surprise geography quiz

Surprise geography quiz!

OK if you knew this from the “Bar 20 feet” sign, then you know waaaay too much about midwestern airports than is good for you :-). Otherwise, figuring out which city is roughly equidistant from Milwaukee, Denver, and Dallas shouldn’t be too hard, but here’s a hint: that miiiiight be Warren Buffet sitting over there waiting for his flight.

oktoberfest

There’s a big German-heritage community down in Mt. Angel, Oregon, that dates back to the 1870′s, and their annual Oktoberfest is legendary.

Spiral sausages on the grill at one of the hundreds of food booths:

At the downtown Glockenspiel, where Bo, Amber, Nancy, and I were waiting to meet up with Mark and Elisha, Andy, and Matt from Salem.

The Harvest Monument, built entirely of agricultural materials:

A close-up of the Harvest Monument, showing the details of how the “paintings” are made of seeds and grains.

The Salem folks arrived and we had a great time eating — I had schnitzel :-) — and checking out the art & craft booths. It was sprinkling slightly but then suddenly became a torrential downpour and even those of us who had come in rain gear were drenched! Elisha and Mark had been to several previous Oktoberfests and they said this was the first time it had ever rained. Being cold and wet kinda put the kibosh of the fun so we called it a day. Oh well, it was definitely fun up to that point!

wedding!

Brian and Mary, friends from Seattle, invited us to their wedding held on the Pacific coast at a historic maritime museum. Tom and Chan have been friends with Brian and Mary for forever, and Chan actually officiated the ceremony!

Lovely ladies waiting:

T-minus 40 minutes:

Pre-wedding photo session in the museum’s Lens Room:

OK, it’s official!

Congratulations, Mary and Brian!

memorial day cookout

Our friend Matt in Salem invited us down to his house for a Memorial Day cookout, with bison burgers and hot dogs on the grill. We carpooled down with Bo and Amber, and were joined by more Salem folk: Elisha, Mark, and Andy.

Amber telling a funny story:

Andy and Matt, plus Nancy showing her mustard-man bun art:

We can’t take Mark anywhere nice :-), plus his post-lunch nap:

Thanks Matt!

to san francisco, and beyond!

Pictures from our vacation week in San Francisco with Amber and Bo and Elisha and Mark. (Click any picture to see it full size)

1. Old and new in Chinatown
2. Gal pals Elisha, Amber, and Nancy
3. SF-style sourdough bread with a twist
4. Scarf shoppers Amber and Bo

1. My thumb, and also Nancy, Elisha, Mark, and Amber getting off a cablecar
2. Nancy and Elisha at the base of the Transamerica Pyramid
3. Looking up!
4. Breakfast the Embarcadero farmers’ market: Nancy, Elisha, and Mark

1. Is the badger the mascot of PG&E?
2. Inside MOMA (the Museum of Modern Art), Mark taking a picture of me taking a picture of him.
3. Tea and (Mondrian) cake at the MOMA rooftop garden
4. A shout-out to Chris M. back in Portland (for his dog “Ananda”)

1. In the Haight-Ashbury district. Also nearby were the “All You Knead” bakery, “The Pork Store”, and the “Squat & Gobble” cafe.
2. In Golden Gate Park, just a second after a duck flew right by my head! (Bo, Amber, Nancy, Mark, and also Elisha in the back behind Bo)
3. Across the pond, watching the turtles: everybody. On this side of the pond: me.
4. Mark and Elisha taking pictures of the sunning turtles.

1. At the Monterey Bay Aquarium – the kelp forest and a shark
2. An infinite loop of sardines
3. “Are we there yet?”
4. Mark and the Moon Jellies

1. Moon jelly: “I’m ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille!”
2. Almost sunset at the Golden Gate Bridge
3. The album cover shot: Amber, Bo, Nancy, Mark, and Elisha
4. The Gal Pals, take 2 (Nancy, Amber, and Elisha)

1. On the road home again
2. Mount Shasta