Tad and Alanna's Simple Adventures

Row, Row, Row your boat

2012-02-19T20:16:00.000-08:00

Tad and Brother Kip's entry in to the family talent show in McCall... I missed filming the opener, but you'll catch on that they're singing row row row your boat...

Tandem Adventure

2012-02-19T19:45:00.001-08:00

a video of our tandem adventure today.

Sunday

2012-02-19T16:36:00.001-08:00

Tad recently purchased a tandem bike, which we tried out together today. It was a chilly spring Portland day. Some signs of spring around here include daffodils that will bloom soon and leaves on the bushes... When tad and I got home from our ride, two kitties were having a love fest.

Christmas

2012-01-24T20:52:00.001-08:00

So much fun was had at Christmas.... We hope your season was full of good cheer!

McCall weekend

2012-01-24T20:51:00.001-08:00

There wasn't much snow, but a lot of fun was had, inside and out. It did finally snow on Sunday, but it didn't accumulate really. I'm already looking forward to my next trip to McCall!

Beach weekend

2011-11-28T09:33:00.001-08:00

It was so wonderful to spend the weekend at the coast. Walks on the beach, playing settlers of catan, making zoxsters, watching movies, and lots of eating!

Happy thanksgiving!

2011-11-27T18:38:00.001-08:00

We had a cozy thanksgiving. Just five of us (and we know, that is a lot of fruit salad for just five of us!) the weather was stormy, but we were cozy, warm and well fed.

8!

2011-11-23T20:01:00.001-08:00

Sagittarius turns 8! He was born at the end of November 2003. My good friend Cheryl helped me find Sagis-cat by driving us down to Benson, AZ (from Tucson)
He loves to cuddle, play with string and eat fancy feast crunchies. He has had some health scares and he gives me daily lessons in patience. He also likes to think out of the box, unfortunate as that is!
Happy birthday, little boy!

Soup group cocoa drinkers

2011-11-21T23:05:00.001-08:00

Tad and I hosted a soup group potluck. Melissa brought us cocoa fixings. We just had to take a group photo!

Pretty kitty holiday bazaar

2011-11-21T22:48:00.001-08:00

Zoxsters went to support the house of dreams cat shelter. Sold for $10 each, 15 of these guys helped buy a lot of tuna for the pretty kitties!

Wildwood trail to pittock mansion

2011-11-21T22:44:00.001-08:00

Tad and I took a hike one sunny day, five miles round trip on the wildwood trail in forest park up to the pittock mansion. So beautiful, and lots of fun!

Simple home adventures

2011-11-21T22:38:00.001-08:00

Modeling running clothes, making applesauce and pizza, reorganizing the studio, playing the piano, and playing with the photo booth in iPad.

Four Months

2011-10-31T17:36:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm feeling a little embarassed at the lack of blogging in the past four months.
How about some photo highlights and a note on what we've been up to?
July: Alanna went to Lisbon, Portugal and attended an Urban Sketchers symposium, drew a lot, spoke a little portuguese, obrigada, and had a great time.

August: Alanna took an unplanned trip to Alabama to see granddad in the hospital. Aaron and Sam drove down, too, and we took a trip down to florida to the beach. Pics from the beach:

Tad went on some adventures without me, too, which he'll have to share his photo highlights.

Together, we went to Michigan, by way of Chicago.

visiting with my mom

visiting with friend Abby and daughter, Sierra

my Grandmas: Thelma and Elsie

Samantha's 16th birthday!

camping

a not zoomed in enough group photo

September: Alanna's co-workers had a team retreat which encouraged costumes

picking blackberries in Yamhill county

dinner around the fire

October:

Penny's birthday

Tad's marathon (see him there in yellow, crossing the finish line?)

a slight injury

Pie Carving down at OBP, ha ha oops, i just read that I wrote pie carving when i meant pumpkin carving and pumpkin pie eating! :)

an alien abduction (actually a Drink & Draw session at The Peculiarium in Portland where we helped draw an animation!)

Dave's birthday party

and Alanna got dressed up with co-workers on Halloween (I'm the crazy cat lady there with the slippers on.)

It has been a busy four months and a lot has gone on!

Happy independence day!

2011-07-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

Tad and I arrived at the Beach on July 2. I, unfortunately, rolled in with a migraine, so I hit myself in a dark room and slept a bit.

Our celebration was full of...

waves

Flute playing

One man Joke show

sharing of sketches

more jokes

clogging

a pyramid

ABC song

a magician

another funny guy

a song

Double Spoons!

A patriotic breakfast on the 4th.

games on the beach

enjoying the sun

and the rocks

and the sand

volley ball

lying still

Sketching

3-legged races

Coming in 2nd place

celebrating their victory

Wheelbarrow Races

Top 3 teams (out of 3)

Tug of War

4-legged races

The fixins for s'mores

roasting hot dogs on the fire

roasting marshmallows on the fire

Traditional Lap sit

and Celebrating the Birthday Girls

Great holiday weekend!

Sagis' not so fun adventure

2011-07-08T17:07:00.000-07:00

Sagis got in to some mischief recently. I'm guessing he had an altercation with a cat on June 28 or 29th.
I discovered that he wasn't feeling so good on July 1 and noticed his head had some blood on it and seemed swollen. He wasn't interested in cat nip, didn't seem to be eating or drinking much, either. And his little head was all hot.

Thankfully, my vet had just started its new hours and would be open on Saturday, July 2! I managed to a get an appointment.

Sagis wasn't as happy about that. But, he did have a temperature of 104.5, normal is between 100.5 and 102.5) and the verdict was the wound had an abscess. The vet shaved around the wound and then drained out the pus. I do not have photos of that. You're welcome. In fact, they sent me away to get coffee for about 10 minutes while they treated the kitty boy. They also gave him antibiotics, an anti-inflammatory, some pain meds, and because he was a bit dehydrated, they gave him fluids subcutaneously.

He came home and did go to his food bowl. I could tell he felt so much better! This photo, of course, looks like he had a role in a horror movie.

Our awesome neighbors took care of Sagis while we went to the coast. I was ready to send Tad off by himself and stay home to take care of Sagis-boy, but Mikey reassured me that they would take good care of him. They did! When I got home Monday night, Sagis looked great! He was understandably terrified by the loud fireworks being shot off out on the street, but he looked great!

This photo above was taken last night. Just a bout a week after discovering the wound, it is now on its way to healing.

Now he just has to deal with a pretty lousy hair cut.

Six years ago...

2011-06-22T07:21:00.000-07:00

Six years ago today, I was flying from Oregon to Arizona bringing Tad to come live with me.

A lot of adventuring, learning, stretching, growing, grumbling, laughter, tears, hurt feelings, hugs, foot rubs, meals shared, family gatherings, walks, talks and bike rides have happened in these six years.

Grand Floral Parade

2011-06-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

The day of the parade.
Wayne met me at my house and we took the #70 up to the Rose Quarter where we met up with a whole heap of RPCVs. We collected our flags and holsters and headed to the Simpson room to wait until go time.

It's fun to hear about other PCVs' experiences.

then we got to meet in the parking lot and begin the line up and practice being in formation. We didn't have to walk in alphabetical order, so Belize was next to India and Kazahkstan

Walking in the parade was...wow....an experience. It felt so good to hear people cheering for us and thanking us for our service. I felt tears come to my eyes as I looked up at the Belizean flag waving above me and all the other flags around me, and knowing that a choice I made over 10 years ago led me here, walking across the Burnside Bridge with 140+ other returned Peace Corps Volunteers.

and how awesome that people in the crowd were looking for their country's flag and upon seeing it would shout out, "Belize!" or "India!" so very very cool.

Practice for the Parade

2011-06-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

Columbia River Peace Corps Association is preparing to march in Portland's Grand Floral Parade this coming Saturday. Former Peace Corps Volunteers met in Willamette park for a potluck and a test run to practice carrying our flags.

139 flags to represent each of the countries where Peace Corps has served.

I feel honored to carry the Belizean flag.

My friend Sarah is representing her country of service: Panama

and look, there's Dad-Wayne, flag bearer for India.

steady, now.

This will be fun!

Simpler adventures

2011-06-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

Dave and Sarah invited us over

to meet the newest member of their family.

and I enjoyed the scent of baby

Dad and Linda came by. We went out to lunch.

On a recent walk down to the river, I snapped some pics. the water is quite high.

Tad and I had a picnic at Johnson Creek park

nice night, nice dinner.

Tandem Bike Adventure

2011-06-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

Tad and I went on a tandem recumbent bike ride loop around Portland. 30-40 miles long. 7 hours.

some shots taken while biking:

it was a gorgeous day

this bike path along the Columbia River is a fantastic place to be on a sunny day!

at a rest stop, eating chocolate covered espresso beans

mt hood in the distance

Tad didn't mind if i stopped pedaling to sketch...

we met up with Brother B. He lent me a shirt to cover my burnt flesh, took us out to lunch and then biked with us over the hilliest, hottest portion of our trip. Thanks, BBB!

hot, tired, but still having fun

nearing home...

after the ride bliss:

Tandem Bike Adventure (video clip)

2011-06-06T15:48:00.001-07:00

A Beckwith Beach Weekend

2011-06-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

The Beckwiths got together at the beach house for some quality family time

and I got to come along :)

for some fun in the sun, as well as movies and good food.

There was a little time for me to study for my CVA exam, and quite a bit of time on "each one teach one"

I liked learning about plants, like these:

false lily

sword fern

and salal:

we also spent time folding origami cranes, talking and role playing about validation, nonviolent communication, gun safety, nonviolent direct action, and one more topic I'm forgetting now.

I did manage to get in some quiet time, watching the waves crash to shore

and ponder life a bit.

G.S. Camp

2011-06-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

All Staff meetings held at a G.S. camp are fun

especially when you get to sleep in a yurt.

that lets in the sun

and is near a lake

with cool things to see along the trail

and lot to do and see

and a grand lodge

with pirates

canoeing

heart chairs

dunes

games

laughter

pretty little flowers

campfires

and s'mores

Bagby Hot Springs

2011-06-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

Tad and I drove out to Mt Hood National Forest, east of Estacada and hiked into Bagby hot springs.

Astoria Adventure

2011-06-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

Tad surprised me with a trip to Astoria.

where we stayed at a gorgeous hotel (with 1952 Cadillac to take us to dinner)

right on the Columbia river (view from our window at the Cannery Pier Hotel)

it was a romantic room

and very comfortable (unfortunately i was feeling a bit ill-chills and fever- for part of the evening)

but the next day i felt up for a bike ride

photos taken while biking (don't try this at home, kids):

and even took some video of our ride

sign I liked (jazz hands!):

We adventured into a bosnian restaurant for lunch

and just LOVEd our meal. We shared the 2 vegetarian options. YUM!

We checked out the Astoria Column

and climbed up all 164 steps

for this windy, gorgeous view

matching blue jackets!

Tad humored my need to see the Goonies house

and he also patiently waited while I sketched our hotel:

Great mini-adventure!

recently...

2011-05-08T16:17:00.000-07:00

Tad and I checked out a Beltane festival and shared some laughs as we made our fairy crowns.

xiao mao slumbered sweetly

My sketches from the sisterhood retreat...

Melissa journaled and I sketched Saturday morning

Saturday night, sketching these sisters and one little one.

watching chick flicks and playing games when not walking on the beach, arranging flowers, or playing games.

Sisterhood Retreat

2011-05-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

Sisterhood Retreat was held at the Beach house on Belle circle

the weekend started with the fun task of selecting which movie to watch first!

we were blessed with such gorgeous weather!

but it was just chilly enough that staying inside to play ticket to ride was a wise move

we celebrated may day a day early with a pole-less may pole dance

a walk on the beach

brought to you by the letter "A"

and one sister had a rendez vous with her husband

Penny shared her skills with us and taught us how to arrange flowers.

we had so much fun learning!

and arranging!

my finished bouquet above

all the proud flower arrangers

flowers are picture perfect, don't you agree?

we had the youngest sister join us for a few hours saturday night for lots of giggles

and one of the most gorgeous sunsets I've seen in a long time!

April Birthdays

2011-05-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

Dad Wayne celebrated a birthday

He's another year wiser and just as young at heart as ever.

Then, I (alanna) decided to extend my birthday festivities to include an Augustana concert at Aladdin

and a birthday dinner at our house...

i got showered with love and kindness.

as well as with some fun gifts

including this picture frame which i had to immediately put second kitty's photo in it

Sagis-cat even came out to help his mama celebrate her b'day!

Kip was there in spirit

and for the record, kathy did not share her ice cream with Sagis!

my birthday continued with a fun visit by Dad and Linda (and buddy, too)

We met them at a truck stop in North Portland, had a snack and I got a fun gift!

Eating Fun

2011-04-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

We visited the Waffle Window with Kip. Delicious.

Tad and I went to Nicholas' and enjoyed our puffed up pita

and were then a little bit concerned that we over ordered.

Garden Update, spring 2011

2011-04-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

It's pretty awesome what survives the winter. I spent a sunny friday recently, weeding out the garden bed and checking on the plants that survived the winter: sorrell, sage, salad burnett, oregano,chard, chives, mint, lemon balm and rosemary

A week later, I added in spinach, lettuce, strawberry, parsley and catnip.

Idaho Adventure-February 2011

2011-02-23T20:44:00.000-08:00

Off on another adventure!

Once in Idaho, we met the newest member of the clan. Welcome to the world, Kade!

In snowy McCall, we settled in for the good things in life, which in my world, include coffee, ticket to ride and a smiley happy baby!

Tad and my adventure on the snowmobile was cut short when it sunk in to the snow..

luckily we made it out alive.

How gorgeous is this place!

Nothing like snowmobiling up to the sledding hill!

except riding down the sledding hill!

Tad had a fun ride!

Some of us went on a snowshoe or cross-country ski jaunt to the Payette River.

the food was delicious, including these gorgeous crepes.

we played cards

and simply enjoyed being with each other.

Mid-February blogging

2011-02-16T10:27:00.000-08:00

Wow, I didn't realize my last blog post was from December!

Apparently, we didn't do much in January that was blogworthy (except Tad was in Mexico and I was busy sketchcrawlin')

So, here is a mega post about our February adventures in no real order.

For a very long Valentine's weekend date, Tad and I visited the Portland Art Museum.

We checked out a toy store.

We went to an art show (I didn't take any photos there, but this image was from the postcard advert):

Thanks to Lisa, we went to The Woods, a local music venue for the Benefest and listened to Eric D. Johnson, Richard Swift and Andy Cabic.

Friday night, we went for a walk through the woods.

and saw the signs of life returning to our trees.

Happy Valentine's Day

Thanks to Marconius Tillimucus, Tad and I had an adventure that was a little beyond our usual interests

We went to a Blazers game!

Tad came with me to a Portland Urban Sketchers Portrait Party

which was quite a lot of fun!

Homestead, part 3: the party continues

2010-12-30T17:22:00.000-08:00

aerobics

a birthday cake for kip and tad

capturing the moment

22 candles

snow shoeing the next morning for all but a sick alanna.

Thank you, GS for letting us stay at Homestead for free!!!

Homestead, part 2: Wild Earth

2010-12-30T17:15:00.000-08:00

We ventured out of the Homestead into to the Wild Earth

exploring and documenting the wild things we found,

as part of a plant identification game we played.

you see, Kip picked out the book Wild Earth for the family to read

it got us all thinking about wilderness, overpopulation and elephants.

it brought up many interesting things to ponder

and it inspired us to take a closer look at the wildness around us

We found that we all love this earth and wish for it to remain a healthy place to live.

Please enjoy this series of photos of the Wild Earth book club:

that one above is us acting like elephants. Why elephants? well, really you'll just have to pick up a copy of wild earth to find out!

Thanks for the interesting reading choice, kip!

Homestead, part 1

2010-12-30T17:02:00.000-08:00

We had the privilege of spending a couple of nights up at Homestead on Mt. Hood.

It was quite cozy with a fire in the fireplace.

it's a good place for nursing a cold, drawing and hanging out chatting.

The boys got in to making paper airplanes.

and tending the fires

the meals we had were delicious

and the games were riveting

the paper airplanes may have been the most exciting project

but you can't beat sitting by the fire and drinking tea or cocoa.

unfortunately for me, i lost my voice, so could only listen to the lovely singing and piano playing.

Merry Christmas, Beckwith style!

2010-12-30T16:53:00.000-08:00

I was sick so unfortunately i wasn't thinking about documenting the moment until near the end of christmas eve. T stepped in to take some of these photos.

putting the star on the tree.

wayne.

Bozeb and Melissa.

a sick, but smiling Miss A.

Christmas morning, our stockings were filled by a forgiving Santa Claus (as all the naughty 'children' in the house had forgotten to write any sort of note.)

Christmas carols around the piano.

Opening gifts.

a walk down the Locks Road.

caroling granddad.

2010 Simple Adventures

2010-12-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

Top Row from left:
Hiking in the North Cascades, Yawning in the Sun, Trick or Treat, Mr. Blue Eyes, Dancing in Chicago
Middle Row from left:
Library in Seattle, Portrait of a happy couple, Serendipitous message, New Years eve, Dancing at the hoe down

Bottom Row from left:
Kayaking in Idaho, Celebrating Solstice, Adventures in Michigan

Ho Ho Ho

2010-11-30T20:05:00.000-08:00

Here at the Beckwith-Randall household, we're getting out the Christmas decorations!

Ho Ho Ho!

Obligatory group photos

2010-11-30T19:44:00.001-08:00

These are some of my favorites out of the group shot series.

Enjoy

Tree Hunting

2010-11-30T19:41:00.000-08:00

We drove up to Mt. Hood to go find a couple of trees to cut and take home. It was quite snowy up there so we all got dressed for some snow hiking.

Kip couldn't resist a little sledding action.

The snow started falling while we were there! "let it snow, Let it snow, let it snow!"

"look, there's a good tree over there!"

The snowy woods are so beautiful!

But a little difficult to walk in!

We finally did find and cut a couple of trees.

which were just the right size for carrying.

We tied up our fresh kill on top of the pickup

and Kip couldn't resist some snowskiing behind the truck!

And of course, no tree hunting expedition is over until you stop and have a picnic at the DQ!

Thanksgiving Day

2010-11-30T19:32:00.000-08:00

We celebrated our day of thanksgiving down at the Old Beckwith Place.

We all pitched in to make the meal.

and set the table for 20.

My contribution was the celery/carrot tray and some of the relish tray.

There were lots of happy folks there

and girls giving thanks

and boys laughing and telling jokes

and some boys having a bit of pie with their whipped cream.

Tad and I, as usual, had a wonderful time.

(this little one was hard to catch with the camera!)

We had a post-dinner dance which was great for working off some of that stuffing and pie.

Thanks to all for such a great day!

Cider Making

2010-11-10T16:02:00.000-08:00

These Beckwith kids know how to make cider!

First, you need some local, organic apples, like these grown at the OBP

Next thing you need is a snazzy cider press and some helping hands.

those beautiful apples, are pressed and juiced and then this is what you get (great compost!)

and this is what else you get:

How does that press work, you ask? Watch a short instructional video now:

Good way to get the apples down:

Visitors part 2: the coast

2010-10-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

We headed out to the coast, and stopped at the Tillamook Cheese factory.

we had lots of fun learning about how the cheese is made... (cheese comes from milk)

Then, we headed up the coast, stopping first at Rockaway Beach

It was a beautiful, but windy day.

We discovered a little note already written in the sand for us: T + A 2010

What a gorgeous ocean!

We decided to continue north to see the sights before sunset.

We learned two ways to escape a tsunami.
1. immediately go inland and uphill

2. Go to Tsunami Bar & Grill in Wheeler

I just think Wheeler is breathtakingly gorgeous. It has that amazingly beautiful combination of mountains and water that I just love.

We continued up the coast and caught the sun setting in Manzanita, a little town that actually reminded me a little of St. Joseph, Michigan, on Lake Michigan.

We ate dinner (I sketched) in a nice little restaurant in Canon Beach.

My first trip to the north coast of Oregon was super enjoyable with our good friends!

Visitors

2010-10-19T23:13:00.000-07:00

We had great weather and a great weekend with our Tucson Friends

We enjoyed the sunset from Vista house overlooking the Columbia River.

Our trip to michigan, part 4

2010-09-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

As vacations usually do, this one had to come to an end. Mom took us to the amtrak station, where we caught our train

to Chicago

We decided to drag our luggage the nine or so blocks from union station to millenium park

and found this cool model city

that Tad wanted to conquer godzilla style

Tad decided to play in the fountain while I sketched

it was a hot day, and smart to drink water constantly

especially, if you're going to...

do a little dancing

in front of a giant mirrored bean

at the end of August

and then, you must go under it to take some silly photos!

That's all, folks! Thanks for checking out our vacation pics!

(to be posted on Alanna's art blog our trip illustrated)

Our Trip to Michigan, Part 3

2010-09-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

We celebrated my niece's birthday (Holla!)

She turned 15 and now has her driver's permit.

We sang happy birthday to her wearing funny glasses my mom brought.

it was pretty cute!

She had a happy day.

Tad and I enjoyed our Michigan Adventure and then enjoyed it even more on the last day, as we went to the real Michigan's Adventure

We hung around these two thrill seekers most of the morning before we went over to the water park

They took us on the scariest ride ever, which cured me of any ideas that i still like roller coasters!

We picnicked in comfort in the parking lot, thanks to my bro's smart thinking of packing the camp chairs and table!

We rode some tamer rides after lunch....and watched as Sam and Aaron enjoyed this roller coaster:

But Tad did decide he was up for one more big thrill. He, my brother and Sam all went on the Rip Cord

Which is basically where you are slingshotted out.

they thought it was pretty awesome!

Our Trip to Michigan, Part 2

2010-09-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

After camping (so smelling pretty fresh), we went to Grandma's house for lunch.

the kids played games

of all sorts

Tad and Christian played a duet

We headed back to St. Joe just in time to catch the sun setting in to the lake.

We checked out mom's favorite dog in town (every year St. Joe features some sort of art installment on the corners. Last year it was boats i believe)

We also checked out the new carousel at Silver Beach. I was disappointed not to find St Joe Bears (it was still being worked on I was told) but I did find my other alma mater represented..Go Buckin' Broncos! (Western Michigan University for all of you non-Michiganders out there.)

Tad embraced his inner child and ran through the new fountain that was installed in what was once just a big field of nothingness.

The next day, we headed over to see Grandma and Grandpa Randall's house.

This trio (my cousins' kids) put on an excellent fashion show.

I enjoyed looking at some old photos of my dad and aunt in their scouting uniforms!

It was great to get together with the Randall's, even if it was a bit short.

and we couldn't help but take lots of photos!

Our Trip to Michigan...part 1

2010-09-01T22:47:00.000-07:00

On the el from midway to catch the southshore line

capturing some sights along the way

mom's house...so cozy!

with beautiful flowers!

we headed out camping with my brother, his wife and daughter, my sister, her husband and two sons.

it was car camping luxury

we even had party lights for the tents!

my little niece isn't so little any more...

in fact, she just got her learner's permit!

Once camp was set up, we walked on over to the beach

never mind that nuclear power plant...we'll go up the shore a bit

some of us went in the water

others of us stayed on shore to check out the bugs

or read and stayed in the shade

and then there was some major urban planning of Sandtopia

which brought all hands on deck

for some major building

and decorating (that's my place with the big garden out back!)

but you had to watch out for the gulls...they just might eat the peanuts!

Yup! the All American Lake!

We were at Van Buren State Park...can you find it on the map*?

*..hint...it's south of South Haven.

It was a hoe down throw down!

2010-08-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

yeah, that's right

Penny with help from family, threw a fun hoe down

lots of pretty flowers

games

pie making

chef cooking up the burgers and dogs

friendly folks to eat with

the sun came out and we prepared the dance floor

nearly the whole group got in on the dancing fun

spot anyone you know?

down by the riverside

2010-08-09T10:02:00.000-07:00

Thursday night, we headed down to the riverside to cool off a bit

have our dinner

and watch the sunset

yup, that is downtown portland in the distance!

Opa! Here's to old friends!

2010-07-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

Recognize those other two faces?

It's Brad and Justina! Our former neighbors from Tucson! they were in town visiting Portland, so we were able to get together and share a meal at Kennedy School together!

movie in the park

2010-07-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

Tad and I went to Oregon Park

for their Movie in the park

we picnicked then lazed about while we waited for the movie to start

we saw Fantastic Mr. Fox

Camping!

2010-07-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

We went camping

at Battleground Lake park

Tad got the stove fired up to make quinoa

but the rest of our dinner was made in foil packets in the fire

it was a deluxe meal (quinoa, beans & veggies, nuts, avocado and cheese on tortilla)

the s'mores were eaten too fast to be photographed. Oops!

i woke up in the tent to the sound of birds and chipmunks with a dream of raccoons visiting our campsite still lingering

while the boys were still sleeping, Sarah and I got the breakfast started.

(next time I might not put Tad's cookware on the fire, but we don't really want to talk about that now.)

The true breakfast of champions: french toast (vegan style) topped with olallie jam, bananas, granola, blueberries, nuts and whipped cream. Delicious.

For a girl who hadn't been camping in nearly a decade, this was a good re-introduction to why camping is fun!

Fourth of July: more shots from the weekend

2010-07-06T21:19:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July Weekend: Talent Show

2010-07-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

You never know what will happen at the annual Talent Show.

Stan and Tom jokes

Zickefoose ponderings

Tammy talks alot

stage fright

a reminder of what we're celebrating

a Johnson family laugh track

spoons hanging off of noses

crowd participation

more people seeing how it's done

talent they didn't know they had

songs inspired by family

and shiny happy people (laughing)

Fourth of July Weekend: Beach Games

2010-07-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

We had lots of fun playing games on the beach. Volleyball, Ladder toss, three legged races, sack races, crab walks, wheel barrow races, tug of war and hula hooping. We saw a whale, which was pretty awesome and hard to get a photo of. We soaked up the sun and one of us even got buried up to the neck in sand.

Fourth of July Weekend: Self Portrait Party

2010-07-06T20:06:00.000-07:00

We kicked off the weekend with some self-portraits at the beach house.

It was pretty awesome to see the great portraits that the family painted! "I painted my own self," said Cordy.

Evening out

2010-07-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

We all enjoyed a recent sunny evening out back.

a chance to read

and to get some fresh air

and explore the great outdoors!

Sunday Parkways

2010-06-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

Tad and I participated in another Sunday Parkways

we started at Peninsula park in North Portland
and then biked the 5 mile loop

enjoying the scenery and the camraderie of biking with others

we met up with Dave and biked with a couple hundred other folks to southeast portland for the finale of Pedalpalooza

I put about 15 miles on my new bike!!

Great day for a bike ride!

Kitty Adventures

2010-06-28T16:38:00.000-07:00

Sagis found a precarious napping spot

Xiao Mao was caught mid-adventure in a usually forbidden place. I think he was after some small insect that was attracted to the light bulb.

I finally found a large enough halter to take Xiao outside on a leash...check out the design

(click on the photo to view it larger)

He hates the way the halter feels, so it makes hime walk like a possum, but he loves to go outside!

Summertime = Bike Rides

2010-06-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

Tad got my bike all adjusted and ready for me to ride, although he had to test it out first!

Penny came over for dinner, so we took her on a cruiser ride.

We rode north on the Springwater Corridor bike path from our house.

I'm pretty excited about my new bike!

It'll be even cuter with its basket and bell!

Wednesday after work

2010-06-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

The furry boys like to sit in the patches of sunshine and snooze.

who can blame them? In Portland, you got to lap up the sun while it's out!

I played in the garden and harvested lots of arugula, oregano and sage that was starting to take over. My poor thyme plants were getting squished out.

I made a vegan garden greens pesto (arugula, oregano, garlic, olive oil and nutritional yeast) and put that over my pasta, and topped it with a little bit of my cabbage salad with carrots for some color

Unfortunately, Tad didn't get any of that pesto pasta because he was at Brad's busily putting my new bike together!

Isn't it pretty?

I can't wait tos how you pictures of it with me on it!

A special thanks to Tad and Brad for taking the time to put this little beauty together!

Happy Solstice!

2010-06-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

Can you see the dragon in the flame?

strawberry love

2010-06-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Bozeb!

2010-06-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Bozeb!!!

good thing there weren't all 33 candles on that cake!

A fireball for the fireman?

Why, it's a flaming strawberry, of course!

The fireman is pretty sure that is a fire hazard

so we put it in a paper bowl for safety :)

Happiest of Birthdays to you, Brother B! Love Tad and Alanna

Westmoreland Park boat races

2010-06-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

We had fun watching the launching of these precarious tippy boats made creatively with various dairy-related cartons.Great day for a boat race. Hot and sunny and good contenders for the finish line.and a chance to break the rules a bit!

Urban Adventures

2010-06-18T21:27:00.000-07:00

The sun came out in portland so we just had to get out of the house. We headed up to washington park via a bus, the max and the washington park shuttle to the rose garden.

We enjoyed a picnic, sitting in the sun after smelling the roses.

I can see why Portland is called the City of Roses.

We had a nice hike through the park, downhill...enjoying the sights and the sun!

Why wouldn't you want to watch videos of our cats?

2010-06-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

I mean, shucks, they are really cute.

and sometimes, they do silly things.

and play tag

so, why wouldn't you want to watch videos of our cats?

Hike in the gorge

2010-06-11T15:11:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day,

so we thought we'd go for a hike

in the gorge

but first, we grabbed some lunch at an italian place in Troutdale.

we took the Horsetrail Falls Trail

which is truly gorgeous

with great views of the Columbia River

and, of course, lots of waterfalls

if it had been a hot day, this trailside water fall would have made a nice shower

Horsetail falls is cool because you can walk behind the falls

Nice hike!

check out this video to HEAR the falls!

Memorial Day Weekend: esta nublado en Seattle

2010-06-11T14:33:00.000-07:00

Tad and I drove up to Seattle Memorial Day Weekend.

It was a cloudy, rainy weekend

but we had fun anyway.

We enjoyed the Northwest Folklife Festival

and hanging out with Kip and Jon.

We checked out the Center of the Universe,

and Seattle Public Library, too.

which is definitely an awesome place to visit!

words on the floors and the red hall were especially great

but I think I loved this topographical globe of the world best of all

of course, the views were fantastic, but you couldn't help wonder how they cleaned all those windows.

We made it back to the Northwest Folklife Festival and enjoyed walking around.

the street performers were my favorite part of the festival

but I also liked this gypsy wagon!

I don't remember the name of these guys above, but we ended up buying the cd from the guys below. The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra.

some videos:

Tad the builder

2010-05-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

Look what Tad built me (for the kitty boys) for my birthday!

it's gorgeous! And so far, Xiao Mao is loving the view from the top!

He's got a new perspective on life

and is having a good time

so far, Sagis has only checked out the cave at the bottom. Xiao is claiming this as his own.

2010-05-15T23:20:00.000-07:00

I went to a Volunteer Management Conference

and look who I ran in to! The OMSI crew!

(I didn't actually take photos at the conference, but we did go on the carousel after the conference.)

a wordless post

2010-05-15T23:16:00.000-07:00

2010-05-15T23:12:00.000-07:00

May in Portland is....

Garden Update!

2010-05-08T15:38:00.000-07:00

It's a gorgeous Portland, blue sky day. "the day Portlanders live for", said Mark Till.

He's definitely right! I spent some time in the garden, tidying things up and checking out the ladybugs who have taken a liking to the flowering sage.

I'm loving that the argula has started sprouting up all around the OUTSIDE boundary of the garden.

I nibbled on leaves (after getting the bugs off) and just LOVE that fresh arugula taste, warmed from the sun.

woops, this one got turned on its side. It's a close up of the oregano.

A close up of thyme

and you can't help but smile at chard growing up in your garden.

**grin***

I am loving these sage flowers!

and so do those ladybugs

Tasty garden!

Evening walk

2010-05-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

we went for a walk after dinner...it's getting darker later, which is lovely!

i decided to take photos of all the beautiful flowers....and maybe I can start learning the names of some of them! By looking at a flower identification site, maybe this one is a camellia?

a gorgeous iris, which is maybe my favorite flower.

this is a pansy violet and is edible, it seems.

more iris...did you know yellow iris are used to improve water quality? I didn't know that until I just looked up iris on wikipedia. Well, apparently the roots consume nutrient pollutants.

it was an enjoyable (educational!) walk

Birthday continued

2010-05-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

Tad organized a group of women at Grand Central Bakery to sing Happy Birthday to me. I was surprised!

We also extended my birthday by going on a birthday outing to Bridgeport village Friday with the check Tad's folks gifted me. (I left my camera behind, so you'll just have to imagine all of this with the help of photos found on the website http://www.bridgeport-village.com/) Neither of us had ever been here before, so we were dazzled by this place!
We saw Alice in Wonderland in 3D at the cinema which is such a beautiful building!

Then stopped and had some gelato at Mio Gelato. DELICIOUS! We strolled around, looking in windows, as most stores were closed. We browsed in Border's and then, since no one was around and there is music in the gazebo, we danced. It was very romantic and very sweet.

We continued the b'day week by having cake Saturday night. Tad made a delicious Bob's Red Mill cake with whipped cream frosting. Yum!

Thank goodness there weren't 32 candles. Just 18 of them was putting off some major heat!

We sang happy birthday (yes, I sang too!) and I think I forgot to make a wish before blowing out the candles!

It's fun to extend your birthday...I mean, heck, if you're going to get older, you may as well make a big production out of it!

April 26, 2010...the big 3-2

2010-05-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

I turned 32 on Monday. I celebrated by opening my presents.

Mom made me a really nice card...

and some very cool summertime pajamas (unfortunately it's still too cold to wear them)

and a book that Uncle Jerry has contributed to.

Kathy gave me a very awesome bag. (I really love bags.)

and I LOVE the Family photo Mom gave me.

This world flag that Tad gave me is awesome.

Here I'm modeling the sweater mom gave me and I'm picking out a toy as part of my present from Tad! Tad treated me to breakfast, too! And he got a whole table of ladies to sing happy birthday to me!

Penny surprised me at work with a White chocolate Mocha and a very delicious cupcake!!!!

Happy Birthday to meeeeeeeeeeeee! It has been a very happy start to my 32nd year. Complete with phone messages, b'day cards, and Facebook messages from lovely folks.

Sisterhood Retreat 2010!

2010-04-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

The Sisterhood came together in McCall for a very relaxing retreat...

complete with journal writing

baby holding

visiting

napping

dressing up

celebrating a new baby

entertaining a 2 year old

and loving the time together to share and be thankful for the support of such amazing women!

Cats & Dogs and fondue, oh my!

2010-04-29T15:50:00.000-07:00

We splurged and enjoyed a wonderful experience at the Melting Pot! We did decide that if we were to go again, we'd just go for the chocolate fondue!

Xiao Mao and Buddy became buddies during the weekend visit.

Once they left, the house felt empty and quiet :(

Weekend Fun

2010-04-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

Dad and Linda were in town, so we took them on a tram ride, from south waterfront up to OHSU.

Linda was a little afraid of heights.

We had fun on the observatory deck and the self timer on the camera!

We had a nice Saturday morning breakfast at Bob's Red Mill.

and took a nice drive while Buddy was at the groomer's.

We soaked up the view of the Willamette River!

And took a walk down to the river in Oaks Bottomin celebration of WB's birthday!

We also enjoyed a 13 mile bike ride
...more fun photos to come...

Natalie Merchant!

2010-03-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to get on the guest list to see Natalie Merchant at the Kink FM live performance lounge for free! natalie merchant is one of my top five favorite female singers! It was awesome to talk with her for a few minutes and she autographed my VIP pass :)

Spring!

2010-03-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

The rosemary is in bloom... and the cats are out downtown.

Back East...

2010-03-12T16:42:00.000-08:00

I flew to Boston last week and immensely enjoyed the views most of the way across the country... Mt. Hood at dawn

somewhere over the rockies I believe

middle america

Lake Michigan

more of the great lakes? or New York fingerlakes area? not sure!

once we neared Boston, it was cloudy and rainy, but here is the view out Colette and Matty's apartment...

and though I definitely was there to catch up with Colette and Matty, it was my greatest pleasure to meet this new little person, Millie!

I couldn't take my eyes off of her!

We enjoyed the beautiful weather and took a walk to the shore..Cape Cod!

Colette and I have been friends for 11 years! Hard to believe so much time has passed since those first days of our friendship in France! C'est bizarre la vie, n'est-ce pas?

My first time on Cape Cod!

The Pottses were such a joy to be with (Matty, I didn't get any photos of you! But I did draw you quite a bit and will have to scan in my sketches to share with you!)

This angle is truly the best...holding little Millie and looking down at her beautiful face...ahhhhh!

She's pretty cute no matter how you look at her though!

I was sad to leave Boston, knowing the next time I see Millie she will have changed so much! But, i know that I will know this little girl through many stages of her life!

Missin' UZ? We Miss YOUUz!

2010-03-08T23:39:00.000-08:00

Dis is7 Xiao Mao! And Mr. SSSS

We miss da momma.

We keepz lookin' fo her.

We'z kno dat poppi can handle it cuz he's got dis list. (Good ting he got trainzed by mommaz. Wit no list he RUN around not knows nothin' bout wherz' da foood, da scoopz, n stuff.

Hez doin' ok but we'z still want da momma's speshial touch.

We allz eatin ok but pappi loze all his manerz.

and drinkz white out of da scawee loud bucket!

Come home soooon Mommiz!

Da Furry Boyz!

X &*^ S

Sunshine

2010-02-28T21:05:00.000-08:00

Sun is rare in these parts, so when it comes, ya got to get as close as possible to lap it all up.. this little kitty didn't care how warm he got from the sun, he wasn't going to miss any of those precious winter rays.

(and you thought we had a black cat! Clearly he is a rusty black)

This little kitty surely enjoyed this sunny nap.