Sea of red

You can take the girl out of Nebraska, but you can't take the football out of the girl.

These dark and blurry photos are from the Refectory, a scuzzy bar in Gresham.  What exactly was I doing at a scuzzy bar in Gresham?  

The Refectory is the home of the Oregonians for Nebraska football watch parties every Saturday during the fall.  The ceilings are low, it's dark, smoky, and the service is usually terrible, but they pump in each Husker game on pay-per-view and the bartender wears a Colorado jersey.  It's a pretty good time.

Final score:  Nebraska 47, Western Michigan 24.

P.S.  Bo Pelini chomps his bubble gum too much, but at least he doesn't look like the Fonz.

Reason #104

One more reason to love Portland:  OBT Exposed.

I love the ballet and I love the last week of August.  For one week every summer, Oregon Ballet Theatre brings rehearsal outside to a big white tent where you can wander in and out and watch rehearsals or take a beginning ballet class of your own.  For free.  Tara and I met for dinner on Wednesday night and then caught some of the evening rehearsal, the White Swan pas de deux from Swan Lake.

This town is the best.

The Saber-toothed Bluebirds

Last weekend, we were off on yet another adventure with the Lodges.  (Or, the "Incredilodges" as we like to call them.)  They have initiated an annual rafting trip down the Deschutes River near Maupin and we joined them again this year for the three day rafting extravaganza.

Our sunscreen arsenal.Katherine, Rhiannon, Julia, me, Katie & EmilyKatie and I relax at the campsite.  The Lodges thought of everything:  fresh salad, beers, music, even cupcakes for Geoff's birthday.  They do camping up right.Julia lets one fly in a heated game of Blongo.Katie, Julia, me and Emily.  Just about the cutest rafters you'll find this side of the Rockies.  Our raft was so lucky.

Rafting the Deschutes river out of Maupin goes a little like this:  get in your raft, float a little bit, go through the first big rapid, get whopped by Nita, have a water fight with another raft, go through the second big rapid, back load the boat and ride the bull, stop for lunch, have another water fight with another raft, get thrown in by the boys on your raft, go through the third big rapid, hike up to the rock slides, float through the fourth big rapid in your life jacket, get in another water fight, pull out before the waterfall. Rinse and repeat.

 

On the second day, we decided if we were going to be a force in the water fight business, we needed an intimidating mascot.  After several vetoes, we settled on the the "saber-toothed bluebird." A locally known bird of prey with a pretty color, pretty voice, but once you get close and get it wet with a super soaker or a 5-gallon bucket, the fangs come out.  Suits our raft full of girls quite well.

B trying to fish us up some dinner.

One last group shot on the third day-- Kendra, Katie, me, B, Julia, Geoff, Cyd and Alex. 

More photos on Julia's flickr site, click here.

A Step-By-Step Guide, Volume 1

How to see a Jack Johnson Concert

Step 1:  Three weeks before.  Buy your ticket.  

Step 2:  Two days before.  Decide to carpool with two friends because a) you want to save time, b) you want to save gas and c) the two friends are a really good time.

Step 3:  Day of the show.  Have your friends Julia and Katie pick you up from work at 6:15pm, get really excited about the concert that starts at 7pm.

Step 4:  Proceed to spend the next 2 hours and 45 minutes in bumper to bumper traffic on your way to Columbia Meadows, 25 miles away.  Make sure you always see this out of your windshield:

Step 5:  Arrive at Columbia Meadows (i.e. a big field) at 9pm right before Jack goes on.  Walk your way right up close and save seats while your friends go buy you a beer.

Step 6:  Enjoy said beer and enjoy the great show!  During the show, make sure you take lots of photos of the stage, each time expecting them to be in focus, and each time acting surprised when they aren't.  Use these as a template to follow:

Step 7:  Take lots of photos of your girlfriends too.  Make sure these are all self-protraits. Oh, make sure the weather doesn't cooperate so it will be super humid, kind-of rainy and cool.  That way, your hair will be super frizzy and oh so hot.  Photos should turn out like this one:

Step 8:  Stay for the whole show, including the really fantastic encore and then head straight for the porta-potties.

Step 9:  Around 11pm, head for the parking lot (i.e. big field) and spend at least 5 minutes searching for the car. 

Step 10:  Find said car and proceed to sit in the parking lot for two hours and 15 minutes before you finally get to drive home.

Step 11:  Pick up your car at work and get home to bed at 2am.

Step 12:  Get up for work at 6:30am.  Hold your eyes open with toothpicks.

Step 13:  Never see a show at Columbia Meadows ever again.

Golden Friday

So, B has been doing the photographer thing for about 10 months now and I'm happy to report that all is well-- he's booked with David into October and is already meeting with clients for '09 so I take that as a good sign.  My only complaint is the scheduling.  Oh, the scheduling.  We have lost our Saturdays forever and B is pretty much glued to the computer, downloading photos and all.

However, just when it starts to look really bleak (and by bleak, I mean B and I not spending any time together for about a week), the photographer thing works out in my favor.  Sometimes, the clients get married at really cool places like... I don't know... the beach maybe.  And sometimes I manage to get two days off work at the exact time these great destination weddings are scheduled.  Really, I have no idea how it happens.

Friday's gig was in Gold Beach on the southern Oregon coast about 30 miles from California. Since it's about 5 hours from Portland, we took off on Thursday after work and stopped halfway in Florence, one of our favorite little beach towns.  We woke up early and cruised the 101 down to Gold Beach.  

The wedding was great-- simple, relaxed, just close family-- and it was a great day at the coast-- sunny and hot.  I hauled around a camera as B's unofficial second shooter and had really good time, clicking away at my every whim.   

B had to shoot yesterday, in Portland, so our trip was super short and we had to drive back at 3 a.m. but it was worth it to get out of town for awhile.  I got some sun, some sand in my toes and some really delicious scallops for dinner Friday night.  I think I could get used to this photographer thing.

Confessions of an Olympaholic

I can't stop watching the Olympics.

This happens to me every time.  

I remember the last winter Olympics in Italy, I was glued to the screen for a nordic skiing race that the U.S. of A. wasn't even competing in.  I think I might have clapped when it was over.

If we had cable, I would seriously stay up all night.  No, seriously.

I watched Olympic white water kayaking the other day.  Olympic white water kayaking.  Think about that for a sec.  Why does that sound weird?

B is lucky he met me before I met Michael Phelps.

I think that when they show the underwater cam, the swimmers look like mermaids.....

There is no way the Chinese women gymnasts are all 16 years old.  No way.

The girl swimmers!  The girl swimmers look like mermaids.  Sheesh.

Even though almost the entire thing was staged and fake, the Opening Ceremony was fantastic. 

Synchronized diving is now my favorite sport.  (It's all about the angle of entry people!)  It's up there, right behind any event Michael Phelps races and women's beach volleyball.  

Oh, how I love beach volleyball.  

Can't believe I have to wait until 2010 for more of this......

Yak 'n' Snack, 2nd edition

Last summer, we did a 4-day kayak trip in the San Juan Islands with our good friends Geoff and Julia.  Julia and I nicknamed the trip the Yak 'n' Snack because we did a lot of yakkin' (kayaking and of-course, talking) and a lot of snackin'.

On Monday, we took advantage of a hot Oregon evening to paddle around Ross Island in the middle of the Willamette River in downtown P-town.  One of the managers at my REI, James, is leaving for a promotion at another store, so he organized a farewell paddle.  And, it was a lot of yakkin' and snackin'.  Just how the Hoybooks like it.

B taking a break as we paddle downriver INTO THE WIND.  We would literally drift back upstream if we stopped paddling.
The group stops on Ross Island for dinner and a sunset.  That's James pouring the margaritas.  If you ever go on a trip--camping, backpacking, snowshoeing, paddling-- invite James.  He'll always bring really good cheese and liquor.
The Ross Island bridge at dusk as we turn to head back up river.  We ended up getting back to the dock in the dark, but there is something so peaceful about being on the water in the dark.  It's addictive.....anyone have some spare garage space?  B and I need to store the kayaks we have to buy soon.....

Day 'o' Pickin'

So last Friday was the Pickathon, an event that B has been looking forward to for weeks.  The Pickathon is a three-day bluegrass festival out on a farm in the hills near Mt. Hood.  We only went on Friday night (B was shooting a wedding on Saturday and I worked on Sunday) but we saw the bands we wanted to see (the everybodyfields, Jolie Holland, Sean Hayes) and had a really good time.  

Since the theme of the day was pickin', we started out the morning pickin' blueberries at a farm near our house.  7 pounds for $9.  Oregon is the best.

Pickin' stop #1:  Blueberry Hill U-Pick Farm

Pickin' Stop #2: Pickathon X, Pendarvis Farm.

This group is called Chatham County Line and if you like bluegrass, you will l-o-v-e these guys.  They are really traditional-- no electric guitars, lots of harmony, all gather around one microphone.  The jaunty guy on the left also played a mean fiddle.
This band is called the everybodyfields (yes, lowercase) and really was the whole reason B wanted to go to the Pickathon.  They were playing on the Woods Stage, this crazy little stage they had built back in the woods on the property, complete with hay bale benches.  It started to rain during their set so in order to save electrocution from the mics and amps and all, they decided to go unplugged and acoustic right in the middle of the audience.  The guy in the middle kept joking about how he'd always wanted to play the Forest Moon of Endor.  Apparently, we heard their Ewok set.
The stage lights up the canopies over the crowd during Jolie Holland.  Great music, great hubby, great night.