Category: blahblah

Spent the latter part of the weekend with Manzanita with my mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and wife. Dog was there too. They were all week, and I got to join them halfway through for some fine sunshine, food, and company. Its really a marvelous place, and I can’t imagine any reason why I’m back here already. Michelle and I took some pictures, and some are good.

Of particular coolness is a cirrus cloud rainbow that sort of twisted itself down from the heavens and writhed a wonderful band of colors over the town. One can only hope for such intimate glimpses of the divine. In my climatology studies, nothing quite so amazing appeared. Even if I do find the cause for such a thing, which I image was a downwardly thrusted cirrus cloud, it won’t take away from the amazing beauty of it. Michelle and I were out walking when we saw it. Fortunately, cell phone technology allowed us to contact Kathy to draw her out to see it. We had to hike back to the internet cafe to coax her brother out to view it. Almost as quickly as it appeared, the wind blew it away, and as it stretched, colors fading, it disappeared. What a marvel.

Went to Oregon Brewers Festival yesterday, plan on more today. What a great event with lots of great food, people, and what else was there…oh yeah, Beer!

My parents boarded a boat for Holden Village, where they’ll be part of the staff for the next year. My dad is going to be the medic and my mom will run the bookstore. My dad retired from the Emergency Medicine business 2 weeks ago, and they’re going to use the time to decide what’s next. Best wishes, and we’ll try to write.

Oh… Almost forgot! Gustav’s is opening a pub/grill near Washington Square! This means a 10 minute drive for fondue & pilsner instead of a 45 minute drive. Naturally, my parents are going to be gone when it opens, but I imagine it’ll be around for a while.

For those not familiar with the Rhinelander or Gustav’s, they’re terrific german restaurants that have a wide selection of european type food, if you don’t just want the bratwurst. I heard they make good non-wurst foods as well. Also, its a great place to get a german lager, be it doppelbock, bock or pils, on tap.

I had a passing thought this morning. After 2 years of getting ~20mpg in the Yoda, the sudden jump to 25mpg with AC on and a full load was confusing. Remembering I had gotten an alignment the day before might account for the increase. Next tank might tell.

Today I worked with the Distance Learning department at their WebCT Bootcamp session. It was the first time I’ve communted to work. It took 20 minutes to get to the Central Portland Workforce Training Center, but the drive wasn’t bad. I knew better than to take I-5.

The house is back in disarray after we tore up the living room carpet, found carpenter ants, and removed the stone fireplace footing. Some day, things may be normal. Or something like it. I wonder if Alan is going to be settled first…..

Last night Michlle and I had dinner with some old family friends who’ve lived here for the last 8 years. They’re just celebrating 1 year in their new house over near the Laurelhurst theater. It was a gorgeous house, and we had a wonderful dinner out in the back. Our dogs played a bit, then chewed on bones, and chased cats.

Much later that night, Michelle bolted up and shook me awake because she thought she’d heard glass breaking. We cruised the house, looked around the yard, then went back to bed. I managed to get back to sleep quickly, though she kept bolting up at noises, which kept scaring me. Needless to say, I’m dragging ass this morning.

“Windmills, solar panels and renewable resources like wood-fired power plants should be Vermont’s first choice to meet the state’s electric needs for the next decade.” – Gov. Howard Dean

Wood fired power plants? Wtf? You couldn’t grow wood quickly enough to heat homes in Vermont. And Vermont’s trying to sue for protection under the Clean Air Act. Wood burns dirty and is of low energy production quality, yo.

Michelle and I just got back from spending our day with my parents, a bunch of bluegrass fans, and a few bluegrass legends. Seeing Vassar Clements play, along with the rest of Old and In the Gray was probably the highlight of the day for me. Those old dogs have played with almost everyone who’s anyone, and played almost anything that can be played. Along with a number of their own songs, they also did great covers of Honky Tonk Woman and Pancho & Lefty.

My dad and I stood against the rail to watch Jerry Douglas and his band. They were all phenomenal, but didn’t seem to get the attention of the crowd. It was probably because he’s more of a virtuoso than a jam musician, so it was harder to freak dance to his tunes. Jerry’s The Wild Rumpus, his own answer to Where the Wild Things Are was as much fun the the book itself.

After Jerry, we joined my parents for dinner at their camper. We had beer, chatted, watched people play frisbee in the field, and jerked to attention when the grass below the grill caught fire. Drinking water was enough to put it out. Dinner was great.

Michelle and I just got back from Hastings, Nebraska. We went back for my cousin’s wedding and a subsequent family reunion. It was Michelle’s first trip to the midwest, and she survived the deluge of names of family members.

We also got a free pair of roundtrip tickets to anywhere in the lower 48 for being overbooked. We also got a free night in Denver, Colorado along with free dinner and free breakfast. It was a good deal if you ask me.

My sister took photos at the wedding – her first gig as a photographer. She’s not so hot on the idea of being an event photographer, but how do you say no to relatives?

Michelle also got to see her first “real” thunderstorm. It was great. One bolt of lightning nearly seared my retinas, and my eyes were closed!