"Astoria!!"

After dinner tonight (which may or may not have been in celebration of today being the Festivus holiday) Kristen's sister-in-law Melissa presented me with a gift: her rendering of one of the many memorable moments from our trip to Oregon this past June...That's Uncle Bob and yours truly, when I suggested we drive from our rental house in Hood River all the way to the Pacific...

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BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY lip sync!

A little over a week ago I was in a rented SUV thingy riding up to Mount Hood in Oregon along with m'lady Kristen, her brother and his wife. And it just so happened that "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen came on the radio.Well as many people know I can't help but perform along whenever that song gets played. So much so that I've developed a little "act" over the years. But Melissa had a bit of a headache so Kristen quickly asked me to "tone it down"...

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Back from the Pacific Northwest!

That was the most fun trip that I've had in a long, long time.Will be posting pics in the next few days, after getting caught back up on things. I'm wondering if the excursion to Mount St. Helens might merit a post all its own.So... did I miss anything? ...

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THE SHINING, PART II

Struggling writer Christopher Knight becomes the latest caretaker to fall victim to the madness of the Overlook Hotel...Except it's not winter: it's early June. This isn't Colorado either: it's Oregon. And this is not the Overlook, but the Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood (open for skiing year-round) which is what was use for the exterior and establishing shots of Stanley...

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Greetings from Oregon!

Looking at Mount Hood from our chateau this morning...And later today we are headed across the Columbia River into Washington State to visit Mount Saint Helens.Will try to post some pics when I get back home :-)Oh yeah, we saw a marijuana store in Portland yesterday! This place out-weirds even Asheville... but Oregon has still gotta be one of the most beautiful places that...

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Oregon governor wants to use satellites to impose mileage tax

To quote that bard of our age Will Smith: "AWWW HELL NAWWWW!!!"The state of Oregon has a problem, according to its governor Ted Kulongoski. In his words, "As Oregonians drive less and demand more fuel-efficient vehicles, it is increasingly important that the state find a new way, other than the gas tax, to finance our transportation system."So Governor Kulongoski wants to use Global Positioning System technology to impose a "mileage tax" that will...

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