"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 coast. Because that was when Astoria was having its annual Goonies Weekend and I always wanted to see the house from that movie.

Alas, we did not make it that far. Maybe we'll be there in 2015 for the big party they're already planning for The Goonies 30th anniversary :-)

Read More

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" a tad.

As you can tell, I did indeed maintain some decorum... though I couldn't help but cut loose a bit :-)

You may have to turn up your speakers to hear the radio.

Thanks to Kristen for posting this (and I'd totally forgotten that she recorded it :-)

Read More

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? :-)

Read More

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 Kubrick's 1980 horror classic The Shining.

And while we were there I just had to channel my inner Jack Nicholson for a pic (especially since there was so much snow around us!).

Read More

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 I've ever visited :-)

And oh yeah, here is Kristen and I at Multnomah Falls!

Read More

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 "replace" the gas tax.

If his mad plan proceeds and you are an Oregon citizen, every time you take off in your car its movements will be monitored by your state government, and a tax will be imposed for each mile that you drive.

I'm gonna say it, my Worst Possible Epithet for Anything: This sucks donkey's balls to no end.

If Kulongoski gets away with this, it'll only be persisting the pattern that has gone on far too long in this country: government at every level thirsting for money and power, and abusing it when it gets it. Does anyone seriously believe this is going to supplant the gas tax in Oregon? Within a year of it being imposed, the state will decree that "not enough taxes" are being collected and the gas tax will be reinforced on top of the mileage tax.

Not to mention that this is an extreme violation of the Constitution, and the people's right to free movement.

Folks, and I'm not just talking about y'all in Oregon, please listen to me here: too much of the government of this country is out of control. The past few months alone should have indicated that much regardless of how obtuse an observer might be. The "bailouts" should never have happened, and we're getting taxed to the breaking point. At the rate this is happening, can it really be said that our children and their children will know of a free America as we once appreciated?

So the question becomes: what are we going to do about it?

If you are in Oregon, I hope and pray that you will pull out all the stops and resist this insane scheme by your governor.

Read More