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September 28, 2005
Living Room and Dining Room Baseboards
We completed the baseboards in two more rooms downstairs! We only have to finish the guest bath and the more major renovation in the Master bath. This will leave only a handful of manageable small projects to complete downstairs. Someday I want to put crown molding in most of the rooms in the house, but I promised myself that I would get the more immediate things on the list done first.
Karen at Work
The Dining Room with Bare Wood
My Compressor Cleaner
Sophia decided to help me nail the top piece to the baseboards. She insisted she wear safety glasses and then proceeded to carefully clean the sawdust from my pancake compressor.
Living Room Complete
Dining Room Complete
Dining Room Angle 2
Posted by Rich at 3:00 PM | Comments (3)
September 26, 2005
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I don’t spend much time thinking about death. But over the last several days I’ve had it rumbling through my head. All of the empty moments filled with questions I can’t answer.
When was beauty lost? When did the sun streaming through the clouds or the harmonies of just the right notes lose their power? What happened to happiness? What about the simple delight of cold water on the back of your thirsty throat or air rushing through an open window as you race down the freeway?
How do you get to the point where you can’t turn back and don’t want to? A friend of mine died last week. We hadn’t spent time together as friends in a couple of years. It’s hard to believe that the spiral down can be that quick. I spent the end of last week in disbelief.
Saturday we went to a gathering of family and friends. There were pictures from years ago—times I had forgotten existed. Sometimes the present obscures the past. How could I be so wrapped up in the inconsequential? The rush of reality chose that moment to hit me.
For the record, I won’t forget smoking Cuban cigars on the back of a ship while watching Nevis fade into the clouds at sunset, Giant Burgers, staining the fence, pool basketball, or the fact that someone would choose to put me on their team in several billiards matches when I am arguably one of the worst players to hold a cue.
Posted by Rich at 12:45 PM | Comments (1)
September 21, 2005
Helicopter Shoot
Film production is typically boring in reality. The waiting can be excruciating as a guest on set, or terrifying as a producer watching the budget. Yesterday qualified as leaning more toward the fun and exciting than the norm. (I'll admit that I really enjoy the problem-solving elements involved with a shoot, so I find it fun most of the time.)
The scenario involved a recently crashed car, a driver who was in dire condition, a team of EMTs, and a CareFlight helicopter.
It was hot and the crew was sweaty. What could be better than a shower of dust and gravel? When that thing came in it kicked dust into places I had trouble cleaning at the end of the day.
35mm
The Fake Car Wreck
CareFlight
Posted by Rich at 3:02 PM | Comments (0)
September 19, 2005
Fairies in the Garden
I took a few pictures last Saturday of Sophia and Barrett dressed up and dancing around.
Unfortunately, my camera does poorly in low-light situations. The flash results in pictures that are unappealing especially when compared to pictures taken with my film camera.
Even though the photos are blurred, I think it adds a bit to the magic of these two silly fairies.
Posted by Rich at 3:33 PM | Comments (2)
September 16, 2005
Yakima and Beyond
Karen Takes in the View
We had a great time in Yakima with Grandma and Grandpa. One of the best things about trips to their house is the fact that you don't need to bring any books or toys-- they have it covered.
It has been since 1992 since I spent more than about 12 hours in Yakima in the summer. I love visiting during the winter because of the snow and the hill in the backyard. I just never realized how gorgeous it is in the summer. We spent lots of time reading on the back deck and enjoying the view of the orchards and valley below.
Below is a panoramic shot near the Columbia River on the way back to Portland. It is comprised of six stills that I then put together in Photoshop. If you click the picture you will get a photo that is approximately one-sixth the size of the original...
One Big Panorama!
Posted by Rich at 12:27 PM | Comments (0)
September 13, 2005
The Great Northwest - Part 4
Lost Lake
Lost Lake
We drove to Lost Lake on a narrow dirt road through the mountains. Some would call the views breathtaking...others might not.
After a brief picnic lunch, Karen and I took the hike around the lake. It started as just a desire to go to the end of the lake to see Mt. Hood. But soon we had decided to trudge on to find a new hidden cove or giant fallen tree. (The trees at Lost Lake are majestic and enormous.) We stopped on a dock at a still part of the lake and Francesca pointed out creatures that might have been some sort of salamander. They were like long frogs swimming/scooting along the floor of the lake.
Sophia Fishes
Sophia fished with Grandpa, Scooter and Emma. Although I doubt that Grandpa would call it fishing.
Grandma and Scooter Feeding the Birds
My two favorite moments of the camping trip happened on the last day. Early that morning was quite cold. I sat by the fire reading. Francesca walked up and asked, "What doing, Daddy?" "I'm reading and watching the fire," I replied. She climbed up into my lap, laid her head back and watched the fire for several minutes while I read.
The other was toward the end of our last walk along Lost Creek. As we were headed back Sophia asked, "Can I hold your hand." (I realize the days of a child wanting to hold a parent's hand are limited.) I reached out my hand and we walked toward the packed car.
Mount Hood
Posted by Rich at 11:36 AM | Comments (3)
September 10, 2005
The Great Northwest - Part 3
Ramona Falls
Jeremy suggested the hike up to Ramona falls. Even though he explained that it was about 7 miles- that just didn't register. Four hours later I was wiped out. While Grandma stayed at camp with a recently bee-stung Emma and Sophia. Grandpa, Jen, Jeremy, Scooter, Karen, Francesca and I set out on the most beautiful hike I've been on.
Francesca loved the backpack. In fact she wanted to get it in it several other times throughout the trip. She enjoyed seeing the Sandy river, dogs and horses, but her favorite things were large boulders. I would lean over so that she could touch them. She would utter in a guttural voice, "Big Rock!" followed by "Wanna touch it!"
Francesca fell asleep about 30 minutes from the falls, only to wake up to the group of us rolling with laughter at the top. Too bad I can't remember what got such a belly laugh from us all...but then again sometimes those things are less funny when you remember them.
We headed back down, and that is when the hike became spectacular. The other side of the loop follows a small creek surrounded by a lush forest floor of green moss. The trees stretch to the sky leaving only a dapple of sunlight here and there. Our late afternoon timing on a sunny day couldn't have been more perfect. Jeremy said it best, "Welcome to Lothlorien."
I took tons of photos. I joked that I was going to produce a Ramona Falls calendar. Below you will find thumbnails to the 9 months I got covered on our brief walk. I didn't want to lose all of the detail by shrinking them to blog-size, so when you click them, a fairly large photo will pop up in a new window. There are a couple I really like.
Sometime that day I decided that everyone should get a "camp" nickname. I think I was the only person dedicated to the idea. There were some failed attempts... Jennifer was "Coffee Knee" due to a rather large spill. Harrison tried to give me the name "Coffee Monkey" which I liked but it didn't really stick. Sophia decided she wanted to name herself "Rock" from Rock, Paper, Scissors.
The only one that really worked was the one I gave Harrison: Scooter. He was always on his Razr scooter and it's a funny name. He begged to be called Hank, but as I said, "Until we break camp, we have to use your camp nickname." Thanks for being a good sport Scooter...I mean Hank.
Before and After
Francesca Touches a Rock
Jen, Jeremy, and Scooter at Sandy River
Passed Out
I had a cool little table for this that I spent a good bit of time on getting it to work in "preview." When I published it all Hell broke loose. HTML sometimes makes me feel like an idiot...
The Incomplete Calendar
Posted by Rich at 1:49 PM | Comments (0)
September 7, 2005
The Great Northwest - Part 2
Lost Creek
The View From the Front of Our Tent
We arrived late in the afternoon and set up camp. Karen and I needed a tent primer because it had been years since either of us had set one up. By 6:30 everyone was settled in and the chefs were making dinner. Girl Scout stew was the highlight, although the Eder sisters were less than excited about it. My guess is that they had too much of the stuff when they were scouts.
The kids had s'mores and the adults had wine (some of us even had scotch and cigars!). The kids went to bed without a hitch. Considering that mine had never been camping before, I was relieved.
In the middle of the night I had to go to the bathroom. First I couldn't find my glasses. Then I couldn't see a thing. It was pitch black. The sky was cloudy, so there was not even any starlight. That meant I was seeing a blurry nothing. I stepped out and a low branch caught my hair-- spooking me.
So now I'm spooked and can't see. I decided to get things over with as quickly as possible. Karen chose this moment to come outside herself, which scares the crap out of me (no, not literally).
"You know, you're supposed to step away from the tent when you do that."
Gerrrr.
The kids ran around the campgrounds, scootered, biked, and in the case of Francesca, pushed a doll in a toy stroller around the campgrounds. Sometimes these activities were accompanied by screaming. Ahh, the outdoors...
Harrison and Sophia Help with Breakfast
Emma Waking
Lost Creek
Moss on a Log
Tree Covered in Moss
Posted by Rich at 3:35 PM | Comments (2)
September 6, 2005
The Great Northwest - Part 1
Jen and Jeremy's Bed and Breakfast
Getting the kids and all of our stuff onto a plane is an ordeal even in the best of circumstances. After a good flight with two well-behaved children, we got to Jen and Jeremy's about 1pm. While I have seen pictures of massive amount of work they have done since our visit at Christmas, it doesn't do it justice. The firepit, lawn, gardens, and fountain look fantastic and work together. It is amazing to see it all coming together.
Jen and Emma Pick Tomatoes
Jeremy had his dad's tractor and a little trailer with some hay bales hooked up to the back. After settling in, Jeremy took us all for a ride so that the kids could pick blackberries at the back of the orchard.
Afternoon Hay Ride
We stopped on the way to taste some juice grapes that have been growing along the fence line. I like the way this photo turned out (and therefore made it bigger than the rest...sometimes I feel a bit ridiculous). The depth of field is so shallow that only a few of the grapes are in focus. I used the digital macro, and a throw away shot turned out to be something really nice.
Oh, and the grapes tasted weird...
Juice Grapes Along the Property Line
When Zach arrived, he couldn't get enough of the tractor. He must have sat in the seat for an hour with various cousins trying to dislodge him.
Zach Reluctantly Shares the Driver's Seat with Francesca and Annalise
I watched as Jen and Jeremy got dinner ready. Jeremy had his giant grill overflowing with fish and grilled vegetables-- all of which was great, but the grilled fennel made me giddy. The salmon was some Jeremy had caught in Alaska (not earlier that day), prepared on the grill with a medley of mushrooms, green onions, fennel, and herbs.
To top it off Jen had made my favorite pie-- cherry. Jen's mastery at pie making proved itself again. Although I loved the cherry, I can't eat one of her pies without thinking of the mixed berry pie she made for the Hubbard Hop Festival a few years ago...
Tom Watches the Kids and Enjoys a Beautiful Evening
The kids played a strange and scoreless type of soccer, wearing out several adults in the process. A hay ride ended a beautiful Oregon night with family.
Harrison, Clare, Sophia, and Emma Settle in for a Hay Ride
Posted by Rich at 4:39 PM | Comments (1)
