Category Archives: life

Just booked the last camping trip of the season

The Clackamas River flowing through Milo McIver state park
Photo credit: FlickreviewR

At the end of the month we’ll be spending a few days at Milo McIver State Park to close out our sporadic summer of camping.

We had to cancel most of the week we had planned to spend camping along the coast due to Tom’s changing employers over the summer to a company that doesn’t offer PTO for the first three months of employment. Instead, we just made it a long weekend at Fort Stevens with the support of my dad and stepmom. Despite the short stay, we had a super-fun time, especially the kids, and so we want to get out there one more time before the cold and rain set in.

One of the things that tickled the kids the most was the opportunity to ride their bikes (Baxter on a scoot bike) around the camping loop, all on their own. They’d ride for an hour at a time, finally flopping down at the campsite in a happy, sweaty heap. They made friends with kids at other camp sites and one night even threaded glow sticks through their bike tires at sunset. If you knew how much my kids love glow sticks, your eyes would be widening at the pure unadulturated awesomeness of this fact, for them. 🙂 Seriously, it was nearly their favorite thing about that camping trip, which prominently figured THE BEACH.

Anyway, so now we’ll be camping with our bikes every time, thank you very much! And looking forward to enjoying the fall foliage at the Clackamas River later this month. Yay!

Our 10-year Anniversary Getaway to the Columbia Gorge

Yesterday the kids went off with their grandparents so Tom and I could spend a night at the Bonneville Hot Springs Resort on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge. On our way, we stopped for a 4 mile, “easy” hike to Punchbowl Falls. It rained a little on the way back, but the canopy was so thick in most places that we barely felt it. The beauty of the forest and the scent of the rain was intoxicating. Also, waterfalls are magic, and I love them. 

We ended the day in the hot tub on  our room’s covered balcony, watching the rain and sipping champagne. Happy anniversary to us! Here’s to 10 years more.    

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
 

Great fun with the PDX Broadsides at Ardenwald Park

We had a blast tonight at the last Thursday night event in the Ardenwald Summer Concert Series, listening to the geek-filk band called PDX Broadsides. Here’s part of their first number, “Aim to Misbehave,” which references Firefly and Capt. Mal Reynolds. 

 Usually the kids and I pay some small attention to the band at these things, but tonight Amelia sat on the steps all night long, gazing up at the band adoringly (I’m a huge fan too — folk music plus geekery? Squee!) One of their first couple of songs referenced superheroes, so they got Baxter’s attention early.    

 Amelia was so tickled by their last number, “Nathan Fillion, Please Take Off Your Pants” (which they told the kids was about a boy who was not putting on his pajamas) that she demanded we buy their album. Neither Tom nor I had cash on us, but I plan to get “Aim To Misbehave” via their online store later this week. You can sample their music there!

If you like beautiful singing, funny songs, and/or geek culture, then totally make time to see the PDX Broadsides. I believe they’re playing Rose City Comic Con in a few weeks. You’ll thank me later; or maybe you’ll see me at their next show and thank me then! 😉

Happy happy beach time 

We found a stretch of beach we liked, actually in the mouth of the Columbia River, with a nice amount of wet and dry sand, plenty of wind, and not many people. The sun kept the wind from freezing us the death, and the great volume of wind made kite flying a serious occupation. Of course both kids got wet and sandy, but that’s why you go to the beach, right? 

We stopped off at a wildlife blind as well, on the other side of the peninsula — a mere 5m walk — and there was no wind at all. Amelia and I sat on a log near the gently lapping water and listened to the terns scream “give it BACK!” at each other as they flew overhead. Baxter collected “wheat” from the grass growing in the sand dunes, hoping to give it to Bob (of Bob’s Red Mill) so he could grind it into flour. 

Dinner was chicken sausages and Asian slaw; delish!

This morning we had a tasty egg and bacon breakfast, and then the kids rode bikes while the adults packed up. We spent another hour or so on the sand before we drove home to Portland.  

    
    
    
    
   

Fort Clatsop is teh amaze. 

The historical reinactment and lectures at the replica of Fort Clatsop, where Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery spent the winter of 1805-1806, are FANTASTIC! You should definitely go. 

   
    
    
    
   

Camping at Fort Stevens

We made friends with our campsite chipmunk, whom we named Pouncy! We saw the wreck of the Peter Iredale, which is over 100 years old. Supper was grilled salmon, pesto noodles, and corn salad. This morning the kids have enjoyed biking in their PJs while Tom made pancakes. We let Grandma and Grandpa sleep in until 8am, which was not easy.  

  

  

  

  

  

  

    

Midway-through-the-book review: One Good Dragon Deserves Another

I’m really enjoying Rachel Aaron‘s book One Good Dragon Deserves Another, the second book in The Heartstrikers series. The male protagonist in this urban fantasy is the nicest dragon in the world, and therefore a complete failure as a dragon since they’re all alpha-dominant-schemer/brawlers. The female protagonist is a magician/scholar who dropped out of college to avenge her dad (in the first book). There are seers, alternate dimensions/worlds, mythical creatures, ex-gods, ghosts, magic artifacts… oh, and most of the action is set in post-apocalyptic Detroit. 😉

Totally stole this image from Rachel Aaron's site.
Totally stole this image from Rachel Aaron’s site.

If you like Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series, this will probably also make you smile — though it’s less dark so far. Mostly.

I *really* enjoyed Rachel Aaron’s Eli Monpress books — there are four, and they make up a funny, light, rollicking fantasy series. She writes strong, multi-dimensional male AND female characters, which of course appeals to me. If you’re looking for some light reading that doesn’t insult your intelligence, and you like fantasy or urban fantasy, I definitely recommend you check them out. 🙂

I recently learned that Rachel also writes space opera with a strong female lead called The Paradox Trilogy (under the name of Rachel Bach), so that’s probably my next series. It should get me through the end of the summer, at least — happy reading!