Evergreen - eternal verdure

Tri-County Ridge Snowshoe

2012-02-19T09:57:00.000-08:00

I left out early Saturday with my friend Justin to return to the spot Maree and I snowshoed at the previous weekend. The conditions were much different this time, having snowed overnight and continuing to snow throughout the day while he and I made our way to the top of Tri-County Ridge. When we arrived at the sno-park there was about 6-8" of snow on top of the icy crust that Maree and I hiked on. Justin and I had to break trail as we were the first snowshoers out that day (there were already some cross-country skiers ahead of us). After a few minutes on the trail I decided to attach my 5" flotation tails and was glad I had them as the powdery snow compressed 4-5" with each step. They made the going much easier.

After 0.4 miles we left the trail and headed up the ridge line. The new snow was deeper here, and we both engaged our ascent bars (a huge help!) for the climb. After several steep ascents through beautiful expanses of untouched snow, we arrived at the ridge line and were greeted with wind gusts carrying tiny ice pellets. It was like being sand blasted! We found shelter behind a tree and planned our next move.

Justin wanted to dig out a snow cave, so he descended the lee side of the ridge about thirty feet and used the heel-end of his snowshoe as a shovel (note to self: buy packable snow shovel!). I joined in and we made quick work of the excavation, cutting blocks with his pruning saw and using them to build a windbreak around the pit. Once deep enough to sit in we started digging into the hill to make an overhang and recessed area to set up my camping stove. Mac n' cheese with chili beans followed as well as a round of tea. The stove doubled as a welcome hand warmer in between heating our food and beverages. With a warm belly and a sense of accomplishment, we packed up and headed for home. As we headed back up to the ridge line, we noticed our inbound tracks were completely filled with snow, so another 6-8" fell while we were out there.

Tri-County Snowshoe

New Shoes!

2012-02-07T15:38:00.000-08:00

After going out on three snowshoe trips with my Yukon Charlie's Trail Series 930 snowshoes (above), I had a list of complaints about their performance/comfort. Also deciding that I really liked the sport, I decided to do the research and invest in some gear that would satisfy all my needs and be long lasting.

My main gripes were:

1. Snow would get compacted under the 4-sided crampon under the ball of my foot, causing the traction to be lost and I would then get the sensation of stepping on a rock underfoot. And instead of just the crampon teeth piercing the snow surface, I would have to punch this 'rock' through it making it harder to step. This was uncomfortable and inefficient.

2. On traverses (going across a slope, not up it) I noticed that there was little traction keeping me from sliding sideways and down the hill. Not fun!

3. I probably got a pair that was too long for my needs (the 930 stands for 9"Wx30"L) Oftentimes on traverses the packed trail would be narrower than the width of my shoes side-by-side, so I would have to go one foot in front of the other. This caused me to step on the front of my trailing snowshoe a lot since I had to take such a long step to get in front of the other shoe.

My solution?

MSR Lightning Axis 8x22 plus Removable floatation tails

The 8x22s hold up to 180lbs, and with the tails hold 250lbs, plenty for me and a full pack. I can keep the tails in my pack and if the snow gets deep I can just pop them on for added floatation! I'll be less likely to step on my other shoe since these are 8" shorter than my current pair, and also marginally narrower making it easier to walk side-by-side. The 360-degree edge crampon will keep me stable on the traverses and there shouldn't be any snow build-up under the ball of the foot with this design. Lastly the 'Televator', the little 'U' shaped bar behind the binding, flips up so your boot rests on it, providing calf releif on steep ascents (your foot is more level when you take a step instead of tilted back at the angle of the incline).

Plus, they are made in the Pacific Northwest and were 25% off at REI! :)

I've heard great things about these shoes and am excited to get out there on them and see what they can do!

Tom, Dick and Harry Snowshoe

2012-01-28T20:46:00.000-08:00

8.4 miles round trip. Max elev. 4930'. Breathtaking views! :)

Tom, Dick and Harry Snowshoe

Hike Details

Silver Creek Falls 12.11.2010

2010-12-11T16:31:00.000-08:00

Click Me!

30-mile ride

2010-09-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

Left home around 2pm, first stop at Columbia River for a couple hours to watch the world go by, made my way over to Smith Lake for sunset, over to Kenton for a sammy and a brew, then into the downtown zone to catch the MAX (purple) back to the I-205 bike path which I pedaled home on (red). What a day! I <3 Oregon

Bastille Day 2010

2010-07-20T20:15:00.001-07:00

We had the greatest day out Saturday! The weather was perfect, high 70s and sun plus a light wind. We ate, drank, danced and listened to local bands play including our freinds' bands ioa and Alan Singley and Pants Machine. Then it was off to a house party for basement hip-hop acts w/ our friends Longwood Soul Review, plus a couple other great acts. Yay for summer! Portlanders are out in full force right now, including us! :)

Bastille Day 2010

Office Remodel

2010-06-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

Yay!!

Silver Star w/ Sean

2010-06-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

Click ----->

Skies over Lents

2010-03-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

Guy finds a minute to slow it down, take some photos, and share 'em. Hope you enjoy.

Mt Hood from my roof!

Tom McCall Point Hike

2009-05-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

Michael is in town for a week, and he couldn't have picked a better weekend to come to Portland. The weather is spectacular, and I planned a hike for us that would be easy to get to, not too long, and reward us with spectacular views of the Columbia Gorge, Mt Adams, and Mt Hood, plus thousands of native wildflowers! So we hopped in the car and drove east on I-84 to Tom McCall Preserve for a three-mile round trip hike up to Tom McCall Point and back. The wildflowers were nearing their peak, and the flowers and views were incredible. Enjoy!

Tom McCall Point Hike

Before and After

2009-02-27T23:03:00.000-08:00

We move in tomorrow!

M. Ward - "Hold Time"

2009-02-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

Once local singer-songwriter Matt Ward's new album Hold Time is out tomorrow, and here is the video for the title-track featuring Portland's own aerial tram that connects the South Waterfront development district to OHSU. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T16:06:00.000-08:00

photo by Jason Quigley
My favorite local band Point Juncture, WA got to perform a live set on OPB in front of a studio audience. A handful of songs and some witty interview banter to enjoy. They also were recently signed to a record label out of Seattle and will be getting their first nationwide release of their new album "Heart to Elk" this February. Huzzah!

Buried Alive

2008-12-22T08:58:00.000-08:00

Still coming down! Now it's icy...

2008-12-21T12:48:00.000-08:00

Snow for a whole week!

2008-12-20T09:19:00.000-08:00

Kourtesy of Kat <3<3<3

2008-12-13T21:12:00.000-08:00

Hoarder of the Chestnut

2008-12-13T21:08:00.000-08:00

down yonder on the Chattahooche.... :)

2008-12-13T21:03:00.000-08:00

Piedmont des Sud

2008-12-13T20:46:00.000-08:00

Silver Star Mtn. - Washington

2008-11-15T19:37:00.001-08:00

I was really excited to do this hike, as it is one of the closest peaks to Portland, and is unique that for the vast majority of the hike you are on exposed ridgelines with amazing views all the way to the top. The hike starts at 3000' and climbs steadily along an old fire road to the peak at 4400'. There we ate our lunch and enjoyed a 360-degree view that included the Columbia River Gorge, Portland and its eastern suburbs, Mt St Helens, Mt Rainier, Mt Adams, the peaks of the Goat Rocks Wilderness, Mt Hood, Mt Jefferson, Saddle Mountain in the Coast Range, and over 100 miles away, the northernmost peak of the Three Sisters volcanoes. In the early summer there is supposed to be an amazing wildflower display, so we are definitely coming back. Unfortunately, I left my batteries in the car, so no mega-photos, just cameraphone pics. It was unfreakin'believable up there, and warm!

Sioux Arrow - Point Juncture Wa

2008-11-10T21:54:00.000-08:00

Super8 greatness from a local filmmaker. Shot locally around Portland, Oregon. Live clips from The Artistery's 7th Anniversary party on October 3, 2008. I was there in the front row, but it was pretty dark in there so you can't see me rockin' out.

Election 2008, yo.

2008-11-04T19:05:00.000-08:00

The City by the Bay

2008-09-22T21:39:00.000-07:00

Rose gardens at Golden Gate Park.

Sunset over El Cerrito, the bay, and the bridge.

Oakland airport rules!!

Yuma!

2008-09-22T21:27:00.001-07:00

Salton Sea smells bad!!

My Aunt Scottie, Michael, and Bud at their home in Yuma.

Bud took us out to the shooting range

Michael scores a direct hit!

San Jacinto SP

2008-09-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

Big Bear Lake

2008-09-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

On the way up, and up, from San Bernadino.

The Prius was sweet, the best rental car by far.

Biggest sack of marijuana evar! Los Federales found a grow-op in the canyon.

Proud Bird Restaurant @ LAX

2008-09-22T20:58:00.000-07:00

Hollywood Bowl

2008-08-11T01:00:00.000-07:00

Michael took me out to the Hollywood Bowl to see Les Miserable in concert. It was a really pleasant evening of music and performance. One unique aspect of the bowl was that they allow you to bring in food and alcohol, so many people were full-on picnicking before the show. Got to love that monster zoom!

"Master of the House"

"One Day More"

Intermission

Bros

"Wedding Chorale"

Taking a bow

Giving thanks to the L.A. Philharmonic

The glory of Gloria's

2008-08-11T00:46:00.000-07:00

Yelp.com is the bomb. Seriously. We tracked this spot down on Venice Blvd, just east of the 405. It's a Salvadoran restaurant, one of their specialties being the pupusa, a pan-fried piece of flatbread stuffed with your choice of cheese and herbs, pork, or beans and cheese. They were served with Spanish rice, refried black beans, and a side of shredded cabbage that's vinegary and spicy. Throw in some homemade chips and salsa that was bright and super fresh, a cerveza in an ice cold mug, and you've got one killer lunch!

What's with the three Jesus's with resting their feet on cherub heads???

Getty Center

2008-08-11T00:15:00.001-07:00

It was a mighty fine day at the Getty Center, though I didn't spend much time in the exhibits, as they were quite overrun. The grounds on the other hand were spacious enough to give one moments of solace and a variety of views. There was a live band that played several sets for the kids, a nice lawn to lay out on, a garden of desert plants, waterfalls, fountains, monks, you name it, all under the big blue dome of the sky.

Downtown...hey, their tallest building is a US Bank tower too!

The Getty Center from I-405

Visitors take an automated tram up

Lots o' traffic in these parts

West Hollywood

Huntington Beach

2008-08-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

The Buena Park plant shipped out two-thirds of its inventory the week prior to the conversion, so there wasn't nearly as much inventory to re-tag. As a result, a 16-hour day turned into an eight hour day, and Abbas, Cassanda, Sam, Michael and I piled into Abbas' Escape and headed down to Huntington Beach. It was huge!!!

Michael and Abbas

PDX -> LAX

2008-08-09T11:07:00.001-07:00

A Laurelwood Organic Free-Range Red before my flight. I love my airport!!!

My plane taxiing in. It's tiny!

Mt Talbert Nature Park

2008-08-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

Mt Talbert is the latest jewel in the crown of Portland's park system. Officialy in Clackamas, minutes southeast of Portland, it is maintained bt the Metro organization. It is the largest undeveloped butte in northern Clackams County, and is home to deer, coyotes, raccoons, Western gray squirrel, rubber boa, pileated and hairy woodpeckers, white-breasted nuthatch, Western tanager and other species.

I knew that I'd be in the belly of the beast (L.A.) soon, so I hopped on my bike for a 20-mile round trip ride to immerse myself in nature one last time. I only saw one other person while I was there, so I have the feeling that it is an underutilized park during the week. Sweet!

Upon arriving at the Sunnyside trailhead, at SE 117th Ave and SE Sunnyside Rd, you are greeted with a place to lock up your bike, a warning about bringing invasive species into the park with your shoes with matching bootscrubber, and a garbage can with heavy lid. A crushed gravel trail leads into the woods, over Mt Scott creek via a nice looking metal bridge.

The gravel trail soon gives way to a narrow dirt path that winds through ferns and firs, up through a revitalized oak savanna, rare in these parts, to a clearing at the summit where I took a rest and had some food. The hike was very peacful with sightings and sounds of birds and chipmunks along the way.

The ride back was a bit wearing, as I unknowingly had a brisk tailwind on the way to the park, resulting in a stiff headwind for the journey back. I decided to take a slightly differnt route on the return to avoid riding across the lower west flank of Mt Scott, where you gain altitude only to lose it later. I figured that would just wear me out faster, and with the headwind, would have been downright miserable. What took 45 minutes on the way out took a little over an hour on the way back, and I was so glad to top the last hill and coast the last few blocks home. Phew!

I spotted a hawk from the bike path watching the cars go by on I-205

Road Rager vs. Cyclist

2008-07-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

This is totally insane! And it went down only blocks away from my house.

Google's Street View sure comes in handy. I do believe that is the culprits vehicle next to the UPS truck. He was arrested and arraigned on multiple charges.

Weird Tape is in!

2008-07-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

Click Here

2008-06-28T00:41:00.000-07:00

[Insert string of expletives here]

2008-06-12T14:44:00.000-07:00

Soooooo...the landscapers showed up today, and I'd been thinking to myself of how I would need to protect the flower stalk from my Lamb's Ears that was growing at an awkward angle out over the lawn. So I saw them roll up in their truck, and immediately went out and placed one of our recycle bins in front of the stalk, shielding it from the weed eaters and mowers soon to come. I had little faith in the workers that come to cut the grass, so I set up my video camera to see how they would respond to my flower protection setup. Would they go around it? Would they remove the container and see what it was protecting and GO AROUND IT?

NO, THEY FUCKING REMOVED THE BIN AND PROCEEDED TO RUN THE PLANT OVER!

I went out and complained to the crew leader and got the "Oh, I'm so sorry about that" BS. So I got the number of the company and let them have it, then I called my property management company and filed a complaint with them. This is not the first time that something like this has happened, where the careful tending of my garden is so viciously and carelessly destroyed by mindless idiots daydreaming about who knows what. I'm fucking pissed! I wish they'd just buy me a mower and weed eater and I'd do it myself!

Takeoffs...

2008-05-06T22:52:00.000-07:00

Record Store Day!

2008-04-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

Did you remember to celebrate Record Store Day? Here's my haul of swag and purchases.

Gorge trip with me folks

2008-04-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

The weather Friday was absolutely delightful, I believe the warmest or second warmest day so far this year, so in celebration of said weather and the occasion of my parents visit, I up and took Friday off to take a day trip into the Columbia Gorge.

It was very hazy that day for some reason, possibly winds coming in from the high desert, so I was a little disappointed with the visibility of far-off features. The scale of the gorge is difficult to grasp in photos, but on the Oregon side, where all the pictures were taken, the walls of the gorge rise over a thousand feet into the air. The river itself is a mile or more wide. My dad commented that the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta looked like a creek in comparison and while true the Columbia has a much larger drainage basin. In the first photo the farthest layer of mountains is 20 miles away.

We stopped at the Portland Women's Forum overlook, Crown Point, Latourell and Multnomah Falls, and ended in Hood River at the Full Sail Brewery for lunch and some tasty beers. I had a BBQ pork sandwich and their Imperial Porter, which drank like a meal, mmmmmm!

Glutton for punishment

2008-04-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

Today was a sparkling blue sky day in Portland, an April Fools on us that the weather might get nice. Oh no, just for today and tomorrow, then back to the usual. Knowing the temporary nature of the weather, I convinced Ryan to take the trip up to Mt Scott, this time on a longer, but less steep route. We still ended up walking our bikes a bit, though less than on my previous ascent, and not on as steep of hills, thank goodness. It was a little hazier than before, but we had much better views of the surrounding mountains. The ride down was a blast. We followed my route from Saturday, descending on steep, traffic-free streets, reaching speeds of +30mph and cooking our brakes coming to a stop at 92nd Avenue. And yes, we both wore our helmets.

Coming in for a landing with Mt St Helens.

Mt Hood and the Boring volcanos.

The Georgia-Pacific plant in Camas, Wa. I think they make TP.

Same plane as above, it reappears @ 1:50 from behind Rocky Butte.

Pump it up! Pump it up!

2008-03-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Maree and I went to REI to cash in on a member coupon and use our dividends to grab some gear for this summer's adventures. The piece d'resistance was a Coleman camp stove like the one my Uncle Jeff owns. I was impressed with the fact that his stove was refillable, unlike most where you discard or attempt to recycle spent butane/propane fuel canisters. With this stove the fuel is a liquid and you have two choices, regular camp fuel or unleaded gasoline. You simply refill the tank, use the pump to pressurize it, light and cook.

Mt Scott Bike Ride

2008-03-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

My quest to look out over this fair city from every hilltop is nearly complete. Today I set out to conquer Mt Scott, the 1050ft beast looming over Clackamas and Happy Valley(what a name!). It's an eight mile ride out, the first 6.5 miles is pretty flat with the first serious climb a half mile before turning left on Johnson Creek Rd, which takes you up the mountain. Johnson Creek is no joke, a 14% grade that quickly had me giving it my all in the shortest gear I had. I searched online and a 14% grade means you gain/lose 14ft in elevation per 100ft of road traveled. After about 150 yards I was losing steam, and I ended up walking my bike up most of the way, riding when I could. A 730ft gain in 1.2 miles...Sheesh! I've got to find a gentler approach next time. The view at the top was amazing, I found a home site that was under construction at the very front of the west face and strolled on in to catch my breath and take some photos. I got cold pretty quick, as I had sweat through the two layers under my windbreaker. The ride down was awfully quick compared to the arduous climb up, but it was fun while it lasted!

The route

Rocky Butte and I-205 Stark/Glisan

Steel, Broadway, Fremont, railroad, St. John's bridges.

The view from the top!

2008-03-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

My pals Point Juncture graced us with their presence Thursday night at Mississippi Studios. They've got a new album due out soon, and they played some tracks from the LP, along with some new songs I hadn't heard. Sadly, I didn't record my favorite song of the night, which involves a ukulele of all things. Here are the eight songs that I did manage to capture.

"I love technology..."

2008-03-06T23:03:00.000-08:00

A gathering of videos from different local bands. Lots of Portland scenery.

Spring is coming!

2008-02-28T03:04:00.000-08:00

My Edgeworthia awakens from a winter's nap.

It's good to be back!

2008-02-19T08:47:00.000-08:00

Nearly a week since returning to the northwest, it's as if I never left, except for this feeling of renewal and rekindled love for my surroundings that shines like the Atlanta sun. It also seems that I brought some of that sun back with me, as the weather has improved and we've seen a couple bright, sunny days since I've returned. I've been doing my best to share this inner-light with Maree, making more of an effort to seize the day and be more active.

I've been making up for my vehicular habits in Atlanta by walking to the grocery store daily and going for afternoon walks with Maree to Laurelhurst or Mt Tabor park. We've probably walked 7 miles in the past week, plus a nice Saturday afternoon bike ride through SE Portland.

Sunday looked to be the best weather this year, so I got Maree up early and we headed out to the coast for a day hike. Sunny days on the coast are few and far between, and there were plenty of people out taking advantage, whether it be hiking trails, riding ATVs in the sand dunes (boo for being so loud!), beachcombing, cycling, or fishing the streams in the coast range.

Our hike for the day was the Cape Trail in Cape Lookout State Park, about 15 miles south of Tilamook. The trail was about 2.5 miles each way over a thin strip of land that jutted several miles out into the ocean. The trail starts at about 800 feet and ends at ~450ft, winding it's way through mature Sitka Spruce forest and hugging cliffs with sheer 600ft drops over blue-green waters. A few clicks into the trail, we took a side trail and found a great spot to bask in the sun with a breathtaking view of the coast to the south. The end of the trail, at the very tip of the landmass, is a very popular spot to watch for whales. There are some resident whales that can be seen year round, and then in January and March the whales that migrate along the west coast can be seen spouting and slapping fins. No whales that day, so we found a place to sit on the rocks and have a snack and take it all in.

Maree soaking up some much needed sun

It's 600ft straight down!!!

Mmm..barbecue

2008-02-19T08:36:00.000-08:00

While Michael and I were out by the airport taking his recycling to a dropoff center (his condo building doesn't recycle anything) we made a stop for lunch. The choice was simple, when you see a place called "Barbecue Kitchen," and it looks like it's been there for 30 years, you pull on in. Even easier was the choice of meal, standing proudly at the top of the menu was their barbecue pork platter. Paired with a tall glass of ultra-sweetened iced tea, I was in heaven.

Cohutta Wilderness Camping

2008-02-11T11:27:00.001-08:00

It was the last weekend of my trip, and I still hadn't gone camping with my Uncle Jeff. The forecast for the weekend started out too cold, but by Thursday had been revised to a level we could tolerate. We set off to my uncle's favorite hiking/camping area in north Georgia, the Cohutta Wildernss. The Cohutta, as it's called, is one of the only places in Georgia not to be settled and used as farmland, though logging was performed in the early twentieth century. It's as remote as you can get in Georgia, where hawks patrol the skies, and bobcat, cougar, and bear still roam free.

Our destination for the hike was Panther Creek Falls, a multi-tiered falls that drops several hundred feet over boulders and past mature Eastern Hemlocks. Our hike began on Hickory Creek trail, which descended about a 1000ft to the Conasauga River Trail, a leisurely, relatively flat hike. This trail brought us to the Panther Creek Trail, where we had to cross the bone-chilling Conasauga River barefoot. Along Panther Creek we made six crossings of the 12-15 foot wide creek, each a study in rock hopping, bushwhacking, balance, and teamwork. Our reward for not falling in a getting soaked was a strenuous .25 mile boulder field ascent, gaining 500 of the trail's 1000ft elevation gain to the falls in a heart-pounding, test-of-will, one-foot-after-the-other climb. At the top, we caught our breath and took in the view to the west until the wind put a chill in us, and we made for camp.

A warm meal, sunset at the falls, a great fire, a couple of beers and good company wrapped up an incident-free day of hiking, along with a few grumbles about soreness, the oncoming cold and the boulder field descent/nine water crossings awaiting us the next day. We woke to near-freezing temps, got the camp stove going and made some coffee, scarfed down some muffins and broke down our campsite. The hike back was more enjoyable, since we knew what to expect and had more time to make the trek. We took a little extra time to film some of the crossings for your viewing pleasure. All in all, a very enjoyable and challenging trip. Having nearly forty pounds on my back for six miles each way was a new experience, and the boulder climb section really kicked my ass, but it was good to know I can hack it. Somehow, this was the first time I had ever hiked and camped, all other adventures had either been day hikes or car camping up to this point. Huh.

Ready to go?

This is what a Rhododenron in the wild looks like!

Crossing 1 of 9...Hmm, how to stay dry...?

Problem solved! :P

Conasauga stillness...

The steep ascent to the falls (not my photo)

At the top of Panther Creek Falls

And happy to have made it!!

Nice fire pit, plenty of wood...

Menomena: Evil Bee

2008-02-05T06:21:00.000-08:00

A great video from one of my favorite Portland bands. Watch for Mt Hood near the end : )

Let's go to the suburbs!

2008-01-27T17:17:00.000-08:00

I lugged my cam along on a trip to visit my parents' house. I took them to a Trader Joe's and introduced them to the phenomenon that it is. They took me to the Cheesecake Factory at the mall! Tres chic!

The I-75/I-85 "Connector," all 15 lanes of it. All the traffic on the left was going to the NHL All-Star game. Glad we weren't stuck in that ish.

M-M-M-M-Mega Church for those with MegaBucks. Humble, much?

We've got lots of these five lane 45mph roads to get you from Home Depot to Wal-Mart.

Here's some nice mixed-use stuff that's been going up all around town. I approve! :)

Little houses on the hillside, little houses made of ticky-tacky, little houses on the hillside, little houses all the same...

If my folks weren't flying the Stars and Stripes, I wouldn't know which house to pull into, lol.

I rescued this Japanese Maple from certain death when I was a landscaper back in the day in Athens. It was only a foot tall at the time, look at it now!

Suburban McMansion jokes aside, they have a killer backyard with lots of songbirds, squirrels, bunnies, feral cats, and the occasional coyote.

Surprise! Mom returns from shopping.

Snow Day!

2008-01-20T13:05:00.001-08:00

It rarely snows in Atlanta, and when it does, it's usually more ice than snow, and chaos promptly ensues. Yesterday was the exact opposite, and we had a great time strolling around downtown.

Ghetto Burger to my dome!!!

2008-01-17T16:32:00.000-08:00

Today, Michael and I tried out a little Atlanta gem called Ann's Snack Bar. Owned and operated by Ann for the past 35 years, Ann serves up what the Wall Street Journal has dubbed, "The Best Burger in America." Ann's Snack Bar is located in a still rough part of town, in a tiny, rickety building that only seats eight people at a time, due to fire code restrictions. There is no waiting area inside, and we were forced to wait outside in the cold for 50 minutes before being allowed in. The Snack Bar is "Home of the Ghetto Burger," an ungodly, unimaginably large and artery clogging monster of a sandwich. Two enormous hand-formed, 1/2lb patties, grilled on the flat top with rough cut onions, chili, deep-fried bacon, Kraft singles, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. I managed to eat 3/4s of mine, while Michael polished off the entire meal. We split some chili cheese fries and each had two cans of coke each to wash it all down. Needless to say, I didn't eat another meal that day...

Smyrna's own American Gladiator

2008-01-14T19:11:00.001-08:00

My classmate Andy Konigsmark just totally kicked butt on American Gladiators, scoring the fastest time of the season in the final challenge, the Eliminator! Go Andy!!!

Y'all People Had Enough? Gimme some mo'

2008-01-11T11:34:00.000-08:00

I took a short walk around the general vicinity of my brother's condo today, mainly because for the past few days there has been a busker down on Grant Street belting out old R&B tunes that would magically float up to me on the ninth floor, through the painted-shut windows, and tickle my ears. I decided today that I would go in search of these sweet sounds. I found him directly across the street from the building, it's no wonder I could hear him.

I snapped a few picture of the skyscrapers downtown. For a complete list click here. For my Portland peeps, the tallest one we've got is the Wells Fargo center at 166.4m.

Dwarfed

Georgia-Pacific Headquarters

191 Peachtree Tower

Westin Peachtree Plaza - Once the tallest hotel in the world.

The dome in the atrium at my brother's condo building.

Gypsies in Atlanta ?!?

2008-01-08T20:50:00.001-08:00

Atlanta Trip First Pics

2008-01-08T18:52:00.001-08:00

I watch the patchwork farms...

Contemplating the distances involved

Pac NW's winter blanket

Sunset coming up through the clouds, amazing!

Nighttime skyline from Michael's condo.

Sunrise Monday

Daytime view

100-year old window psychedelia

A Sweetwater 420 with a view. Georgia-Pacific HQ is the tower to the right of center. My Aunt Kathy works at a rotating restaurant ala the Seattle Space Needle at the top of the building in the center. My brother's condo building is on the right. Find the pole with the street sign on it. His building is the white one in the far background that the pole bisects.

So this was Christmas

2008-01-08T18:48:00.001-08:00

Better late than never. Christmas 2007.

She's a beaut, eh? I mean my sweet Maree of course, but oh, that ham was tasty!

Yay snow!!!

Puff, Puff, I Give!

2007-12-28T23:42:00.000-08:00

It's been one year to the date since I quit smoking! I'm somewhat amazed and happy to report that I haven't had one cigarette since and I firmly believe that it will stay that way. Here's to a New Year's resolution that actually stuck! : )

OMG!!!

2007-12-25T10:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from Portland, Oregon!!

2007-12-24T16:29:00.001-08:00

While digging for a photo to post, I ran across this killer website, rootsweb.com, that has tons of well organized historical information about Portland and Multnomah County. The pictures section has photos of old buildings, schools, bridges, etc., plus old postcards!

Apparently there's one for every state and county! Here's Fulton County, Georgia.

Congdon Connection

2007-12-18T23:17:00.001-08:00

My friend Chris Congdon of the infamous Red Rubber Band.

They're heeeeere....!

2007-12-17T15:56:00.000-08:00

After two months of waiting, anticipating, my Radiohead In Rainbows box sets arrived on my doorstep. Hooray! I delicately unpackaged them and inspected them for damage, none! These were shipped from the UK to the US via their respective postal servies, so I was a bit worried, whew! So why two? I decided to make an investment in a second box set, seeing that they only planned to produce as many copies as were ordered, then cease production, making them instantly out-of-print. Hopefully ten years from now it'll sell for enough to pay for them both, and maybe a plane ticket to somewhere warm, yarr!

The outer sleeve that holds the gatefold 2xLP 2xCD

A view of the spine, nothing too wild here...

The gatefold section removed from the sleeve

Gatefold open with artwork book on left, attached lyrics booklet on right

Oooooh... trippy! Six or seven of these...

The pièce de résistance...45 RPM again like Hail to the Theif

Congratulations!!!

2007-12-16T22:03:00.000-08:00

My bro earned his MBA after four and a half years!!! Yayyyyy!!!!

Antarctica Time Lapse

2007-12-12T09:16:00.000-08:00

Stunningly gorgeous footage!

2007-10-31T16:29:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my Uncle Jeff for emailing me this half-hour look at what we Portlanders either toot our horn about, or keep as a coveted secret. This city kicks ass!

SE Oregon Movies

2007-10-31T16:15:00.000-07:00

Stopping for pics & video on the way to Alvord Hot Springs

Alvord Hot Springs

Alvord Desert Overlook

Driving on la playa

Drive by!

Owyhee Reservoir at end of Leslie Gulch

E voila!

2007-10-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

It was time. After several months of getting increasingly frustrated with my long locks, I decided that they were long enough and made an appointment at Rudy's on Division to get them lopped off. My stylist, Ryann for those of you in need of an inexpensive, awesome haircut, was very knowledgeable and skilled, and made me feel at ease with the radical change about to befall my crown. They took care of the Locks of Love paperwork and are sending the 12" ponytail on my behalf. It feels so good to have been able to make a contribution to a child in need, and also to have that heavy-ass ponytail gone!

Before

During

After!

Southeast Oregon Round Up

2007-10-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

Michael and I returned today around 2pm from our 1200-mile journey through a part of Oregon that had long been the last frontier in my Northwest travels. I have known of this area since nearly day one in Oregon. I purchased the DeLorme Oregon Atlas and Gazetteer soon after moving here, and studied its pages with the fervor of any dedicated scholar. Of particular note was the "Unique Natural Features" section, listing, well, the largest, deepest, weirdest, and otherwise amazing geological features of the state. I would often flip to the pages that covered southeastern Oregon, an area on such a scale that they had to change the scale to accommodate its massive structures and vast, empty spaces.

Tuesday was mostly getting out to Burns, Oregon where we had our base camp (a motel with DSL so we could both work). Gotta love the portable job! On the way down we passed through the Crooked River Outstanding Natural Area (for the purposes of this discourse, ONA). Driving south from Prineville, we found ourselves in a narrow canyon hemmed with vertical walls of basalt several hundred feet tall. As the name suggests it was a crooked river, and it carved out a magnificent landscape.

The next stop was Glass Butte, visited for thousands of years by native tribes to collect obsidian, which was littered all over the ground from a volcanic explosion. The arrowheads made from the stone were traded for hundreds of miles in all directions. The rumors were true, and a few miles in on a primitive dirt road we found an incredible amount of it scattered about. I selected three or four handfuls of interesting specimens to bring home.

Wednesday morning brought biting cold and angry skies. It rained on and off throughout the morning, carried by brisk 30mph gusts. Determined to get the most out of our trip, we forged on with the hope the forecasters were right and the weather would clear by afternoon. We first visited Peter French's round barn. The only one of three still standing, it was used to break horses indoors during the inhospitable winters that settled in the area. The circular structure allowed a continuous path for the horses to run in, and the trees used to build its radiating rafters were cut over 150 miles away in the Blue Mountains near La Grande.

Our next step was Diamond Craters ONA. This area contained to separate crater complexes, from volcanic events spanning over tens of thousands of years. Of key interest was Malheur Maar. A Maar is a crater leftover from a volcanic explosion where no magma rose to the surface. Only steam and hot gas were involved in the explosion. The steam came from a spring in the area, and the spring continued to well up and came to fill the crater to form a small pond. What is significant about this Maar is that plants in the surrounding desert could get a foothold here with a constant water source, and did so for thousands of years, leaving organic debris and pollen in the sediments, which piled atop one another year after year. Climate scientists are able to take core samples and observe what kinds of plants were present in each layer. This gives a snapshot of what the surrounding desert ecosystem was comprised of, and consequently this Maar is the most significant desert lake in all of North America when it comes to studying the history of the inter-mountain desert eco-system.

From there it was off to Steens Mountain. We had plans to drive to the 9700ft summit, which is accessed from the west on a 40 mile long, gently sloping dirt road. Upon reaching the summit, there is nothing gently sloping about it, a 5,000 foot drop in 2 miles to the floor of the Alvord Desert below. This road is the highest road in Oregon, and possibly the highest east of the Rockies, and the vista at the top is immense. Unfortunately the road was closed by the BLM a week before due to early snow. It's usually open until the end of October. Oh well, a reason to go back! :) The Alvord desert is the remnants of a desert lake that extended south into Nevada, but has since dried up. What remains is a perfectly flat, 5x15 mile lake bed that can be driven on in a car or in a three-wheeled glider-mobile, king of like windsurf connected to a kayak on wheels. People also bring gliders to catch the thermals coming off the desert in the summertime.

Twenty miles into our drive below the towering ridgeline the weather began to ease, going from tumultuous wind and rain to dynamic clouds punctuated by clear blue sky. And not a moment to soon, as we pulled up to Alvord Hot Springs. Situated at the edge of the playa, the primitive structure featured a wooden frame with corrugated aluminum shielding you on (only) two sides, from the wind whipping off the mountain. Two tubs, a narrow dressing room, and an exterior bench was all there was. I donned my bathing suit and quickly got in the water, which was warm, but not as warm as I would of liked. It was enjoyable nonetheless. I mean how often can you take a dip in hot springs next to a desert in one of the most desolate parts of the country?

After quickly drying off (brrr!), we headed into the hills above the springs to eat lunch. After gaining 1500-2000 feet, we parked and took some photos, making sure not to get blown off the mountain in the process (It was REALLY windy up there!). At the southern end of the mountain we stopped in Fields, Oregon, population 69, to get gas for our return trip.

With the summit drive closed, we altered our planes, and headed east to visit the Pillars of Rome formation and on to Leslie Gulch. The Pillars of Rome are grey cliffs rising out of the sagebrush that have been eroded such that they appear like columns. To get there we turned off of Highway 97, also named the ION Highway (Idaho-Oregon-Nevada), onto the Old ION Highway, which consisted of nothing more than two tire tracks that appeared to lead nowhere over the grey sands of the surrounding desert. This is where I have to give thanks to my Dad for sending Michael out with his new GPS unit. On more than one occasion it showed the way there and back on unmarked, unnamed dirt and gravel roads without error. On the Old ION, we came across and old dump with its retinue of rusty tin cans, beer bottles, assorted bullet-hole ridden appliances from decades past, and, evidently, the drop off spot for any deer or antelope struck on the highway. It was a veritable graveyard with dozens of bleached bone skeletons of unlucky beasts. The Pillars were indeed impressive, and we made our way on to Leslie Gulch in the extreme east of the state.

Leslie Gulch, named after a gentleman who was struck by lightning there, is the result of multiple volcanic explosions depositing over a thousand feet of consolidated ash that has weather away over the past 15.5 million years. The result is a narrow canyon, 20-300 feet wide, with towering column of pinkish red ash streaked brown and riddled with holes. The photos do not do justice, as many shots are taken with the camera pointed almost straight up to encompass the entirety of these massive formations, causing foreshortening in the perspective and denying them their full glory when viewed this way. The 10-mile road ends at the Owyhee reservoir, which at the moment was not present, only the river itself in a narrow band at the center remained this late in the year. We drove out onto the reservoir bottom and found a nice spot to eat lunch, with nothing by dead silence punctuated by the call of a raptor gliding along the cliff walls.

Instead of returning from whence we came, we made a circuit of our trip, taking in the Succor Creek State Park, a lush chasm-like area with a decent sized creek sandwiched between 100 foot vertical basalt walls. At times, there was only enough room for the road bed, shoulder and creek, with rock walls looming over either side. It was a welcome change to see trees in fall color, and hear rushing water after spending so much time in the desert. A short steep climb into what I thought was an adit and brief brush with the Idaho border and Snake River rounded out our journey as we made our way back to Burns.

It's a shame it took five years to get out there. It is truly a magnificent part of the state, so raw, virtually unpopulated, save for the smallest of towns, if that's what you call them (more like a general store and a few homes). I will definitely be returning for more, and for a longer stay. I recommend it to anyone as a break from the routine of modern life, for it is unlike any other place I've been.

Southeastern Oregon Trip

Howdy from Burns, Oregon

2007-10-11T22:19:00.000-07:00

More to come!

Amen!

2007-10-01T15:17:00.000-07:00

A single, six-second, break in a 1969 The Winston's song, "Amen, Brother!" defines genres and sub-genres for decades to come! Unreal...

Condolences!

2007-09-17T19:58:00.001-07:00

Okkervil River sings "Unless It's Kicks" from their new album The Stage Names at Berbati's during MusicfestNW. More MFNW videos on my YouTube page.

Poor Man's Boat

2007-09-13T08:50:00.000-07:00

Last year sometime I purchased a 12v electric trolling motor from Goodwill with the idea of using it with our raft. Well, I finally went out and bought the battery for it, and Maree and I went for a test run on the Wilamette yesterday. I had to make an improvised rig to attach the motor to the raft since it was missing the original piece that connected it to the raft (two bungee cords and a wooden plunger handle!). I can't complain though, it was only $14.99 at Goodwill compared to $70 new! We jumped in the car, drove down to the Milwaukie boat launch and puttered over to Elk Rock Island, across the channel to the cliffs on the west bank, and back for a total distance of about 1.5 miles. The motor worked perfectly, on it's "fast" setting we were making maybe two knots, on the slow setting, one. Not a screamer by any stretch, but practically silent and emissions-free, it was perfect for a lazy day on the river. There was a little juice left when we made it back to the ramp, so we tooled around for a few more minutes to see how much longer the battery would last. I'm already planning on picking up another battery on eBay so we can double our range. With two batteries, we should be able to put in at the dragon boat ramp near OMSI and go for a five-bridge tour of downtown. What fun!

MFNW is on!!

2007-09-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

A $40 wristband gets you no-cover access to 15 or so venues around town for this four-day festival of live music. So far we've see Immaculate Machine, Grand Ole Party, Jonathan Rice, and Rilo Kiley. Tonight it's Damien Jurado, Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, and Okkervil River, and tomorrow...Wolf Parade! I took the Fuji to The Doug Fir where Immaculate Machine from Victoria, B.C. was playing. Enjoy!

"By the Axe of Thor!!!"

2007-09-01T22:21:00.000-07:00

My friend Andy Combs played out at The Waypost Friday night. He's got a very whimsical, fantastical bent to his music, weaving stories of warlocks, mad scientists, bee hives, and tarantula-men, with a one-man-band flair. Andy Combs & the Moth on vocals, guitar, kazoo, beatbox, harmonica.

It was a late night

2007-08-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

But it was worth it!

Lunar Eclipse 8-28-2007

Without further ado...

2007-08-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

Hawai'i 2007

Be sure to have a look at Maree's Web Album too!

A note on Picasa Web Albums

2007-08-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

When you click on a photo to see it on its own page, take note of the magnifying glass icon to the upper right of the photo and next to the profile pic for my account. This will enable you to zoom farther in and drag the image around for a better look.

MAX'n and Chillaxin'

2007-08-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

Tri-Met boasts the deepest transit station in the country, some 243 feet below ground. Along each platform, there is a core sample taken from the site prior to construction on display. As you travel along the sample from the deepest to shallowest depth, there is a historical and geological timeline that summarizes the major events that occured when each rock layer was formed.

Washington Park MAX Station

Silver Falls State Park

2007-08-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

Maree and I met up with Emily and Jim for a nice five mile hike through Silver Falls State Park, about an hour and half south of Portland. The park boasts ten waterfalls, five of them over 100ft tall, and gobs of lush scenery. We parked one car at the southern trailhead, and the other at the northern end, and had an easy hike that was mostly gently sloping downhill along the creek. The water flow was lower than what I'm accustomed to, but the falls were still spectacular. I'm trying something new this time, using a Picasa Web Album to show the pics instead of posting them all on the blog. Just click on the pic below and then press the Slideshow button above the first pic. Let me know if you like this way better.

Silver Falls State Park 8-22-07

A short clip of Lower South Falls, blasted video compression!

How do you rectify a year's absence in a day?

2007-08-14T17:26:00.001-07:00

"Oh, it's such a perfect day, I'm glad I spent it with you..."

2007-08-12T20:22:00.001-07:00

Maree and I took part in the Providence Bridge Pedal, a yearly event where bicyclists have the opportunty to ride over all ten bridges that span the Wilamette River in Portland. Maree and I got up early and headed downtown to meet up with friends who were riding. Maree and I did eight of the ten beidges: Morrison, Sellwood, Hawthorne, Ross Island, Marquam, Burnside, Steel, and Fremont. Aside from an insane bottleneck getting onto Ross Island, it was smooth sailing for most of the ride, with most people taking an easy going pace. What was especially cool was that the top decks of the Marquam (I-5) and Fremont (I-405) bridges were closed for the event, providing peds and cyclists a once a year chance to set foot on these otherwise off-limits spans. At the top of each were mini-festivals with live music, free water and snacks, free samples from sponsors, as well as free bike repair from local bike shops. The Marquam featured a jazz band playing ragtime, and the Fremont had a group of bagpipe players. We cut our ride short, deciding against riding another 12 miles to cross the St. Johns bridge, and made our way back to the waterfront park for eats at the Bite of Oregon. Our ride was about 24 miles long, and in total we probably did closer to 30 with commuting to and from the event added in. It was really the perfect day for a ride, cloudy, in the 60s, no wind. Not to mention a bitchin' sunrise and sunset. Bless.

Hang on tight...

2007-08-11T02:05:00.001-07:00

Big Loop

2007-08-10T23:34:00.001-07:00

I went for an evening ride today with my camera. I took Burnside east to the I-205 bike path, and took the path until I got to the Columbia River. There is a bike path that runs along the river that is a real blast to ride. I turned to the west, with the sun sinking in the sky before me, and the river glistening to the right. I had a pretty strong headwind, which made for a more strenous, buy satisfying ride. The airport is right next to the river, so I had opportunities to get some pictures of planes coming in. There was also a good deal of boat traffic on the river, and many people had already set up camp on one of the islands in the middle of the river. I also noticed that there are some huge houses on the Washington side of the river. Who needs that much house??? I had the pleasure of what I think was a hawk slowly making its way up the river, pausing and hovering while looking for fish. Eventually it got to where I was situated, and managed to get a clear shot. If you look real close, you can see that it's looking right at me. I took some random car and truck shots as they passed on Marine Drive and captured something truly random. An 18-wheeler pulled up to watch the planes come in, and I took a picture of it as it approached. Nothing special about that, except that when I got home I noticed that the driver was traveling with a life-size cardboard cut-out of Homer Simpson!!! WTF! He also happened to be the first trucker I've ever seen with dreads...strange.

I stopped off at New Seasons on 33rd and Killingsworth to grab a beverage and stopped to get some BBQ at Cannon's. MMMMmmmmm BBQ pork sandwich.

Overall I'm quite pleased with my purchase. This camera easily outperforms my Olympus in terms of responsiveness and image quality. I've got a couple movies that I'll post up soon, takeoffs and landings, what-have-you...

O Boy...!

2007-07-30T00:29:00.000-07:00

I just made an early AM technology purchase!

I've been considering a new digital camera for a while, seeing that I'm growing out of my 4-year old Olympus. After long deliberation I settled on the Fuji s6000fd. From all the reviews/forums I've sifted through it seems that ~6MP is the sweet spot for P&S CCDs these days, and that the 9MP Fuji suffered from more noise and the lens (same one on 6MP Fuji) was reaching the outer edges of its capabilities when combined with the 9MP sensor. The same lens on the 6MP was deemed to be a better fit by the forum crowd. There didn't seem to be anything on the horizon worth waiting for, and my dream camera, a dSLR that does HD video, seems improbable with current sensors. And whadya know, Fuji's running a $50 rebate on it (final cost $283)! o0t!

Highlights are:

6.3 MP 6th-gen Fuji sCCD sensor
28-300mm zoom lens
fluid-dampened mechanical zoom ring on lens barrel
manual focus ring on lens barrel, albeit a focus-by-wire affair
VGA movie mode with simultaneous zooming and sound recording ability
takes lens filters w/o conversion adapter
runs on 4 AA batts

That'll do pig, that'll do....

They all know you by heart, but you still play the part...

2007-07-02T15:12:00.001-07:00

So I'm on my way to pick up some quart-sized storage bags for our flight and I pass this Coke display and can't believe what I'm reading! It says that their soda hydrates you! I scoff in disbelief and continue down the aisle to find my bags. I think to myself, "Well, maybe it's caffeine free and their claim holds true for that particular beverage." Upon return to the aisle end cap, I read the ingredients in the box, and lo and behold, caffeine is listed as an ingredient. Caffeine is a diuretic!!! In order to avoid a lawsuit, coke must have done a study that found that there was a net hydrative effect. One must wonder what the net effect really is. Regardless, this is straight BS PR from coke. "Hey lookee here, our products are healthy for you!" More like "Dehydrate, while you hydrate." Don't even get me started on the deleterious effects of high fructose corn syrup, phosphoric acid, or phenylalanine. Duping the public to make a buck is so not cool.

And has anyone noticed that there are like 3,000 different coke and pepsi products?! I've seen coke with vitamins, pepsi with ginseng, caffeine free diet cherry vanilla coke with splenda, wtf? That or the absolutely absurd explosion of "energy" drinks in the past few years. There are whole cooler-door sized sections of energy drinks now at the store. They all taste like shit and make me feel like I'm about to have a heart attack (I'll admit I've tried Redbull a couple times). It must be a new niche market targeted at all the meth-heads that can't score any of their nasty drug. 7-11 is now selling "energy coffee." Jesus! Where does it stop, why do we all have to be cracked out to the nth degree? Yuk, I'm going to go drink some water now...

On a side note, the irritation that I'm venting has to do with the apathetic decline of American society, unwilling to educate itself any further than the rudimentary education provided by our flagging public school system. It's no wonder there's so much depression and disease. Could it be that self-education is a relic and BS PR has got us all drinking soda thinking it's good for us? Hello adult onset diabetes! Adam Selzer of Norfolk and Western sums it up nicely in the song "A Gilded Age"

Well all of the great artists are dead, for sure.
It's entertainment, for all, and that's all we want.
Though we all know this is the gilded age,
well, the new king's court is in your home.

We can't deny the trends,
there's nothing to defend.
Ignore your neighbors, on all sides.
I won't watch the wars,
it's easy to ignore,
as long as I am still the favorite son-in-law.

Or this, by Professor Alexander Tyler,

"The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage."

Bike-Cam 1.1

2007-06-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

Managed to get the downhill run from Rocky Butte without setting off the anti-shock sensors in the camera. Ryan came with me for his first ever visit to the park and was a great companion on the climb.

Leaf Hopper's Paradise

2007-06-29T23:12:00.000-07:00

I decided to document the garden before leaving for our trip. It changes everyday, and I make a point to see what's new. The patch we seeded with wildflowers is in bloom, with new species joining in the display as time passes. The bamboo has sent up five new shoots that are growing vigorously, with two at nearly six feet (and only a week old!). The eucalyptus has reached the eaves at this point, how tall will it get to this year? It grew 9ft in it's first year, unreal. The verbena bonariensis is widespread and 6-7 ft with multiple tiers of delicate smelling culsters of flowers. The buddleas are starting to bloom as well, and we saw a butterflty cross the yard today, possibly scoping for summer hangouts.

The trip is so close! We picked up some Fuji underwater cameras for snorkeling, and reserved our gear from Snorkel Bob's. From what I gathered reading the camera packaging, photo labs are only encouraged to return the cameras to Fuji. So next time you take your disposable camera to get the film processed, ask if they return the cameras to the manufacturer, or if they throw them away. If they don't recycle them, I'm taking my business elsewhere.

Buddlea beginning

Yarrd Arrt

Wildflower patch

Clover macro

Breathin' easy

2007-06-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

It's been six months since I quit smoking cigarettes!!! As Fisher Stevens said in the 1986 hit movie Short Circuit, "I am standing here beside myself."

2007-06-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took a ride out to and up Rocky Butte. I've been working on a bicycle-mounted video camera rig using my old Sony digicam. I've still got some kinks to work out, such as dampening vibrations. Turns out the camera has an auto-off anti-shock feature, which causes all data that was being recorded to be lost. I had planned to film the descent from the butte, and I tried, but the camera turned off on the way down due to some bump...Realizing this, I decided to get some practice anyway, this time just doing it hand-held, which can be kinda shaky, sorry. This video was for my uncle Jeff, who, although being an avid outdoorsman and bicycle racer, has yet to make it out to my neck of the woods. It was also a birthday gift of sorts for him. Happy Birthday Uncle Jeff!!!

I ascended from the bottom left and descended from the top right.

2007-06-23T23:37:00.000-07:00

First off, a little BTS update. In the end I ended up with two of each album! The one on backorder shipped, I pre-ordered Perfect From Now On at Jackpot and 15 minutes later Millenium called me and said they got in my other albums. So I ended up getting all three from MM, two from Insound.com, and one from Jackpot. Oh, and while I was at Jackpot I ran across Sun Kil Moon's Ghosts of the Great Highway, which I had not seen since December '05 in ATL. Needless to say, I picked it up, post haste.

Today was all about the bicycle. I started it off watching videos Alan Singley made, many of which had footage of him riding his bike around town. I had just recently brought back to life my first digicam, and decided it would make a great experiment/beater camera, so I strapped it to the middle of my handlebars and away I went! I rode down to Jackpot to pick up Perfect From Now On, and then up to the top of Mt Tabor. It wasn't too grueling, but it was more effort than I'm accustomed to giving. At the top I rested, stretched, hydrated, made a few calls, and then headed back down, this time on the dirt trails that weave through the park. I intended to make a video of the descent, but a mini-bungee cord got too friendly with the command dial on my camera and took it off movie mode. So when I get home I have nada to show for it...oh well, I'll do it again soon. It was still fun. I ended it all with re-installing my front deraileur and getting the front and rears adjusted. Need those extra gears for the hills!

Thanks Alan Singley for inspiring my bicycle-themed day!

Here's "Conventional Wisdom" from You in Reverse.

On an unrelated note, here's a couple Blonde Redhead videos I found. Their new album 23 is so so great!

You were right when you said.....

2007-06-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

First off, props to CZ for the tip, I would have missed out had it not been for your indie rock feelers probing the depths of the internet (or just clicking on your Pitchfork bookmark). Today I became the proud owner of two Built to Spill albums, You in Reverse, their 2006 release, and Keep it Like a Secret, a reissue of their 1999 indie gem. This was the first release on vinyl for You in Reverse, and a reissue for Keep it Like a Secret and Perfect From Now On. All three albums are all-analog recordings, which just tickles the purist bone in me. For some asinine reason though, Warner Bros. Records only released 2,000 copies of each album. 2,000? You can almost pack that many fans into the Crystal Ballroom! That's 40 records per state on average, so with the odds set against me I made my plans.

I decided not to put my eggs in any one basket and ordered all three albums from two different local record stores, and also from an online store. The online store shipped one, with the other on backorder (read: we sold all the ones we will ever get, sorry). Today, Music Millennium called me and left a message saying they had one record on hold for me. Turns out it was the one on backorder at the online site, so I was initially pleased, but not so with the absence of the other two albums I had ordered. When I went down to MM pick up my album, I checked the stack first to see if there was a mistake, and ended up finding the record that was shipped to me from the online store. Well, knowing how ephemeral vinyl is, I went ahead and bought it too. I talked to the vinyl guru and he said the warehouse had made a mistake and he was sorry. I could tell he was pissed, evidently they do this kind of thing a lot. He then made some offhand remark about how the band playing over the store speakers had stolen a riff from King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man," I nodded accordingly, even though I didn't know what he was talking about, then headed downstairs to make my purchase.

All in all, I'm happy with the way things turned out. I got the two albums I really wanted, missed out on the third, and will end up with two copies of You in Reverse. This of course will sit, unopened, in a cool, dimly lit place until mi compadre Heem returns from Esapaña. Tengo un regalo para ti, mi hombre...

21st Century Schizoid Man

Cats foot iron claw
Neuro-surgeons scream for more
At paranoias poison door.
Twenty first century schizoid man.

Blood rack barbed wire
Polititians funeral pyre
Innocents raped with napalm fire
Twenty first century schizoid man.

Death seed blind mans greed
Poets starving children bleed
Nothing hes got he really needs
Twenty first century schizoid man.

You all, everybody...

2007-06-06T22:07:00.000-07:00

Just swinging by to drop a few lines while work is crunching away.

Work is great by the way. I'm learning new skills/applications every week, and tackling more complex tasks. I'm working my own hours at my own pace, with, again, no boss looking over my shoulder. More like a cat in my lap.

The car is coming along well, I got all the hardware replaced in the passenger side door, and got its lock re-keyed to match the rest on the car. The people who sold me the car did a crappy job of fixing it up for sale, more like f'ing it up for sale, so I'm getting everything straight and 100% functioning again.

The hood hinge repair went well enough, and I got another pair of door panels to replace the severely peeled ones I had. I also got a used hatch from someone I had sold parts to who had wrecked their car. The defroster lines on my hatch are damaged and the metal panel you place your hand on to close the hatch is dented in from pushing down too hard when the hatch wouldn't close easily. The hatch job is the largest job remaining and should take me a weekend to do it if all goes smoothly.

After that, I have the brake line replacement, painting the steel wheels, and any other needed cosmetic touches. Then it's going up for on Craigslist. I'll miss it. Even though the CRX is primarily thought of as a 19 year-old driven rice rocket with a huge wing and a "fart can" exhaust, the HF was an engineering feat. I pray that mine doesn't get bought by some crazy kid who guts the interior, lowers it, and swaps in a bigger engine (you can swap like 10 different engines into a CRX engine bay!). A bone stock HF is hard to find these days because the tuner crowd buys them for their low curb weight (a couple hundred lbs lighter than Si) and then proceeds to turn them into a drag car.

I'll try to take some pictures when I do the hatch job...

A May Day

2007-05-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

A surprise iris.

An allium.

Soon there will be hundreds of these.

Which way to go?

Tabor reflections

Whu, what day is this?

2007-05-15T00:03:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since I've posted. I've been pretty busy with work, planning the Hawai'i trip, and selling parts from the parts car. Our garden is coming along quite nicely, save for the storm last week that pulverized the leafier plants with marble-sized hail. We didn't lose anything, but it's going to take a while for several plants to recover, one being the Edgeworthia.

My CRX is coming together nicely. I'm super excited that my car is looking so nice. Back in January it was pretty much a POS with an idle problem, leaking brake fluid, and a beat-up, dirty interior with two inches of water in the floorboards. Since then I have replaced nearly the entire interior from the seats back with parts given to me in trade. They were in much better shape, and now I have the complete cargo cover/divider setup like in the DX and Si (the HF model did not have these parts to save weight). I replaced the center console, center dash vents with clock, floor mats, stereo, and door handle backing up front. I read online and learned how to "burp" the cooling system. The result, no more idle problem!

From the parts car I also grabbed a hood hinge to replace the rust-eaten broken one that came on the car. I had to do a little body repair, stripping paint and rust, priming and repainting the area underneath where the hinge bolts on, to get it ready for the new hinge, which I will have to re-paint to match the white. Once that's done, I'm going to replace the driver's side brake line to the caliper, with a donor part. I'm a little nervous about brake work, but I've read up on it and feel confident I can do the job. Lastly, the hatch area needs serious attention. There's major rust issues that were hastily JB-Welded by the person who sold me the car. I'll have to remove all that, then use body filler to fill the holes left behind, then I'll probably sand the entire hatch area and repaint it. The whole car really needs to be completely stripped, sandblasted, bondoed, repainted and reassembled. I don't have the time or money for that action, so I'll do my best. I'm hoping to sell it this summer once I get everything fixed. If anybody you know needs a 40-45mpg car for a great price, let me know :)

The Hawai'i trip could consume a whole 'nuther post, so I'll trim it down. We are going to be there for 13 days, 10 on Oahu, three on Kaua'i. The middle seven days Maree and I are staying in a top-floor condo on Waikiki beach with my parents. Yay thanks Mom and Dad for sharing the space! It's their 60th birthdays this year, and their wedding anniversary will occur while there. My mom was born in Hawai'i and lived there until she was 5 or so, so she has fond memories and has been back several times since. It will be fun to run around with my mom and have her point things out to me.

The first place we are staying at in Oahu is in the city of Kailua. The place is this crazy-cute studio behind a house, called the Mango Hideaway. The pics with the word "Mango" in the caption are of our studio. Cute!!! It's right across the street from the city's beach park, and there is a kayak that we can borrow for free! We still haven't booked a place in Kauai, though we are real close with one that's on the north shore in a rural area near Wainiha. Rental cars are set, we saved close to $50-60 by using coupon codes that we found on neotravel.com. Thought I'd plug them since their codes actually worked.

On a more local, present-day oreinted note, I've been buying records again. I found one record that I'd been searching for for three years on eBay and I won it (along with two other albums)! In the past month or so I picked up.

Blonde Redhead - 23
Headphones - self-titled
Death Cab for Cutie - Something About Airplanes
The Elected - Me First
Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
My Morning Jacket - Acoustic Citsuoga
Yo La Tengo - May I Sing With Me, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out,
and I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One

'nuff said.....peace

I'm detecting a theme here.

2007-03-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

Dudes, I totally scored today! It was one perfectly timed moment after another. Once again I have two of the same car a la the two Quantums. The events as they unfolded.

1. Trolling Craigslist and eBay for months for parts for my CRX.
2. Find an ad on CL for 1991 CRX Si with $3-4K in suspension damage for $300.
3. Email the guy, turns out the car is .5mi from where Maree is getting a massage the next day.
4. Drive out there, car is in great shape inside and out, just busted up wheels, steering/suspension components. Still runs! I buy it.
5. Uhaul has the hard to find tow dolly, but informs me that Maree's Geo Tracker is not heavy enough to pull the dolly with car.
6. My friend Jesse just happened to leave me his Ford F-250 while out of town for a week, so Maree and I head back into town and I pick up the truck and dolly and head back to Tualatin.
7. As I'm finishing up getting the car on the dolly, a guy shows up who wanted to buy the seats out of the car from the original owner, offers me $100 for the seats plus $25 for the slightly damaged front bumper.
8. He follows me home, turns out he is a veteran mechanic and gives me all sorts of tips and help on dissembling the car. We trade email address and he is very willing to help me out if I have questions about the car.

So now, not only do I have all the parts that I needed for my CRX, I have another CRX that I can take apart and sell the parts on eBay and Craigslist (of which there is a strong market). I've pretty much broken even at this point between the parts I sold to the mechanic and the value of the parts I'm harvesting for my car, with much more to sell. Add to that the value of making a contact with someone with major mechanical/bodywork experience and I'd call it a perfect day. oOt!

Portland Peace March

2007-03-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

Sunday marked the four-year anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, and thousands of Portlanders met on the south Park Blocks in support of a peaceful and speedy resolution to a conflict gone awry. Maree and I rode our bikes downtown, met up with friends there, and enjoyed good conversation while speakers fired up the crowd and musicians sang songs of peace. The start of the march was delayed for a half-hour, but a couple guys kept everyone entertained with their portable PA system, beatboxing and getting the crowd involved with a freestyle version of "What do we want? Peace! When do we want it? Now!" Finally, at 2:45pm the bells of the church on the corner began to peal in a never-ending aural beacon to the city that the march had begun. It was an incredible pre-Spring day, with the sun peeking in and out of the clouds, bathing those who made their way downtown with warm sunlight. The march was a disappointingly short loop through the heart of downtown, while news helicopters hovered overhead and the police were out in every shape and form to keep the crown in line. The march was peaceful with the usual slogans chanted, a bevy of signs, the local anarchist brigade, and people from all walks of life united in the cause.

New Growth

2007-03-04T17:50:00.000-08:00

The feeling that spring is just around the corner has me inspired and excited. I spent a good part of the day hand weeding our beds and digging up blackberry vines. Currently pushing their way up and out are chives, lilac, irises, buddlea, jonquils, flame grass, and a variety of unknown plants from the previous tenants. The bulbs were a pleasant surprise, and I plan on putting in many more this year. The edgeworthia is near its peak, with several buds that are brimming with flowers. Again, the smell is divine.

Year of the Fire Pig

2007-02-18T21:29:00.000-08:00

Today Maree and I particiapted in the celebration of the Chinese New Year. All through the previous week we consulted on how to get our home and our minds prepared for the coming year, a year that is marked by prosperity, happiness, and surprises. Following tradition, we did not cook any meals at home, and instead we walked down to the Cricket Cafe for breakfast. Following breakfast, we walked over to an import store on Hawthorne called The Monkey King to watch a Lion Dance be performed. We ended up running into a friend of Maree's whose boyfriend was one of the dancers. The dance team was there to perform a dance that would bless the store with good fortune and prosperity in the coming year, and involved a lion climbing a tall pole to unroll
a scroll, devouring a head of lettuce dangled from the end of a pole, and setting off a long string of fireworks. It was most impressive and drew a crown of onlookers. After the performance, Maree and I did some shopping in the store and picked up some items for the house that were heavily discounted. Our biggest score was a ceramic statue of Quan Yin that had a couple broken fingers that was over 80% off! The broken fingers, save for the tip of one finger, were in the box with the statue and I glued them back on with some epoxy. It looks awesome! We ended the night with some take-out from a Chinese restaurant close by. Dee-licious!