Drama Camp: The Musical

A great showcase! The musical was "Momma Mia."

Summer Photos

The kid learns Autodesk for 3D modeling at tech camp.

Everyone's a comedian: Chiropractor dresses the skeleton

Drama camp has its clown.

Neighbor buys a Delorean.

Dig it! Kiteboarding

If I was the type, I would change religions often and be the most obnoxious, loud-mouthed convert the world has ever seen.

Or, if I frequently got a new pet, I would be instantly busy proselytizing about the amazing characteristics of Gila monsters or the like.

But after 17 years of windsurfing I believe I am putting it down to become a kiteboarder, and yes, I am singing the praises of this new activity to whomever will listen.

I’ve now kiteboarded in a variety of conditions using different equipment and believe it is the activity best suited to my declining physique and love of cool, surfboard-y things. Kites have a graceful, organic shape and I already enjoy calling everyone on the scene “dude.”

So until I change my mind, kiteboarding is the new ayatollah of rock`n’rolla.

Stoke!

Picking Up The Kid

Our budding Yugoslavian partisan.

Last night we pulled up to the state park campsite where the kid's outdoors trip ended. When I got out of the car someone yelled, "There's the anti-Christ!"

Then the group started chanting, "Anti-Christ! Anti-Christ..."

During the trip the kid had a good time making up tall tales about my employment, such as I had been an energy trader for Enron or did the social media for Al-Qaeda. The result was the group had an outsized idea about my importance. I should be so lucky in all my entrances!

Stock! I mean stoke!

Final Pictures From Oregon Cascades Explorer

Below is from the trip leaders:

Oregon Cascades Explorer checking in! We just got out of our last 6-day backcountry section of the trip! Boy was it fun.  While in the Deschutes National Forest, we submitted the South Sister, battled the mosquitos with positivity, and hiked nearly 40 miles over the course of the 6 days. We worked together as a group. We shared the chore of cooking meals in our cook crews, we split up tents and group gear and hiked in with everything that we needed, and we bonded like never before. The summit of the South Sister peak sits at over 10,500 feet of elevation. The summit experience was a highlight of the trip and an incredible way to wrap things up. Can’t believe we head home soon!

High Points?

G - I liked being allowed to make fires.

R - A chipmunk jumped on me

L - Skid down a 10,000 foot mountain on my feet

C - Skid down a 10,000 foot mountain on my butt

H - We backpacked 40 miles!

C - Got to be leader of the day 2 days in a row.

The kid - The view from the top of South Sister!

I Don't Have Enough Hot Sause

Drama Camp

I graduated from college exactly 30 years ago. Recently my daughter signed up for a sleep-away drama camp which is housed on my alma mater.

Coincidentally she is rooming in a dorm block I once stayed in. I was curious to see what, if any, changes occurred since I roamed the halls.

Oddly, no changes to the individual rooms. None. Zero. When I looked at the desk and dresser, I was taken way back to the weird days of my youth, seeing my own stupid self with a plethora of sporting goods in tow.

When I first showed up for college in 1985, this little room housed the floor phone. The next year each room received its own phone. In the day when the hall phone would ring, someone would answer and trek to the person's door or yell, and perhaps scribble a message on the pad of paper mounted on the door.

The first week of my freshman year I remember one kid's mom calling incessantly about her son, who wasn't living on our floor -- a clerical error subjecting us to this woman's misplaced concern. I remember meeting the kid, who wore a blazer -- something that just wasn't done in 1985 college in Oregon. He had been dropped from a fancy East Coast college and thought this was how one dressed. We became friends, his sartorial choices improved, and I never mentioned it again.

We had both grown up in Minnesota, so after college I visited him at home where his mother showed her prowess with a rifle, shooting at a target from her patio while the family ate dinner. First impressions can be deceiving.

Camping Update #2

Below was the text that accompanied these pictures:

OREGON CASCADES OFF THE RIVER!

'19 Oregon Cascades Explorer 1

The last 3 days we had the chance to raft the Deschutes. Our guides were amazing and we had some beautiful weather, got some sun and hit some crazy rapids. We also camped right along the river and learned about the history of the area. On top of all that, we had some amazing meals along the way thanks to the ease of bringing lots of cook gear along for the trip!

Next up is our backcountry section in the Three Sisters Wilderness. This is a really special place that we are excited to get a chance to explore. Over the next 6 days we will make our way to the South Sister in a summit attempt of this beautiful mountain. After being on the river, we are excited to get our legs moving again! We will share an update after our backpacking section!

Question of the Day: Best Part of Rafting?

“I liked going over big rapids” - cl

“I liked climbing the rocks near our campsite. the view was amazing” -cc

“I liked hearing stories from sam!” -jf

“It was cold & wet but I had a lot fun” - g

“I loved our raft guides” -ha

“I liked jumping in the water” -rr

“I liked playing egyptian rat screw” – l

The Party Continues

This was the only logging truck in the parade. Ten years ago there would have 30.

This fourth of July I was in Hood River without the kids. Did I go to the parade -- of course!

The parade is a direct barometer of the town, its businesses and politics, as well as social attitudes.

Gone was Evel Knievel on a trick bicycle,  but the woman with a dog on a surfboard with wheels was there (this year was a new dog).

I was happy to see political statements in support of immigrants and environmental issues, but these were the minority, the usual marching bands, boy scouts, churches and other civic clubs being the mainstays.

I don't have any hard takeaways other than there is a lot more going on than I am aware of, both the good and the bad.

Camping Update

The kid is currently doing an outdoor adventure. Thanks to posts by the councilors, we can see rock climbing snaps from Smith Rock State Park in Eastern Oregon.

Kid Goes Camping And Other Photo Essays

Huge Pile Of Clean Laundry

This is a true story.