Still winter and counting . . .

We've made it to the end of February and are still suffering through gross winter weather. Yesterday we received a foot of new snow. Brett is spending a week in Boston, so I'm on dog duty in snowy Mt. Hood. These photos are a little fuzzy as they were taken with my phone . . . Brett took the real camera to Boston.

Our Honolulu friends Scott & Jennifer came to town last weekend for a visit and we all had a great time! We spent a gloriously sunny and dry Saturday on a hike in the hills near my parents' house and then as it snowed on Sunday, we went x-country skiing at Pocket Creek on Mt. Hood. We had great weather, food, and company. Couldn't ask for more!

A recap on the restaurants we hit while they were in town: The Brasserie in Hood River. This is owned by my high school pal, Mike Caldwell. Sorry Mike, but I was less than impressed. The service was the worst problem and I see this a lot in Hood River. Very young, untrained, and unskilled servers. When we got to the restaurant, they asked us to wait at the bar (which is about 2 feet from the entrance). We shuffled over to the bar where all the servers subsequently ignored us. When we actually had to ask for a drink, they told us that our table would be ready soon and therefore we might as well wait . . . . what planet do these people come from?????? We were seated soon thereafter, but this unpleasant experience continued as the "girl" from whom we ordered wine knew absolutely nothing - even about their highlighted bottles. She then brought us a bottle different from that which we ordered, flippantly saying that they must be out of the "highlighted" bottle and that this must be the replacement. When we asked about the cost difference, she stated that she would charge us the same amount as the bottle we ordered . . . . to which Scott replied "even if this new bottle sells for less?" She just gave us a stupid grin and continued on with her empty thoughts. The food was not impressive either. I had a sole which was soaked in a white sauce and can't even remember the rest of the food. For desert we ordered the tiramisu, which was basically a bowl of cream - no lady fingers to be found. The upshot is . . . don't bother stopping by the Brasserie until I share my complaints with Mike and make some much needed suggestions.

On to the Bluehour in Portland. We drove into Portland on Sunday for dinner at one of Portland's only "hip" restaurants. We were very disappointed to learn that they were out of 25% of their menu items, including OYSTERS!!!! Very sad. The waiter suggested that this was because folks had celebrated late valentines that weekend . . . to which I replied, "did your chef ever consider planning???" We enjoyed a great tuna tartar appetizer and excellent caesar salads. I was a little disappointed with my lamb (mostly fat), but everyone else enjoyed their entrees.

Theatre: We've had the opportunity to see two great plays this month: the ART's production of Uncle Vanya with William Hurt, and Portland Center Stage's (PCS) production of The Pillowman. Both were excellent. We stayed after Uncle Vanya for a chat session with the actors which was fun. This interpretation of the play was set on the plains in Canada and was remarkable similar to my life . . . living with family in an isolated place . . . fun, fun, fun! The original play deals a lot more with issues of class in Russia, whereas I'm not sure the same existed in Canada, so that aspect was difficult to pull off. But the depressing aspect of lives not lived and expectations not met was well infused throughout all the characters. The Pillowman: PCS sent out tons of warnings about this play stating that it contained violence and disturbing themes. I'm embarrassed for PCS that they felt that they had to send out MULTIPLE warnings about this play. I think this says a lot about a community which likes to consider itself progressive. The play is about stories and the greyness that exists between art and life, not child murder. I thought they did a great job with it and would actually see it again. I see they are now offering tickets at a discount and our theatre was only 50% full. Very poor support for a very good play. This poor response from the theater going community really limits the ability of theatre companies to bring progressive and new theatre to Portland. BORING!

Brett and I were in Boston for two weeks in January and had a fabulous time. It was very difficult to come back to Oregon, leaving our friends once again. I'm headed out again in a couple of weeks and am looking forward to it!

Our January began though with a fabulous New Year's Eve on the coast at a friend's place in Rockaway. We had incredible weather on New Year's Eve which allowed us a long walk on the beach, wine and cheese snacks on the deck IN THE SUN!, and a big bonfire on the beach complete with croquet and champagne. We had a great time and thank Sue & Chuck for being so patient with the puppy who wanted to eat the croquet balls. Photos to come . . . .

Monday, November 13, 2006 Mt. Hood, OR

We going our fourth week back at home in Oregon. We've been spending some time in Portland getting reacquainted with friends, but mostly hanging out in Hood River working and getting to know the area once again. We've set up a full office arrangement at my parents' house and it seems to be working quite well.

The first two weeks we were here we had beautiful fall weather, sunny days and cold nights. It's since shifted into rainy weather and it's been pouring ever since. We had some massive flooding by the Hood River and substantial damage to Highway 35 which runs from the town of Hood River over Mt. Hood. It was amazing to watch the chocolate pudding like river rip tall trees out of the riverbank and hurtle them downriver to the Columbia. The event site and sand bar at the Hood River marina are littered with trees and other debris from the flooding. It'll take quite an effort to clean up the mess.

On Friday, we drove to Keizer and met some 5 week old standard poodle pups. They were as soft as chennille! Now we're trying to decide if this is the right time and these are the right puppies for us. I've been contacting lots of poodle people and I'm amazed at how forthcoming and willing people are to share information with a total stranger. Guess they don't work in corrections! I've also been reading too much information about all the potential diseases that dogs can get and now I'm nervous about the potential vet bills and emotional pain associated with a sick dog.

Of course, part of our work here has been checking out the local dining establishments. Since I'm behind on that, I'll fill you in quickly. The first weekend we were here we went to dinner at Wild Ginger in Mosier with Brett's Aunt Suny and her husband Dave, my sister Karen and her husband Todd. http://www.hoodrivernews.com/KFBC%20stories/067_business_1.htm The chef / owner is Barry Rumsey who is from Baltimore. The funny thing about this restaurant is that IT IS Mosier. I don't know if there is anything else in the "town." It was dark though, so perhaps there was a closed gas station or convenience store that I didn't see. The restaurant was packed and we had to wait briefly. The hostess seemed horrified at this and kept reminding us that it would be at least 20 MINUTES!!! The bartender whipped up a nice Negroni (with coaching) and they make their own habenaro infused vodka which was excellent. The food was OK. I had a nice beet salad followed by an appetizer size ravioli dish which was dry and lacked any attention to presentation. My co-diners had a trout with a mustard sauce which also lacked visual appeal. It might have been that it was one of their first weekend nights and they were still working out the kinks. I'll try it again though, it's in a beautiful building.

The following weekend we dined at Abruzzo Italian Grill in Hood River with our friends Scott & Jennifer who were in town from Honolulu. http://columbiagorge.citysearch.com/profile/36401299/hood_river_or/abruzzo_italian_grill.html The friendly restaurant owner makes this place. The dining room is a bit noisy and there is no waiting area if they're full, but the food is consistently good. That night I had a lamb special with house made gnocci. The rest of the group had pasta and everyone was happy with their choices. We followed up this meal with a 1.5 hour drive to the Rock Creek Tavern http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=48. This is so typical Northwest that I spent the night wondering into which planet I had been transported. Granted it was the Saturday before Halloween, so maybe the people aren't quite so "alternative" on other nights. The beer and the music were great though and we lasted until the band "The Brother's Jam" stopped playing. http://www.jameyhampton.com/ . We had such a great time with Scott & Jen, including a hike up to Sleeping Beauty Peak near Trout Lake, Washington. We haven't laughed so much in a long time.

Dinner on Saturday November 4th was in Hood River at Celilo http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3150/6855/
Our east coast friends will appreciate that "the space has an overall effect of Manhattan style meets West Coast eco-friendly sensibilities." I had a fennel and white anchovy salad that was memorable and followed with a Tagliatelle Bolognese with lamb that was not so memorable. The pasta wasn't terribly fresh (I'm assuming they don't make it themselves) and the lamb was mostly missing. Three people at our table had steak and loved it. Next time I'll stick with the steak. We had some great wine - two bottles of the 2003 Sineann, “Old Vine”, Columbia Valley, Oregon.

Most recently, last Friday we visited our old neighborhood in Northeast Portland and dined at Ciao Vito. http://www.realgoodfood.com/ciao_vito.html This building used to house Chez What, an alternative diner full of alternative wait staff. We used to take my father to the place for lunch just for fun and to hear his inappropriate comments about the server's belly rings and sleeve tatoos that were displayed for all to see. Now that the neighborhood has grown up a bit and matured from a place where one locks one's doors and rolls up the windows when driving down the street, to the "Alberta Arts District," it has REAL restaurants, but still maintains a bit of an edge; almost a shadow of its former self. Ciao Vito was pleasant, dark, chandeliered, and lit with pillar candles. I'm not sure what their goal is with the decor, but it didn't detract from the food. Once again I had the special with lamb and gnocci and it was definitely a thumbs up! The beet salad starter was good as well although the beets were cut into very small pieces, which made it a little difficult to eat. My dining companions both enjoyed their entrees; one chose a stuffed manicotti and one had the hanger steak. Both were happy with their choices and now that I'm writing this I realize I need to branch out in my food choices. I have apparently been on a lamp kick lately.

To top off all those wonderful meals, Sue and I made dinner this Saturday and shared some fine chicken chili http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/232878 and cornbread with Kristin & Dave, Benjamin & Darcy, and the four of us (Sue, Chuck, Brett, and me). We had a great meal and lots of yummy wine, including a very tasty Andrew Rich Malbec. It was a perfect meal for another stormy night. It was so good to spend time with friends over good food and wine. It made us think fondly of and miss our Boston pals, the excellent conversation, and the always wonderful food and wine. Salut!!

Sunday, October 15, 2006 Boulder, CO to Moab, UT

Today we drove from Boulder to Moab in an effort to avoid the snow and the 20 degree temperatures that were occurring in Yellowstone. The drive was absolutely gorgeous and we were rewarded with sunshine and warmth in Moab. We're camping at a KOA campground, after first checking a dive campground recommended by Todd. Thanks Todd, but Slickrock campground was really nasty, hearkening back to our Redding, California Meth Mary trailer park experience, for those of you who heard that story. Moab is great!! They have their own brewery and real coffee. We could not ask for more.

Saturday, October 14, 2006 Boulder, CO

We had a great day today! We drove into Boulder and spent the day wandering around the historic area of town. Boulder has a great pedestrian area (Pearl Street) that surrounds the courthouse and the Hotel Boulderado. We went to the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House for lunch http://www.boulderteahouse.com/. The tea house was created from 1987 -1990, by more than 40 artisans in several cities of Tajikistan. It was gifted to Boulder by the mayor of their sister city, Dushanbe, and reassembled in Boulder. We also spent some time at the great farmers market, enjoying the dog friendly atmosphere, and the calm and casual personality of the city.













In the afternoon, we drove out to Estes Park and took a little loop through Rocky Mountain National Park. It's apparently prime elk viewing time and we saw several large herds. It was just starting to snow up in the mountains . . . a little chilly for camping!

We returned to Boulder and met our friends Bill and Cathy for dinner. They took us to a great little Mexican restaurant and we had a wonderful evening with them. Then, back to our Hawthorn Suites hotel in Longmont and some prep work for the next leg of our trip. It's snowing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Yellowstone with lows at night in the 20's, so we're considering changing our travel plans for a warmer route. Moab is sounding very pleasant at the moment.

Friday, October 13, 2006 Manitou Springs, CO

We spent a week at the Cliff House in Manitou Springs, CO while I attended a leadership development training with the Center for Creative Leadership. It was a great training, with lots of good feedback, tools, and learnings. The most fascinating thing about it for me was that I was in class with 23 very smart and accomplished people, most of whom were working with large, global companies. One person was managing teams of people in 24 different time zones; imagine the complexities of scheduling a meeting in that environment.

During the week while I was at training, Brett explored Manitou Springs, Colorado Springs, and took a short trip to Denver to meet with Jennifer's friend Steve. Steve graciously took Brett on a tour of Denver neighborhoods and out for a beer.

My training was completed on Friday and, free once again, we restarted our travels. We drove through the Garden of the Gods http://www.gardenofgods.com/home/index.cfm which is a valley of arched and eroded rock formations.








We also took the cog railroad up to the top of Pikes Peak for a spectacular, but cold, view of the valley. http://www.cograilway.com/.

Sunday, October 8, 2006 Custer, SD to Colorado Springs, CO

We had a very long drive today; through South Dakota, the corner of Wyoming, and down into Colorado. It was mostly cattle country, vast empty spaces, and lots of cattle crossings. While in Wyoming we stopped at the Fort Laramie Military Bridge and the old fort. We're in Colorado Springs now and will be here for the next week for a training that I'm attending. It'll be nice to stay in once place for a few days.

Saturday, October 7, 2006 Custer State Park, SD

Luckily, they still had eggs at the Blue Bell lodge for breakfast. The same waiters were there, sheepishly telling patrons what they were out of.

We once again drove through the wildlife loop, less animals in the morning, but still a pleasant drive. Still in Custer State Park, we drove to another lodge, State Game Lodge, built in 1922. We checked into another cabin (winds were 20-30 mph outside, once again foiling our camping plans), asked about the dining room hours and were told that the dining room was closed for a wedding. Damn!

Across the street from the lodge is a park visitor’s center, built of stone by the CCC. The photos of young drafters working on the building were great. They were paid $30 per month (plus room and board) and $25 of that was sent back to the families of the workers, the goal of which was to “keep the young men from idleness and the accompanying immorality,” and all this time, I just thought it was a jobs program.

We drove along the Needles Highway which led us along a twisting route, through one-lane tunnels in the mountain rock, and around amazing rock formations. We stopped and lunched in the sun at Sylvan Lake, then hiked up the mountain, just enough to get a view of Harney Peak.
We’re now ending the day back in the lodge, hitching onto their wireless, enjoying a glass of wine, and being wonderfully surprised by the owner’s decision to open the dining room beyond the wedding party. Yeah! We’re heading to Colorado Springs tomorrow, another 8 hour drive.

Friday, October 6, 2006 Sioux Falls to Custer, SD

Friday morning we left Sioux Falls and drove west through the towns of Sturgis, Deadwood, and Lead. No signs of any mad motorcycle gangs in Sturgis. Just some empty bars proclaiming their biker friendliness and a forlorn looking Harley Davidson store. Deadwood was a Hollywood-created old western and now mini-casino town, complete with a Gold Nugget and other slot machine run cafes. Brett disagrees with this summation. He claims that Deadwood was one of the original goldrush, western towns with stories of Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane. OK.

We drove through these towns as we entered the Black Hills, so named because of the dark color of the Ponderosa Pines against the hills. Our first real stop was Mt. Rushmore. They have just recently finished building a new visitor’s center which is reminiscent of several of the monuments in DC, with a hall of flags (one from every state), a replica of the sculptor’s studio, and information on each of the presidents honored by the monument (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln). The new center is nothing like the scenes from Hitchock’s North by Northwest. There were lots of information on the sculptor and photo chronicles of the 14 years of construction. This is a great time of year to be here. It was warm enough for short sleeves, but there were very few people. There were actually times when we would stand at a viewing platform and it was quiet.

Following Mt. Rushmore, we stopped at the Crazy Horse Memorial. This was quite a story. As soon as we drove down the long driveway to the memorial (which I incorrectly thought was another federal project) I knew we were in trouble. These very nice women at the gate charged us a $20 entrance fee and handed us a brochure. From the entrance one can see the face of Crazy Horse that has been cut into the mountain and various holes, ledges, and the sounds of continuing construction underway. The visitor’s center was a huge complex of artist galleries, two cinemas, a restaurant, gift store, artifacts museum, and a museum of the sculptor’s original log cabin. There was a bus that took tourists to the base of the mountain and back, for $4 per person, and we warily handed over our cash for that as well. When purchasing our bus tickets, we were told that we needed to watch the orientation video inside the visitor center before taking the bus ride. We headed in to wait for the next showing. Luckily the film was included in our admission fee, or we would have headed for the door. The sculptor or designer of this monument was named Korczak Ziolkowski. Born in Boston of Polish descent, he was self-taught and acted as an assistant to the sculptor of Mt. Rushmore. Apparently, Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear was impressed by one of his sculptures which had one first price in the 1939 NY Worlds Fair. A group of Chiefs invited him to design and build a moment to the Native Americans. He started work on the memorial in 1947 when he was 40 years old. He spent the rest of his life working on it and died before the even the face of a very elaborate sculpture was finished. Luckily he married and they had 10 kids who all live on or near the memorial and most of whom now run the “non-profit” business of continuing the construction of the memorial. While he was alive, he turned down two offers of 10 million in federal funds. It’s definitely a business, but they claim that they are still progressing toward completion of the sculpture. They conduct blasts several times a week and there was machinery operating up on the mountain. The size of the memorial is so massive that the entire sculpture of the presidents’ faces on Mt. Rushmore could fit into Crazy Horse’s hair. The story of this man’s obsession with the memorial is interesting, but we were still somewhat suspicious of the entire enterprise. There was so support mentioned from any tribal leaders in the orientation video, and no official documentation of collaboration with the tribes; definitely something on which we want to do some additional research.

We drove through the town of Custer, disappointed by the appearance of a Cheesecake Factory in a historic old bank building. That is just not acceptable!!!

Once our tourist duties were complete, we took a drive into Custer State Park, along the Wildlife Viewing Loop and were amazed at what we saw; herds of bison, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, more prairie dogs, hundreds of deer, and an amazing herd of elk. We had to wind our way through the bison. We also met a gap toothed woman along the road. She motioned to us to pull over and then offered to show us something special off the side of the road, something about which they don’t tell the tourists. She talked of tipi circles along a dry creek bed, but I was just a slight bit suspicious. We nodded appreciatively, and told her we were looking for elk. She then proceeded to tell us about a trail head down the road from which she had heard them calling. We thanked her and moved on, and it was soon after that when we saw the amazing herd of elk. The light was fading so we were unable to get photos, but the bull elk with the herd was very impressive.

We spent the night at the Blue Bell lodge and cabins. Our cabin was sweet and warm. We had dinner in the lodge. Our waiter first came to our table and explained that they were out of a few things. Brett ordered a buffalo steak and I ordered chicken. He wasn’t sure if they still had chicken and had to go check. He returned saying that yes, they did have chicken. After putting our order into the kitchen, he returned again to the table sheepishly explaining that they no longer had the buffalo steak, in fact, they had no steaks at all. He told us, quietly and in confidence, that the lodge was undergoing a change of ownership at the end of the week and the owners were intent on depleting their inventory. We were apparently scraping the bottom of the barrel, yum!