Westmoreland Asays

Apparently there is a television show about Portland that will be debuting this winter. Here is a glimpse of what it's like to live here. We actually live a little south of hipster-ville, but we can catch glimpses of it every now and then.

Our Westmoreland Keeper For the second time this year, we moved to a new house in Southeast Portland. Both Meg and I hope it will be the last.We had originally planned to buy a townhouse in Sellwood, about a half-mile from where we where renting a house, but the deal eventually fell through. We were a little shocked when this happened, but we immediately began looking for something else and found something better. Technically, this house is in Westmoreland, but it's basically the same neighborhood as Sellwood. I'm 1.5 miles closer to work; the boys are about the same distance from school, although they won't be able to ride the bus anymore; and we're about 1.5 miles away from our church. Aaron even has a friend who lives two doors down (and his twin sister is in his class). We have a little more finished square footage in this house, five bedrooms, an unfinished (but usable) basement, a little backyard, and a detached two-car garage. It was built in 1922, but it has ...

In our church, kids can be baptized when they turn eight years old. Meg's family had mostly converged in Sherwood for Christmas, and my mom flew in from Salt Lake, so we had a large contingency attend the event. Aaron was so excited about his baptism, I think he was looking forward to it more than Christmas.Although when we arrived at the church and got dressed and with everyone focusing on him, he got nervous and clingy. But after his baptism, he was singing in the changing room and said he felt different, better, very happy.

Our family will probably remember Christmas 2010 as the time we moved, witnessed Aaron's baptism, and celebrated in Sherwood with the Boorens for the last time (Meg's parents' house is for sale, and they intend to move to Virginia). As such, we were overly-stressed and not able to relax and enjoy the normally joyous and fun season. The Move Meg and I had made several trips to the new house during the two weeks between the time we closed on the house and when we made the big move. so we didn't have much left to move but furniture when I brought home the rental truck on December 23rd. My friend Jon from church and I moved everything out of the old house and into the new house within two hours. Even though we only had a partially-filled 16-foot truck, loading and unloading everything literally drained all energy my arms had (my legs are always fine--I could have run a 1000 miles afterward if I had needed to). It would take us a few days to organize everything, but we wer...

My company sponsored a film festival for its employees. They sent us a Flip video camera, established a basic set of rules, and provided some nice prizes for the winners. I enlisted the entire family to create my entry. While we didn't win (or even make the final round of 12, out of I think 177 entries), we'll always have this video to remember the experience. Update : I received a package from Corporate (early April 2011) that contained four of these chocolates. There was a letter accompanying the treats, but it did not explain anything.

We had planned to go camping to Florence with some friends, but they had to back out at the last minute, so we took the money and got a cheap hotel room in Tillamook (a small town on the Northern Oregon coast) for a couple of nights. The simple act of staying at a hotel is pure excitement for the older boys: we all sleep in the same room--a room with multiple beds!--we can go swimming or eat at the restaurant or work-out in the exercise room. We had decent weather one morning so we were able to visit a light house, the octopus tree, the beach, and the cheese factory without getting wet. But I think we most enjoyed the relatively new Tillamook Forest center. It's been months since we made this trip, so that is all.

My younger brother Jamin, a 10-year Senior at the University of North Carolina (at Chapel Hill) married his long-time girlfriend Emily on a farm outside of Chapel Hill, North Carolina . I flew out to support him and enjoy the celebration. My parents and most of my siblings also made the trip, so it served as a family reunion-lite. Obie (aka Jon) wasn't able to make it; Mistress Meg speculated that he was simply protesting Jamin choosing not to wed in a Mormon temple. I was a bit nervous before I left, as I had never been east of Texas before (and I was only in Austin for a few days--otherwise I hadn't been east of the Rockies). The red-eye flight from PDX to Newark, New Jersey, was probably the most turbulent flight I've ever been on--trumping even a flight to Salt Lake City years ago that  Meg and I thought we were going to crash and burn and die together (what a way to go!). Further complicating my plans to catch a few hours of sleep, I was sandwiched between a fat man ...

Meg gave us all haircuts the day before school started. She's always cut the boys' hair, but I've declined for several years, as it usually took a painfully-long hour to manage my mane. But after investing in a much better pair of clippers, she was able to make quick work of my mop-top. This also marked Ian's first haircut.

Every year the Oregon Symphony performs a free concert at Waterfront Park the Thursday before Labor Day. We attended this concert when we lived in Beaverton, but after moving to Capital City we opted instead to run at the Bush Park fun runs that usually happened at the same time. I walked to the park from the office, while Meg and crew came later (while parking at OMSI and walked over the Hawthorne bridge). Ian did okay for part of the time, but he grew restless and I spent much of the evening walking around with him in the backpack. The symphony always concludes their concert with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, and the National Guard fires rounds from numerous artillery guns stationed in a different part of the park, which Ian and I passed on our walkabout. Just before they were to fire their guns, the sprinkler system turned on and doused all of the officers and their guns. The men found some heavy buckets from who-knows-where, but I can't believe the city forgot to tur...

I'm officially car-free. The towing company hooked up the G20 and hauled him away to greener pastures this afternoon; at least he got to ride with a fellow Infiniti (an i30) that was being taken at the same time. This was of course part of my big bike-for-car trade . I'm still surprised at how informal the whole process was. I didn't sign a single form (save signing the title of the car over to the charity), never had to show my ID, and there were definitely no lawyers present for any of it.  Both parties just did what we agreed to do--how old-fashioned. I'm writing this a few weeks after the fact, so I can report that I haven't had any problems living without a car--haven't even dreamed about owning another one or worried about having to walk, bike, hitchhike, or ride the bus somewhere.

I shot Hood-to-Coast racers again in 2010. Since I've already written about the experience here and here , I won't bore you with the details of the job; instead I'll talk about some of the competitors I met and post the pictures I took of them (when available). I don't have pictures to accompany these guys, but I saw two one-armed runners, one one-legged runner, and one blind runner. I probably scared the crap out of the blind guy when I hopped out of my chair to photograph him, as I was stationed at a pretty remote spot, on a private logging road, but he seemed to figure out who I was and what I was doing. What I found funny was that about three minutes later his hunchbacked escort ran by. Shouldn't they have been running together, or maybe even the guide out in front to keep the path clear? This woman cradled her boobs and shouted "Team handful!" for me as I took her picture. My first reaction was that she was boasting of her bounteous endowment, may...

Meg organized a fabulous four-day trip to Bend to celebrate our decade of marriage. She even let me join her in celebrating the festivities. Meg's sister, Nichole, stayed at our place for three of those days taking care of the wild ones, and her Mom and Dad controlled their fury for the final day at their estate. We had a riverside room at the Shilo Inn, but other than sleeping we didn't spend much time here. We hung out near the inn on Friday, eating dinner at McGrath's and embarking on the annual hunt for a new pair of sunglasses for Meg. We walked about two miles Saturday morning into downtown Bend, exploring the area and buying homemade soap at the underwhelming Saturday Market. I eventually left Meg, running back to the Inn along the Deschutes (for as long as I could) to bring the car and swimsuits, as we wanted to float down the river in tubes. We failed to find a place just by walking and driving around, so we took in two movies at the Old Mill. Meg wanted ...

From 10-Year Anniversary Eating and Walking the Neighborhood Ten years ago Meg and I formalized our relationship before God and Country. To celebrate we went on a walking and eating tour of Sellwood/Westmoreland. Despite the 95 degree heat scorching our necks, we had lots of fun just being together (cheesy but true). We shared every dish because we're socialists. 1. Gyoza at Stickers Asian Cafe ($6) 2. Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich at Philadelphia's ($3.75) 3. Chocolate Truffle Cake at Papa Haydn ($10) 4. Bottle caps and Runts at Plaid Pantry ($3) 5. Red Snapper Nigiri Rolls, Veggie Rolls at Mio Sushi ($6) 6. Chantilly Cupcake at Piece of Cake ($3.50) (best cupcake ever) 7. Chips and salsa and Chicharron Pupusa at El Palenque ($12) (very good--thanks for the idea, Dave Johnson) 8. Gelato at Staccato Gelato ($3.75) And Meg was worried that we would run out of places to visit. From 10-Year Anniversary Eating and Walking the Neighborhood

It all started with a tweet. The tweet guided me to a blog. The blog inspired me to craft an e-mail. The e-mail led to a phone call. And the phone call led to my agreeing to trade my 1993.5 Infiniti G20 for a 2010 Black Sheep commuter bike (1 of only 13 in existence). All of this happened within 24 hours. From New Bike An informal part of our agreement to move to Portland was for me to get rid of my car, since I had committed to biking or riding the bus to work--and I never did drive the G20 once we moved to Portland, except once every other week or so to keep the fluids moving through the car. I had posted my car for sale at the G20 enthusiasts' site , but I didn't get any substantial bites, nor did I do much to promote its sale (Meg would like me to remind you that I took a year to sell my del Sol after buying the Maxima ). So when I saw a blog post about New Belgium's car swap at the Tour de Fat , I called Meg and proposed the idea to her. She thought it sounde...

From Random Summer Weekend in the Neighborhood While I was stuck at church doing clerk work this afternoon, the following conversation took place when a neighborhood friend knocked on our door (via Meg, who was resting in bed at the time): Neighborhood Friend : Can you come out and play? Aaron : No, I can't play on Sunday. Neighborhood Friend : Why not? Aaron : Don't you believe in God? It's like one of the commandments. Eddie : I don't believe in God. I can play! And this coming from the kid who wants to grow up to be a prophet.

A week after Meg returned from her long road trip, we took an extended weekend in Waldport, staying at my former (now retired) co-worker's house. This was our third trip to stay with Shirley but the first time we've dragged the kids with us. They behaved okay, I suppose, although they had their moments. We left Portland mid-morning, just missing the heat wave that took over while we were gone. Ian and Eddie fell asleep shortly after departing, but Ian woke up about an hour later and wasn't thrilled with being in the car for two more hours (and dutifully voiced his opinion, as only he can). After stopping by the house to say hello and dump our luggage, we drove the mile or so to downtown Waldport and played on Alsea Bay. Even though it is no more than a mile from the ocean, it was sunny and only mildy windy; at the actual coastline, it was cloudy/misty and extremely windy--to the point where it was uncomfortable. On Saturday Meg and Aaron walked back down to Waldport/Al...

1999 symbolizes my "freedom" time: I was a college graduate, gainfully-employed, virtually debt-free, and single/childless. I pretty much did what I wanted and didn't have to report to anyone or commit to any thing. This past week felt like I had stepped backwards in time, as Meg decided, on a whim, to drive to Salt Lake City--with kids in tow--and stay with my parents for a week. Since I wasn't part of the road trip, you'll have to encourage her to share any stories , although she has confessed to me that she's done with blogging. Here are the highlights of the back-in-time party that was this week: Exercise : Besides my daily 11-mile round trip commute by bike to the office, I went on three other bike rides around Clackanomah County, swam at the pool twice, and ran once. Cleaning : Organized some of our outdoor living space, cleaned the house from top-to-bottom, washed the G20, cleaned my bike, and manicured the outside landscape. Sleep : Every night wa...

You might label this entry as extreme navel gazing, but I listen to a local, online radio show that broadcasts every Friday at 11:00 a.m. Pacific: Movie BS with Bayer and Snider . Eric and Jeff's show is centered around movies--what's new, what's coming, and other various happenings. In Episode 10, they called out to their audience to submit answers to their question of the week; I couldn't think of a good answer for their first question, but I've faithfully replied to every question thereafter. You can listen below to the parts of the show where they discuss my submission. I will upload clips from future shows in this post, so if you like examining my navel as much as I do, come back every week to see what color the lints is. I must credit Meg for introducing me to Eric D. Snider . She remembers reading his newspaper column when they were both students at a certain university, and she suggested that I would like and appreciate his work, since he seems to critique...

While Edward, Aaron, and I were camping east of the mountains , Meg woke up early on a Saturday and stood in line for a few hours to sign up all three boys for free swimming lessons at the historical Sellwood Bath House (I guess the whippersnappers call it Sellwood Pool these days). Ian's lessons were pretty simple: dance and play in the water with mom; Edward's class focused on teaching actual skills, but apparently he wasn't too interested in following along and learning these skills; Aaron enthusiastically embraced the opportunity and passed his week-long class with ease, so Meg signed him up for two more weeks of paid lessons at the next level. While Aaron kept his enthusiasm alive, it wasn't enough to help him master the skills necessary to graduate to the next class (not that we would have signed him up for more lessons). You would not believe the look of despondency when Aaron tore his participation certificate from his instructor's still wet hands and l...

Continuing a tradition that dates back to 1999, I went on a hike for the 4th of July. See here for a history (1999 is previously unrecorded, but I took someone not named Meg that year to Cape Lookout). Meg invited some friends from church to come with us; they have two boys, one of which is a peer of Aaron (the other is 12). Aaron was pushing to hike Silver Falls again, but I like to explore new places (and frankly, I'm a little sick of Silver Falls). A co-worker had mentioned that Latourell Falls is pretty close to town and a nice, easy hike for kids. Fortunately we arrived early enough to avoid seeing too many people, but the parking lot was full when we returned to the van. Also, later that night, Aaron, his friend from above, his dad, and myself all went to a Portland Timbers game at PGE Park. The game itself wasn't all that great (are 0-0 ties every much fun?), but it was fun to watch the crazed fans across the stadium singing and chanting and jumping around for the g...

It's the beginning of summer vacation here in Oregon--nearly three months before Aaron starts second grade and Eddie enters kindergarten. We interviewed each other on our goals, plans, and desires and compiled them into the video below. And now it's nearly a month later. I'd hoped to catch Meg on camera, but things never worked out.

Eddie lost a tooth today. This wasn't his first, but he's literally lost all the other baby teeth before he could put them under his pillow for the tooth fairy. He almost pulled the same trick with this tooth. A kick to the head (courtesy of Aaron) loosened it up and it came out during dinner. Meg and I encouraged him to put the tooth somewhere safe, but he insisted on holding onto it, which included running around with it outside. We were all outside enjoying the sunny warmth--the older boys talking and tradin' Pokemon cards with some neighborhood friends, while Meg and I watched Ian on the front porch--when Meg called the boys to come in for the evening. I happened to have my camera at the time and, at Meg's suggestion, I recorded the following video of Aaron and Eddie coming home. Eddie Loses His Tooth from mike asay on Vimeo . While all of us were searching the grass on hands-and-knees, I remembered that I had captured the scene on video. Shortly after Meg re...

Our Stake (church) held a father-and-son campout at Trout Creek Campground , which lies on the Deschutes River in Central Oregon. I took a half-day off work so we could beat the weekend rush hour traffic, but it still took us about 2.5 hours (we dropped Meg off at the Kaiser in Clackamas for an appointment--maybe she'll blog about her adventures some day--before leaving her there and heading east over the mountains). The boys whined the usual amount when on a long drive, and weren't impressed at all in the huge change in scenery from western to central Oregon. The last four miles were on a gravel road that gradually descended into the canyon and close to the river. It was pretty steep at some points, and I was mildly worried about the van getting stuck (no incidents to report, thankfully). We arrived about 4:30 p.m. and were fortunately able to set up camp before the rain arrived. Here are the highlights and other random thoughts: Upon hearing that we would be camping in t...

Eddie created his own verse to the infamous song, "Follow the Prophet." I found it be very apocalyptic.

Meg took the older boys to a friend's birthday party in Salem, so Ian and I enjoyed some 1:1 time for much of Saturday. The sun was shining, so I took him for a ride to the Rose Garden (about 13-14 miles round trip). The fountain there turns on during warm days, and kids seem to enjoy playing in it. Ian fell asleep in the trailer, but after I roused him, and he took a few minutes to acclimate to his surroundings, he eagerly ran into the streams of water that gushed out of the ground and seemed to enjoy getting wet. The ride itself was the fun part for me. although there were a lot of people riding the trail (weekend, sunny day, Rose Festival), and even though I was pulling the heavy trailer behind me, I still passed a ton of people while cranking in the same gear that I commute to and from work in. Ian at the Rose Garden Fountain from mike asay on Vimeo .

From Kickball and Meat Grillin' in Brooklyn Some friends from church (I also invited my friend from work, Angie, and she also attended) had planned a kickball game for this evening, and fortunately the only day this week without record rainfall was today, so we had a warm and dry time. I suggested to the family that we all ride our bikes the 2.2 miles to the event (Brooklyn School Park)--I pulled Ian in a bike trailer, but everyone else rode (Eddie is on training wheels, but he rides pretty fast without issue). Within 20-25 minutes we had safely and effectively reached our destination.  From Kickball and Meat Grillin' in Brooklyn After a quick meal of grilled meat and lots of fresh fruit, we formed teams and reverted back to being kids (at least the adults). Aaron played the whole game, except when he got frustrated and needed a self-imposed timeout; Eddie stayed true to his self by inserting himself into the game at random times; Meg and I played the entire game, while...

On Tuesday nights Mike's Drive In (a local dive, 0.6 miles from our house) has specials on food and treats. We've been there a couple of times already--it's hard to turn down .$0.49 cones and $0.99 sundaes. It had been raining hard all day, but after dinner Meg noticed the sun had broken through, and she suggested we walk over to Mike's for dessert. We all made sure to grab our umbrellas (we each have our own) before we left, which was wise as it began raining hard and hailing as soon as we embarked. I had Ian in the backpack, so I wasn't sure what he though of it--he was quiet and still the whole time. Aaron remarked several times about how we were setting a new record; I'm not sure if he meant the amount of rain that was falling, or that he had to walk through it, or that it would live long in his memory. Eddie didn't finish his cone, so I had to down it for him--that's the real reason I haven't lost any weight since we moved here, despite my more ...

My older brother goes to school at nearby OHSU and sometimes camps at our house overnight, since it is like a two hour drive from where he lives.. Friday was such a night, so Meg suggested we go to a movie at the local Moreland Theater while my brother supervised the sleeping kids. The theater is typical older venues: one screen, very large auditorium, creaky old seats, cheaper admission, and independent owners. They. were showing Date Night , which we both found funny and relevant. Of course we walked the 10 minutes to and from the theater. We both feel safe walking the neighborhood at night, although we encountered an opossum and crossed the street to avoid any conflict.

The thing I missed most about our house in Beaverton was its proximity to two parks--both just a few minutes walk away. Our place in Salem was about .75 miles from a park, but you had to cross a very busy road to get there. Now we have three neighborhood parks within walking distance: Sellwood, Westmoreland, and Johnson Creek. I've taken the boys to all three now, and it's nice they each have something different to offer. Sellwood Park seems like the best of the bunch, which is nice because it is the closest, just two blocks from our house. On a side note, Ian likes being outside so much, he will often scream when we bring him inside--no matter if he's been outside for hours or if he sneaks out onto the front porch for just a few seconds when the older boys leave the door ajar.

Last night I took Ian for a walk in the stroller (while Meg cut the boys hair). We walked down the main strip in Sellwood (13th), which was bustling with people and noise and lights and music--loads of fun and no angry drunks. Today after church all four of us boys took a walk through the neighborhood. We ended up being gone for about three hours, although much of it was spent exploring virgin territory (another neighborhood park), and it was a beautiful day. At the park the boys discovered a beach within the park (Johnson Creek), so they of course spent most of the time chucking rocks into the creek. Eddie had to do his business, so fortunately there was plenty of plants for privacy coverage. Update : I should have noted that I did all of this walking in my geta , which a friend presented to me when I left Japan back in 1996. I've never really worn them much until now, but they feel good, add a few inches to my height, and generate lots of comments from my fellow Sellwoodians.