Portland Warming

10-Day Forecast High / Low (°F) Precip. % Today Jul 28 Sunny 103°/72° 0 % Wed  Jul 29 Sunny 101°/69° 0 % Thu  Jul 30 Sunny 98°/65° 0 % Fri  Jul 31 Sunny 91°/65° 0 % Sat  Aug 01 Mostly Sunny 90°/66° 10 % Sun  Aug 02 Partly Cloudy 88°/64° 10 % Mon  Aug 03 Partly Cloudy 86°/63° 0 % Tue  Aug 04 Sunny 85°/63° 0 % Wed  Aug 05 Sunny 84°/62° 0 % Thu  Aug 06 Sunny 84°/60° 0 % Last Updated Jul 28 10:07 a.m. PT

Little Brother, Big Day

Today is a big day.  Little brother Craig checks out of the Navy today.  He is now free to head out and do whatever he wants.  And that is exactly what he is doing.

www.nextstopsomewhereelse.blogspot.com

Visit his new blog to read Craig's farewell to the Canoe Club in his own words and to find out what he is doing in the next chapter in his life.  

I'm so proud of him.

Le Tour de Volcano

Since moving to Oregon, there have been two places on my "must-see" list:  Crater Lake and the Redwoods in California.  We decided to check one off this week and trek down to Crater Lake for some sight-seeing.  But, we didn't want to drive 6 hours just to look at a lake, so we also decided to bring our friends, the Bigler's, along for the ride.  And by ride, I mean bike ride.  Around the lake.  What better way to send them off to the east coast (they are moving to Albany, NY at the beginning of August) than a really strenuous bike ride around a volcano followed by camping amidst swarms of mosquitos?  I'd say it's just about perfect.I'm not sure what I was expecting, but Crater Lake is huge.  When I was reading the ride stats, I guess I didn't really put together that 33 miles AROUND something means that something is pretty big.  Also, photos of the lake just don't do it justice-- it is the bluest blue you will ever see.  Ever.

The ride itself is a butt-kicker.  Now just last weekend, I pedaled myself 50 miles up and down the Hood River valley, but that was nothing in comparison to the Lake.  It was either up, or down, nothing in between.  6 mph or 30 mph.  Plus add in the 7,000 foot elevation and it's enough to wear a girl right out. 

 It is, however, for Oregon, epic.  Incredibly gorgeous, with views of the lake on one side, northern California on the other.  A definite "must see."In the home stretch on the southeast side of the crater.  Look at those buttery smooth slopes!  Yes, Crater Lake, we will see you again this winter for a ski tour.

B and I drug ourselves out of the tent at 5am on Wednesday morning and hiked up to the rim for the sunrise.  Gor. Geous.

Dave and Cilicia, you were great riding partners.  We will miss you tremendously.  Looking forward to seeing you sometime in your new neck of the woods.

Garden Update

After the dramatic massacre a couple of weeks ago, I thought maybe I should share an update on the garden to prove that some plants are still alive and doing really well.  We've been eating green beans, green peppers, jalapenos and cucumbers and the okra is about to explode any minute.  Go veggies!

Ode to Julia.

Julia wanted to ride along with us in the gorge, but instead, attended her 10 year high school reunion.  So, we made a small video tribute.  

We missed you Julia!

Oh, I should explain:  Kendra is running because she went back to get photos of Kara and Katie coming up the last hill.  Although, for the record, she is pretty hard core and probably would have run the whole thing anyway.

Comin' Round the Mountain

I never realized before just how easily I can get talked into doing things, specifically when an adventure is involved.  I'm such a sucker.

My friend Katie invited me to ride in a 50-mile benefit tour of the Columbia gorge with her this weekend.  Now before saying "yes!", I really should have thought about what that sentence implies.  First of all, 50 miles.  Yikes.  I haven't ridden farther than 30 miles in a looooong time.  And secondly, the gorge.  It's always scorching hot and ridiculously windy in the gorge-- two things that aren't particularly pleasant to cyclists.  But, I said yes and off to Hood River we went.At rest stop #1 in Parkdale with Mt. Hood as our backdrop.

Katie climbing up out of the Hood River Valley with Mt. Hood in the distance.  Half way done!

It was great!  Absolutely great!  The ride was beautiful-- we took off south out of Hood River toward Mt. Hood and then turned around in Parkdale and then headed back through the valley toward Mt. Adams.  The rest stops were stocked with delicious treats and happy folks and the finish line food was delish as were the four sips of beer I managed to gulp down. 

 Katie and I pause for a photo break as we head downhill to the Columbia River and Mt. Adams.

Katie, Kendra, me, Kara.  Hard core for sure.

The finish!  50 miles.  

The ride was a benefit for the Northwest Sarcoma Foundation, organized by the family of Jackson, a little boy who lost his battle with sarcoma.  My friend Katie works at the hospital he was staying in and our other nurse friends, Kendra and Jodi, were his nurses.  It was really touching to personally meet the family-- Jackson's uncle even offered to bake the nurses cinnamon rolls the next day.  AND, since I'm not a nurse, he was going to drop some off at REI.  So, so sweet.

Look out for the Huskers!

It's that time of year again.  Time for the old Husker roommates to reunite for a long weekend of girls, babies, husbands, beers and fireworks.We all met in Belle Plaine, Minnesota this year, at Gwen and Matt's house.  Tom and Liz flew in from Albuquerque, Tony and Karen drove up from Norfolk and I flew out from P-town.  (Travis and Jody couldn't make it and B was scheduled for a photo shoot over the weekend.)  The original babies, Gavin, Aubrie and Jonah, are two years old now and this spring, we added two more girls to the bunch, Abigail and Natalie.  

With four kids under the age of 2 and 1/2, you can probably guess that the weekend was pretty chill.  Thursday consisted of some rousing rounds of Blongoball in the front yard which was followed by shooing the husbands off to play golf and the ladies enjoying a quiet evening at home with some bottles of wine.  Friday's activity was a trip to the Como Zoo, which I have to say, was the best darn free zoo I've ever been to.  A baby giraffe!  It just doesn't get better than that.  

When we finally got back from the zoo, everyone was ready for naps (not just the babies) so I stole the car and headed to Shakopee to visit my aunt and cousins.  They are growing up so fast!  We chatted and then the games began-- kickball followed by dodgeball followed by soccer.  When the bottle rockets started flying from the house across the backyard, I took my leave.  It was soooo great to see them.

Saturday was another chillaxin' day at the house-- we played board games, played with babies, tossed washers in the backyard, took some photos, laughed, grilled and then headed over to New Prague for the fireworks show in the soccer field.  A perfect ending to a great trip with even better friends.

For more photos of Minnesota '09 and also Albuquerque '08, Norfolk '07 and Portland '06, click here:  huskersummers.shutterfly.com.

Massacre at the garden

Something ate ALL of the leaves from ALL of the strawberry plants.

Something else ate ALL of the tomato blossoms.

That same something also feasted on the English peas.

Something's knee needs to have a date with my foot.

Wag more. Bark less.

Dear customer,

Allow me to let you in on a little secret.  Ready?  It's my job to give you what you want.  And, it just so happens that it is also my job to make sure you leave happy as a clam.  

To that end, let me just say, that when you are a) rude, b) arrogant, c) condescending or d) all of the above, it gets you nothing.  Well, actually, it causes me to curse at your back while you walk away, but other than that, nothing.

So, be nice to me.  Please.  It will keep me from cursing and make you happy as a clam just that much sooner.

Sincerely,

Me

It's a nice day...

...for a bike wedding.

My friends Bonnie and Pete tied the knot last weekend in an impromptu bicycle wedding.  They decided two weeks ago to get married and to make it an event during Pedalpalooza, the annual bike festival in Portland.

It was one of the most unique, sweet and genuine weddings I've been to.  Unique because they rode their bikes to the wedding site, to the reception site and then back home.  Sweet because of the cupcakes and VooDoo donuts that we devoured at the reception.  Genuine because of the way they look at each other.  Oh, the way they look at each other.  Love, my friends, it's love.

Congrats you crazy kids!

In honor of Dad

One of the bummer things about living so far from my family is that holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas just don't have the same effect, just don't feel quite right.  But there are other holidays that fall off the radar too, like Father's Day.  

Since we couldn't be with them, B and I honored both of our Dads by doing things we enjoyed yesterday-- a bike ride around Sauvie Island and then a hike in the gorge.  

I thought a lot about my dad yesterday.  Was he thinking about his kids?  Was he out on the boat or grilling in the back yard?  Was he doing something he enjoyed?  When I think about all of the things he taught me-- how to shoot a basketball, drive a stick shift, how to treat people with respect, how to have a sense of humor-- it makes me realize what a lucky little daddy's girl I still am.

35 years

In 1974.....

People magazine was first published.

Ryan Seacrest was born.

Dungeons and Dragons was officially released.

Streaking was the year's biggest fad.

"Bennie and the Jet's" by Elton John was at the top of the charts.

And most importantly, this guy was born.

Happy 35th babe!

Inspiration Vacation

Sometimes we get so set in our ways that we forget to change it up from time to time.  We go about our normal routines, do our normal things, go to our normal places, see all of our normal faces, etc.  Well, enough of that!  Enter the Rosarios!

Jen and Ben came for a long weekend and shook things up around here.  We did something that I haven't done in a really long time:  hung out in Portland.  Usually, when B and I get some days off, we're always trying to figure out how to get out of Portland, but this weekend, we did Ben and Jen stuff.  Like go to a track meet on Friday night.  Who knew a track meet could be fun even if you weren't running in it?  It might have been the company, but those races were fantastic.  

Then, Saturday was a drive to Eugene, a.k.a. Tracktown USA.  We checked out Pre's trail, a running loop dedicated to Steve Prefontaine (if you don't who that is, enlighten yourself and click here) and then snuck onto Hayward Field so Ben could run some laps.  It was so cool to see him experience a place he had always dreamed of visiting.  And gosh darn it, if those two Rosarios weren't inspiring.  By the end of the day, they had me saying I wanted to run a marathon.  Yeah, I know right?

Saturday night's festivities included dinner with Alyson at Nuestra Cocina and drinks at North Bar.  Eating and drinking, exactly what you are supposed to do when friends are in town.  Sunday morning brunch was even more of the same when we stuffed ourselves with down home cookin' at The Screen Door.  This was after Jen and Ben did their morning runs.  (See? They are totally inspiring!) The rest of day was window shopping followed by more food and more drink with of-course, lots of laughter, stories and jokes mixed in.

Let's see how long my marathon high lasts.  Anyone want to place some bets?

Me, Bob and Surly

One of Craig's good friends has recently embarked on a bicycle trip across South America.  You can follow his really epic adventure here:

www.mebobandsurly.wordpress.com

Monday Night Tennis League

B loves to play tennis.  He used to take lessons and play competitively in high school and he even tried out for his college tennis team.  Ever since, he's been on a seemingly never-ending quest for a tennis partner. 

I'm sure you're now asking, "Gayle, surely you will play tennis with him?"  Well, yes I do, but the man actually needs some competition once in awhile.  When he fires one back across the net with any amount of heat, I'm all "duck and cover!"

A couple of weeks ago, he sent an email out to the Portland contingent with an open invitation for a Monday night tennis league.  Every Monday night, anyone can come, all ages, all abilities.  The first two weeks got rained out, so last night was the official first night.

Jason, Holly and Mark showed up and we all had a great time.  I'm not the best photographer when it comes to "action shots" but here are two photos from last night's festivities.

And the expression on B's face the whole time?  Glee.  Absolute glee.

Needing some balance

Three weeks ago, a woman threw her 4 and 9 year-old children off the Sellwood Bridge.  The 4 year-old drown, but the 9 year-old miraculously survived.  

Two weeks ago, a hiker found the bodies of a father and his two children in a local nature park.  It was an apparent double murder/suicide.

This past weekend, a woman's body was found in the crawl space of a home after another woman killed her and took her unborn baby from her body.

I really need to hear some good news.  An uplifting story.  Some encouragement that this world is turning into a better place to live.  

The weekend is coming.

Rules for a Book Club

Rules for a successful Book Club:

#1 Invite some fun girls.

#2 Have fun girls bring food and wine.  One bottle of wine each is absolutely necessary.

#3 Read the book.  Or not.  But be prepared to make at least one comment about said book.  For example: "I really enjoyed how the author was so descriptive.  I was able to paint a mental picture in my head."  Or something similar.

#4 Drink all of the wine.  All of it.

#5 Laugh, giggle, laugh some more.

#6 Assign the next book.

#7 Rinse and repeat every six weeks.

The Hotel Emanuel Book Club:  Katie, me, Carrie, Emily, Julia and Sarah

 

Out of control!

The garden that is.  The spinach looks like it's on steroids, the arugula is freaking out and I even have some pink strawberries about two days ready from picking.  Go me!

Three little words

What is it about those three little words?  You know the ones I'm talking about.  Those three little words that fill your heart with joy and excitement and anticipation . . . .  

Three. Day. Weekend.

Utter those three little words and it makes people crazy.  Crazy.  Huge, elaborate plans suddenly start taking shape as if adding that extra day allows you to do a myriad of things you can't possibly fit into two days.  And let me tell you, people get out of town as fast as they can.  To mountain, to the coast, to the gorge, it doesn't matter.  It's a three day weekend.  The world is yours.

The weather was fantastic over Memorial Day weekend in Portland for the first time in like a bazillion years.  Warm, sunny, not a cloud to be seen all weekend.  Not even a threat of rain which for Portland is pretty much unheard of.  Between REI and photo shoots, B and I practically had a one day weekend but still managed to fit in plenty of fun in the sun.

Take a look:

Julia and I took Kaya to the river for some play time on Sunday.

Julia and me enjoying gelato after burgers and beer at the Kennedy School.  Gelato Tour '09 here we come!
B stops for a rest in the middle of our 30 mile circumnavigation of Hagg Lake on Monday.

B also had a fantastic ride and BBQ with some buddies on Saturday and we both headed over to Ryan and Dacia's for some grill time Monday night.  

Bike ride?  Check.  BBQ?  Check.  Hike with the dog?  Check.  Burgers and beer?  Check.  Another bike ride?  Check.  Another BBQ?  Check.  Hmmm, felt like a completely normal weekend to us--maybe we finally have this time off thing nailed down.