"Mom, it's hot...."

That is what Ezme would be saying right now if she could speak the English language. Her version is more like... "meee..." without getting the "...ooowww" out. Portland is HOT right now. Downtown temps read 107 today, 103 yesterday, and it looks like the end is not in sight, at least not in the 10 day forecast that has been provided. Yes, we will experience a "cool down" by Sunday, to an oh so cool 90-95 degrees. After this, that sounds like heaven. I cracked and bought an air conditioner today and I already thank God for making one available. When I arrived home today the reading was 103 in my nice hot apartment that is trying to impersonate an oven. As I was setting the AC up in my room I was dripping...and I don't drip. Ezme hung out on the ice pack, which was room temp (normal room temp, not current apartment room temp) within 15 minutes. I felt for her. I have the luxury of working all day in air conditioned building and then coming home to melt. She is home to melt all day. My room is already becoming more bearable, but in the meantime, I wanted to share Ezme's thoughts on the heat.

"Can you turn down the heat?"
A sentiment borrowed from Linda's cats (a friend from work).

The blue thing poking out from under her chin-yea, that is the ice pack.

If anyone has cooler weather to send, we'd appreciate it! Mom already said she'd try, but thought that if she could box up cooler weather it would be warm but the time it got here...bummer...

Hoyt Arboretum 7/9/09

Megan just sent me this picture from when we hiked Hoyt Arboretum a couple of weeks ago. I love the intricacy of the root system of the tree. Amazing!

Mental note: try to go back during the autumn to see all the deciduous trees changing colors and for the blooming Dogwoods next spring. I'm sure it is an amazing show for each!

Wedding Bells Are Ringing

The way Melissa and I became friends was and wasn't so unique, but nonetheless, I'm glad we did become friends. My Sophomore year in college my roommate, Jen, decided college wasn't the thing for her right at the moment, so she packed up and went to work at Disney World. This left me roommate-less in a 3 person room (Jen and I were designated a "host" room for prospective students to stay in when they visited campus so we had an extra bed). Jen, bless her heart, went on a search for an 'appropriate' roommate for me to replace herself once she left. Coincidentally, Melissa was a Freshman and lived right across the hall. I don't remember the exact circumstances, but she was close to desperate to get out of her roommate situation. So Jen settled it, Melissa was going to be my new roommate, mind you, she will be roommate number 3 in only 1.5 years of college. Jen went to housing and told them "the plan". Melissa even started moving her stuff in before Jen moved out completely.

I think that it was meant to be, truly! Melissa and I just clicked. We were both quiet, had similar study habits, that is when she studied...I barely remember her cracking a book in my presence. We would lay in the dark room at night and whisper across at each other, many times we would start laughing hysterically, and then we could never remember why (except one particular incident involving a Caramello bar). We'd set-up her laptop on one of the chairs and watch a movie on a tiny, tiny screen and I always fell asleep watching and she never gave me too hard of a time. At the end of the school year we decided we'd had so much fun we'd do it again the next year. And we even ended up in the same exact room: East 407!

I have been reminiscing a lot as of late about the time Melissa and I shared since I received a "Save the Date" card and invitation for todays event. Melissa was finally marrying Thomas. They were almost inseperable in college and I spent a lot of time with them and lots of time playing devils advocate in those late night, in the dark conversations with Melissa as she was navigating their relationship. The wedding was beautiful and so many were glad they were tying the knot!

The mixing of the sand.

Introducing the happy couple!

First dance as husband and wife.

Myself and the beautiful bride!

The wedding reception was at the World Forestry Center and was lots of fun for all. It is the first reception I've been at where they requested a group photo, but what a grand idea! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. So glad I was able to share in your special day! Here's to many years of happiness for you both!

"Nobody puts Baby in the corner."

Ahhh....one of the famous lines from one of my favorite movies. Courtesy of Pioneer Courthouse Square and their summer "Flicks on the Bricks" series I was able to see Dirty Dancing on the big screen last night. I knew that the movie was being shown, but after the last week and still not catching up on lost sleep from the previous weekend, I anticipated not going. After coming home and taking a nice nap though, I decided, spur of the moment (the way I make some of my most favorite decisions) to head downtown for the movie. I got a super sweet parking spot, and with blanket and water in tote, headed to the square. I loved the buzz and energy that "Portland's Living Room" had with all the people, the music and the wonderful weather on tap for the evening. I settled in and watched and enjoyed. Mental note: go back again for another movie this summer!

The big screen with the courthouse in the distance.

Lots of people in the square!

The next movies are Jurrasic Park and Anchorman...not really my thing, but the last movie is voters' choice and I am hoping for Sixteen Candles, Footloose, or even Ghostbusters....I'll keep you posted!

Whirlwind Weekend (Part 3) Dave's Installation

After getting back home from downtown we changed and got ready for Holly to arrive so we could head to Sellwood for Dave's installation to his new church, Immanuel Lutheran. It has been so nice to have the Zemke's back in Portland! Congratulations David!

Stasia (Pastor's wife) and Myles, Megan and husband Steve.

Holly and baby Isaiah, Mary and Stasia in the background!

David receiving his stole.

Myles loves to stand so after the service in the warm (brick building+90 degree temps-AC = brick oven) church he enjoyed standing on my lap outside in the breeze.

It is great to have them back and get to spend time with and support them! Happy day to you David and family!

The installation was the last "scheduled" event for the weekend. Then I had to get ready to go back to work....hmmmm....not so sure about that!

Whirlwind Weekend (Part 2) Sand in the City

Every year there is an event called Sand in the City in Downtown Portland at Pioneer Courthouse Square. They bring in like 4,500 pounds of sand and 450 galloons of water and groups build sand sculptures. The last time I went was a couple of years ago, so I thought I'd head down this year again. Because Mary was staying with me she joined me!

Me and Bigfoot!

Mary and I, I'm not so good at the holding the camera and taking a picture with myself in it, but it isn't too bad.

Dog getting a bath-the sand version. I like the rubber ducky! You can even see the water running down the side of the tub and bubbles.

Ducky!

The event was smaller this year than in the past, but it was still nice to go. On the way back on the Max we stopped for lunch and Mary's earrings at Saturday Market! Then off and running again!

Whirlwind Weekend! (Part 1.5) Play Ball

So, as you see by the title this was a whirlwind weekend. The first .5 was Friday night with the concert at the zoo, which you read about in a previous post. The part 1.5 was post-concert. My friend Mary, whom I went to college with and is currently staying with her parents in central Washington came down for the weekend to look at potential living situations for this coming school year when she comes back to the area for her job. She arrived at my apartment before I got home. Once I got home we stayed up and talked until the wee hours of the morning, which, for Mary isn't unusual, for me, on the other hand it is VERY unusual. We got up the next day and went to breakfast/brunch/lunch. We went to Old Wives' Tales, a good choice for us because she is vegetarian and I am gluten free. I got the best sandwich and it was so nice to actually order a sandwich at a resturant! After that we came back to my place and I had some down time while Mary ran some errands! Woohoo! Later in the evening a group of us met up at the Historic Reserve in Vancouver for an old fashioned 1860's baseball game. We picnicked on veggies, hummus, crackers (regular and gluten free), fruit, cheese, and salami....yummmmm and watched the game! They followed the rules of baseball as they were in 1860- no gloves, wood bats, ringing a bell when you got to home plate, etc. The sunn was right on us, but there was a lovely breeze. A great evening enjoying a great American past-time! Here are some photos!

One of the teams before the game started!

Holly (and baby Isaiah), myself, and Mary.

In action

The bat boy was so cute! The bats were taller than he was!

Brian, Holly's husband had fun playing with my camera!

I couldn't tell you the end score, but I can tell you we are going again next month!

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

So, the story goes...there was a Good in the 'Hood parade in N/NE Portland a little while back and Amanda, my Co-chair for our Diversity Committee at work and I, had decided that we needed to "bribe" fellow staff to come and represent our site. Amanda had thought it would be fun to buy 2 tickets to concert in the Oregon Zoo Summer Concert Series as a bribe, so we did it! After the parade at work we did the drawing for the tickets and I won! Who would have thought? I rarely win anything, but I won tickets to the Ladysmith Black Mambazo concert at the Oregon Zoo. The concert was last night and Megan went with me. Thank you Megan for joining me in the hot summer sun for the concert! The group was an a capella group from South Africa and they were enjoyable. There was also another group after them, Los Lobos, which was also a good group to listen too.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

The venue was an outdoor amphitheater at the zoo and it was packed. People arrive early and lay out blankets, set up chairs, etc to enjoy the concert. We (along with everyone else in attendance) were sitting in the sun (temp about 95 degrees at the time). Shortly the sun went down behind some trees and a building and made the environment much more comfortable.

Megan and me at the concert.

I can't make a trip to the zoo without seeing the elephants. When I first went over they were all inside. Megan went back later and they were out and swaying to the music. I went back to see and it was so much fun to watch! I have video, but my computer doesn't approve of uploading it, so a picture will have to do for now.

Happy beginning to a busy weekend! I can't believe it is past the middle of July already. How time flies!

I found my new favorite place!

How did I miss this gem? I have lived in Portland for 8 years, and in this area of Portland for 4 years and I can not even believe that I have lived my life without knowing, or I should say, experiencing this place. You see, Mount Talbert is this dear little area in SE Portland that is a nature park. It is one of the few remaining natural, undeveloped extinct volcanoes on the east side of Portland. If you so desire, you may read more about the area if you click on Mount Talbert above, but I am here to show you pictures of the area. After, of course, my little story: Megan, a friend of mine from work and I went to Hoyt Arboretum last week and I really did enjoy the hike. There were lots of not-well-marked trails, and often we just guessed which way to go. I absolutely LOVE being outside and in wooded areas, so was very glad she asked me to join her. When I got home from work today, I decided it wasn't the day to do my daily 1+ mile in my neighborhood like usual. I yearned to get out into the woods. I knew I didn't want to go far, as even in the summer, it does get dark eventually. I remembered this "butte" that I see often and had seen as an "outdoor destination" on a show about Portland at least 2 years ago. I had no idea what the name was so I went to Google. As I have said before, what would we do without search engines? Anywho, it didn't come up as a hike in the area, but with the terrain setting on the map I figured it out. I then looked up directions and hit the road. This little oasis is a mere 10 minutes from where I live and I was so pleased to arrive and decide my path. All in all, I believe I walked/hiked/talked on the phone (no one ever calls me, actually that is a lie, but rarely do 5 people call me all in the same evening, or in the same hike) for about 3 miles. Here are some photos of the area!

The trees were beautiful!

There were fern plants everywhere. If you know a fern that is lonely, I know a place it can go to be with friends.

These trails were marked amazingly.There is even a map on the incline part of each post that has a "you are here" dot. VERY helpful!

One of the trails I was on was apparently closed, but there was not a sign at the end I started out on. This is what I was greeted by when I arrived at the opposite end.

I saw a deer, my draw of the camera wasn't quick enough to catch it. Here is the proof that it actually exists in the area though!

Hope you enjoyed the little "field trip" via photos as I enjoyed the real thing and will return again soon!

Welcome Back!

Stasia and I met our Freshman year of college and were friends throughout. When she and David got married after our Sophmore year we were all friends and would get together for holidays, movies, games, etc. After we graduated from CU, Stasia and Dave moved to St. Louis so David could attend Seminary . After migrating around the country for Vicarage and schooling opportunities, David graduted in May. Woohoo Dave! And the best part is that he was called to a church back here in Portland! After living minutes (at times one floor) from Stasia for four years and then living thousands of miles apart for four years it will be SO nice to have them back here and close (3 miles from me)!! Welcome back to PDX with your new addition since the last time you resided here!

When they first walked into their own house!

Myles!! So stinkin' cute!

My most immediate task when helping with the move was to keep an eye on Myles. I can handle that kind of task!

The "moving" crew. Though most of us didn't do much moving.

Stasia couldn't find their camera so I was the official "photographer" for the event minus the last picture which their realtor, Erin took.

The United States is the only country with a known birthday. ~James G. Blaine

Happy Birthday America!!

To celebrate I headed to Salem to spend the day with Danielle and Garrett. It was a great way to spend the day!

Dr. Jones checking things out.

Grill master!

Danielle and I.

We spent lots of time chatting, debating, eating, and firework watching. Hope you all had a fabulous 4th!

The sounds of my childhood

When my Mom and Uncle were younger they were both members of the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corp. Mom was in the color guard and my uncle played the drums. I grew up hearing stories and seeing pictures (along with a scar or 2 that my mom has from nails in the rifles if I remember correctly). I also grew up going to drum corp contests in several different locations, but I most remember contests in Denver. When there were contests in Casper Mom would always scope out where the different corps were practicing and then load us up in the car to go listen to practice. When it came to drum corp my Mom didn't and still doesn't know a stranger. Because of her experience she was able to connect to many people using that common thread. After contests we'd go to the "pits" is what I would call them, where all the buses and semi's that were home to the corp members parked during shows and we'd try to track down people Mom knew. I'll never forget wandering around in the dark, in the diesel fumes, and being surrounded by instruments, people, chaos. It was good memory time for Mom. She is still involved with the Troopers as an alum and told me, I don't know how many months ago, that they were coming to the Portland area for a contest. I decided I'd like to go so I bought a ticket and ventured out to Hillsboro this evening for the contest featuring 5 corps. I got to the stadium early so that I could get a good seat (up high so I could see eveything) and sat and read a book while I was waiting. I could here all the corps practicing in the distance and it took me back to my childhood. The Troopers were AMAZING during their performance!

Scoring time. 73.10 (3rd place)

On the field.

Color guard.

On the field again.

Mom-you'd be proud. Sorry for enticing you into possibly going to Denver! And I did go into the "pits" and tracked down at least one person my Mom knows to say hi!

The lost is found!

In honor of Independence Day, and just 'cause I've wanted to tell this story:

There were always many historical re-enactments, etc. at Fort Caspar, a mere 10 minutes from my home growing up. We amost always went and I truly believe part of my love of history came from the experiences I had as a youth and these types of events: battlefield re-enactments (fake blood even made my brother queasy on more than one occassion), making candles in the sand, melting metal to make pellets, drinking sasparilla, and gnawing on sugar blocks in the summer heat.

Twleve years ago (almost to the day), yes, when I was 14 years old (feels like SO long ago) my family and I met a lovely young couple. This wasn't just any young couple. This was a unique couple and I think about them to this day. It was summer time in Wyoming and little to my knowledge there was a group starting a movement west in a re-enactment of the great Mormon migration along the Mormon Trail that crosses right through my hometown. The original migration was seeking religious freedom and the re-enactment group wanted to walk in their ancestors footsteps and feel as they had felt, with of course a modern day twist of pulling into towns with laudromats, RV's and air conditioned stores. Those stretches between all those luxuries though was a world in which their ancestors attempted to survive in. I can't fathom doing it myself and that is part of the reason for my admiration of the aforementioned couple.
You see, they met on the trail and developed a lovely, truly unique relationship that the "normal" couple may never experience. They saw each other day after day in one of the hardest settings they could find themselves in (in this country) and they fell in love. I remember the night I saw their story on the local news. "Mormon Trail couple get engaged using a horseshoe nail." I couldn't believe it!

When the group arrived in Casper we headed down to see the wagon trains and meet all the people. We happened upon this couple and began visiting. My family and Amy and B.C. became instant friends talking about their trip, the engagement and how B.C. had had the blacksmith traveling with them make her engagement ring, etc. It was sad to leave that evening, but we agreed to meet them the next morning as they were leaving town. When they passed us they asked if we'd see them again and we asked if we could meet them at Independence Rock and bring a picnic dinner. They said they'd appreciate that, so we went home and anticipated meeting our new friends again. I recall anxiously awaiting the trip out to the rock. You see, the trip to I.R. was a two day walk for them, through dusty, dry, hot trails, while it was about a 45minute to one hour drive for us (in air conditioning I might add). The rock was the point at which pioneers had to be too by July 4th in order to make it over the passes before winter set in. Hence, Independence Rock.
The next day (June 17th) we got up and started packing dinner. Mom made her AMAZING potato salad, that I have yet to be able to recreate. We got fried chicken, lots of fruit, baked beans, etc. Yes, all for a picnic dinner. When we got to the rock we climbed and waited and watched. While we were up on the rock we checked out all the carvings of names. This rock was used as somewhat of a register for the Oregon, California, and Mormon trail goers to "check-in", "leave their mark", etc. I have relatives that actually have their names carved into the rock, which is so cool!

Once the wagon train pulled in we got down and found Amy and B.C. and feasted on food and fellowship to our hearts content. Every evening the re-enactment group would have a sing-along, we joined in, we also just walked and talked. As it grew dark we knew it was time for us to head home and for them to head to bed. B.C. kept an online journal on the trail (like I said earlier, luxuries, but I still don't know that I could have walked all those miles in their shoes) and he headed in to do that. We still had a lot of food left so we bagged it all up and sent the food, cooler and all, on to the next destination that they were headed to. At some point in time we swapped addresses.

A few short months later we received a wedding invite in the mail. We were unable to attend the ceremony as they were being sealed in a Temple, but the reception to follow was open to all. Unfortunately, we were unable to make it to that either. To this day I think about the experience of meeting and getting to know such wonderful people with fondness in my heart. My mom and I have talked about them as we drive by Independence Rock or when we have a picnic dinner. Why exactly did they leave such in impression in my mind, and for that matter the minds of my family members? I will never know exactly, but am thankful for it! I have many times tried to locate them after they married and moved on, but haven't been too successful.

While I was in college one of my assignments was to do a search online of myself and family members, and check out what I found. I did a search for individual family members and then one for "Feezer family" and low and behold up pops this website with the description : "Brent C (B.C.) Moore Journals- Heritage Gateways." I COULD NOT believe it...his online journal. I started reading away and found an entry about our evening together. My search began again, for them. I looked everywhere, but as you can image there are many people by their names and I had no idea where they were even living. It wasn't until recently when I was spurred on again that I did a search for Amy's name using her maiden name that I found a lead. I felt like such a detective. And you'd never guess where I found them...Facebook! The online networking tool I refused to join forever and finally caved and joined about 9 months ago. Added them as my friends and the rest is history. Found out they are in CA and have four children now. I'm sure they are wonderful parents! Now, since I have found them I can get their wedding present, 12 years late, but still good and very fitting, (that I have been packing around all that time) packed up and sent to them.

Hope my story wasn't too long, but it makes me happy and I like that! I may update you later on what they thought of the gift, etc. Also, the search for pictures taken those days is on!!