Austin Rides a Bike

After 10 years and much resistance, Austin has learned how to ride his bike!  My mommy buttons are bursting.  Bless his heart, he was having such a hard time.  He has put this off for so long and I know that the longer he has put it off, the harder it has made it with his rapidly increasing height and quickly diminishing ego.  The first day Drew went out with him first and made a fantastic effort and was very patient with Austin trying to explain all the mechanics of riding.  Austin honestly didn't really even have the concept of pedaling.  Then Tom went out there with him to lend additional moral support.  He about lost it when a 4 year old neighbor boy rode up on his two-wheeler and proceeded to ride circles around Austin.  I thought it was quite rude and he was ready to give up at that point but Tom assured him that we all had faith in him and he soldiered on.  While he didn't fully get it that first day, he was definately getting closer.

The next day we were at it again.  I went out there with him and pushed him off and he immediately took off and rode around the corner.  He found his balance!  The rest as they say, is history.  He mostly worked by himself from that point perfecting steering, stopping and pushing off.  Within a half hour he was doing circles around the block.  Being the dear klutz that he is, he still had several crashes, but despite numerous scrapes and bruises, he never gave up.  By the end of the day he was enthusiasic about the whole endeavor and he has asked to go out to ride his bike every day since and he and his dad went looking for a bike to have at his dad's house too.  I'm so very proud of you Austin.  You never gave up and now look what you've accomplished!  Great job!  xoxo, Mom

Camping = Success

Soooo much fun!  Camp Dakota was everything we were hoping for.  Father's Day itself was very rainy so when we got there and saw how damp the tee pee was, we went for the upgrade and switched to a yurt instead.  As I was asking about it, a lady was turning in her key and it was the last yurt they had available, so we were lucky.  The yurts there are great!  20 feet wide with woodstoves, electricity and a dining table so technically not roughing it, but the camp only had outhouses so we had to rough it a little :) After unpacking and getting a fire started to chase away the chill we all just hung out a little.  As always, by the time you organized your gear, grocery shop, pack everything then drive there and unload it all, I was exhausted so I enjoyed the time resting and reading a book for a bit then it was hot dogs over the fire for dinner!  Once we got Zane and Ainsley settled down after s'mores, Tom, Trevin and I played cards for a couple of hours.  We had a great time!

Monday dawned with a much better prospect with sun.  After a filling breakfast of pancakes, eggs and juice, Tom and Trevin got all suited up to go play paintball.  When we arrived at the field, there were already three boys there around Trevin's age waiting to play, but the field ref said there was another group of six coming, so they waited around for them to show up because it is so much more fun to play with more people on the field.  they field was great.  It probably covered an acre of land and had lots of bunkers, vehicles and all sorts of places to hide.  Trevin said it was the best field he has ever played on!  While the boys were having fun on the field, I took Zane and Ainsely for a small hike through the camp and then over to go gold panning.  What an experiene that was!  They were so cute, and we actually found a flake of gold, plus a large piece of Jasper, amethyst, tiger's eye and several different types of agates.  So much fun!    By 2pm they were all starving so we had lunch and Trevin went off to play some more paintball.  Tom was a little too tuckered for another round, so he took the kids to the RC Track where they got to rent cars and race around a track.  They absolutely loved it!  By the end of the day, everyone was pretty tired so the kids went to bed and Tom and Trevin played some more cards.  I finished my book and we all called it an early night.

Tuesday was beautiful.  Everyone worked together and we were able to pack up and head out by 10:30 to go hiking.  After dropping the keys off at the office and getting directions to our remote destinations, we were off.  About a 1/4 of a mile pass the driveway to the campground, the road ends and it's all gravel from there on out.  We turned off onto a logging road about 2 miles away and traveled an additional 3 miles down into a canyon on a rough logging road.  When you reach the bottom, there is a barely discernable traila that takes you the rest of the way down to the river.  This is not your nice state-maintained trail.  This was a rugged, STEEP trail with plenty of rocks, trees and roots to traverse.  I was a little worried about Zane and Ainsley at first, but my fears were unfounded.  They were absolute troopers.  After about 3/4 of a mile, we made it to the bottom then had to work our way upstream for another 1/4 of a mile.  Really rough going it was, but the payoff was worth it.  As you round your last corner you're confronted with the full roar of Abiqua Falls.  It drops straight down 80 foot into a private cove that is just stunning.  I was awed by the beauty of nature.  It made it that more special knowing that few people have there to see its breath-taking beauty.  I got busy snapping pictures and the kids enjoyed the rest skipping rocks with dad. 

After climbing our way back uphill with my quads burning and completely winded, it was off to Butte Falls.  We drove up and out of the canyon then further down Crooked Finger Road to hike to the falls.  There are actually two falls locatated on the hike which by the way was much easier, but still a lot of hills.  The upper falls is shorter but you can actually go behind them which is always fun and the lower falls is much taller that you view from this narrow outcropping of land that is 100+ feet in the air with no handrails.  It was a little nerve-racking because Zane and Ainsley kept saying, "I have no fear."  That's what was worrying me!  But, there were no accidents and the day was full of so much beauty and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.  I still can't believe how well Zane and Ainsley did.  Of course they zonked out on the way home, but they deserved the nap.  All-in-all, it was a great Father's Day celebration and one that I hope everyone will remember forever!

A-Camping We Will Go!

We're off to see the sites at Camp Dakota!  Happy Father's Day to Tom.  Even though the weather is not really what it should be at this time of year, I wanted to take Tom camping for Father's Day.  Since the weather is not cooperating too much no matter what direction you drive, we decided to stay close to home.  Camp Dakota is a little place I discovered back in February when I was looking for paintball fields for Trevin's birthday.  It is located outside Scott's Mills so it'll take us less than an hour to get there.  They have a paintball field, gold panning, treasure hunting, an RC track and disc golf course.  Nearby is plenty of hiking and waterfalls.  Seeing as we are only staying for 2 nights, we should have plenty to do.  Of course Drew and Austin will be spending the time at their father's houses, so we will only be taking Trevin, Zane and Ainsely.  It seems like it should be less effort to get only three kids ready to go, but it has been SEVERAL years since I've been camping so all of our gear was in extreme disarray.  I pulled it all out today and washed and organized it.  Everything is ready to go including the kids stuff except for Tom and I's personal items.  Even cute little Josie's food and bowls!  This will be our first camping trip with her so yes, I'm feeling a little trepidation.  We bought one of those tie-out things so she can't wander off, but I worry about her barking.  We'll just have to hope for the best. 

I will be taking our camera and try to take lots of pictures to share when I get home.  Hope all you dad's have a wonderful day as well!

Chicken and Vegetables Braised in Peanut Sauce Recipe at Epicurious.com

Chicken and Vegetables Braised in Peanut Sauce Recipe at Epicurious.com

Thursday Night this week we 'sailed' to Africa for this yummy recipe. If you are looking for a hearty meal, this will definately satisfy. It is believed that this stew - called mafe or maafe - originated among the Bambara people of Mali who are the largest and most dominant group in that country. They speak "Bamana" which is one of the Manding languages. Because in the 1800's aggressive Muslim groups overthrew their kingdoms of Segu and Karta, Bambara is 70% Muslim today. They are mostly farmers whose main crop is millet, even though sorghum and groundnuts are produced in large quantities. There villages are made up of many different family units. Each household is responsible to provide for all of its members. Marriage is very significant and considered a type of investment with the main purpose being to have children who provide the family's labor and ensures the future of the family lineage. Most Bambara women have an average of eight children! Glad I'm not Bamabaran....I have enough trouble with my five :)

The general African facts that the children brought to the table are as follows...

Trevin, the average lifespan of the Bambara people is 46
Drew, the Sahara desert is larger in size than all of the continental US

I thought the meal was great, but then I love most things with peanut sauce. The kids are not huge fans of sweet potatoes, so I used carrots, turnips and parsnips for my vegetables instead. I think any combination of root vegetable would be fun to try. Let me know what you think!

Jennifer Fallon's Wolfblade Trilogy

This is the latest trilogy I've been reading.  Technically Jennifer Fallon's books fall into the 'Fantasy' genre, but they are not deep into the fantasy aspect.  There is a little magic and a magical race called the Harshini, but really it has a lot of religious connotations.  The Harshini were a race of people created by the Primal Gods (very similar to Native American religion with a River Goddess, Storm God, God of War, etc) who can touch the source of all power like the gods, but are not quite as powerful.  The Harshini are a peaceful people who are unable to understand the concepts of violence or hatred.  In fact, in order to create balance, the Gods had to create demons who are capable of violence. 

Ultimately, the conflict comes between the Primal Gods and a renegade God who wants the worship of all the people in order to become so powerful he'll rule the world.  The pawns of all this are, of course, the people of four regions; Fardohynia, Karien, Medallon and Hythria.  They all are ruled by different governments and religious beliefs.  An interesting cast of characters ties them all together and makes for a very interesting read.  If you have shied away from Fantasy in the past, this is a good one to cut your teeth on since it is not too heavy on the general fantasy aspects.  I think you'll enjoy it!  Happy reading!

Kah-Nee-Tah 2010 4th Grade Class Trip

Last Thursday Austin and I embarked on his 4th Grade Class trip to Kah-Nee-Tah.  We met all the other kids at school at 9:00.  It was a good thing I brought the van because I was fully loaded; with kid gear, sleeping bags and TONS of firewood.  It was a pretty uneventful trip up there.  Courtney was a chaperone as well and carpooled with me.  We get along well so we chatted the whole way.  The bus stopped at Laurel Hill to see where the Settlers had to lower their covered wagons over the steepest hill on the Oregon Trail. 

When we arrived, it really started to rain and pretty much rained for the rest of the day.  We're Oregonians though, so nothing like a little rain was going to stop the kids from enjoying Kay-Nee-Tah's awesome pool.  They got to swim for three ours while us silly adults huddled under the eves of the restroom :)  BBQ burgers and hot dogs followed and then the kids gathered for a group campfire and listened to a Warm Springs Indian discuss the history of Native Americans.

We finished the night with s'mores cooked right inside our teepees and a ghost story read by me.  Our boys were great; we had them all snug in their sleeping bags and asleep by 10:30.  The downfall to this....they were all up bright and early by 6 AM!  After showers, breakfast and pack-up we headed to the Warm Springs Museum and learned more about their culture.  I must admit, the children really were delightful and good kids, but, by the time everyone was eating their lunch, the parents looked a little droopy.  I think we were all ready to get home.  Even Austin headed straight to bed for a nap when we got home.

Overall, it was a great time had by all and I would delight in going on another class trip.  The kids were so much fun and I think they really enjoyed the whole experience.

Wine Tasting Pics-Memorial Day 2010

Memorial Day Weekend = Wine Tasting!

Four wineries plus six woman and one man equals a good time had by all!  Myself, Sammie, Mom, Aunt Judy, Aunt Shelly, Aunt Dorma and Jeff set out Saturday for the annual spring kick-off of wine season.  Everyone met at our at 11:30 and off we went into the beautiful East Willamette Valley.  This is a lesser known area of Oregon wine country, but still beautiful none-the-less.  The biggest advantage to East Willamette Valley is their prices.  Things are definately more affordable outside the Dundee/McMinneville area.   Silverton was our first stop with Vitis Ridge Winery located inside a brewery there.  It was the only winery where we had to pay a tasting fee, but I thought it was more than fair seeing as they had 12 wines to try, plus complimentary glass.  By far, it was my favorite stop of the day.  I have experienced their wine several times in the past and have always enjoyed it.  I think everyone else liked it too as they collaborated and bought a case of wine collectively. 

Next, we were off to Pudding River.  What a quaint little place.  Their tasting room is located in a renovated barn on the upper floor and everyone got to stumble over the pronunciation of Viogner.  I had packed us a European-style lunch so we dined outside while the weather was decent.  They had an adorable white kitty who fell in love with Shelly's purse and was rubbing everyone's feet while we ate. 

After a very satisfying meal of meat, cheeses, chicken salad sandwiches, grapes and bread, we headed south to Silver Falls Winery.  I can't say Silver Falls is one of my favorites, but they had a delightful Australian Shepard there who did an excellent job guarding the driveway from our entrance.  Her name was
Coco and she was an old dog, but very sweet.

Finally, we finished at Piluso Vineyard.  The sun broke through to allow us to enjoy their beautiful grounds.  They had a lovely garden area with an out building that provided comfy chairs to relax and enjoy the setting.  I had a wonderful day with everyone and I'd like to say thank you to you all.  It was a truly relaxing day, and I enjoyed every minute of it and your company.  I can't wait to do it again!