Day at the Beach

Last week we got a break from the gloom and doom and were blessed with a weekend of sunshine. Granted it was still barely breaking 40 degrees but it was sunshine nonetheless. A friend of mine up here convinced me that this was going to be a great weekend to get out to the coast and do some surfing. HE was right.

On Sunday, May and I drove out to Oswald West State Park on the gorgeous and rugged Oregon coast. This place is named after the famed Oregon governor who declared the beaches of Oregon to be a highway, thus securing them in the public trust for decades to come. It may sound crazy but the beaches were literally one of the only means that people could travel up and down the coast back in the day. In the 1970's this philosophy of Oregon beaches and the Oregon coast being the property and right of the people of Oregon was upheld with the passing of the Beach Bill.

The conditions were great in a beautiful cove. Six to eight foot swell with an offshore wind and sunshine. Of course the water was still about 50 degrees so we made sure to have a fire waiting for us as we got out of the water

Home on the Range

Feeling stuffed from our Turkey Day feast and finally getting some respite from a week full of rain, Todd and I hit the town to try and get in as many activities as we could. This included a trip to the local science museum, a hike with lots of butte sunshine on our pale faces, a cheap movie, local concert and some golf brush-ups. I'm glad we made it out because as I sit in our apartment updating this blog, the sky is already dark and rain is pouring from the sky. Oh and did I mention it's only 4pm...

On account of a great Group On offer, we finally made it to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) to see the amazing Body Worlds exhibit. Although we couldn't take photos of any of the bodies we did get some floating shots.

We went to a show at a new music venue called the Woods. It used to be an old funeral parlor home and is now a bar/hangout. No ghosts, but some mediocre bands for sure.

Slow Trucks (not our favorite band even though they were from SF and they had just broken up so the show we saw was literally their last one)

Animal Eyes (could be one of our new favorite bands and is a local Portland group, what you can't see mid-stage is a very talented accordion player who rocked!)

A walk out in the Powell Butte. Hooray for sunshine!!!

Finally, another great Group On find brought us down south to the little, quaint, strip-mall cluttered city of Tualatin to visit a driving range.

"Hi, my name is ______ and I just drank a GolferAID.

Thanksgiving Dinner for Two, Please!

As we have been practicing our grown-up ways these past few months, we decided we would work on some adult entertainment skills (not that kind) and cook our entire Thanksgiving meal ourselves! We opted to stay in rainy Portland as time would not permit us to get all the way down to CA for a visit so close to Christmas. Although we missed our family and friends, after it was all said and done, it was a SUCCESS!! We made an amazing, home-cooked Thanksgiving meal! And we are still eating the leftovers...

The four stages of the turkey breast (our party was too small for the whole bird):

From left to right: I brined the turkey breast for about 12 hours over night; the very raw turkey about to head in to the oven; the finished product; carved to perfection.

**While many disagree that brining adds much moisture or flavor- I thought it definitely made a difference!!

The sides (from left to right): Green bean casserole with fried onions and bacon, twice-baked potatoes and sausage dressing. There was also a pie... somewhere!

The finished potatoes and beans!

We did it!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!