Picnic Table!

Sandi and I have wanted a table for our patio for some time now.  We talked about it last summer but didn't get around to doing anything.  This summer, we decided to put thoughts to action.  The plans I downloaded were for a traditional 6' table.  We had the space on the patio, so we decided to go for 7'.  Below is the result.  I used cedar for better weather protection and bolts (instead of deck screws) to give it more of a nastalgic look and feel.  It should fit ten people comfortably, so we can't wait to host our friends and family.

Bark Dust is finished!

When I rented the sod cutter in May, I meant to cut the strip of grass closest to the cul-de-sac.  Somehow, I messed up and the cutter didn't cut the grass, it only irritated it.  That left an awkward looking strip by the sidewalk.  Fortunately, our neigher is a professional earth mover.  He agreed to use his big digger to take out the 3' strip and level the fill dirt.  He wouldn't take any payment for his effort so we gave him a bag of cherries.  I think this completes our bark-dusting project.

The dirt mound at the end is the future site of our extended back yard. 

Backpacking in St Helens National Forrest

Sandi had a free weekend last week so we took advantage of it with a two-night backbacking trip.  We chose Siouxon Creek in the south part of the Mt. St. Helens National Forrest because it boasted beautiful scenery, lots of campsites and a gradual gain in elevation.  It was a great weekend.

This is our first campsite.  It was right off the creek.  Both campsites were well developed with a fire pit and seating area. 

I love backpacking, but the worst part about it is always the bear hang.  Trying to throw a rope over a strudy limb without getting it tangled is always a challenge.  Sometimes we even get to try it in daylight.  This is one of the better ones. 

The two of us with our full packs on.

There were lots of waterfalls and pools.  We waded, but it was too cold to swim.

I took this picture from our 2nd campsite.

Saturday night was 'Thanksgiving Dinner'.  It consisted of powdered mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and canned chicken.  Yummm!

A trip to the St. Helens National Forrest wouldn't be complete without a view of Mt. St. Helens.  The complete story is that we planned on hiking a part of a loop on Saturday that would bring us to a vista like this, then find a campsite on the ridge for Saturday night.  This was a gain of 2500 feet.  Unfortunately, the trail was poorly signed and there was no campsites or water.  Partly out of frustration and partly out of survival, we decided to complete the loop and head back down all 2500 feet to the creek.  Our second campsite was about a mile from our first campsite, even though we hiked over 8 miles up and down hill that day. 

celebrating something

The water was cold and clear.

Sandi at the ever-important junction of Wildcat trail.  Here, we began our 2-mile + descent to a much welcomed campsite.  

Independance Day

To celebrate our nation's birthday, we ate lots of really good food.  Mom and Dad came down to celebrate and eat with us.  We started with a community breakfast in Woodburn.

You can tell by Sandi's smile that she can't wait for pancakes, ham, and eggs. 

Need I say more?

Brian really can't wait to dig in.  Yummm!

Sandi made homemade 'Tin Roof Sundae' using dark chocolate.  This was a late-afternoon snack.  We may never go back to store-bought.

In the evening, we drove to a nearby fireworks display.  We brought our picnic dinner of grilled chicken, beans, pasta salad, and of course cake with whip cream.  The fireworks were fun too.

Fleet Week

Fleet Week caught me off gaurd (as usual), but Sandi was studying all weekend so it wasn't that big of a deal to drop everying (or nothing) and head to the waterfront Saturday morning.  I'm kind of a kid in a candy store when it comes to big things that go boom so I arrived early to tour a navel destroyer.

A destroyer is essentially an aircraft carrier's side-arm.  They seem well-equiped for such a task.

50-cal machine gun in the aft

missle launchers

5-inch main gun

The coast guard ships were also interesting. 

The red thing is a large buoy. 

This is a cutter based out of Port Angeles.  It does most things you woudl think the coast guard does: safety inspections, search and rescue, drug interceptions, etc.

Oregon Strawberries

I can't believe I'm posting this.  As a bachelor, I made it a rule to never make dessert.  I'll cook but I won't bake.  Savory over sweets, besides it was fairly easy to play the bachelor card to get dessert. 

Sandi and I walked to the Beaverton Farmers market again (yet another change compared to being single) to buy a 1/2 flat of local strawberries.  Sandi absolutely loves them and considers it a miss-spent summer without them.  We got our berries and we grazed on them all afternoon (they really are good). 

That evening, Sandi was consumed with studying so I made fish tacos for dinner.  It seemed a shame not to incorporate strawberries into the meal at some point.  We remembered that we had an Angel Food cake box and decided that it was the perfect time to use it (that and it was going to expire next month).  Because I love my wife and I wanted strawberry shortcake for dessert, I volunteered to make the cake.  Two cups of water and five minutes and later, I put the cake into the oven and went about my evening.  I couldn't believe it was that easy.  Strange what marriage will do to you.

Planting Herbs

On Saturday Sandi and I walked to our local Beaverton Farmers Market.  Our mission: herb and veggie starters our garden.  We learned a lot last year from our herb garden and were ready to build on our experience.  We came back with a few treasures:

cilantro
(it only looks wimpy because I
just watered it)

basil - Sandi can't wait to make
pesto

arugula - our impulse purchase

bush beans

Sandi planting the acorn squash and green onions

This is the primary herb garden.  I just added cilantro to
the mix. It joins last years oregano, rosemary and chives. 
We had to move the mint to it's own pot as it was attempting
(actually, succeeding) in a take-over.   

We didn't have to purchase chives - it came back with a vengence.

Here are our blueberry plants.  We harvested
6 blueberries last year.  This year we are hoping for 8.