Hello Again!

We have been insanely busy getting the new store built out and was able to quickly grab some photos from our walk around the hood today.

Enjoy!

PDX Walkabout 11-2k10

WTF? I Will Put A Slug In Ya Head!

And as usual, it starts off innocently enough.  We were hanging out on the back porch, enjoying ourselves, when we realized I almost stepped on this monster...

Had to pick it up...

And if you must know, it took about a half hour of scraping with my finger nails and soap to remove the slime fest that had visited itself upon my hand.

On to the weekend before last...  We headed out on Sunday for our first visit to Mt. St. Helens.  Nice drive and it was pretty cool all around.

Once again, in Big Foot country.  Woohoo!  This guy seems to be grabbing for his package for the paparazzi...

And if you plan to fuck with his environment...  Well, he/she has posted signs to let ya know what the consequences are...

This shot we took on the way up gives you an idea of just how far the slurry cruised down the mountain through the river valley...

The Volcano blew on March 18th, 1980 at 8:32am and peppered the globe with ash.

Once we reached the Johnston Ridge Observatory, the clouds were still hovering over the mountain (fail on my part to check the freakin web cam before we left).    However, this shot is good, in that it shows how the top slid down off the face of the mountain and created a whole new landscape.  This debris buried the base of the mountain up to 150 ft deep and could (theoretically) be lifted back up to reform the mountain side and top (sure thing Batman)...

Over about a month's time after the event, there were trapped pockets of water from the river that boiled under the debris and blasted as geysers to create this volcanic looking plateau.

Here is a shot in which you can see some of the remaining trees from the blast.  Some still standing behind the ridge and the rest just blown over snapping at their bases.

At least, that's how I remember it going down.

Definitely worth the visit and we will leave the survivor testimonials for those that visit the observatory and pay their $8 bucks.  Way cool.

A couple of more lively photos from the area...

And we finished off the day with our first trip to Salty's on the Columbia Gourge (Portland side).  We dined on a Creamy Artichoke Dungeness Crab Dip and shared a Dungeness fresh out of the pot for the main course.

C'est la Vie!

Marilyn's 80th Birth Day!

Marilyn's crew came over to our place on Sunday to celebrate Marilyn's 80th.  We had a BBQ, plenty of beverages and a perfect day for it.

For Appetizers, we broke open a jar of 1997 Smoked Sockeye Salmon which was delicious.  Caught and smoked by none other than John Thompson himself.  We had Cheese, Pickles, Veggies and Dip to go along with it.

What a hottie (Marilyn playing the Piano) and what a stud...

Susan put together Mac & Cheese, Nicoise Salad, Banana Bread and I grilled Pork Loins marinated in Garlic and Teriyaki.

Marilyn managed to sneak the last bit of Smoke's beer for this photo...

Marilyn (Smoke's wife)...

A couple of crumb grabbers (Kate and Nicholas)...

Kelly and Tommy...

Tommy and Shirley...

And Shirley had the first Yeti sighting...

Smoke, Tommy and Bob are heading out in a couple of weeks to scope out their Elk hunting spot over by Burns, Oregon. Just so ya know, Tommy is 90 and smoke is 80 and they keep it going year after year. No surprise they haven't gotten one recently since they both need to shout a bit to be heard and this is not really conducive to a successful hunting strategy.

Happy hunting!


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Tsunami One Hits The Shore!

As you may have noticed, we are down one Baby counter.

Welcome baby Adeline and congrats to Mo & Chris!

Adeline Louise arrived just after Midnight on June 25th ensuring that Mo & Chris scored the pot in the baby pool.  We are pretty sure they had inside information.

Here is what may be her first blog picture...

We may have another up soon.  We shall see...

Fire In The Pit And Fire In The Hole

We had a great time the other night with the Portland maniacs as we hosted a BBQ feast.

If you want to fly...  gotta have wings...

Heidi gave up her table so some of us could eat on the deck...

We do so love fish tacos in so many ways...

Manijeh and dem bones...

Last wing standing.  If you had only one of these, I am pretty certain you would be flying in circles...

Send that woman into the forest for more wood...

50/50...  Keep it real Heidi and Thea (Mo is due in 3 days)...

Susan had the great idea of bringing out the Tequila shots later in the evening.  As we all know, this had some guests running for the hills early on.

Whoa.  Too much Tequila (Michael was not a flight risk however)?

So we woke up Saturday and Hugo's torn dew claw was very tender.  Time to head to the vet and Whad"Ya Know (besides not much), he received  the cone of shame...

Better off than this little guy...

Or how about this Mosquito Eater getting eaten by the Venus Flytrap?  Actually when we got back from the vet, he was almost totally free and we let him go outside...

And if the Police are chasing you down...

Hop on your dog and ride...

At the end of the day, I either write like Raymond Chandler or Charles Dickens.  Check out your own stool sample here...

I write like
Raymond Chandler

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

I write like
Charles Dickens

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Do We Need A Pinata?

Normally the answer would be hell yes.  However, with the crew coming over tonight, it could be dangerous.

What are we getting at here... Mexican theme BBQ anoche!

We are marinating chicken wings in Tequila, Chipotle and loads of Garlic to start with...

Also some Ling Cod for Fish Tacos marinating in Olive Oil, Ancho Chile, Oregano, Cumin , Cilantro and Jalapeno...

Should be an awesome night for it and... wait for it...  an outdoor fire!

Since we have not posted for almost a week, we need to go back a few days.  We met up with Andrea for Brunch at Veritable Quandry.

Andrea ordered the Dungeness Benedict with sauteed Spinach and Cipollini Onions...

Susan had Heather's Vegie Burger with Lentils, Wild Mushrooms and Hazelnuts...

And I went for the Chiliquiles Con Queso Fresco...

We added on some beverages as well and Susan went for the Beet Juice Bloody Mary...

On to a non-food related topic (I say this loosely as it turns out, it really is food related).  We have been wondering what has been happening to all of our ripe Bueberries in the back yard.

Well, it turns out a bird of a similar color has been pilaging the fresh fruits...

To sum this post up, Succulent is as succulent does...

Baby Tsunami In The Making

As you may have noticed we have another baby count down on the left margin of the site.  Having impeccable sources allows us to give insight where most are in the dark (as noted from our previous post alluding to the inevitable). 

That said, our sources are once again giving us a heads up.  We hope (strange to say that) to have another surprise offspring to feature soon as well.

Molicious is due in...  count em... 10 days!

Susan headed down to Silverton on Friday to hang out with Maria and the gang and she spotted these old codgers with their sweet rides...

This one says it is a Cygnett with a 1920 emblem on the grill.  Having outsourced my collective knowledge base to the interwebs some time ago, I was surprised to find that I know basically nothing about this vehicle...

Whatever.  Off to do some shopping downtown in the big city and then grab lunch with Andrea at Veritable Quandry (their site is down so this is Citysearch info).  Perfect day for it and hope to get a table outside.

Fries With That Order?

Seems Germany's soccer fans are revolting against their prized Cephalopod.  The poor genius is getting death threats and apparently they want to eat him.  Octopus is tasty but, have some compassion for the love of God.

Spain might take it all and wondering what the Pus will predict.  Either way, I am rooting for the Netherlands. Goooo Clockwork Orange!

Our little genius managed to tear his dew claw yesterday and he is paying the price for it...

Instead of sliced, fried roots, I am inclined to run to the Portland Pet Supply and get him his favorite treat, The Himalayan Dog Chew.  He loves these and this will definitely keep him from chewing his bandage.  Step Away From The Bandage!

Bunyan, Blood & Babies

As you can see to the right, I have added a baby count down ticker for Mo & Chris' monster inside.

Coming back from Vancouver on Thursday after a fireworks run, we snapped this surprise Paul Bunyan!  Corner of Interstate and Denver.

We were dazzled by the selection at this giant powder keg of a tent.  Left with way more than we were expecting and with a mild buz from the excitement.

Now on to the Blood.  Andrea's friends, Kelly and Bill Cooper-Blood, are in town from Minneapolis and Andrea set up up a dinner out last night at Pizza Italia.  Great food, wine and fun.

Pasta with Wild Boar Ragu...

Car of the week.  Studebaker Lark Daytona Wagonaire.  This baby packs a punch and makes all other vehicles obsolete with it's slide back roof and passenger vanity (Daytona package upgrade).

Here is one of the original commercials...