9/11

Today is 9/11. A day of mourning. It happened 7 years ago and yet it still feels like yesterday to me.


I posted an eerie pic taken from atop one of the towers in August of 2001 on my as i see it photo page. I used to visit Manhattan often when I lived in Delaware. I never did go back after that tragic day.



a view from the top-

I thought this day would never come....

Finally.....

I have been re-united with Erica. I know this sounds a bit melodramatic, but this chick single-handedly helped me get through the toughest year of my life,this last year, with hours and hours of phone conversation about my dissertation, trashy tv and life in general. To me she is clutch.

She has lived away from Oregon for too long, travelling between Ohio and California. Now it is her turn to write her dissertation and I will be there to help her however I can.

Another sweet surprise is the presence of her husband Dave. He too is a grad student and has his comps and dissertation in the not so distant future.
For our first reunification Portland date we had some very tasty sushi in the Hawthorne district where they are looking for their future home. After eating sushi we rushed to my place to enjoy a guilty pleasure..... a scandalous obsession..... gossipgirl..... Yeah, I know it is 8th grade, but I'm addicted.
Portland just became a better place! I'm so happy you are back E!!!! I missed you!!!

Sophalicious!!!

I planned to hang around Portland this weekend to spend time with my boss Ellen and her family. One of Ellen's daughters recently started her senior year and she is trying to get some good shots for her senior photos. So on Friday night we ran around downtown Portland trying to capture Portland's scenic spots with Sophia's pretty face. It was fun, but it also introduced me to a more goal-oriented approach to photography rather than, "oh, I have my camera, why not snap a few shots? and that's great that I like them too!". The pressure of producing emotion evoking shots on command was not a challenge I adapted to immediately. Luckily, as we both got used to other's stares and glares, we realized that it was more like a game of dress-up. It became fun and I think we had a good first go at it.

My personal favorite shot:

Our second goal for the weekend was to get Sophie out into the ocean for her first surf adventure. She has been waiting patiently to surf the Oregon Coast and Sunday this past weekend was The Perfect day to learn. The waves were beautiful and the weather was hot! We turned it into a family trip. This first pic was mostly a celebration because we had just managed to get the wetsuit on Sophia. I purchased this wetsuit second hand and it is a bit on the old side, meaning that the suit itself is not very stretchy and consequently very difficult to get on. I wore it in the past and I almost feel like it is the rite of passage suit. If you can get this suit on for your first time surfing and you still want to surf again, well then you really like surfing. Plus, upgrading to a newer suit will be like transitioning from an old beetle to a new Audi A4.

Ellen put together an Amazing meal that she cooked on the beach! We had Coal fired Chicken sandwiches with a bruschetta mixture on Naan bread. We also had Sweet Potatoes cooked with butter- Yummy!Here was her homemade fire pit where the magic happened! Here I am stuffing my face between surf outings. It hit the spot!The waves were great on Sunday and we surfed for several hours. Sophie surfed like a champ on her first day, managing to catch her first wave immediately. I think I have found myself a new surf partner.....I didn't think the day could get much better... but it did. We finished off the day with SMORES!!! Ellen rocks! Sophie was getting here SMORE On in this pic-The day was great and I was sad to leave. I managed to snap a shot of one of the more experienced surfers. I wish I was riding the wave like this guy, but I have a few more trips (more like a million) to the coast before that can happen. I think that is why I love surfing so much. The best surfers out there are the old guys who have developed a deep understanding of the wave patterns and how to manipulate their bodies on an object, on a moving wave. There is a lot going on there. Love it....

This is a mistake....

..........blogging while watching the keynote speaker for the Republican National Convention. I will keep this brief, because I try to know fully what I'm going to say before it leaves my mouth. Although I do have one very strong opinion that I need to get out.....

I do not like Rudy Guiliani.

He makes my skin crawl. His below-the-belt attacks, claptrap and witch-like crackle are too much for me!!

He stated that Obama has never lead anything..... He is wrong. Obama is leading the nation towards change and away from the Republican ticket.

Eeewww. I wish he would just stop talking already!!!

_________________________________________________

Well I just finished watching Palin speak. She is a far better speaker than Guiliani, although still on the crass side. Two things have become apparent to me after listening to her speech:

1) I hate politics

2) I am definitely NOT republican

And so the circus will continue.

4-wheeling fun!

I want to start out by prefacing this blog with the fact that I have posted MANY pics of my nephew Will. Why? Because he is too cute! I love this little long-eye-lashed boy! If you like to see pictures of cute little blonde 3 year old boys- keep reading.

I called my brother Dave to see if he was going to be around for the Labor day weekend. To my surprise, he was home and he had an extra ATV in the garage. I had a taste of ATV riding about a month ago, but wasn't able to really appreciate the power while wearing a skirt and flip-flops. Dave took us across the street to his hidden paradise and I had a blast!

Below, Will watching his hero get the 4 wheelers ready.
Inside the house Mom, Angie and Baby Mathew hung out. Mathew is a big boy!
We had to have a pre-ride pic.
So my brother rides the ATV like a champ! I don't have a picture of it, but he took us to this cliff-like hill side where he proceeded to ride up and down it at a speed I still am unable to comprehend. Below he is catching some dukes of hazard air! I also want to take this opportunity to say that my brother is the toughest man I know. While navigating the ATV's out of the trail area, the ATV rolled back onto his body and he didn't even flinch. Apparently this is not uncommon for ATV riders. I have to think long and hard before I continue on with this scary sport!
In the following pic I'm getting my donut on. Ohhh the adrenaline!!!
How cute is my nephew? We had a mini photo shoot.....Taking a walk up the hill. This was actually a funny story. We were out there for a while and I had to excuse myself to the bushes after many cups of morning coffee with my Grandma. Will asked where I was going and I told him I had to talk to a man about a horse. He said, "ha. okay". Well later we had to go and try to find the man I spoke to about a horse.The following disturbing pic was of a woman's boot in the waterhole. It was a little shady and like a car accident, I had to have a long look and a photo. Oh beth....
Before returning to the house..... of course we had to pick grass from the waterhole and marvel at how big the roots were! "Cool Auntie Beth!"
I love these boys! Thanks for the wonderful afternoon Dave!!! I'm hoping to someday get an invite for a day at the dunes for some ATVing in this great state of Oregon! (hint hint...)

my G-ma

I have been in Seattle a lot this summer and have yet to really hang out with my Grandma Junette. I surprised her this past Sunday by showing up for church. Doesn't she look great?!?
After church we went to the Testy Chef for some home cooked eggs and bacon. This small hole-in-the-wall breakfast joint is one of those places where you wait in line for 20 minutes and do so gladly to have the opportunity to indulge in a scrumptious, perfectly griddled, greasy plate of food.

Over breakfast I spoke with Grandma about how inspirational she has been in my educational pursuits. When my Grandma was in her 20's, she lost her first husband in the war and found herself without any work skills. Grandma was able to get a job at what locals called back then, "the boeings" and she was a Rosie the Riveter! How cool is that? Grandma learned from her experiences and insisted that her daughters had every opportunity to pursue their own educational pursuits so they would be able to take care of themselves in the absence of a man. HA! That message has definitely influenced my life and I thank Grandma for that. It was a Sunday morning well spent!

Ohhh to be a Coug....

The Cougs played Oklahoma State in Seattle on Saturday and I made the trek home to see the game. Of course, the Cougs lost. They didn't even Coug it (meaning they were winning and messed it up). They sucked offensively from the very beginning. What can you do? I really didn't go to see a win, although it is always nice. I went to the game to be surrounded by other Cougs. I love love being a Coug and proudly share with everyone that I'm 3RD Generation Coug.

There were oodles of little ones at the game and I found myself taking pictures of kiddos all day long. Andy and I went to the game together and we managed to find some new friends at one of the many tailgate parties. Everyone was so generous and we managed to meet Cougs who live in Vancouver, WA. They told me about all the Cougar hangouts just north of Portland! Very excited about that! Looks like the Palouse Cowboys also came to Seattle for the game.
Since the Cougs played like poo, Andy and I were forced to entertain ourselves with two things: photo taking and of course food! Below, Andy piled his fried clam and french fries on my cheesy nachos. Yummmyyyy!!!
I would say the most unfortunate thing about seeing a football game at Qwest field was the Garlic with fries on the side. Everyone- and I mean everyone was eating these stinky potato creations. I love garlic.... in moderation.... This particular dish made my eyes water and that was when they were about 10 feet away from me. I won't be eating chopped garlic for a while.
The game was a blast. It was a perfect weather day, nice people, good company and at half time, I saw Mark Rypien get inducted into the hall of fame. This famous Superbowl MVP for the Redskins started his career at Wazzu and I saw him play in the 80's when my Daddio drove the fam to a snow-filled stadium in Pullman back in the day. Good times. It's great to be a Coug!