Thursday, September 25, 2014

Cats love the swimsuit.

I bought a new swimsuit, so I gave this one to the cats.  They love to beat up on it.  Antares is particularly vicious.

I can't decide if it's the smell of chlorine, or possibly me that makes this such an attractive item.

It also might be the texture of the suit, or the many nooks and crannies there are to nose into.

Sentinel is a fan too.  He's just less destructive.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

NWCTC: Wait Until Dark

Our first play of the NWCTC season (and the first play without Grant Turner as Artistic Director) was Wait Until Dark.  There was a great 40s-style apartment set.

Our very dark selfie.  You can sort of see our teeth.
The play was very well acted.  Clara-Liis Hillier was fabulous as a newly blind woman* and the play was tricky, always keeping us guessing as to alliances.  Kate Thresher playing the teenager Gloria was particularity endearing and the big fight scene at the end was tremendously scary.

All in all, it was a great night at the theater.

*Much better than Ansel Elgort as amputee Augustus Waters in The Fault in Our Stars and I know he was paid much more than her to mess up that role.

Dinner at Lardo

Before attending the theater, we stopped at Lardo for dinner.  Matt got a burger which he inhaled in roughly five bites.  

I had a Cubano, which was incredibly with the pork belly and cheese and good filling and warm and oozy on delicious bread.  We also shared a Kale salad which was delicious.
And that pickle was good too. I got two of them, because Matt doesn't understand how delicious pickles are.

Matt's Ride to Remember

Packing up for the ride.  I brought a blanket, knitting and a bag full of things to do and read.

Antares gives a final inspection to the bike.

Matt unloads from the car.

The ride cue sheet.

Matt gets ready to go.

Here is the start.

And he's off!

Time passes.  I go to Denny's for breakfast (because I couldn't find anything else in Canby) stop by Fred Meyer and purchase bins for storage for the back of the car. I fill up the gas tank and get the car washed and it's still only 9am.  So I hung out in a park until 10, when the Canby library opened.  I poked around there and then drove back to the race site, where I napped and read in the back of the car until I thought Matt would be done.  Then I sat by the finish line and kept an eye out for his arrival.

Sadly, I missed the big finish. He suddenly loomed before me.  So I had him pose.

After stowing his bike and changing his shirt, Matt got his food which was delicious.  Because after riding 60+ miles everything is delicious.

He was also a fan of the root beer floats and had two of those. 
It was a good bike ride.  Thanks to the Ride to Remember.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Dayton to Drive-in, it's still summer!

Time for another 5k, this one in Dayton.  I'd not been to Dayton, but it's a right-nice looking small town.  In their town square they had a fort and an interpretive sign.

Here is my favorite line from this part of the sign:  "[Joel Palmer] established the Western Oregon reservations and led the way for removal of the tribes; which kept tribes safe from settler attacks."
Um, yes, but...  I realize that I'm judging Mr. Palmer's actions from a modern perspective and that's not really fair, but STILL.  That's like saying that women having a 10pm curfew while at college will keep them safe from rape-y guys.  Not really and why are we focused on the women, not the rape-y guys? 

Mr. Palmer was forced from office, accused of favoring native interests over those of settlers, so he probably was doing something right.

The fort has an unusual design which I enjoyed learning about.

And here is the tiny fort now.  

You can see there's been some shoring up of the structure.

The park in the square was full of pine cones which were very fun to step on. 

These two little girls were decked out in U of O cheerleader outfits which were incredibly cute.  Their mother (in the yellow) turned out to be the mayor of Dayton.

Upon finishing, I claimed my souvenir glass.  This was a fun race which took us past many Dayton churches and the school.  I finished in 37:46 which is a HUGE improvement over my previous time.  I also was 5 of 6 in my age group.  

Matt had to drop me off and go to tutoring, so he was dressed fancy as an athletic supporter.

I came home for a bit, then set out to see a movie with friends.  I arrived early, so I killed time in Holladay Park which apparently has a reading room. I'm not sure if the guy on the left gave shoulder massages to all patrons, or just this specific one.

Driving to Dayton we passed the Newberg Drive-In and decided to come back for a double feature.  So we did.

It was classic car night.

There were cars from all decades.

Even some Tin Lizzies which arrived after the first movie had begun.

Look at this cute flyer.

I've watched movies from the back of a truck before!

Our show begins.  Notice my foot on the dash and Matt's clock radio providing the sound for us.