Halloween!!! (Keep it classy, North Bend!)

I realize these are becoming simple weekend updates. Come on, isn't that what "everybody's working for"? "The weekend"?


After a quiet Friday night at the gym, Jaime and I had another action packed weekend (now with kung fu grip!) I FINALLY picked up another keg on Saturday - a 1/4bbl of Diamond Knot IPA. Well worth the drive to Mukilteo! After cleaning up around the house a bit, I got back into "costume" and we got ready for dinner. Had friends over, enjoyed good wine and great steak, and greeted a total of......................


2 groups of trick or treaters. Apparently a lot of the parents in the neighborhood are in the dark to the fact that we give out treats for them as well! Keg cup, anyone? Anyway, on to Sunday.

Ah there's nothing like an extra hour of sleep when you might possibly have been up a little late. Sunday we slowly gathered ourselves, and decided to embrace the lingering fall sun with a hike on the John Wayne trail out of North Bend. The air was brisk, but it was sunny, and an absolutely gorgeous day out. Our hike ended up somewhere right around 6 miles. Not too bad on a Sunday afternoon with an hour less of daylight. The trail follows the old Milwaukee Road railroad grade out of the former town of Moncton along the edge of the city of Seattle watershed. I have to admit, I've had a bit of a fascination with this area as of late. As we had previously (briefly) hiked the other end of the watershed at Landsburg, I would LOVE to be able to go all the way through (and follow the railroad grade) but unfortunately it is off limits. Here's a link to all the pics. And for the interesting back story on Moncton (known as Cedar Falls to the railroad), be sure to check out this link.

(As the sun sets, shadows lengthen)

We headed back to the car. Before heading to Renton to visit family, the Sportwagen required a fuel up so we stopped in North Bend for some diesel. Why would I include a boring story about getting fuel in the blog? As we're waiting our turn for one of the diesel pumps, a girl in a hoodie, sweatpants, and slippers gets out of her car, and pulls the gas hose out. As she places it back on the pump, she turns her backside to us and we discover that 1. She is NOT wearing undies and 2. She's got an itch on her butt that she can't wait to scratch. Wooooooow. Kids, say no to crack. For a second I thought she was just going to drop her pants and moon us - she might as well have...It was one of those moments where you turn to each other and give the "oh my god, did that just happen?" look...

After that - visiting Geoff's parents, dinner with Jaime's Aunt and Uncle, and home for an early dinner...that's a simple close.

Ooh - one more thing - I've committed to Movember - a month to shed light on men's health (and grow a cool mustache!) Here's a link to my fundraising page (benefits the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Live Strong). I'll be updating with pictures of my 'stache as it comes in, stay tuned for updates!

Pumpkin Carving

Behold, Jaime and Geoff's Jack'o'lanterns of 2009 -

(Spooky night shot! I'm getting good with the camera!)

Jaime's getting quite good with the carving kit. Me? I just stick with the Homestar Runner theme...(maybe a Strong Sad pumpkin next year, Courtney!)

Another great weekend on the books, even if the Huskies got blown out of the water. In fact, as I keep telling everyone (trying to justify it to myself) the game was never really close, so this loss is a lot easier to bare.

Friday night we finally made good on our promise of awesome Greek food for Michal. We also left the Sportwagen in the very capable hands of my brother for it's first official service! On the drive up, it rolled over 10,ooo miles! A fresh change of oil, and I'm sure it'll be ready for another 10,000. I'd say I'm proud of our baby, but that would just be weird.

Saturday was the Husky game (At least it was dry) and a nice night with Craig at Beveridge Place pub, playing cards and (for me, anyway) enjoying many fine brews. Sunday was house cleaning, and of course, carving pumpkins...

I suppose I should catch everyone up on last weekend, too! We took Kendal (and my brother) to a farm to pick out our pumpkins. We met up with Kendal's friend Morgan, and parents Tara and Ryan. The kids had a great time, and it even stayed dry for us. I'd get all into the details, but the pictures speak for themselves...

Inebriation - Fun when it happens to others

Have I ever been drunk? Oh yeah!
Have I ever been REALLY Drunk? Sure...
Have I ever been so drunk...well, we're not going to continue this - instead, enjoy this video!

Another great weekend...

Saturday was the Seattle Food Truck food fest (very impromptu) or as Craig pointed out - the hipster mobile food fest (lots of skinny pants, witty t-shirts, and army hats) Twas supposed to be an absolutely glorious event, and it almost measured up. The food was good, but the organization wasn't. To their credit, there didn't seem to be an official organizer, and it was their first year. I got a Dante dog (ketchup, mustard, onions and cream cheese!) and a pulled pork sandwich. What I did not get was the burrito that Jaime had waited in line so patiently to order - the lines were ATROCIOUS and it was around 3:30 by the time we decided we weren't going to see our Mexican food. We'd been waiting about half an hour, and they were up to number 106 (we were 126) from 99. Unfortunately we had other engagements to get ready for (but you already knew that, I mean, it's US! Of course we have other stuff to do Saturday!)

We headed home and prepped for dinner with my coworkers Deke and Miranda down at their house in Puyallup. Nothing beats a Saturday night, great friends, a good steak, and a glass of red wine. That the Huskies pulled off an AMAZING come from behind victory was even better (go Dawgs!) Thanks to Deke and Miranda for hosting us!

(Kendal, what do you think of your new sister?)

Sunday we enjoyed breakfast at the 'rents house with our new niece Natalie (and the rest of the fam). I get an awesome breakfast, Jaime gets to hold a baby - everyone wins! Sunday afternoon we had a wonderful visit with Courtney and Dan at Beveridge Place Pub, where we shared great conversation and I got a fresh hopped IPA. Fall is the best season for hop lovers!


And so begins another week...

Nature, F*ck yeah!

Oh my god, it's quiet!

Nothing exciting going on this week, really...so here's an awesome story to pass the time. I had to go to the dentist yesterday for a cleaning. While they were in there, they found that the cap on one of my fillings had cracked, so they cleaned it out and fixed it. When I picked Jaime up from the bus stop, I relayed my story of getting the filling repaired, and she said to me, "Oh, they had to put a bit of fixin' on it."

I love my wife! (That would be a reference to the new Pearl Jam song "The Fixer")

A compiled list of things that ARE and ARE NOT Rock and Roll

(Photo by Karen Loria)

Welcoming a new niece on the day your favorite band releases a new album...VERY rock and roll.

Traveling out of town to see your favorite band...rock and roll.

Ripped jeans...rock and roll.

Pre funking...rock and roll.

Spending 45 minutes in traffic trying to get to the venue...not rock and roll.

(Ninja edit - The Zipper move...totally rock and roll!)

Geoff almost having a Lake Tahoe episode with his bladder (ask him for the story sometime)...VERY not rock and roll.

14th row seats...rock and roll.

7 foot tall dude in the row in front of you (and his wife/girlfriend the USC fan)...decidedly not rock and roll.

Forgetting ear plugs...quite rock and roll.

Ordering lemonade (and thinking it's "quite reasonably priced") from a vendor inside the amphitheater...not really rock and roll.

Admittedly texting for the Husky score during the set...not rock and roll.

Learning the Huskies lost...not rock and roll either.

Hearing "In Hiding" for the first time in 9 years...INCREDIBLY rock and roll!

Hearing the three songs that are your favorites off the new album...rock and roll.

Playing the guitar behind your head like it was designed to be played that way...way more rock and roll than I'll ever be.

In fact,
Mr. Mike McCready...probably IS rock and roll!

Spending over an hour trying to exit the venue...totally not rock and roll.

Well folks, that's it for now. Thanks to Josh and Liisa for hosting me in Portland. Sorry I didn't stay for breakfast (but I DID get the lawn mowed!) Next time...