Westmoreland Asays

Meg began a project three or four years ago, one that seemed to linger on and on without an end in sight. Nobody knows for sure of its origins, but it definitely hatched before Ian was seeded. Not that I have any room to brag, as I have clearly failed to complete many a task (e.g., running the Boston Marathon despite qualifying three times, earning that scholarship to Stanford to play baseball (I still have four years of eligibility), and writing an episode for The Simpsons) that I had set out to do oh so long ago. But this story isn't about me. As part of a father's day gift, Meg had offered to make a quilt out of my old race t-shirts. I was impressed with her bravery at such an undertaking, for I would race in said shirts, which soaked up my sweat and foul stench and the blood of the rivals I crushed, and which I would then immediately strip off and store in an air-tight plastic bag, thus preserving the physical essence of my over-achieving effort. I admit that that last se...

Meg was so anxious to kick off summer vacation and excited to have the boys home all day every day that she booked us a hotel room in Newport the day after the boys finished school in June . I told her this new-found excitement would last about a week (she probably blew me off, but I can't remember what happened three hours ago, let alone three months), and then she would be longing for September and school. I think the later proved to be true, but maybe not until a few weeks. Well, September finally arrived, and the two of us walked Aaron and Ed to their first day of classes. Aaron could probably pass for a fifth grader, but he is stuck in third grade. And Ed began life as a full-time student in the first grade ( but don't expect this full-time status to last forever ). We arrived 10 minutes early to a chaotic crowd that felt like the Rose Garden on Blazers bobblehead night: people were swarming everywhere. When the bell finally rang--the official notification that kids ...

Today was one of my six company-observed holidays, and our family took advantage of this and the sunny weather. The day began with Ian sitting happily in the bike trailer for 50 minutes while I ran 5.5 miles through quiet and cool city streets in SE Portland (the sun had yet to rise high enough to bake us). After lunch we, along with Aaron, went on a 10+ mile bike ride along the Springwater and the Willamette Greenway trails, with stops at Sellwood Pool (it was the last day we could use our membership, and it was PACKED), where we met up with Meg and Eddie, and Dairy Queen for cool treats. Ian napped for part of the bike ride, as he usually does, and a lady complimented Aaron on his good cycling skills. In the evening we grilled some thick and juicy steaks and some hot dogs on the back porch, which stays pretty cool for most of the day, in addition to some edamame picked fresh from our garden. Perhaps the best part was putting the kids to bed early, as school starts promptly at ...

The last weekend in August means Hood-to-Coast time. 2011 marked the the sixth time I've participated; you can read about my past experiences here: 2006 , 2008 , 2009 , 2010 (I competed for the first time in 2004, but I have no good, written record of it). This event squeezes out the creative juices in me--some of my best posts are memories from HTC--almost to the point where I feel like my proprietor is paying me to blog the event, not to photograph the participants, because I need photos to supplement the crazies I encounter on the course. I drew the same assignment as last year: legs 5 and 35. Leg 5 always feels like torture because of the closeness to vehicles traveling at speeds fast enough to escape the earth's gravitational pull--including many semi-trucks hauling hay to the cows in the Willamette Valley--but this year was especially bad because I had to endure two hours of morning rain. The logging road that has been used in the past for leg 35 was being used for log...

The Multnomah County Library awards discounted ride bracelets to Oaks Park for kids who complete their summer reading program, which all three boys easily earned. Meg took the older two during the afternoon (Ian went to a friend's house), while Aaron and I rode our bikes through Oaks Bottom and the Springwater Corridor in the evening for a little more action (Ed declined a second visit). I didn't write about it, but last year Meg and I stole away one evening for a brief interlude at Oaks Park and rode the ferris wheel and maybe some other rides. I don't recall if I declined to ride the more involved rides or not, but we didn't do anything too crazy. But Aaron wanted me to go on every ride with him, which included the scary ones. Oaks Park has perhaps the least scariest rides in America, but they still bother me greatly (I'm becoming such an old man). I still have strong memories of Lagoon many years ago, where my body literally would not calm down. But today I h...

Today was the first day of the year where the mercury climbed above 90 degrees. That might sound shocking to some, but the record for Portland is actually October 5 , which I experienced but don't remember happening in 1980. I prefer the temperate and cool climate of the Willamette Valley, so I'm like in the one percentile of people in Oregon who is enjoying summer this year. Because the weather is the only true way to judge how good the summer is. Meg's friend Susan was visiting her family in Sherwood, so she let us tag along and go swimming in her family's pool. The boys were so excited they got into their swimsuits around noon, even though they knew we weren't leaving until after 5:00, and even though Meg takes them several times a week to the Sellwood community pool. Some of Susan's nieces, about Ed and Aaron's age, were also there, and everyone seemed to get along well and enjoy the company. Unfortunately, there was only one magic sword on the pre...

Similar to last year's day-of-the-event celebration , we did a walking/eating tour of Sellwood and Westmoreland. A friend from work graciously volunteered to come over and watch the boys. We also added a movie in the mix: Cowboys and Aliens , which started out well enough, but faded quickly. After the movie we went next door to Limelight Lounge where they had a great deal: three steak tacos for four bucks. But Meg opted for some portabello mushroom sandwiches. We then walked next door to the Moreland House for fries covered in blue cheese and bacon. Bacon makes everything taste better. Next up was Papaya Thai, but they were closed for renovations, so we walked down to Sellwood near our old house and visited the Jade Teahouse . Meg had been here before (without me? for shame), and I had heard other people rave about the place. The building is always packed--inside and out, even on weekdays--so that's a good sign, right? But I left underwhelmed. Who invited this guy? ...