Northwest Nuggets

A few pics from October.

2010-11-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

Kayla, and her friends are preparing for a night out on Halloween. I had to work the next morning so I sat this one out.

L To R: Jordan, Kayla, Megan.

Kayla was some sort of clown, mime character...

The trees throwing up some color in October.

Kayla leaning out our window as I called her from the road to snap this pic. :)

A bookstore across the street from our Apartment. This is where I picked up my copy of Henry and Glen Forever.

A look down Morrison Street which runs parallel to our Apt.

More Morrison...

And again.

We went in search of a burger just outside of town and ran across the Roloff Farm, it's ran by the family from the TLC show Little People Big World.

There were so many people out at the Roloff's pumpkin patch and spilling over to the hamburger joint we were going to that we change strategies and went to Foster Burger... MMMM Burger...

A ceremony...

2010-11-04T20:16:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we were asked to be witness at a little ceremony a couple friends were having, they were pretty much eloping. Kayla and I know a thing or two about that...

I got off work a little early and we met at Crystal Springs Park.

The couple were running a little late so we walked around the park for a little, fall was just coming on so the leaves were just beginning to change.

Kayla looking like a sexy rock star by a little water fall.

I was happy to be there, obviously.

This is Megan and Andy in their first few moments of Marriage. Good luck you guys!

Kent, WA

2010-10-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we went up to visit Grandma Marie while she was seeing Sharon and John up in Kent, Wa.

To the Left is Mt. Ranier.

Here is a shot of Sharon and John's Koi Pond.

Look how big thos Koi are!! Last time I was here they were so small!

Koi.

Their lawn is really well kept with all types of vegetation, not sure how good these pics convey that.

More Koi.

Grandma standing by the Koi Pond. Sharon said the fake crane standing next to grandma was named Marie...

Here's a shot from the deck of a restaurant Sharon and John took us to for lunch.

I can't remember the name of the place but they had great burgers! Garlic burgers too!

We went to this park by the restaurant to see the river.

Walking to the river...

The River....

We went to a nearby lake to walk around and see another view of Ranier.

Mtn.

These holes are made by a woodpecker type bird, I can't remember now what it was called...

New Job

2010-10-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

Don't the people in the pic look pretty serious about working on that one computer?

Anyhow, I started a new job this week! I'm still working for the Corps of Engineers, and quite literally just across the hall from where I used to sit. I'm now a UPASS Admin/Programmer. I'm learning the Admin part of the job right now, which mainly deals with granting access to systems and what not... As I get the Admin part down I will get to start doing some programming, where my real interest lies.

The Pros so far:

It is a bit more money, which Kayla and I need so that's a positive.
I am no longer doing shift hours so my schedule will be more regular (he he) and I won't have to work holidays. Nice, since Columbus Day is Monday.
I will be issued a blackberry and laptop, eventually.
I can work from home one day a week.
I will be getting back to some work (programming) which will be good for my resume and career.

So, that's the latest from me. Kayla is back in school and preparing for another semester of all A's! :) She's also looking for a part-time job, she is applying to H&M although if she works there I'm afraid the paycheck will suffer.

I hope everyone is doing well!!

Say What?

2010-09-18T21:45:00.000-07:00

Want a good laugh? Check out my hair wet from the rain parted like a proper lad!

LMAO, this pic is funny! See how happy I am?

I was laughing in my head because it made me think of this scene from the movie Belly. LOL, Rico~

Working on some new wheat paste pics... Still trying to think of a good visible spot.

I made this template by tracing a .22 single-six Ruger, so it's true to form.

Rando Yo!

2010-09-07T20:34:00.001-07:00

This picture was on the back of a Cajun Food Cart downtown.

This is one of our neighborhood grocery stores...

Kayla's making a decision...

The front of said grocery store.

this Graffiti showed up across the street yesterday.

That pretty much covers it...

Okie Land 2010

2010-09-07T20:08:00.001-07:00

So, as many of you know we made the trip back to my land of origin Oklahoma. We were in the area from Aug11th - Aug18th... We didn't have near enough time but it was Good times.

When we got into town we hooked up with my friend Sage, pictured above.

This store looked, colorful.

Sage is a musician based in Tulsa, Oklahoma and we met him at this old church that is now a recording studio.

Sorry, for shifting gears on you so quickly... My pics aren't in order of events... This is my Grandpa Ferguson's headstone.

Grandpa Oldham's Headstone, notice I never met him. I've heard stories though :)

My dad's headstone. I miss him every day of my life.

L 2 R: Cousin Victoria, Uncle Chris, Uncle Joe, Cousin Sara.

I can't type this much... This is a portion of the family at the family reunion.

Brother Mark and Sister in-Law Gretchen and their brood.

Grandma Ferguson with some grandkids.

This is my name as it is on the Praying Hands at ORU.

A cross made of shrubbery!

Praying hands...

Hodge Podge

2010-08-06T08:54:00.001-07:00

So, here's some random shots of what has been going on since the last update....

A Sausage Snack at the Hollywood Farmer's Market

Veggies

The stand we got our Pork Back Bacon for BLTs

Part of Kayla's Afro and some white lady

We went with Chibatta bread.

So this is the entrace I use when I walk to work, yeah probably not that interesting.

I may have went wheatpasting.

I spent last week in Vicksburg, MS here is the building I spent most of my time there.

View from my hotel room. What you see is the Mississippi River and the bridge leading to Louisiana. In the foreground is a rest stop I always used when travelling from Alabama to Oklahoma.

Stopped by this place when I was wondering around in the Country while in Vicksburg.

Sunset in Vicksburg, looked better in person.

Random shot of PDX.

The Hawthorne Bridge up to let a barge through.

Where you been?

2010-07-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

So, I figured i better update this thing... Here are some random pics of graffiti around the city. Somehow I can understand the desire to leave your mark.

Looking west across the river.

Tech

I have no idea...

2010-04-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

So, it's been quite some time! Sorry for not updating in so long, if you happen to check here still then maybe this will a good surprise.... The shot above is driving through our favorite cemetery. Kinda creepy, huh? It's a pleasant place we like to Sunday drive to sometimes and just look across the Valley.

There's the Valley I was talking about.

Of course a picture of Mt. Hood.

Shifting gears, we went to the coast March, 14th to get out of town for the night. That's a shot of us driving across the small Mtn. range that stands between us and the coast.

There was a little snow at the pass.

My pictures are all over the place but that is a view of driving across a bridge from WA to Astoria, Or.

That's the WA side.

The Bridge.

Here's a view of the bridge as you drive through Astoria.

Houses in Astoria. It was a beautiful morning!

While you are in Astoria you have to stop at The Goonies house! Here's a shot looking from the driveway at The Goonies house.

Big 'ol tankers.

All you Goonies kids from the 80's know this house!

See, told you it's the Goonies house!

Neighborhood shot.

A rare bath of sunlight in March on the Oregon Coast.

Downtown Astoria.

That's the bridge we were on earlier.

Halloween and other pics.

2009-11-01T20:11:00.001-08:00

So, Kim had an awards banquet to attend Halloween night, so trick or treating duties fell to big brother. Last year CreCre went trick or treating in The Dalles so she didn't get a very good haul of candy. I just realized I forgot to take a picture of the candy but it had to be about 5lbs of candy! We got behind on time and had to rush to get CreCre to the convention center because the pow wow was about to begin.

I think the above jack-o-lantern is was one of my favorites.

This was a pretty fun house.

Smilin' with the eyes closed.

A couple houses. At the house on the left had an older lady with one of those devices you hold up to your nech and a computerized voice comes out, it was hilarious watching CreCre's terrified reaction, she did say thank you though.

This was a festive house.

This was the first house, we couldn't quite wait for the sun to go down.

I really like this jack-o-lantern, even though it was a little black and white tv with tin foil.

We went to the Mall first but it was super crowded and the candy wasn't that good.

Just driving around. A row of Fall trees by our house.

The Max train on the other side of the park as I waited for the light to change, this is by the mall.

You could probably tell my typing that I am tired and just wanted to get this posted. I'm getting ready for bed, Happy November everyone!

Pho?

2009-09-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

Living on the Pacific Rim of Fire we have a lot of Asian food to discover here in Portland. One of our favorites is PHO, a beef broth- noodle Vietnamese soup that will warm your soul. My favorite time to eat pho is when it's all rainy and overcast and you want nothing more then a nice big bowl of soup to warm you up. I have to admit I wasn't initially excited about pho when a friend of mine who was visiting town demanded we eat pho before he left town. My friend, Jason is from Alabama but lived close to Bayou La Batre, which has a lot of Vietnamese people and he likes to eat the soup there. Well, just driving around Portland you will notice a lot of little restraunts with the PHO in the title i.e. Pho Hung, Pho Van, Pho Thien, Pho Green, Pho Jasmine etc...

You can make Pho as crazy or tame as you like. You can get vegetarian Pho (which i have never tried) or go with the often titled "Super Bowl" which includes thin cuts of flank steak, sirloin, brisket, tripe, beef tendon, meatballs and honeycomb tripe. If you have texture issues when you eat you may want to leave out the tripe and tendon. I have to admit Kayla and I usually go with the Super Bowl most of the times which usually runs about $7-8. One of my favorite parts is how you get to customize your soup to your liking. As you wait for your soup to be served they will bring a plate to your table with lime wedges, asian basil, cilantro and bean sprouts and sliced jalapeno peppers. When your soup comes you can add all or none of these "additions" as you see fit. You can also sweeten up the broth with Hoisin sauce or make it nice and spicy with Cock Sauce (Sriracha a Thai hot sauce) and chili oil. I like to get a good sweat going when I eat pho!

So, as I often do when I like a certain food I have to try to replicate it in the Kitchen. This past week I made an honest go of it. Wednesday it was cloudy and cool outside and I was bored at home because Kayla was at work so I thought I would give pho a try and if it turned out good Kayla would have a nice surprise when she got off work. I scoured the Internet for recipes and learned it wasn't really too hard to make Pho, mainly just time consuming. So, I went to our favorite Asian market and procured all the ingredients including big soup bowls and chop sticks for $32. I went home and started on my broth which is beef bones and about .5lb of sirloin boiled for 3hrs along with onions and ginger root (first roasted in the oven to bring out their essential oils) along with a handy spice packet wrapped in cheese cloth containing cinnamon, coriander, cloves, star anise and fennel. After the broth had simmered approprately I strained it through cheese cloth and prepared my noodles. The noodles are real quick you just have to blanche them for about a minute. Next, I set my bowls with noodles, then slices of lean flank steak and tripe. Then you just add your boiling beef broth which cooks your steak and you are good to go. We had the table all set up with the "fixins'" of basil and what not. And when it was all said and done it was pretty tasty!! I think next time I'm going to get more oxtail for my broth but overall it wasn't bad for an Okie's first attempt at Pho. Sadly in the midst of preparing dinner (which included a badass karate kick i utilized to knock a, what i thought was empty, eskimo joe's cup half full of fruit punch crystal light out of Kayla's hand when she came into the kitchen while i was preparing the bowls. Don't mess with the Chef! You thought Hell's Kitchen was intense!) we forgot to take pictures. But, I promise to get shots next time! I also expect a better return on investment next time since I'll just have to get the herbs and meat.

I encourage everyone to step outside their food comfort zone from time-to-time because once you get over it "being different" and give it a shot you may just be pleasantly surprised.

Saturday Market

2009-08-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

We had CreCre for the weekend so we went to Saturday Market. How do you know it's a good Saturday Market? When Jimi Hendrix shows up of course! He even had his guitar with him!

There always has to be a guy playing the buckets.

Here's a fountain.

Cat on a leash. It's not uncommon to see a homeless person with a cat or a dog on a leash, at least you always have a meal if you get desperate enough.

CreCre eating a $5 bag of kettle corn, they are proud of their corn in Oregon, I guess.

Seeing booth with painted wood saws made me feel right at home.

People.

More Market across the road.

An old military truck...

They had this 3-on-3 soccer tournament going on in the streets.

Trying to take a picture of the sign.

This a food "cart" across from where I work and probably the best food cart to get Thai from. Pad Thai, 1 spring roll and a coke for $5.

We went over to a fountain where we saw this character role playing some kinda Anime type game with his pals.

Another shot of the crew.

I think they killed the fountain several times, here his woman is threating him with his magical staff.

The fountain.

CreCre in the midst of a pout session. It started with me asking her to wash her hands before she ate more popcorn because she had been picking rocks up off the ground and then she protested by not playing in the fountain and just sitting on the bench.

Walking home across the Hawthorne bridge.

A shot of SE Portland towards our house.

The hills from the Hawthorne bridge.

Shiny mannequins on a roof.

Sushi

2009-08-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

Living in Portland there are plenty of Asian markets to shop at and inspire your cooking we ventured to our favorite one Fubonn to pick up some items. It had been quite some time since Kayla and I rolled up some sushi so we made some the other night.
Rolls ready to be cut.

We used crab, salmon and tuna for our fish.
Avocado on top is always yummy.
Dig that presentation?

Mt. St. Helens

2009-07-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

I had a couple days off in the middle of the week last week so we took the opportunity to go camping up at Mt. St. Helens

You can kinda make out the volcano in the distance

Another shot.

We didn't have campground picked out so here we are trying to decide where to camp. We ended up going to like 5 or 6 campsites but they were either full or the only empty spots were right next other people. Eventually one of the camp hosts said we should go further up Mt. St. Helens to the Horse camping campground. So we went up and ended up finding some really primitive sites up a forest service road where all you had to do was pull off the road and drive back in the woods some and just set up camp.

Here is the area we camped at.

Whoever camped here before us put down a bunch of hay which came in handy for us. We slept so well!

Kayla slept in while I piddled around the camp messing with the fire and getting breakfast together. It was really chilly in the Mountains hence Kayla all bundled up, it was easily in the 50's.

The Jeep with our handy excess cargo hauler which also doubled as a table for us.

The camp area.

It was overcast and misty in the morning which was really soothing.

Driving out of the campsite.

Leaving...

Here's the horse camp we camped by.

Drivin'.

Not sure what they are called but these wild flowers were everywhere.

Clouds.

A valley.

That is Yale Lake in that valley.

The 4th

2009-07-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

Playing a little blogging catch up. For the 4th I had to work but we had some burgers when I got off and watched the fireworks from our balcony.

A short video of the fireworks.

Yeah...

2009-06-07T14:51:00.001-07:00

For the sake of putting something on here, I'm including some shots from a couple weeks ago when Kayla and I went to cemetery in SW Portland. It's such a pretty peaceful place, one of my favorite calming spots. Plus there are good views of Mt. Hood from there as you can see.

Leverage

2009-05-09T00:51:00.000-07:00

Why the interest in the TNT produced drama Leverage? No, it's not my love for all things Timothy Hutton. I know he's famous for some reason I just can't think of a movie I like with him in it right now there's gotta be something... Maybe an 80's movie out there?? Anyhow, it started this week when we noticed all these semis, cars, trailers etc... parked in the abandoned school parking lot a block over. Then we noticed one block over at NWFA martial arts school they had all these lights and equipment and looked like they were filming something. Well, come to find out they are filming the series in Portland now. There have been multiple sightings of Hutton in the Pearl (a trendy NW neighborhood) where he has an apartment. Apparently Portland is working out better then their LA locations and they are going to film the series here from now on. I don't currently jive with the shows they are putting on tnt but I think i'll at least give it a shot this summer to see the familiar sights of Portland.
That's a camera preparing for the shot.
A blurred shot of equipment.
Here is literally the last scene they shot at this location. A few dudes in the street going into the martial arts school for a fight.
Cameras and what not...
Here is the director talking on his bullhorn. Notice the wet streets, they had a truck spraying water before the shot the scene. We just stood and watched for a bit and listened to the director. He eventually told everyone they had a great week of shooting and good job! It was kinda cool to be there watching the shoot on location. Maybe when Kayla gets going with the film career i can see some cool on locale shoots.
That's the Martials Arts school. You can't tell but the sign says "Fights Tonight!" they also changed the signs on the school to say "Rucker's Gym".

One year.

2009-05-02T22:31:00.001-07:00

April 21st Kayla and I celebrated our one year anniversary by heading out on a weekend road trip to Newport, Or. It was a pretty nice drive out taking about 2.5 hours.

Here is our arrival in Newport driving across the bridge.

Another shot out towards the Pacific.

The bay of Newport, Or.

We had the windows out in the jeep so it was kinda chilly. It's always a good idea to carry a blanket with you if you have a jeep with a soft top.

Here is the beach right out side our hotel room.

An old lady flying a kite.

It was bright!

A shot back towards Newport from a neighborhood we were driving through.

Statue of a whale.

The countryside.

Cheez.

Beach shots along the 101.

The day we went back to Portland we stopped by the Newport historic bay front. There's the bridge we were driving across earlier.

Lots 'o boats.

Believe it or not there is a Ripley's believe it or not in Newport.

We heard these sea lions before we saw them and they were entertaining a crowd by the boats.

Sea lion catchin' rays.

On the way to the beach we drove through Corvallis, Or where Oregon State University is and made a quick driving tour of the campus. Here's their football stadium. It's a college town about the size of Stillwater but with mountains around it.

We didn't get many shots of the campus, just this random building. We were ready to get home so we didn't stop, maybe next time.

RIP

2009-04-07T14:55:00.001-07:00

You are missed every day. It still doesn't seem real.

Ok, Last one

2009-03-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

I promise this is the last post about our San Fran road trip. These pics are from another camera and have more road pics. The pic above is just after turning off I-5 at Grants Pass headed through the mountains to the coast on highway 101 in N. Cali.
Lots of curves in the mountains.

Our first look at the Pacific on highway 101 in California.

More coastline.

Some elk.

This is actually the next day after staying the night in Ukiah, Ca.
Wineries started popping up.

A small town in N. Cal
Before we knew it the Golden Gate Bridge was before us.
On the bridge.
It's a $4 ride, enjoy. This should be your first indication that San Fran is going to suck your wallet dry.

Sailboats by Alcatraz.
Ahh... San Fran.
First stop was fisher man's warf
Sailboats by Alcatraz.
We walked over to China town next.
Lots of little shops up and down... I think this is Grant Ave. or Blvd

The walk out of China town was up a this steep hill.
I kept thinking about Full House.
Obama poster in that window.
On our way back we hopped on highway 1 just south of SF it's some of the most beautiful driving you will ever do.

The girls where all smiles.
Kayla, loves Highway 1 but her heart is in Oregon.

San Fran again...

2009-03-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

So, earlier this month (Mar) two of Kayla's girlfriends came in to town and the next day we promptly embarked on a trip to San Francisco. Here are some pics for you to check out.
A bus.
The distinctive architecture in San Fran.
Jordan, Suzanne and Kayla (ask her about her new glasses!)
Found some Grafitti when walking by Golden gate park.

Some pieces on Haight.
A giant piece on Haight. I think i have seen this on the rebel 8 blog.

Alien thing from the giant piece.

Just walking.
A peace sign in Frisco?
streets
Castro

Hippie Streets
You know you are at Haight and Ashbury when you find yourself in a store like this.

San Fran

2009-03-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

It's been taking forever to get the pics from our trip to san fran up.... So, i'll post a few and come back and comment when I have time. Zac and Julia are in town, we are off to the beach today! No sun here though as you would suspect.

To The Dalles...

2009-03-01T13:56:00.000-08:00

We went and visited Kim and Cre Cre last weekend. Gotta a little snow while we where there.
A view from just up the road from their house.

We walked through this old cemetery that is next door to their house.

Kayla in the cemetery.
Cre Cre gets up close.

We continued up the hill to Psorosis Park.
Kayla in the pines.

Cre Cre running up hill in the snow and Micco tcb.

Random

2009-02-11T08:38:00.001-08:00

If you look closely that is snow falling... Apparently this is supposed to be a rare occurrence around here since we are so low in elevation.
This is a new mural of our community on the Plaid Pantry Convenience store around the corner.
Kayla catches snow flakes on her tongue.
How could I not stop at this store? The owner is actually really cool and we ended up talking to him for a good 30minutes. Plus there were samurai swords, throwing stars, daggers, Samurai armor etc... I think this will be the perfect place to stock up on my hand-to-hand combat weapons for the zombie attacks. I left a knife there to get sharpened, the owner said the guy he has sharpen for him used to be the lead sharpener for benchmade knives, maybe i'll shave with my freshly sharpened knife today (i'm sick of the word sharpen, now!)
This picture does no justice but at the moment huge silver dollar sized snow flakes are falling, maybe if you click on the picture and enlarge it you can see it better...

Stepping Stone...

2009-02-11T08:18:00.001-08:00

So, after watching Man vs. Food we decided to make a breakfast trek over to the Stepping Stone Cafe. It was a typical rainy and cold Portland day, perfect for a great breakfast. Above is a shot from the outside.
Kayla waits patiently for our feast!
A few shots from the menu. Kayla got the Smother B.A. Omelet.

Just like that, the time to feast had arrived. There was so much good stuff on the menu that I went with the banana nut bread french toast and biscuits and gravy. After fueling up on this we went on a much needed walk around downtown.

Goin' to the country...

2009-01-27T09:45:00.000-08:00

I often forget that when I talk about going out to the country around here it means the Mountains. We met up with a co-worker and his wife and shot some guns! He's an ex-military Iragi war vet so he had all sorts of crazy guns. I think Kayla and i enjoyed the drive the most.
I'm shooting the 30-30.
Gabe shooting. That is a pretty crazy rifle on the log it shoots up to 900 yards with accuracy.
Clouds in the hills.
Snow in the pines.

January 20, 2009

2009-01-21T00:18:00.000-08:00

Kayla wore her new T-shirt in support of Obama. We enjoyed all the festivities today and witnessed history in the making. Not bad for a Tuesday.

Winter

2009-01-21T00:05:00.000-08:00

Overlooking The Dalles

Yeah, it's been a long time since we updated! With Kayla out of town and the holidays we have been out of our normal schedules. We went to The Dalles last weekend and went for a drive in Dad's Corvette. We had to air up the tires and get a little gas for a drive. We also had one of dad's burned cds in, it was quite a mix... I couldn't help to think that I bet dad had a similar feeling driving the vette listening to a good classic rock song and just enjoying the ride.
Can you see where the snow begins?
Rocky
A dusting of snow.

Ice Ice Baby...

2008-12-15T23:25:00.001-08:00

We had our first snow Sunday! It snowed hard but we only got a couple inches. There is more ice then anything else. It doesn't snow a lot where we are at because we live way down in the valley.
The front entrance with a light dusting.
Street out front.
This is the same picture we took in the fall here are the winter versions.
Kayla didn't have leaf eyes this time. But she did have an awesome hat.
The Jeep with it's first taste of snow. I gotta say the jeep is really nice to have right now. I have enjoyed driving past the cars struggling up hills.

I wanted to take all the backstreets because there was more snow and ice to drive on.

Laurelhurst Park.

Buckman neighborhood random shots.
A lot of people where out sledding on the ice. I strategically planned where I would sled and setup lookouts the whole day.
Lot's of homes around here have random paint jobs.

Sexy Mexi

2008-12-14T08:18:00.001-08:00

We rode our bikes to this mexican food restaurant the other day. Mexican restaurants can be kinda hard to come by up here. If you like Asian food you will have no problem here.
Kayla ordered a fancy Shirley Temple.
Very festive decor.
Kayla stuck to her standby, the taco salad. Check out that EJ shirt, represent!
I ordered a burrito but was given enchiladas. Just put cheese on it and I'll eat it.

A random walk...

2008-12-09T21:32:00.001-08:00

here are some shots from a random walk we went on the other night...
An old Volvo.
PPAA, they have shows here.
Kayla walking down the middle of a road in between some old warehouses.
=
Kayla in her new warm winter coat! Woop Woop, Columbia outlet!

We walked down to the Morrison Bridge to get a good look at the Portland skyline.
A better shot.
Nice sunset as seen from the couch.

First Thanksgiving

2008-12-09T21:14:00.001-08:00

So, this post is way overdue. For our first Thanksgiving Kayla worked her butt off while I worked but I got off early at 7 and come home to a cooked bird. Here I am cuttin' it up...

Our little stove worked overtime!
Cheesy broccoli and rice dish!
Stuffin'

Dance battles

2008-12-05T17:49:00.000-08:00

This May be Cool...

2008-12-04T21:59:00.000-08:00

To only a Mark, but I was checking up what my tattoo Artist Scott Harrison has been up to on his website...

Take a look here and see if you can tell why I feel pretty cool!?

Hint: Just look at his name!

P.S. - A Thanksgiving post is on the way.

Desk hunt

2008-11-11T01:20:00.000-08:00

So, the other day we went on a bike ride to try to find a desk we saw on craigslist. On the way we came across this bread factory. At the time they were baking cinnamon raisin bread and it smelled soooo good.

Bread on a conveyor belt. The windows let you see the process they go through in making the bread. It was like watching something on discovery channel.
Mmmmm bread.

View across the street.
Bread coming out of the oven.
A big loaf on top of the factory.

OKState

2008-11-07T14:58:00.000-08:00

So, I don't know why I haven't posted this yet... But, it is kinda rare that us OSU football fans have much to brag about. But, this year has been great so far. Hope we can pull it off this weekend. Go Pokes!

Our upset of Mizzou

Homecoming walkaround.

Not real big on the country song but still a good video.

Spring Preview 1

Spring Preview 2

A cool piece about a deaf player on the team.

Okay so we'll cancel that move to Canada...

2008-11-05T20:32:00.000-08:00

Last night was amazing, pure joy and triumph rang throughout the streets. Car horns honking, bike bells ringing, people dancing, bands playing. It was a great sight to see and hear, everyone celebrating because our man Barack made it into office! In sixty years when this is in the history books and is part of of our American history curriculum I'll still remember the sounds and good vibes from the streets that night because history was made and we were all part of it. I loved seeing everyone's reactions from around the world, everyone was just as elated as we were here. People are finally starting to look at America in a different light, and can see we're trying to get ourselves in the right direction. I'm so proud of our country and I never thought I would say those words.

The ballot drop off box is right down the block. Traffic was wicked congested. Who waits until the VERY last minute? Really.

The office of elections is across our block. People are waiting to vote, the line goes all the wayyyy down the block. Everyone was keeping good spirits though and cheering and dancing while in line.

Hi I'm a mailbox. I don't want your votes.

"CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!"

Too bad you can't tell from this photo, but see those arrows? Down there it was packed with people dancing, some bands, possibly a small riot. But the good kind.

Luke being patient and cute at the same time. An easy feat for him I promise you.

A news team waiting outside, doing exit polls I'm guessing.

Only a few people in there now.

Gil unimpressed by the whole evening. But Luke and I have always known Gil is a die hard conservative. When we first got him he sat on the computer googled Bill O'Reilly.

After hearing the results Luke and I took a bike ride to Voodoo Doughnut. Time to celebrate with some delicious sugar!

Oregon blueberry (my favorite), grape ape (our favorite), Portland cream, maple cream (Luke's favorite), and a powered raspberry filled doughnut. Yeah not too good for the body, but good for the soul. And we did bike there after all.

Trees

2008-11-04T14:10:00.000-08:00

So, yesterday we went on a bike ride and ran some various errands. It was a little wet and cold but very pretty. A lot of the trees are from Laurelhurst Park which is just a couple miles from us.
Stopped to sit on a bench and snap some shots.

Tried to get a shot of this whole humongous Douglas fir.
Found a pond with some good trees around it.

Kayla waits paitiently.

Just Oak St.
A random mural of Mt. Hood.

Groovy new record wall!

2008-11-02T13:29:00.000-08:00

Luke and I have made a few upgrades to the old abode this past week. Kim gave us a sweet leather fold out couch (which is also our new bed, yippie!) and a big screen tv! We're definitely enjoying it! I also found a use for all those records we scored at a free sale when we first moved here. This will do at least until we get our turntables.

Bad Timing.

2008-10-31T14:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I couldn't resist a fart joke.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T14:13:00.001-07:00

I'll be working tonight and we have no plans. No party for us. Yes, you can feel sorry for us. But, If I had a party to go to I would go as either Bob Ross or Will Farrell in the Cowbell SNL Skit with Christopher Walken.

Bike Route

2008-10-31T12:34:00.001-07:00

Ok, so documenting one of my bike routes to work. Here is the gate I leave out the back of our building. Homeless and drunk people like to stop here and piss and also hold philospophical discussions ranging from politics to Natty Lite.

About to head off down the hill. Take your first right.

This is Stark a good road that cuts through SE pretty good. You can get some pretty good speed down this hill.

Another shot of Stark.

After turning off of stark (that's a right) you cruise through some industrial district. We live pretty much in the industrial district, right on the edge.

This is guardian games. I have stopped here before. Pretty cool. Lots of nerds though. Anyone for some D&D?

Crappy Graffiti next door.

Yep, I ride past the legendary Burnside skatepark almost everyday. Wish I could skate. While I was taking this picture some lady was in the fetal position yelling and screaming. Creepy. I asked if she was ok but she just screamed. Probably drugs or bad Chinese food.

The group down there had skateboards but nobody was skating and I had to go to work.

Time to ride across the Burnside Bridge.

About to embark on the bridge crossing, it can be windy, rainy and cold this part of ride.

Stopped halfway across and snapped some shots. Portland is all about the bridges. The Willamette river cuts right through the middle of the city.

I think that is the Steel Bridge.

Downtown.

More bridge.

The made in Oregon sign. It looks better at night.

The River Front.

I was soaking wet and cold and not quite sure when the pic was going to take.

Off the bridge and making a right. The Oregon Leather company...

Waiting to cross the Max line.

Here it comes.

Crossing back under the Burnside Bridge.

Looking back at the Burnside Br. this is when I realized I only had 5 minutes to get to work. So, I'll update the rest of the ride tomorrow.

Fall

2008-10-25T21:26:00.001-07:00

We went for a bike ride the other day around our neighborhood, which is the Buckman Neighborhood anyhow after living in Alabama and Florida for awhile it is weird to have a fall again.

This is that night when we went out for Thai food a block over. I never see pay phones anymore so I took a pic of this one.

Thai food place. Our bikes chained up out front.

We really liked all the colors on this block, even the mini matched.

This is 11th right outside our door.

This tagger is obviously wicked stoked about Technology!

Kayla has leaf eyes and a beautiful smile. Even her hair kinda matches.

Riding your bike fast through these leaves is just as fun 2o years later. Wow, I don't want to think about that sentence anymore.

Video Store.

2008-10-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

Our new favorite video store is a short bike ride away and right off a pretty cool roundabout in the Ladd Addition neighborhood.

It's really cool how this video store and the little coffee shop next door just pop up in the residential neighborhood.

Bike Room

2008-10-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

Portland is a very bike friendly city and so is our building. Here is the bike room where Kayla and me keep our steads. We have been riding more and driving a lot less. We are contemplating selling the jeep.

Lots of Spare parts. Some guy in the building also stores cans here so it smells like sour beer most of the time.

The "doublestack" bike is pretty popular around here. Here are a few examples. They weld two bike frames together and ride up high! Pretty cool actually. I need to get one. My favorite bike down here is a stretched old school bike that kinda resembles a wwII motorcycle, I'll get a pic sometime.

There it is on the left, gi-joe green.

More bikes.

Looking across the room. That is Kayla's bike on the white line. It's an old school Schwinn. We were preping for a ride.

I still rep for Ice Cube even though he does crappy movies...

Cape Lookout Park

2008-10-07T00:39:00.001-07:00

The weekend before last we went camping on the coast at Cape Lookout. It is located right outside Tillamook, Or which has a lot of dairy farms in turn giving the entire town a distinct odor. Tillamook cheese is made here and it is quite the good thing.

I was rambo in my mind.

There is a picture of the fire because it took forever to get that going. I refused to pay for wood and it was damp out...

The forests in Oregon are really cool. The have little underbrush and walking is pretty easy with lots of bright green moss everywhere. It's really dense though and is easy to get turned around in there.

A couple pics has a picture of this really misty cloud that rolled down out of the mountains onto the coast, it was quite the site.

The Melciff

2008-09-21T21:00:00.001-07:00

So, finally we have some pics up of the apartment. Above is 11th ave the street we live on.

Looking down Alder the cross street.

Walkway to front door.

More walkway.

The sidewalk in front. Kayla wants that scooter.

More Sidewalk in front. Notice the Jeep sportin' the Okstate tire cover.

Across the street.

Kayla on the stoop.

The stainedglass on the front door is awesome.

The lobby. The Melcliff was originally a hotel built in the 1920's.

A Shining esque hallway leading to our door.

106, that's us.

Views from our living/bedroom.

I like the Portland Storage CO. Sign in the distance.

Just got done raining.

Our bedroom/Living room. Gilroy is sleeping. Notice the Afghan from MA!

The living/bedroom.

Kitchen

Dining room sans a table. Gonna find a free one eventually.

The little changing area outside the bathroom. Notice the painting I did for Kayla's B-day. And look at the tv, that's our brother Oral Roberts! Preach it!

Built-ins outside the bathroom.

The entrance.

Off the grid...

2008-09-05T12:51:00.001-07:00

So, If you have tried to call me lately then you have probably gotten the disconnected notice.

I shut off my cell phone a couple days ago! What a great feeling. So, in the absence of my wife I used my phone a little too much, or a lot too much and have a nice hefty phone bill to pay off. So, until I get caught up I will be sans phone. But, there is good news! Kayla has a phone and you can call her and most likely I will be there. Her number is 850-896-0585.

I recommend not doing business with at&t. I went over my plan and they charged me $.40/min!! I couldn't believe it! I was thinking more like .10. So good riddance at&t.

I can still remember life without a cell phone and can't belive how attached I had become to mine. Dropping out a little is always a good thing!!!

Mark, Gretch and the kids!! I miss you so much! I love the updates on your picturemind blog!

Mom-in-Law, I need more kickass salsa!! Please... Can't wait to watch more silly movies with you! I know Kayla misses you like nobody's business!!!

Momma! It is going to be hard to go a long stretch without your awesome breakfasts and kickass food in general and the great convos! I love you!

No subject.

2008-08-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

We made it back home Tuesday afternoon. The last stretch of the drive was really beautiful. Bombing through the mountains in California was crazy!

The Redwoods were probably my favorite part. They were so huge and peaceful and the whole forest was such a serene area to be in.

Luke and I called this place the "sanctuary."

I've been known to hug a few trees.

Highway 1 coastline.

So the trip was amazing and definitely a breath taking experience! I'm so glad we got to do it, and in style too ;]

Later days!

Day FOUR.

2008-08-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

Denver was a blast last night! Got to meet one of Luke's old college buddies, Steve-O. The weather there was perfect and we got to really let our hair down. We're definitely keeping Denver on our list of possible places to move to in the future. Today was our most eventful drive yet and definitely a beautiful sight for the eyes. I finally managed to stay awake for the entire drive and took a ton of photos.

This photo is from yesterday in Stillwater, but I promised my Mom I would get this shot for her. Aw I'm going to miss Sonic once we get in the NW!

Starting out going through the Rockies.

I've got a thing for tunnels.

This gorge was amazing! Luke and I were in awe the whole time driving through.

This was the drive across Utah.

It was a long day, but it looks like tomorrow might be longer. No worries though, we made it to Salt Lake City tonight and plan on making into California sometime tomorrow!

"Look at you, OMG."

2008-08-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

Got on the road at about 12pm Wednesday. So today is technically day 3, but this post is in relation to day 2.

Crossing over the Mississippi River.

The 'vette looking all spiffy.

Our day ended in Stillwater, OK and Luke took me on a tour around the OSU campus. School was in session and it was cool seeing all the people interacting on such a beautiful campus.

After working up an appetite walking around campus Luke took me to Eskimo Joe's.
He had been raving about their sweet peppercorn bacon and swore I had to try it. I've been a vegetarian for five years, so I was obviously very skeptical.

Didn't take too much convincing once the cheese and bacon fries arrived, then we split this burger and the rest is history. I think I'm getting a chicken biscuit too this morning....

Remember

2008-08-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

So, I don't think i have shared the pics i used for Dad's memorial pp (these aren't all of them but a lot of them). I am feeling a little sappy today so indulge me by enjoying pics of My hero and the guy that had the greatest influence in my life, My Dad.

On the Road again!

2008-08-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

So, I couldn't find a pic of Dad with the vette so I went with his old Chevy II.

I am flying down this Sunday to procure the dad's corvette and drive it from Florida to Oregon!

Can you say road trip??

I am also going to be getting Kayla (the beautiful girl in the pic) to ride along, how cool will we look with all that hair blowing in the wind!!?

So, I'm thinking since Kayla will have her notebook along with us on the ride maybe we can journal the journey on here!

The tentative plan thus far is:

Get to South and visit friends and family.
Kayla's bday on Tuesday!
Leave Wednesday and make it to Mom's in Stigler,Ok that night and hopefully get some of those biscuits and chocolate gravy! And Visit Dad's grave.
Thursday Take the scenic route to Stillwater, Ok and eat at Joe's . I also want to get some of those beloved Joe's cups for our apt in Pdx. And wether she likes it or not show Kayla around the 'ol alma mater OSU!! Let her see where the recent generations of Oldham's have gained their higher educations! We may stay here for the night or push on towards something in Kansas.
Friday Make it to Denver, Colorado to spend time with Steve my best friend from college days.
From this point on we are going to play it by ear... We will either head up the high road to Wy, Ut, Id then Or. Or we may take the low road to Ut, Nv, Ca the Or.

Kayla and I have not really had a honeymoon so we are going to try to take from Sat or Sunday on and see some cool places and enjoy the time we have. I have to back at work by Wednesday so i can't drag my feet too much but we are definitely going to enjoy this road trip together as we start our lives together!

Opio

2008-07-31T20:42:00.000-07:00

Anyone checked out that new Opio video and album?

Dr. Drew

2008-07-29T22:26:00.000-07:00

Wow long time no update! I'm back in Pensacola getting my things together, packing boxes, saying goodbye, running errands, and getting to enjoy the last bit of summer I have left. From the photo above it is obvious Porkchop is taking the move with ease.

I got bored with my look sometime between coming back from Portland and arriving in Pensacola. So I decided to lighten things up..quite a bit.

Looking forward to this back in Portland. Musicfest NW 2008.
The lineup looks pretty sick and my hip-hop husband with his new "official" street cred is looking espeically forward to seeing Del the Funky Homosapien. I want a prime spot for Menomena, Vampire Weekend, and TV on the Radio.

All day long I've been working a pan of lasagna. It was my first lasagna and I just went pretty instincual on the whole thing. Came out top-notch and tasted amazing! Suzanne and I were more than pleased and decided to try this one more often.

Current Obsession: Loveline

Biking and fitness...

2008-07-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

So, I have finally achieved my dream of living where I can ride my bike to work, to the gym or wherever I need to. Portland has been rated #1 the "best city for cycling" by bicycling magazine for the past two years! There are tons of bike lanes and a lot of people get around by bike. Kayla I have literally been forced to take a different road because there will be large groups of bicyclists taking over the roadway! They even sell maps with the different bike routes thorughout the city marking the highly traveled roadways and what not! Very handy when you are a noob like myself.

I have also gotten back to my healthier eating habits. 5-6 small meals throughout the day to get and keep the metabolism burning. Lots of fruit, veggies, poultry and fish. When i couple eating clean with 5-6 days of exercise a week seeps that I lose weight the fastest using this method.

I have also taken to the running in the new neighborhood it is so active with so much to look at that it really helps me cope with the pain of running. I have run in the past as a sport (xcountry in high school, hard to believe I'm sure) but I prefer to disguise my running with a sport. Hence the Jiu Jitsu obsession.

So, here's to getting back in shape and living a healthier and greener lifestyle!!

Memorial

2008-06-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

Got This today from Scott Harrison At Atlas tattoo in Portland, Or.
It is a traditinal style navy anchor with some customization. The dates are my father's birth and death dates. He was in the navy hence the navy nautical theme.

Jiu Jitsu time!

2008-06-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

I am going to start training at a new gym soon!

I have been researching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gyms in the area for quite some time and I really think that Straight Blast Gym will suit my training needs the most!

The atmosphere seems pretty laid back.

The new apartment is going to only be 2 miles from sbg and across the river from work! Bike commuting at it's finest!