Tag Archives: Portland

Jul16

More flowers and growing things

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June, 2023


More flowers and growing things!

From walks through Portland, to my own balcony, everything seems to be growing wild this year. It’s been sunny, it’s been hot, there’s been rain and cold days… the weather’s been all over the place, but the one constant is that the plants keep struggling upward to the sky.

My hops vines weren’t even sprouted when I went to Dublin, and on my return they’d shot up nearly 3ft. By May, I’d already had to re-layer them at least once… and now in June, they’ve created a thick wall between me and the rest of the world… exactly as planned.

Roses are crowning, the sky is staying bright later, and the sunsets are as glorious as ever.


It’s going to be a beautiful year.

Jul14

Edgefield Concerts – The National!

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Friday, 02-June-2023

Concert!

The last time I was at McMenamins Edgefield was… Ohh man, it must have been one of the “Worst Day of the Year” runs! So… 2019? Maybe 2020?

Interestingly, it was also the first spot I saw a concert in Oregon, if my memory serves – Brandi Carlisle, as one of the last concerts of Summer 2015.

Well, that was one of the last concerts of the summer… but this is the first! The National, one of Jess’ favorite bands, kicked off the Summer Lineup – no way I was going to miss seeing a new band as the start of the heat!

Not too much to say, aside from that it was super fun.

We relaxed (thanks to Jess bringing chairs!) We ate delicious concession food (A bavarian pretzel, pulled pork, and a burger!) and we appreciated the warmth and the Sun for as long as it lasted.

It. was excellent, no doubt.

Jul12

Bri’s Birthday Bonanza (of climbing)

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Wednesday, 31-May-2023


I took a half-day from work today.

See, that’s the joy of working a white-collar job as an engineer – I have vacation time, and I can use it for strange things. Like, say, helping my friend climb 36 routes in a day before her 37th birthday!

Yep, Bri’s turning 37.

I fully supported her goal of climbing one route per year on Earth – I left work around 2pm, and headed over to the gym. Bri and Lea had been climbing for an hour or two by then, and were optimistic about how long the climbing would take… I was a bit more cautiously optimistic, since I know how much fatigue can begin to wear on a climber, but I came prepared.

Snacks, protein shakes, drinks, and the promise of glorious tacos for dinner came with me.



Routes were climbed.

Hours ticked by, and numbers increased. Climbing slowed, but didn’t stop. We persisted, through energy and fatigue, we persisted.

22 routes were climbed by yours truly.
– 3x 5.9 routes, 3 on Lead
– 16x 5.10 routes, 8 on Lead
– 3x 5.11 routes, 2 on Lead


By the end, we were absolutely spent.

But you know what that means? It meant we got extra dinner. Just… so much dinner. Tacos, nachos, quesadilla, chips, and water. So much water.

110% worth it.