Archive for May, 2009

El Burro Loco – Review

May 26th, 2009 Posted in Good Eats - Restaurant | one comment »

It could be said that after 7 hours of hiking and exploring the Ramona Falls area, any hot meal would taste phenomenal. However, I truly think I had my 2nd best Mexican meal ever at El Burro Loco in Welches this Memorial Day weekend.  The atmosphere was great, the food was awesome and it’s a lot more convenient than my #1 Mexican restaurant, Red Mesa, in Florida 🙂

I highly recommend the enchiladas. We tried both the chicken and the pork with green sauce. My favorite was the chicken…amazing.  Pretty spicy, so if you are a weenie better get something else. The salsa was super (we went through 3 batches). Joe had the shredded beef tacos.  Brian sampled them and declared them the best tacos he’d ever had. He also enjoyed the fish tacos.  And, most importantly after a long day of hiking, they had a great selection of microbrews on tap. We enjoyed the “double IPA.”

Ramona Falls Hike

May 26th, 2009 Posted in Fun Photos - Nature, Fun Things to Do, Joyful Moments, Uncategorized | no comment »

To celebrate our Memorial Day weekend we headed out for a hike to Ramona Falls (near Welches in the Mt Hood Forest).  We’ve done this hike numerous times, but it had been probably 5 years. We needed Sam to be able to make it on his own two feet rather than on Brian’s back. The hike is pretty long…maybe 6 miles, but it’s beautiful from start to finish.  The falls are amazing. This time around we had lots of extra challenges. First, the bridge was out.  But determined hikers find a way (see the log crossing photos).  And, we ran into some major snow drifts along the trail. Those of us in sneakers had to slip and slide with cold toes quite a bit.  Windheims are tough though. At the end of the journey, all three kids gave it a thumbs up. I think Joe was the most enthusiastic and really seemed to love being out in the forest.

Click here to view some great shots of our hike to Ramona Falls

Soccer Results

May 19th, 2009 Posted in Sports | no comment »

The Classic Soccer tryouts and debates on where to play are finally over! And it’s all good news!!  Ben will be playing for Southside’s Lions and Joe will be playing for Newberg’s U11 Boys team.  They are both very, very excited about their teams.  They like the kids and they like the coaches. Nice going, boys 🙂

Now begins the intense juggling act of soccer practices and baseball. I really need a Star Trek transporter.  Last night both Ben and Joe had games at Hopkins at the same time, so I was literally running back and forth to catch the action.

Bowmen in Banks

May 18th, 2009 Posted in Fun Photos - Sports | no comment »

Ben’s team played in the Banks tournament this weekend. The boys went on a hitting spree and looked awesome in their 3rd game on Sunday. The whole scene made for some good photo opportunities.
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Joe and the Snake

May 18th, 2009 Posted in Fun Photos - General | no comment »

Joe has always loved snakes. I remember him being very little, riding a Big Wheel, stopping and snapping up a snake in his bare hand. He must have been 3. This Joe with his latest catch/friend. As you can see, both the snake and Joe hammed it up for the camera. 
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Let's Get This Garden Started

May 11th, 2009 Posted in Fun Things to Do, Yard Happenings | no comment »

I love growing things! I get so excited for April and May because I get to start in on my veggie garden. I just get giddy when I go to the garden centers and start finding new varieties of peppers and tomatoes. Then I start randomly grabbing seed packets. I always start out with a plan, but can’t resist adding a few extras once I get there.  I’m totally out of control!

Last year, I put in a nice curved raised bed with a rock border that I copied from a magazine.  I learned through that plan, that putting flowers in the garden is great for looks and attracting bees. It really was lovely. Unfortunately, it’s become very apparent that our garden spot it getting more and more shade.  So, we decided to move to a sunnier location on the southside of our shop.

Brian built 4 new, wood-framed raised beds and I was able to still use 3 othersI already had nearby. And, then because I couldn’t resist some pumpkins, potatoes and a cool little sweet potato vine, I had to expand a few beds 🙂  I’m a nut, I know.  

My raised beds are lined with newspaper and filled with 1 yard of blended topsoil from Valley Landscape. I’m growing 7 varieties of tomato (cherries, romas, big ones, heirlooms), 9 varieties of peppers (some hot, some sweet, no bell), zucchini, lemon cucumber, sweet peas, snap beans (bush), onions (yellow & red), potatoes (gold and red), lettuce, nasturtiums, chinese cabbage, basil, cilantro, chives, pumpkins (small and large) and sweet potatoes.  I also have established strawberries, grapes, blueberries, apples and pears. And I added plums and cherries to the orchard this year. I grow mostly from starts. Items in italics are from seed. 

I still need to add some flowers in addition to the nasturtiums and a “bug bath” to attract dragon flies and bees. All you need is a shallow bowl with some rocks for the bugs to land on and a little water. You do need to be sure to hose it out every 3 days or so to avoid mosquitoes.

I’ll be tracking how things are growing and take some pics. Stay tuned.

Bull Dogs – Sherwood Tournament

May 11th, 2009 Posted in Fun Photos - General | no comment »

Joe’s Sherwood Bulldogs had an awesome run at the Sherwood Midget Federal Tournament this weekend. The boys won 4 competitive games in a row and placed 2nd in the tournament.  Wow!  Joe got a chance to pitch, made some great plays and some solid hits.  I was able to take a few photos of the boys. I’m hoping that after I send them out that I can convince someone to take the book of my hands once in a while. I can’t take pictures and keep the scorebook. Trust me, I’ve tried!  

Sherwood Stealers – 1st Game

May 10th, 2009 Posted in Fun Photos - General | no comment »

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Sam’s first Rookie baseball game was a hoot. Got some great pics. Go take a look.

Old Market Brew Pub

May 5th, 2009 Posted in Fun Things to Do, Good Eats - Restaurant | no comment »

So when a friend of mine says, “come celebrate my husband’s 40th and play some shuffleboard,” I thought she was totally joking. Shuffleboard? Like the kind retired folks do on cruise ships?  Well, we get to Old Market Brew Pub and sure enough, we play shuffleboard. Only this is a “highly competitive” table top version.  Evidently, Brian and I were among the few that didn’t play this in college…cause we were too young to bar hop! Geesh. Anyways, it was very fun, addictive and infuriating. And, of course, the Kathy, the hostess, rocked at it.  But I copied her technique and ended up with the highest score of the night – woohoo! I won’t mention how many times I landed in the gutter.  

Old Market Pub and Brewery (6959 SW Multnomah Blvd, Portland 503-BIG-BEER) is a very fun place for a night out. It’s big, noisy, and full of character. They’ve got a large variety of brews for the beer lovers and a full bar for those that prefer the margarita or lemon drop. My favorite brew was the Hop On!, a classic amber that is severely overhopped.  Very awesome. The menu looks good too, but, to be honest, we were too busy drinking and playing shuffleboard to pay much attention.  And, I know Kathy was paying by the hour for the shuffleboard tables (just like you do for pool tables), but I couldn’t find how much.  You’d want to call ahead to figure that out. Totally worth whatever it is though 🙂

Sam's 7th Birthday

May 4th, 2009 Posted in Fun Photos - General, Uncategorized | no comment »

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Sam had a fabulous 7th birthday as you can see by the pictures. He was counting down the days for about a month.  He’s so darned cute. I can’t believe my “baby” is 7.