Westmoreland Asays

Ian loves going on adventures. His definition might be more inclusive than most people would allow, but sometimes our adventures are walks around the neighborhood, bike rides to the park, or just playing in the back yard. They are all adventures to him. Tonight, with Aaron and Edward staying in Salem with their friends so they could attend a day camp, I thought it would be a good time to take the boy out. We rode our bikes to the Oaks Bottom trailhead, then hiked along the trail to the meadow below Sellwood Park. Ian pretended that all other hikers were zombies and he wasn't shy about letting them know this while he shot them with his squirt gun (sans water, of course). I appreciate that Ian likes to spend time with me, and that he still likes to hold my hand as we walk.

"Mike Asay. Wow. I was just telling my son about you, how smart you were at Gubser and how you need to be like him." So said the woman as she came over to my table after I told my wife to go bug her about joining her on the dance floor--a woman who was always way-too-cool for me back then. "Mike Asay. The master of the double-play. I still remember that one game, last inning, field covered in mud, winning runner on base. You turned the 4-6-3, game over. We win. Anyone else would have muffed it and we lose. That was our best season, even better than the next year." So said one of actual players on the state championship team of the next year (I was still JV). "Mike Asay. This is you, right [pointing to a picture of me and fellow teammates at the start of our final race together]? And that's Jon, and Brian . . . Do you think it would be all right if I stole this? I need it. You were always one of the nice guys who never teased me" So said the woman w...

I would have thought that finding an available camping spot for the fourth of July holiday would be difficult, but Meg scored us a yurt at Lost Creek--in the Mt. Hood wilderness area--maybe a week or two before the holiday. The drive took about an hour, and the air was immediately cooler than the city. After unloading our things into the yurt (which didn't have a lock or heat or electricity, features usually available at other yurts we've stayed at), we all hiked along the nature trail that traversed the campground. The trail was relatively short, so we were soon making our own trails along the Sandy River. Luckily Gollum had joined us again, so we had a veteran guide to lead us to fun and adventure. Meg and Ian eventually got bored with our antics and headed back to camp, while the remainder kept making our way along the river. At some point I decided we better head back, because I had no idea where I was or how far from camp we were. We could have followed the river back, b...

Edward as Gollum I took Edward and Ian camping at White River Station, south and east of Mt. Hood. Aaron's friends invited him for a trip to Cannon Beach, so he missed out. Our church sponsored the event, so we let them feed us hearty meals for dinner and breakfast. Normally Aaron or Meg helps me set up our huge tent, but Edward stepped up and provided the helping hand I needed to set up our camp. The boys enjoyed playing by the river and exploring the trails around the campground, and one of the older boys even let Edward shoot his BB gun rifle. Later in the evening Edward decided he was Gollum and led Ian and I (and another father/son from our ward) around some cool trails that took us across the river to see even more territory. Mr. Grumpy Pants He kept saying, "Come hobbits's," and then raced ahead and expected us to keep up with him. After the night captured the camp, we retreated back and found the group watching a mormon-themed video. I find it high-la...

So. Cal.: a different kind of paradise I was fortunate to attend a three-day, company-sponsored learning conference in Huntington Beach, California. The weather was perfect--mid-70's and sunny (at least by lunch time)--which was nice because I tried to spend every free second I had outside to maximize my time there. I was able to stay at the Hyatt Resort where the conference was, which made life simple. Beautiful beaches abound Orange County I arrived on a Monday afternoon and had a little bit of time to explore the city and do some pre-conference homework (scavenger hunt). After the evening get-together social, I stripped my clothes and shoes and ran nearly-naked on beach as the sun set over the Pacific, maybe five or six miles round trip. I ran a little earlier on Tuesday before attending an evening social with those in my division (ADP has two main divisions, and I'm apart of the smallest one, which accounts for only about 20% of the company's revenue). My cal...

Meg let me choose all of the events of the day leading up to Father's Day, within reason, of course. I chose to ride bicycles downtown for a series of evenst, beginning with a "Portland Underground" tour. We got to go underneath a restaurant in Old Town/Chinatown where the owners, many, many years ago, would perform various deeds of mischief, including the capture and holding of slaves to sell to ships sailing to the Orient. There really wasn't a whole lot to see in the "underground," which was little more than a basement, but the guide had stories aplenty and tried really hard to convince us that there were ghosts still haunting the underground. We didn't experience anything special, but I am somewhat skeptical of such supernatural things, though not completely disbelieving either. Dining at Departure Adjusting to the suddenly hot and bright overworld was overwhelming, but we rode to Departure , a restaurant at the top of the Meyer and Frank bui...

Ed eating #4 of 5 treats for the evening Last year I told the boys they could choose between camping out with their peers at the school or their peers from church, even though the two events were on separate weekends. They chose the way of the church . This year Meg suggested we attend the school campout and offered to pay our way, regardless of whether we wanted to go on the church campout or not. Of course she wasn't planning on camping with us, so she was just looking for an excuse to get us out of the house so she could spend a night out socializing with her girlfriends. Other than the potluck dinner, there weren't any activities organized, so the boys roamed the school grounds with their chums while I followed them around taking photographs. Lights out was at 10:00 p.m., except for the crowds of socializing adults just outside our tent talking the night away.