The Critter Clerk Chronicles

A Great Loss

2010-01-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

Well, Blogger ate my last reallllly long post, and I haven't posted since and am thus wayyy behind in recording my summer seeing how it's uh, January!!!

And unfortunately, I was spurred to return to my memories by the following e-mail regarding sweet, sweet Toby:

A very sad day here at ALDF.

TOBY
3/1/98-1/15/10

One of the best co-worker's a girl could ever have. We'll miss you, Tobe-ster.

On the Way to Mt. Hood

2009-08-06T16:27:00.001-07:00

We left the Gorge, and headed towards my beloved Mt. Hood (the mountain that basically watches over Portland).

Loved this bus

More awesome ancient guardrails

And more

Had to go through some tunnels

You can make out Mt. Hood in the background (in your face, RightHand!)

Crossing the bridge to Hood River

Gettin' closer! And gettin' stuck behind slow trucks.

We turned a corner and there it was!!

A look down the mountain

And a look up the mountain!

And sans us. A very lunar landscape!

Crown Point

2009-08-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

Next adventure stop: Vista House on Crown Point:

Walking toward it

Beautiful architecture, I think

UPS really does deliver everywhere!!

Close-up

Leaning and enjoying my nonfat chai latte :)

Looking squat, but still enjoying my latte ;)

The view

So happy together :)

Love this pic, too

RightHand was pretty floored that there was a guy in an Earnhardt jersey there

The ceiling inside

We climbed to the roof and enjoyed the views

Enjoying myself

Looking the other direction

And another half turn

Even the bathrooms were quite nice/marble

And onto more adventures!

The Hike

2009-08-06T15:18:00.001-07:00

I'm not even kidding, they should have a doctor at the beginning of the hike to the top of Multnomah Falls, checking to make sure people won't DIE on the way up. Or, you know what, that's actually a waste of time, seeing as how I am 24, exercise pretty regularly, and am basically healthy, and I almost died. Let's relive this wonderful experienc, shall we?

Oh, great. They are going to count every. single. switchback. And by the way, I swear that the definition of a switchback to the park people is "left, right, zig, zag, 20 miles, annnnnd....done."

RightHand was movin' on out. And I can't tell if that is a little kid running down the path or that damned marathoner we passed, but either way, I wanted to trip every show-off.

Well, I guess I was too busy whinig; I thought I had more pictures of the hike. But anyway, here's the top. The extremely non-worth going up to top. Trust me.

There's Ol' RightHand, standing right over where the water careens over the edge.

Closer

And here's the pic of me he took from that spot where he's standing. Aren't we so clever?? ;)

The exact edge of the top of the falls. And that's ALL you can so. Nothing of the real waterfall-y part!

It's definitely beautiful, but not worth the insane hike!

A little perspective: water + parking lot.

The edge- pretty

A little scary though. You are right there.

This time, I captured the fun for you!

A gorgeous view of the world down below

Proof that I made it/looking up river

At the top together. RightHand is quite good and taking couple self-portraits!

A glimpse on the way down

Dramatically trying to breathe at the end of the hike :)

One last look

Loved this sticker on a trash can. I'm really developing a thing for Smokey the Bear!

Another sticker I really liked. Probably a band name, dontcha think?

Everything was made better by the AWESOME snack we had afterword. That was my best-smoothie-of-my-life peach smoothie with my poppyseed muffin and RightHand's chocolate muffin. Yummmmm, the memories!

Multnomah Falls

2009-08-05T16:28:00.000-07:00

Then we headed to the Big Kahuna: Multnomah Falls!

A neat rock and tunnel on the way there

The road was lined with beautiful stone guardrails

The railroad bridge across the street

On the bridge: Distances to nearby cities

Pretty native flowers

We have arrived!

The Falls!

Once again, RightHand captured the view for everyone at home ;)

The moss on that rock was nearly neon in person

Walking toward it

Apparently I got way ahead of RightHand

Handsome man! :)

Somewhat decent woman ;)

Cutest couple ever, right? RIGHT???

Cool trees on the way to the famous bridge

Information: More danger

A closer look

A picture of all the picture-takers

The bottom of the falls

Loved it!

And then, we VERY stupidly decided to hike to the freakin' top of the waterfall...

To Be Continued!

Horsetail Falls

2009-08-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

Then we arrived at our first (and my favorite) waterfall of the day:

Oh it was beautiful

Cool log across the top, wayyyy up there

RightHand captured some video so that we could share the awesomeness with everyone :)

Cruisin'

2009-08-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

More drivin':

Crazy biker in the middle of nowhere. People are hardcore out here!

Travelin'

Dirty window and a sign announcing our approach to the Bridge of the Gods--- ooooo!

And here we are!

RightHand's view over the bridge

Railroad track from the bridge

Goin' over

I love when I snap the pic right as we pass some obstruction

Pretty, but not as God-like as we had hoped

Back in Oregon- yay!

A mural under the bridge

Char Burger- my sister and mom ate (and ate and ate and ate!) here when they came through!

Neat old farming equipment

Side view of the bridge and mural

Now heading towards waterfalls and Crown Point

The signs here just say "Speed", not "Speed Limit", giving much more room for the numbers. Different from Ga. Just thought it was notable. That is all.

Always take the scenic route.

Niiiice

Is anything ever ugly out here?

What the hay?

Sign says something like "Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway" :)

Pretty forest, with pretty flowers lining the way

Better pic of the flowers

Another brief sign: "Slides", not "Rock Slides"

Dam It! Pt. 2

2009-08-05T15:27:00.000-07:00

A train passed by as we were looking out the viewing window on the pedestrian bridge:

Where the magic happens, baby!

RightHand was only marginally impressed. Laaaame!

I was quite impressed. Yay!

Best year ever! When babies and dams were born...

They also offered these environmental quizzes for kids

Right!

Wrong! These seemed kinda harsh to me.

The elevator with floor numbers that made no sense (To me, we were on 2, going down to 1!)

And then we were back on the road, looking for new adventures!

Dam It!

2009-08-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

Our next adventure in the gorge was visiting Bonneville Dam:

We were there 5 minutes before it opened (9:00 am), and the guard made us wait in the parking lot. Also laaaame.

There's Beacon Rock in the distance

A closer look

Looking down river

The dam (obvi)

More conquering, apparently

A cute tiny van- it was even smaller than it looks

The visitor center. I have never known someone so opposed to checking out a dam as RightHand! It was insane.

This dam provides tons of power to the PacNor

The fish ladders!

The explanation

Evidently adult fish use the tunnel...

This tunnel! And they won't go through unless it's lit!

Oh I was excited for the fish ladder viewing!

Maybe they'll let me try it out now??

Looking oddly noble and aspiring

Cool looking bush/tree by the building entrance

The viewing area!

Ew. Ew! Ew! Ew! Sorry, ALDF, but these lamprey things must be eliminated.

The sucker part

Live action:

These may live.

The quiet room where a person counts and measure every. single. fish.

What Comes Up....

2009-08-05T14:23:00.000-07:00

Must go down. Here we go:

A look back at the stairs at the top. They really make you do deep knee bends at the top. Laaaame.

Oy

The road below- whoa!

Steep downhill

Where we've been

Some of the railing was made in China. Laaaame.

Looking off the edge- no railing!

A ways to go...

These trails are truly remarkable

And so are these loverly flowers

And some of the railing was made in England. Interesting!

RightHand stands by while I really take a picture of the doggie :)

Neat scene at the bottom

Annnnnnddddd....done!

Beacon Rock: In Deep, Er, High

2009-08-05T13:19:00.001-07:00

The climb continues...

Getting out of the picture: FAIL ;)

More sheer cliffage

Breathtaking! Can't wait to see it from the top...

We were actually early. And done climbing by 8:30. And this is a really odd place for a door.

Lookin' up

Lookin' down

The views were so rewarding

Quick couple break

The handrails were neat- but seemingly improvised and rickety!

Strange little hole in the side wall

Switchbacks galore. Seriously, what possessed them to even build this path? In the early 1900s no less! Estimating how many people died in the construction was definitely a favorite topic on the way up!

Neat scenery, steep switchback ahead

Nice little stream by the big ol' river

Zoom zoom zoom

Oh, the resilience of nature

Another great view of the gorge

My theme for the day: the resilience of nature. I just couldn't believe the things that grew where they did!

Like here

And here!

Enjoying the hike

One of the bridges- with just space below- eeks.

Another hardy plant.
Can I just say, gawd I took a lot of pictures of this GD hike!

More flowers, yada yada

Never forget where you've come from!

High up now- looking out into the sky

What a tangled web Beacon Rock weaves...

Gettin' close to the top, obvi!

Just, wow. Awesome.

Straight down

Straight up

Goin' up

The stream again

And the railroad track

I know you don't even believe me, but FINALLY, we've reached the top!!

Awe-inspiring, really

Mossy rock wall by the stairs

Man at the top, in so many ways

The view from the top

Even though the lighting and my face suck, this is one of my favorite pics

Another pic at the top- we lingered a while because we had worked so hard for this moment!

Beacon Rock- consider yourself conquered!!

Proof that I was there!

Beacon Rock

2009-08-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

Then we arrived at our first destination of the day:

Beacon Rock

Thar she is!

Even the restrooms were woodsy

Once upon a time, there were tons of floods

Interesting info- the rock is the core of a volcano!

Lewis and Clark kind of discovered it. Kind of.

So much geological info

Oh yes, the trail. We are going to hike that giant hunk of Earth.

RightHand plots the route. There's really only one option, though. :-p

Truly.

Oh, perfect. Do you see how they used the word "caution" twice in one sign? :-p

Speaking of which...please don't fall on me, please don't fall one me, good rock...

The man who built the trail/path/stairway to heaven

So it begins...

Yum! Carrot on the stick for me! ;)

Neat tree along the way

Beautiful forest, as always

Love the mossy shtuff

Gosh nature is beautiful

A little rest before we are committed ;)

A view of the goal

Maybe we'll just climb as the crow flies...or not.

Pretty view to keep you motivated

Now it really begins

Smiling, but thinking, what have we gotten ourselves into??

Columbia River Gorge

2009-08-05T12:13:00.000-07:00

After dropping my sister off at the airport and getting a speeding ticket (Hi, Mom!), RightHand and I headed out for more sight-seeing.

We were immediately cursing ourselves for not washing the darn window! It was nasty in the sunlight!

Our first glimpse of the river

Arriving

First we stopped at an overlook

Cape Horn- not really significant :)

My fellow photographer

Yes, that's the sun rising. Did I mention this was at 7:00 a.m?!!! My sister's flight was at 6:00 a.m., and we just went from the airport...

Happy but tired :)

Cutie- not tired! grrr...

Beautiful setting

Lone rock

Again...

That's Crown Point on the cliff in the distance...you'll see more of that in a bit!

A little closer...

Sheer cliffs

Netting to hold the rocks off of us- makes me so nervous!

Excited!

We hoped out of the car again and spotted these insect-catching boxes. Some kind of scientific study goin' on

Beautiful field and river

And railroad track

Miscellany

2009-08-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when I don't blog regularly- I have a few pictures/events that I skipped. So forgive me while I play catch-up:

First, dinner with the gang a few Fridays ago:

Beautiful tomato and mozzarella salad

Sweet Natalie in her ice cream shirt

Precious

Potatoes, roasted beets, tomatoes, great bread- it was awesome

Jen enjoyed it

After dinner entertainment! Here's Natalie imitating a bunny and then a reindeer- she moves her head like those white metal yard deer people put out at Christmas! Love that sweet girl! (Gosh, she's not even related to me! Imagine how cute I'll think my own kids are! Gasp!)

The Goof Troop

And, switching gears to the last petsitting job I had. Their neighbors had beautiful bunches of daisies- one of my faves!

And here's what I encountered in front of a house while walking the dog one hot afternoon:

What kind, generous folks! And what a good idea!

Downtown Day, Part 2

2009-08-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

RightHand bravely accompanied Jen and me to my new dream place to get married: The Old Church:

Gosh, these pictures don't do it justice...

The intricate details make it just stunning

It's actually wood- the style is called "carpenter gothic".

It's no longer a working church, so it's secular, with no restrictions on music, flowers, anything!

Perhaps we will be back one day? Ooooooo! Squeal!

Awwwww! My Romeo!

Cool fountain downtown

On the way home, we stopped at an art gallery that shares a name with Jenny's fiance, Paul (a vet! Score!)

After that busy day, we went back and cooked dinner. RightHand handled the beef and broccoli in a peanut sauce, Jenny made the salad, and I made the key lime pie dessert- everything was so yummy!

Cookin' up some loooooove ;)

Jenny is workin' hard with caramel appletini in hand!

Great friends and family! :)

Always fun

And a little crazy! :)

Because of wine. Yes, that's it. Blame the wine. :)

Nice photo of the house below... it was a beautiful night, as (nearly) always!

So happy to be sharing it with RightHand!

And I leave you with this: A rare normal moment! ;)

A Day on the Town!

2009-08-03T15:29:00.001-07:00

My mom snapped these photos before showers, make-up, etc. Thanks, Mom! (Yes, I know I don't have to post them, but then it wouldn't feel like you were with me 24/7, dear readers, and I'd misssss yooooou! And the comedic value is priceless.)

Gooooood morning!

Wow, check out the Rainbow Brigade

Shiny, happy people

And RightHand would like to announce, once more, that one of his ears has two ear lobes. At least he's cute. ;)

After tons of cereal (oh- was that just me?), RightHand, Jen, and I went downtown (Portland) on Monday and saw the must-sees.

First, my office!

He was finally here!! :)

Then a little shopping, Portland style. You know, keepin' it weird...

RightHand made Jen stand by this store because it was called MoMo, and one of her and her fiance's cat's name's is Mojo. He thought she could photoshop it later. I know. At least he's cute ;)

Another shot

Sisters enjoying the city! :) I love this pic!

See! It's pretty much a commandment around here.

And then, we found it. The holy grail:

Mmm, I'll take that one.
In the end, Jenny and I "settled" for Cap'n Crunch covered doughnuts, while Ryan got an M&M covered beauty:

Sugar-induced bliss
(AND we got some to go! Why yes, they DO sell a doughnut called Cock and Balls, why do you ask? ;)

From doughnuts to...

The famous Powell's! Though with a strangely shabby sign...

Their bike racks- all related to books about biking!

I loved this graffiti we saw on the way

More to come...

Day Three, Again, No Me!

2009-08-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

On Day Three, I picked up RighHand from the airport!! Yay! Too bad the views on his flight were so ugly:

He was very tired, though, so my mom and sister went on to the Columbia Gorge without us. RightHand and I made it there later in the week, so don't worry, I'll provide mannnnnny more pictures of the beautiful landscape. Yes, dear readers, I can hear you squealing with delight! ;)

Here are the best pics from my mom and sis's adventure:

Love this self-portrait! And man, we don't look alike at all!

They came home and showed us this pic to warn us of the nasty hike up Beacon Rock- eeks!

So cute

The Bonneville Dam...

And Multnomah Falls. It was kind of cool to see where we were going to visit later in the week. Made me think of them the whole time RightHand and I were retracing their steps. :)

OMG! Mama and her cute Keds! That pic is freakin' precious and priceless! Can't wait to see my Mama later this week!! (I'm gettin' a little homesick!)

Another landmark that we would visit as well!

Sister, Sister

2009-08-02T22:46:00.000-07:00

After the busy market downtown, Jen and I went on a short hike to commune with nature. :) Before I knew what was happening, she was hopping and climbing on everything!

And then subsequently couldn't get down, of course. (It was steeper than it looks!) She eventually just had to bite the bullet and run down the little hill and luckily managed to stop before she plowed into the lake.

This lake.

This tree was so big and beautiful. Um, like the girl standing with it!

Quite the outdoorsy woman, eh Jen?

It was a neat walk through a neat forest

Cool tree- almost inviting you for a sit, don't you think?

And we spotted this lovely heart. Does anyone know if this actually kills the tree? I hope not. It was cute.

Three's Company

2009-08-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

On their second full day, we headed down to the awesome Portland Saturday Market.

Okay, well, first this little section that was called Skidmore Market

Then Portland Saturday Market! Doesn't Jen look so PacNor? I provided her with the pro-conservation shirt, but she brought to knee shorts and hiking shoes all on her own! So proud!

Mom and Jen, looking so cute

Jen and me, not looking so cute- I look like I've ballooned up! Crap.

And me and mom. Yup, think we covered all of the combos now!

The same violin-playing Jesus from the Vancouver Market!!!
I think there is a Tom Hanks movie-worthy conspiracy afoot...

Oh how I love their tagline!

Lots of unique goods to be found! Mom was pretty intrigued by all of the duct tape offerings, but, I am pleased to say, refrained from adding any to her accessories. And let me just say, Damn right a duct tape wallet better only take 5 minutes to make!!

This guy finds rocks that naturally look like the letters of "love"! I love it! Har, har... Man, I should've bought one. Yes, that's right- my mom doesn't need duct tape, but I need rocks! :)

Cool booth that had tons of things made out of silverware!

Even business card holders...

And soap dishes. As you can see, I was rather impressed with this booth- so creative!

Loved these old key necklaces- so enchanting!

Crazy bird feeders that look like a giant cup and saucer

Ah! Cutest earrings ever!

Mmmm- real cupcakes! The SWEET POTATO PIE one was awesome! (They had samples)

Jenny decided that a 15 minute massage was in order. Oddly enough, she says this one in a crowded market was the best she's ever gotten!

Mom thought the sinks outside the "Honey Pots" were basically the coolest thing that ever happened in the entire world. Here she is pumpin' the water with her foot.

Jen and I loved these paintings. And that's not my flash, that's the actual depiction of sunlight filtering through the tree. It was awesome!

Jenny and Mom fell in love with these colorful hanging vases

I'm starting to really love funky murals on buildings

And this ode to PBR was pretty priceless!

Family Time!

2009-08-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

So, my mom and sister, Jenny, came out for a visit. I haven't seen my sister since Christmas, so it was an awesome treat!

On their first day, I had to do some work, and they headed out to the coast. Jenny wanted to do everything she had seen on my blog!

Here's Jen by Indian Beach at Ecola State Park

The two of them together- I'm missing!

Cute pic of mom on their walk down to the beach

An awesome fog was moving in on the coast

Surreal! Wish I could've been there!

Mom looking quite demur!

They also found these massive stacks of clam shells- what were they harvesting them for again, guys?

Stacks and stacks!

Huge piles with seagulls chillin' on top

A close-up- have you had enough yet? :-p

Sorry for the Delay!

2009-08-02T00:27:00.000-07:00

So sorry for the lack of posts lately! Life has still been so lovely and interesting.

Please check back tomorrow for pictures from my mom's, my sister's, and most importantly*, RightHand's visit.

*Possibly because he is the most fun to sleep with. Did I say that??**

**Truth be told, as far as bed partners, my mom and sis are tied. After all, RightHand goes to bad without gossip or girltalk, and where's the fun in that??

Pet Sounds

2009-07-17T17:03:00.001-07:00

Sammy and I really fell in love with each other when we found out that we are perfect running partners during our 'walk' yesterday. I think he had a good time, as did I! Ever since I was little, I have wanted, and ever since I've been running I've wanted one that's also a running buddy. Don't get me wrong, though- I'm still just pet-sitting Sammy, and yes, I've decided to let the family keep him. ;)

He was panting a ton when we got done with our work-out, and his tongue was so crazy and robotic (can you tell I only own cats?!), I had to capture this video:

And this little guy, Gray Boy, ~~thinks~~ knows he's the star of the house

He is a sweetie

But he tires of the photographic attention quickly. But never the butt rubs. No, never the butt rubs...

The cutest thing- the cats like to climb up the ladder and sleep in the little boy's Spiderman loft!

A little blurry- sorry

Ah! The elusive Little One! I can always find her in bed. We're kindred spirits, she and I. :)

New Digs

2009-07-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

I'm pet-sitting once more, and these people have the coolest backyard:

So many flowers and paths and nooks and crannies

Looking left

Looking right

And a sweet goggie!!!

Sweet Sammy

He is SO big

And two cats- pictures to come!

Dancin' the Night Away

2009-07-15T12:31:00.000-07:00

Instructing RightHand

The Happy Couple- we had a lot of fun together! (As always)

Now we're cookin'! This is my fave pic :)

It's electric!

Electric Slidin'

A rather boring video of the bride and bridesmaids doing the electric slide. At this point in the evening, people still weren't ~~drunk~~ rested enough to dance! Well, except that lady in the green pant suit which you see briefly- she was a nutter butter!

Yes, Mom, it's water!!

Cute from every angle :)

So happy we were leaving! Punk.

2009-07-15T12:02:00.001-07:00

So, I figured the wedding photographer took enough pre-ceremony pictures for everyone in China to have one, so mine start post-ceremony, at the reception. And oh, by the way, Marlee is freakin' MARRIED! My first true blue friend to be married. I cried at the rehearsal and during the ceremony. I'm still processing this event. It meant so much to me to be included, though, and I had an absolute, albeit tiring, blast.

RightHand and I arrived at the gorgeous, Southern house

What a beautiful place for the reception!

Posing with the groom's cake, a replica of his racecar

Lucky me to be dating RightHand! Meow!

Why do I look scared of the cake? If anything, IT should fear ME! ;)

My superhero power? Devouring a wedding cake in a single ~~bound~~ bite!

Ah, there's the normal photo!

Telling my dad and stepmom about my latest catch. "I swear it was THIS big!". Not really.

A nice side shot of my funky hair- the stylist didn't listen to me at all!!

Good pic of me and my dad laughing

The father-daughter dance. Her dress was SOOO gorgeous, wish I had a better shot. Or one with me and the bride! Sheesh! Oh well, the photographer will reveal all, I'm sure.

Just had to put this one up because my dad looks like, well, I don't even know, and my mom's bug eye is hilarious. Love you, parents! :)

The scene

RightHand, Me, and my giant-looking arm

Me and my cute mama!

Good pic- thanks, RightHand!

Me and my dad

Mom had some crazy faces goin'- that's what she gets for talking through the picture!

Really Random

2009-07-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

When my mom was here, I snagged her memory card and got some pics off of there that I didn't have yet. The result:

Liz and I trying to figure out the best way to commute to my work (Sorry for revealing a little too much leg!)

Before leaving for my first day of work

Such a mom thing to do- it felt like the first day of school! But I loved it. :)

Liz and Mom took Natalie on a walk at Moulton Falls during her first visit

Coming up to the bridge where Liz and I saw that D-bag about to jump

Great pic, Momma!

There is really no bad picture of the PacNor!

One of the beautiful roses from Liz's garden. All of her hard work really pays off!!

Every rose is breathtaking out there- and she keeps a fresh one in the vase by my bed! I'm so spoiled, but I know it and appreciate it.

And, extremely randomly, here's a gorgeous salad we had with dinner one night. Whatever Tom and Liz concoct is SO good every single night!

Kidding Around

2009-07-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

Natalie being superwoman and me, getting a workout

Learning how to play London Bridge for the first time

Of course a boy would figure out how to make the game rough and physical

Natalie getting a ride on her mom

Strong mama

Wearing my running shoes. Boy, she's got some big shoes to fill! Haha! (I'll be here all night, folks!)

Battle Ground Lake State Park

2009-07-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

A local park that I hadn't yet checked out, and I'm so glad I did!

Such a summer camp-like scene: lake, pine trees, obnoxiously large amount of people (more proof later)

Cool stump and hill at the beginning of my walk

The water had tons of floating tree trunks

Closer look

Ah, you can just smell the fresh air, cantcha?

I thought the path was going to be wide, flat, and compacted- boy was I wrong! But it turned out to be so beautiful!

So very beautiful

And enchanting- check out these stump stepping stones!

Neat mossy boulders

Just mystical

Another shot

Little bridge and the path ahead

Cool winding steps

Oh look! The path was flat, wide, and compact- just not the one I took!

Lots of people were hanging out by the lake

Attempted beach by the lake- hey, at least it's something!

A horse trailer- it would be so cool to ride around this park!

A stall/hay for your horses

A ranch I saw on the way home

Even the PacNor has beautiful fields! It has everything!

Game On

2009-07-14T22:11:00.001-07:00

Love this PacNor scene

I was really enchanted with the moon that evening; it has always kind of called to me

Ooooo, shooting star moon!

The pool and my feetsies

The view below- with some blurs that are fireworks :)

Even though I am going to continually try, I literally CANNOT describe to you the incredible amount of fireworks that we could see from Liz's house on the hill. Here are my video attempts, which I still think are worth watching:

My first video- I wish I would have lingered on certain spots longer- lessons learned. I love how you can hear explosions, laughing, etc.- the 4th!

This video is nothing special, but towards the very end you can hear Natalie's little voice yelling "Nice Job!" and then I start laughing goofily

Once it was darker, you can definitely see a lot more on the video, and I attempt to show my face- fail. (Sorry, RightHand! And thanks for loving my face!)

Pretty awesome video that gives you an even better sense of the atmosphere

I leave you with this Home and Gardens-esque scene. Because in the end, that's what it's about, right? Flags, wine, and candles? Nah. I honestly find it insulting when people talk about their fellow Americans not understanding the meaning or importance of holidays like the 4th of July. Honestly, it seems to me that most people who lived through September 11th, if they can TRULY tap back into how they felt that day, well, they know what it's all about. Love you, America.

Happy Belated Fourth, everybody.

The Night Closes In...

2009-07-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

The moon over the pool- it was gorgeous

A little closer

Elizabeth's friends having a great time

My red Floaties are Natalie's obsession! Tried to find her a kid size replica but they were about $50! Damn.

Her pride and joy

Julie, giving a little wave. The table was out of Home and Gardens, seriously.

The fireworks were really starting up and Natalie was not happy :(

But then she started getting a little bi-polar on us... She would seem to starting enjoying the fireworks and after a particularly big or colorful display, she would shout...

"Nice job!"

"Cute" doesn't even begin to cover it!

Here's a craptastic picture of the neighbor's loud fireworks, but then again, I kind of like this pic- a nice little neon bird or something :)

The ladies and their wine- I'm so mad my camera went blurry- this woulda been so cute

Girlie chatting and showing and telling

Poolside Surprise

2009-07-14T21:43:00.001-07:00

Even though there were tons of people and fireworks, this deer suddenly came out of the woods!

First video of the deer

Continued footage of the deer- crazy!

Pool Fun

2009-07-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

The adorable newlyweds, Stacy and Eric, watching the fun

Natalie and Papa in the pool

She was having a blast- and so was Papa!

Jack got tired from all of the swimming and kicking he was doing

A little clearer picture of the sweet boy

Once the kids were out of the pool, the ~~drunken shenanigans~~ fun started...

Annie and I were ~~egging~~ cheering on Reed as he attempted to jump onto the ball.
This video is so freakin' classic

And here's his second attempt, The Perfect Miss

Finally the Fourth!

2009-07-14T15:43:00.001-07:00

Wooo, talk about better late than never! I am finally posting the pics from the 4th of July party that Elizabeth hosted. Great family, friends, and fireworks!

Natalie and Jack started the party with some much-needed cooling off

Cutest kids!

Natalie poses

Grandpa about to help Jack out of the pool

Out from under the hat for a minute- what a cutie!!

Eric, Stacy, Reed, and Sarah, poolside

Katie in the pool, playing with the kids

Natalie in her "Sparkle" shirt

The flag hanging right outside the kitchen

Annie's cute cake!

The spread

The ever-energetic hostess
(And on the left you can just barely see the napkins that I rolled and she tied with cute ribbon)

My plate- yum! Everything was AWESOME!! Which was good, because we ate the leftovers for many, many, many days :)

Decor on one of the tables

After playing too excitedly in the birdbath, Natalie had to take off her sopping wet shirt. And then the scary fireworks started. Have you ever seen a child look so beautiful and scared at the same time?!!

Eating dessert

Jack eating his cake and ice cream- must've been too cold right then!

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

2009-07-06T22:07:00.001-07:00

I had quite a legal learning experience at my clerkship the other day. I've really been trying, quite successfully, I think, to seize every opportunity that presents itself. So when boss asked if anyone wanted to see a foreclosure auction on the steps of a local courthouse, I was game!

I met Scott in front of the Clackamas County Courthouse around 2:45. He was standing with two women from the Oregon Humane Society and... that's it! We were the only ones there. Apparently this involved a lien on a dog. Basically, this abused/neglected dog was seized from its moronic owners and treated by the humane society which resulted in a net cost of $3400 (I think). So, the judge put in an order saying that the owners could only have the dog back when they paid that sum. And that's why we were there.

The stage was set!

When the clock struck 3:00, Scott stood on the courthouse steps, with his audience of three below, and read the order and opened the bidding to purchase the dog. Granted, no one was really listening but us. Essentially, the Humane Society had their bid in by nature of their already incurred debt. They had rehabbed the dog, Rambo, and already had an adopter lined up. This was really just a matter of procedure. But it was still a suspenseful 15 minutes while I waited for a beat-up pick-up truck to come screeching around the corner, pull to an abrupt stop in front of the courthouse, and have the owner jump out yelling, "Stop! Stop! I want my dog!"

Luckily, that didn't happen. Especially luckily because Scott showed me the photos of the dog when he was rescued. FOUR collars embedded in his neck, one was an electric shock collar, and the studs had gouged holes through the raw flesh. No way does this guy need to be within 1,000 feet of an animal ever again. So without further ado, Rambo was "bought" and on his way to a much happier ending. Strange, but beneficial to us, Oregon procedure.

On the way back to my car, I saw this really amusing cafe right across from the courthouse:

The Verdict Bar & Grill

Menu categories: Opening Statements, Lighter Sentence... harhar!

And I am pretty sure this is an elevator to take you to the buildings above. Weird! And I could be completely wrong.

Darby Goes to Work

2009-07-05T22:37:00.001-07:00

How could I forget?! Here are some pics of Darby with me at work, clearly workin' hard:

He was kidnapped by Lisa, and was forced to assist her.

ALL.

DAY.

The dogsitting gig is over and boy do I miss him! Le sigh. But, I get to watch the human kids this Wednesday, so we shall be briefly reunited!

All in the Family

2009-07-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

We have a very small family, so it's really exciting that my mom's cousin lives in Portland, and we've been able to meet up with him and his wife twice now. The other night, they had us over for a great dinner at their beautiful home.

Of course the first pic I took was of their scruffy little dog. And crap, I can't remember his name now!

Charles and my mom, checking out the family history he has researched. He went and visited the Norwegian town where our family 'originated'!!

Meeting the elite

No matter what they insisted, their backyard was gorgeous and full of flowers

This is not a weed- swear.

Gorgeous roses

The backyard landscaping

Huge beautiful ferns

I loved that this little ground cover is creeping up the front sidewalk

Mom on a beeline to the birch tree- she adores them!

Front of the house- and you can't even see the 3rd garage!

More unidentified plants

I love lots of color in the garden!

How cute is this tree?! Very cute.

Their compost area. ::swoon::

A nice little sitting area. (Jen- her flower pot is checkered like the ones we made with Donna yea long ago!)

More color

Gotta get that PacNor purple in there!

Teeny tiny strawberries. They were called something fancy schmancy like "heirloom strawberries" and they were delicious!

Prehtay

Oooo, so nice!

More roses- they had just been trimmed back, though

Mom and Carol walking in the backyard

Neat garden glass thingy and some more delicate flowers

Okay, okay...you were so patient with me through the parade of plants, now here is the food!

The salmon, pre-grilling

Yay for family!

Picture perfect meal- literally! Do I keep eating out of Homes and Gardens Magazine??

Dessert- and confirmation that we are related. :)

My trusty passenger got some picture of Portland on our drive home:

Is this a giant chairlift?? Must investigate.

Portland's twin towers...

Cool industrial looking machine :)

Can't really see Mt. Hood in the distance, but trust me- it was there, and it was beautiful.

Car blocking the mountain. But also, isn't this a great shot of this car? Looks like a Saab. Sponsorship of blogs- the next big thing. ;) DO YOU HEAR ME, SAAB?!

Bridge- and home!

LE FIN

In the Dog House

2009-07-05T21:22:00.001-07:00

I could never say no to this goofy face!

Biting me! On film! Gotcha!

Quick clip of Darby's shenanigans

Lookin' for trouble, I'm sure

Darby and Paisley wrasslin'... and then Darby "fetching"....

Paisley was tired, but always interested in what the humans are up to- she doesn't want to miss a thing!

Darby was eventually exhausted after the walk and all of that playing

Gosh what a cutie

And this is the TV we had to watch- a retractable projector screen that blocked out the window light! It was awesome.

I left the family these flowers from the local farmer's market

Thought it would be nice to come home to!

Dog Walkin'

2009-07-05T20:46:00.001-07:00

My mom and I took Paisley and Darby for their own leash walks, and saw many exciting things.

Best Buds

I loved this green house in the neighborhood

Cutest puppy ever

We went to...you guessed it! Noble Woods Park! I really like the name, actually.

It was lovely, and Darby was way excited, as you can sense from this photo

Cutie on a leash

Just walkin' through the neighborhood

Cute house with huge tree in the yard...

Mom modeling the scale of the tree

Huuuge!

Perfect poses from the dogs

I'm experimenting with Picasa a bit and brightened up the photo- now you can see more of the dogs- pretty cool!

Beautiful limbs

And home!

Great view off of the deck- what a nice little creek!

Gone to the Dogs

2009-07-05T18:55:00.001-07:00

Here are some more pics of those darling doggies I petsat (petsitted?) for:

Sweet Darby

On our way to the field

Good action shot! And typical: Cinzia ambling along, Paisley being nutty, and Darby trying to get the heck outta the way!

The two older kids off sniffing around in the field

Darby sniffing around in the tall grass

Darby getting left in Paisley's wake

Sweet boy

So tiny!

Here we are in the field- please ignore my psychotically excited calling to Paisley- I was trying to rile her up, okay!

Paisley trotting along

A little more field craziness and cuteness

Monkey see, monkey do

Octopus's Garden

2009-07-05T16:33:00.001-07:00

Yes, that IS the proper apostrophe placement in the title. Suck it.

Anywholovely, we made out way to the Octopus Tree, not knowing what to expect. And this certainly isn't what we expected, but it was great.

Well, first, here's a cool tree on the walk to it

And the sign. It really launches the curiosity, which is how we ended up here from the main road anyway...

Thar she is!

In all her glory

Random treetop shot

Really cool facts about the tree- they don't even know why it's like an octopus! But, of course, they blame the natives ;)

Solid base

Next stop was a cool, eerie beach
(Also where a man yelled at us for blocking a local dirt road but, c'mon, we couldn't tell. And we ain't from 'round here. Be nice.)

Is there anything that WON'T kill you at this beach? Sneaker waves?! I didn't know they wore shoes!!!! HAHAHA. Ahem.

I leave you with this terror. Yes, RUN from the TSUNAMI!

THE END
of our trip to the coast. :)

Let There Be Light

2009-07-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

Unexpected road signs took us on a neat detour to a lighthouse and cool tree:

The path down to the lighthouse

You just know I've got the camera when photos of random flowers start popping up :)

What a treat to discover!

The bulb was huge

The arches under the huge rocks are so cool

More walking down, down, down to the lighthouse

Incredible, as always. Though not so fun in flip-flops. Lesson learned.

Check out that house on the cliff!

Mama loved the lighthouse.

Cool rock island formation

Then I noticed all of the birds!

The rock was covered! Bird Sex Rock, the locals call it. Okay, not really. But they should.

The lovely Vanna showcases some local pine. This looks exactly like our annual Christmas tree! So cool to see it wild in nature, not netted up at the Home Depot :)

An inviting beach overlooking all of this gloriousness

Something, or someone, is missing in this picture... DUN DUN DUN!
And check out my legs dangling- am I that short?!

Seaside by the Seashore

2009-07-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

From the factory, we drove to one of our new favorite towns, Seaside:

Driving in...

They must have incredible views!

Nice beach, as usual

Always happy people and doggies everywhere

Awesome beaches- have I said that enough?

I felt a little kinship to this story, as I was there snapping photos myself :)

The houses were incredible

And I finally figured out the order! [Insert previous unknown origin photos here!] You know, the ones that look like this:

Apparently my mom and I were BOTH taking photos at the same time as we zoomed down the road... how are we alive??

Ah yes, these views probably revived us :)

This was our drive out of Seaside, and on to a loop of adventure...

The Cheese Stands Alone

2009-07-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

After all of that beauty, we finally reached the Tillamook Cheese Factory. You know, I still haven't had a piece, but it is my mom's favorite cheese in the world...

It was a pretty factory

Farmin'

Lots of exhibits with products, history, etc.

The factory floor- they weren't working, darn it! My mom said it's really cool. Hopefully RightHand and I will get a look!

Vats of something

We saw a little bit of cheese hunk packaging going on
(The cheese were hunks, not the workers ;)

Pretty flowerbeds outside

From the side...

The Tillamook Cheese boat or something- I believe it was the first registered watercraft in Oregon

The boat is on the company's seal

Out of Order

2009-07-05T14:30:00.001-07:00

Since I didn't do this properly at all, here's a quick break for my mom's pictures (we each had a camera) of the earlier beach:

Coasting Along

2009-07-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

Nothing can prepare you for these beautiful views...

You can see a railing, so apparently we were at an overlook or something, but I don't remember! Do you, mom? Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself and this was at the lighthouse...

Then Mom had an intense Dairy Queen craving, so we stopped in a little town where she got her cone and I got some cookies at a local bakery for 45 cents! Oh, and we also saw this Coastal Railroad engine. :) Seems like that would be a pretty cool ride.

More Coastin'

2009-07-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

What can I say? Just more beauty...

Yep, dorkily held flowers to get an "organic" shot ;)

Takes my breath away... can you tell I'm in love with the Oregon coast??

Cute shot of mom

Purple was definitely the color of choice for all of the flowers

We arrived in the town of Manzanita and saw this crazy crab!

Downtown Manzanita

Driving right next to the beach

What is that we spy? A bird? A plane? No...

There were wind-surfers, well, more like kite-surfers, everywhere!

We took about 20 pictures of the scene, trying to get a good one!

This reminds me of a Carolina beach scene

More pictures of the beach...yet another beautiful spot

The cliffs are mezmThe cliffs are mesmerizing

Rocky beach

Beautiful, misty scenes

And then we were off again!

Haystack Rock!

2009-07-03T23:14:00.000-07:00

And of course, the famous Haystack Rock!

It really is a sight to behold

Can you imagine living so close to such an awesome formation??

As you can see, the drive was absolutely incredible!

We stopped at a few overlooks throughout the day

Here's Mom, about to break her neck trying to get a picture. In the end, of course, a stranger had to hold her hand while she walked back down. What? I was busy! :)

Such awesome landscape- I can't wait to share it with RightHand!

Nearly the same photo, but still so beautiful I thought I'd share

Mother Nature really delivers

And then we were off to the next seaside town!

The Town of Cannon Beach

2009-07-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

Mom finally got the seafood she's been craving!

Cute seafood shack

Really fresh!

The view from the window as we ate

Cute little town

Fierce!

Mama with her poppies

We walked to another beach after lunch

People were enjoying the great weather

Pretty flowers everywhere

Mama wrangled it for me

This flower basket was huge and lush

Candy store! We just had to stop in for a sugar rush!

Cool candy something or other being made before our very eyes!

So fun to see how it all happens!

Pretty butterfly-looking flowers

These were such beautiful colors

I have no idea why or how, but these men built a nest. A very, very large nest.

Hmmm... I hope there's not a bird that fits in there!

Coastin'

2009-07-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

Well, after nearly a week of suspense, I'm finally posting the pictures from last weekend's trip to the coast. It was SO incredible. Be jealous. Be very jealous. And then, what are you waiting for? Get yourself there!

We started out waiting in a huge line at Escola State Park, near Cannon Beach.

First, we were just looking at the huge line:

And then, we started noticing something through the trees...

The coast!

The park ranger was only letting one car go toward Indian Beach when one car came out. We told him that we only wanted to take a look, that we weren't planning on stopping at the beach (this was the truth). Well, he said he still couldn't let us just go ahead. And good thing, too, because who wouldn't stop at this gorgeous beach? We had to go see it, touch it, admire it...everything! once it came into view:

Well, here's the curvy road to get there

Yes, I do Snap and Drive. Do as I say, not as I do, kids.

Mama Bush was on mission!

Behold!

THIS is the kind of beach I like. Forget the palm trees. Give me the whipping wind, the dramatic rock formations, and the extremely nearby forests. Heaven on Earth.

Stunning water

Couldn't stop taking pictures of all of the relaxing people and happy dogs

Lookin' good- it was windy!

We started down the path to the beach:

This giant trunk was simply cut, not moved, to make way for people

A nice little bridge

Clear stream

Really enchanting path

Almost there!

On the beach- really uncomfortable rocks to walk over first, though. I guess they want to test your dedication first!

I took off running for the water!

And passed a girl and her pug along the way!

The pug says "Hi! Snort snort snort snort!" to RightHand!

Gorgeous! But cold....!

Took this pic and then ran back to the warm sand!

The surfers were all in wetsuits

Everywhere I looked, breathtaking

So darn windy!

Mom was cold!

The forest backing right up to the beach is TOO COOL! Somewhere in there is a trail that I hope to hike with RightHand.

I LOVE THE PACNOR!

So small on the beaches!

Mama and my's feet

Perfect Pups

2009-06-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to have a dog-sitting gig, especially because it's with three sweet babies, Paisley and Cincia, two boxers, and Darby, a boston terrier/french bulldog mix. They follow me everywhere around the house! Without further ado....

Sweet Paisley- a classic boxer

Cincia!

Little Darby!

Darby watching Cincia playing

Joining in

Pause for a photo

Pwease play with me??

Paisley's beautiful stripes

Puppy's too fast!

Movin' fast with her chew rope

Paisley and Darby are best buds
As you can see, Paisley even lets Darby chew on her leg! :)

Some live action

Another view of Cincia

Proof that Cincia does, occasionally, stand up :)

The puppy warily eyes the camera

Sleepy baby

The Walk

2009-06-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

On our way to the trail, we passed by this guy- just like the one at our MN cabin!

Then we started our walk...

There was some cool info. This sign even said that the water was still slightly warmed up (comparatively) due to forest fires in the 1800s!

Huge ferns lined the trail

A look at the river below

On a bridge- look how clear the water is!!

Other side of the bridge

Awesome rock formations- and moss! Gotta love the moss!

I had never seen an orange berry like this! Still have to look it up...

Little waterfalls were coming down the mountain in random places

This total moron was about to jump off of this insanely high bridge. Elizabeth and I decided we didn't want to see someone die, so we didn't wait around. We did hear him slap the water, though, but I am sad to report that it was followed by clapping. The man remains in the gene pool. :(