kit planes parked there, custom paint and all. Didn't get a picture (dang!) but I know I'd seen them before, likely at the Independence Airport with Erich. As we ate and chatted, these two older fellows swaggered out from the Chinese place, and over to the planes. They had flown in for their meal. How cool is that?? I want to do that. :) It was fun to see them and talk about what those mens' lives must be like. Two retired friends, who built a couple planes, flying around to different towns in Oregon to enjoy a conversation and some good Chinese food. I can dig that.
There are a few people in my life who I will never forget. Pat is one of them. She is (was) my downstairs neighbor at Barrington Place apartments in Hazel Dell (Vancouver). I spent five years living above her and inevitably, we became friends. She was the only neighbor I've ever had who actually said more to me than "Hi, nice to meet you".
Pat and I go take sunset pictures, and even though I don't live above her anymore (I'm in Beaverton now), I have no doubt that we'll still do so.
I posted this pic for a couple reasons…not only because it's a pic of Pat (don't hate me woman!) but because it shows my old living room. You can see my crazy color scheme – red sofa, blue chair, etc. I have yet to grow out of that bright primary color phase (maybe I won't, I'll just survive as a pop-art-decor type chic all my life, even when I'm 70!) Thought this would be a good reference for me in the future, when I finally block out all memory of that apartment. Hey, at least it was somewhat clean that day!
I've ALWAYS wanted to learn how to ski. Of course, I have a slight issue with having no control over where my feet go…hence, I avoid sports like water skiing, rollerskating, skateboarding, etc. I had a bad experience with ice skating in 7th grade, still have the scars to prove it! Don't ask me what happened, just know "I had a bad experience!" (movie reference, 10 points if you can tell me what movie that line is from).
Anyway, had been talking with my friend Skye about learning to ski. She has been snowboarding before, but never skiing, so it was decided that we'd just do it! We caught a bus from over by Mall 205, at the un-Godly hour of 6am, got a nice cushy (eventually chained up) ride to Meadows on Mt. Hood, where we were paraded through a somewhat short line at the ski rental shop. I got my boots and when I went to close them up, knew my day wasn't going to be without pain. My giant-ass calfs and really tight, non-flexible ski boots did not become best friends that day. But I made it through. That's a new experience though, walking in ski boots. You kinda start to feel like Frankenstein after awhile. The best part is though, that EVERYBODY is sporting the same very ungainly walk… so you don't feel too awkward.
We had an older instructor, about 10 people in our "class". I did not fall, though I made a few attempts. I was so nervous, I couldn't relax. But I smiled a lot! So much in fact, that our instructor Bob (about 65 and somewhat surly) started calling me "Smiley". "Hey Smiley, come this way", etc. Too funny. Just made me laugh more, which loosened me up enough to make it over to the tow line. We basically spent the rest of the day at the tow line. Everybody else made it to the lifts, but I wasn't really comfortable on the two sticks below me, and Skye didn't seem overly optimistic herself. So we spent our afternoon avoiding collisions with runaway 5 year olds and a bus load of Japanese snowboarders.
We had a good time. Vowed we'd do it again soon, but we never made it in the 2008 season. I hope we can go again this winter. I had a great time and it's something I could get into… once I get over the fear of losing control and hitting a tree!
One day while snapping pics of the sunset down by Erickson's Farms in Vancouver, this crazy orange cat walked up to Pat and I and started talking to us (purring). He seemed to not be from the immediate neighborhood, so while we waited for that "perfect sunset" pic, we made friends with him. I even let him hang out on the hood of the Jeep! I just love his coloring, especially in the sunset light. I've always like orange cats. Beautiful kitty. Hope to see him again on my next sunset trip to The Couv.
I had to blog this photo, because every time I see it in iphoto, it cracks me up! This is my nephew Tony, who is about to turn 15 in October, displaying his boyness. He's a crazy kid that one. Gee, I just can't wait until he starts to drive! Hands off the Jeep keys there sport! :) This just happened to be a day when I was down there at Mom's (same weekend as beach day, likely) and had the camera out. So of course the two clowns were mugging for me! And this is what I got. We later sat down together and created a "Tony on Drugs" pic with lots of eyes, etc in Photoshop. He thought that was too cool.
One day this past summer (2008) I drove down to visit my family, and needed to be at Newport for an appointment (yes, I was delusional about a creative manager job at the News-Times, but that's another story) and Linda called me to tell me to "stay there!" Her brother in law & assorted family were having a BBQ at the coast, just south of Newport and that I should tag along. So I did. We drove down the coast a few miles and wound up at a park I've forever passed, but never stopped at until that day. Mike and his wife and a whole herd of children were there. Needless to say, I was not long for that BBQ, but I stayed a few minutes. Witnessed my sister being bitten in the face by the meanest Chihuahua I've ever crossed paths with (it's all the kids, I'm sure). Saw my nephew Tony make a complete fool of himself – ah, but what else is a teenage boy to do when there are girls around? :) Didn't get a snap of that though, unfortunately. Was defending sister from the rabid Chi.
I watched them all get wet and splash around for awhile on this somewhat soggy Oregon Coast day, then the guilt of leaving Mom at home by herself (without so much as a note to her from me) got to me, so I headed back home. It was a welcome relief. I'm just not made to be around kids. Dogs, yes. Cats, sometimes. Horses, yes. But kids? No. Of course, there are some kids (Evan) who I don't seem to be bothered by. Attribute that to stellar child-rearing skills by his parents? Or just that Squishy will always be Squishy? Who knows.
Anyway, pics are of my niece Katie (she'll love me for this one) and my sister Linda (who will also love me for placing her pic on my blog! HAHA!).
Okay, so my friend Stacy invited me down to join her family in Florence last weekend. They "quad". In fact, they quad a lot. They have seven of these little bad boys. I have been talking with friends about quads for years now… saying "wouldn't it be cool…?" you know, to have one to go play on? Well, my born-in-the-country-but-never-had-a-quad butt was introduced to them and I absolutely LOVED it!!!
I have decided that my next big purchase in life will be a quad (or two). Stacy and Dairo were very kind to my quad-virgin self, and took me up the bunny slopes in the spectacular 2000+ acres of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (south of Florence). At first, I piggy backed on Stacy's 250, and once we went up & down one well-travelled hill, she got off and said "have fun!" It was awesome. At first I was a bit shy about it, but then I just let it go!
Having the coastal wind blow sand in your face is a wonderful way to stay young. :)
Yep, quads are definitely on my list. In fact, I'm heading over to Pro Caliber Motorsports in a few minutes… to drool over their bikes. woohoo!!
Spotted these while walking along the boardwalk near an Olympic Peninsula fishing town. It's a nice little Norwegian inspired town, not too far from larger towns, so you have all the comforts. Great coffee shops with free wi-fi and very pedestrian friendly.
This cool bit of driftwood at the end of the boardwalk park. If you see it from the right angle, it looks like dogs or horses morphing out of the driftwood. Hard to explain, but if you ever happen to see it in person, you'll know what I mean. I thought it was pretty cool myself. 
At the end of a long, very steep hike, I found this view of the Kitsap Peninsula, off Bainbridge Island. Along the way, I passed a beautiful horse being ridden by a local. It so made me want to go for a ride!! :) And when I got to the end (this beach) I walked along the barnacle covered rocks all the way to the left (the edge of this picture) and saw beautiful homes nestled into the trees. I ran into a woman and her dog, and talked politics, overpopulation and political correctness for about an hour, before I made the trek back to the top. After I regained my breath, I headed back to the perch for a yummy dinner and a nap. Now that's a vacation!!
While wandering the docks one day, I met none other than Andy Darby who owns a boat called the Grand Journey. He's a recent transplant from England, who is a live-aboard and will soon be on his way to Alaska via the Inside Passage. His parents are flying in this week, and he should shove off by week's end. Andy's got quite the life story so far… and I'm sure that the next time I see him, there'll be a few more chapters added to that never ending story. I can't wait. His accent is just the best! My favorite new English catchphrase is: "Shit me!", which basically translates to "Holy Shit!" After hearing that … that's about all I said for weeks.
Andy has been doing some updating to his recently purchased Grand Banks motor yacht… not the least of which was replacing his leather easy chair. The old one (after being replaced by a fancy & very comfortable new chair, was put on the dock, awaiting a new owner to come claim it from Craigslist. One evening, as I passed by, I was treated to some nice big band music, and Andy taking in the would-be sunset in his new dock chair!
Two slips over from Andy, is the Gypsy Rose, owned and being beautifully refurbished by Randall and Rosie. They're very cool people. They're from Eugene, Oregon. She's an accountant, he's a retired contractor who regularly fashions new tools to work on his sailboat. They had a tour of the boat this last time. They're planning a trip with their sailboat as soon as it's up and running. They have some exterior, and at last glance, a lot of interior work yet to be done. But it's coming along nicely. They're very detailed, that boat's going to look great!
And last but certainly not least… there is Kathy. She's the marina manager, who spends her days roaming the docks with her best pooch Barney (short for Barnacle of course). This last weekend, she had to chase away a crazy guy who was trying to live in his minivan in the parking lot. Originally from Montana, she ferries over during the week to take care of all her marina people. She literally is the real chatty-Kathy… I have spent hours talking to her and wandering the docks with her. Another reason that this marina is the best one I've ever seen. It's a big family, and Kathy is absolutely the den-mother. She keeps tabs on everybody, at all times. Glad those boat people have somebody like Kathy looking after them.
These images are of the sunset tonight in Vancouver, Washington. Our first sunny day in over a week… so I couldn't resist snapping a few frames.
This is my ride...resting happily under the carport. I didn't take pictures after the "big snow...These are all from early in the week before the last couple inches. You can still see the curb here...And this is before I had the second set of chains for the back tires. It's like driving a snowcat! :) My rig is extremely capable, and I love having it!
This is a shot standing behind the carport, looking out the apartment driveway. It was so pretty this night because it was between snows and the lights were so orange silhouetting the trees...had to snap a few pics!
Another shot from my driveway. Again, the silhouetted trees look cool. I was just playing around with the camera, taking a few snaps before I went in to get warm!
Oh, and before I forget...I finally got my snowflakes up INSIDE! :) This is how I've been spending my snow days...camping out on my sofa with the fire ablaze!
