Westmoreland Asays

Since nobody (non-literally) voted on my photos for 2011 , I have declared myself a dictator and will make the decision for you in 2012 (you can blame this on Obama, since everything he touches or influences suddenly becomes an evil socialist). Here's my year in review via my favorite photos. 1. "The Clowns of Crystal Springs" (January) Edward and Ian get along really well, and they both know how to communicate with the camera. Nice days in January are rare for the Willamette Valley, so we took advantage and rode to Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens for a quick outdoor activity. Ian was sporting a broken wrist, so he got to ride in the bike trailer. 2. "9-Year Old Commits to play Linebacker at BYU in 2020" (February) We have an OMSI membership and visit the museum with some regularity. Aaron and I rode our bikes there on what must have been a non-raining Saturday. I think he was experimenting with some different chemicals in the museum ...

In October Meg and I discussed how to spend the few vacation days I had remaining. She wanted to go on an overnight trip somewhere nearby. Without kids. Meg found a family in the neighborhood, who also have three boys that line up in age very well with ours, who was willing--perhaps even eager--to take them for two days. We set a date in mid-December after school let out, and all we had to do now was decide upon a destination. Sacramento popped up first on Meg's wishlist. Why? Because we could fly there for free. That's not a good reason to go somewhere, but I was willing. Astoria (northern Oregon coast) was the next place she suggested, but that idea failed to gain any traction. I was thinking maybe Tacoma (baby sister Megan represent!); they have some nice museums and such downtown, and we'd never been there before. But before I floated that idea she found a deal for a night's stay at Skamania Lodge , and that solidified our plans. The weekend leading up to our t...

Most people probably think I'm odd for looking forward to and enjoying my annual trip to Pasco, Washington, each Christmas season to shoot the Cable Bridge Run. Eastern Washington isn't most people's idea of a winter getaway--I mean, how many college football bowl games do any parts of Oregon or Washington host? It's always cold, and it is usually raining or snowing, and sometimes we have a terrible time traveling home. It's all about the comradirie, the sprint to the finish because the cops close the roads into it, and trying to nail that perfect action shot of the guy wearing his tangerine speedo (true story, although we didn't see him for the first time this year). Last year's photo team was the all '93 McNary special, but we traded Brent (Penrose's brother-in-law) this year for Penrose's wife, Trish (also a McNary graduate, but not from our special class). Having a lady there didn't prevent us from being any wilder or crazier than we n...