We're buying a new car!

Ok, so not really. But we are probably going to be purchasing our very first brand new vehicle in the next month or so.

So it's not a car, it's a scooter. It's a People 250 made by Kymco, and it's a pretty cool little bike. We're actually getting it in "wine," which is a metallic maroon. With gas at $3 a gallon or more, this thing will be like heaven - the manufacturer says it's rated at 70 mpg, but we hear it may get even 75 or 80!

We're pretty excited, just need to make sure everything is in place financially for it to happen. But then, look out! I'll be a motorcycle mama...well, not really - it's not a "real" motorcycle, and I'm not a mama. I guess I'll be a cute little scooter girl. Not quite as catchy huh?

Ding! Ding! On Your Left

Today I was driving to the farmer's market. As I was going down the road, I got behind a group of 4 bikers. Yay for them! However, they were riding 4 abreast. Yes, that's right, 4 abreast, meaning they covered the entire lane. There was no way for me to get around them. None. Nada.

They knew I was there, but did they pull to the side? No!

Now, I am probably more patient with cyclists than a lot of drivers, simply because Ricky and I ride our bikes all over the place and I know that it can be intimidating to have cars driving right up your back wheel. But seriously, people, have some courtesy. Anytime Ricky and I notice that there is a car behind us, we immediately pull as far over to the right as we can and ride single file until the car passes us.

So the truck is practically stalling in first gear because I'm driving so slowly, and cars are piling up behind me, and these cyclists are still riding abreast.

If only I could have hollered "on your left!" like we do on the trail.

Oh well, I did finally get out from behind them and made it to the farmer's market where I purchased 2 gorgeous and huge flower baskets and several colorful plants to be potted in my yard. It's beginning to look a lot like summer around here!

Movie Review: Notes on a Scandal

Ricky and I rented Notes on a Scandal last night on a whim. We had absolutely no expectations going in and probably would have passed right over it if it weren't for my girl crush on Judi Dench. I've loved her since I first saw Shakespeare in Love (which is fantabulous, by the way).

We both enjoyed the Notes, though I think it probably was more my type of movie than Ricky's. It's a bit creepy, sad, and uncomfortable, but quite arty. The character development was superb, the relationships and commentary on society striking, and the girl who played Cate Blanchett's daughter was too cute for words.

The cinematography wasn't anything special, but it wasn't that kind of movie. No amazing special effects, no crazy stuntmen. Just a movie about human life and how twisted we can be.

Trail Gazing

This was in our local newspaper on Friday. It's an article about the Spring Water Corridor, which is just a couple of block from where we live. Ricky and I can be found on the trail just about every weekend, and often during the week. It's how we get to Sellwood and downtown Portland. Jacko goes too; he loves going to bike rides on the trail!

Trail gazing
The Springwater Corridor, our longest and most revealing park: an appreciation
Friday, June 08, 2007
GRANT BUTLER The Oregonian

The Springwater Corridor began life in 1903 as the Springwater Division Line, a commuter railway designed to take folks from downtown Portland to outlying communities such as Estacada and Eagle Creek, as well as to places including Cedarville and Cazadero, which have been relegated to the history books as they were incorporated into other towns.

At its peak in 1910, Portland's extensive system of commuter trains carried 16 million passengers a year on a web of more than 160 miles of rails. The line that became the corridor could take people out to Gresham in roughly the same time that it takes a MAX train today.

By the 1950s, the rail travel was petering out as roadways improved and the automobile became the preferred mode for getting around. By 1958, passenger service was dropped.

In 1990, plans for today's trail were hatched when the city of Portland acquired big portions of the corridor, with the rest being picked up by Metro in the years since. The first stretches of the Springwater Corridor opened in 1996, with the three-mile portion along the Willamette River opening in 2003. Last year the three bridges connecting the trail over McLoughlin closed the gap, making possible one continuous ride.

There are further hopes to pave the gravel portion of the trail -- which runs roughly two miles from Gresham to Boring -- and eventually to extend the trail to Estacada or even as far as Government Camp.

Love it, just not to death
Portland Bureau of Parks & Recreation and Metro, which jointly manage the Springwater Corridor, don't have firm numbers on how many people walk or ride it on any given day. Surveys like that require funding, senior planner Gregg Everhart points out, and that's money the agencies would rather spend on trail improvements and future acquisitions.

But when you spend several days on the trail, you notice plenty of anecdotal evidence of trends. On weekdays there are spikes in bicycle riders during peak commuting hours, when you can stand in one spot along the Willamette stretch and count 20 to 30 cyclists going by a minute. On weekends the action is steady all day long, though the highest usage areas are around Gresham's Main City Park and Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge.

All of that usage holds a danger, restoration ecologist Mart Hughes says. The wildlife areas are delicate, and when people get off the trail they can cause tremendous damage. "People don't understand the impact that a single footprint can have."

Staying on the trail, he says, is the price for keeping the wetlands pristine and the wildlife thriving. Really, there's so much to see from the trail that there's no reason to go off-road anyway.

What are you waiting for?
At this point, we've gotta ask what you're still doing reading this article. Put on your walking shoes or saddle up on your cycle: The Springwater Corridor is out there waiting. Tackle a mile or two here and there or take a day and ride the whole thing. You'll exercise your body. You'll feed your mind.

And if you get out there early enough, you just might spy one of those white-tailed deer, out foraging for a bit of breakfast before the next cyclist comes along.

Somewhere, an old man is snoring

Because it's definitely raining and pouring here. I'm not sure what happened - a couple of weeks ago we were having 85-90 degree weather on a regular basis. Not that I'm a huge fan; I much prefer it to be 75 and breezy. But 90 degree weather in May?! That never happens around here!



And now it's June, and all of a sudden it's absolutely pouring. Not that I should be surprised - it is Rose Festival week, after all, and everyone knows it always rains during Rose Festival. I am so glad I wasn't out at the parade this morning - it looked miserable!



Instead, I came down to my favorite rainy day spot, Spring Creek Coffee House, for lunch. I am now enjoying a piece of vegetarian lasagna and a sugar free vanilla latte. And of course, free Wi-Fi. Ah, high speed internet is so enjoyable!

Well, I'm still unemployed

I found out last night that I was not hired at our local high school.

If I have to answer "do you know why?" one more time, I just might scream. So once and for all, here's why:

I was out politicked. I knew the right people, but not all the right people. The feedback I got was "we really enjoyed your interview, but..." and then "I really want you here, we're going to try to get you here." Which means nothing when you consider that they want me but didn't bother to hire me. Ok then.

So it's back to t he drawing board. There are several other positions for which I'm applying, but they're not as ideal. However, we're at the start of year 4 of a job search, so at this point I suppose ideal shouldn't really be in my vocabulary huh? I've even applied for a position that would require us to move, and possibly require Ricky and I to live apart for a while until our house sold. I don't want to move - especially not to that part of Oregon - but we will of we have to. We've got to get my career going somehow.

But then, after so long, I wonder if maybe I'm not pursuing the wrong career. I know that I'm good at what I do - but maybe I would be incredible in another field. I don't know. I know that I love high school kids, and I love theatre, and this seemed the ideal way to combine them, but maybe I missed a memo somewhere.

Anyway, to those that did not get a personal call or email about the job thing, I apologize. As you can probably imagine, I'm just worn out and I don't really feel like talking about it in depth anymore.

The Starlight Parade

Every year Portland has the Rose Festival, and every year Rose Festival sort of kicks of with the Starlight Parade. It's not the official kick off, but it's what gets it all going in my mind.

Ricky and I started going a couple of years ago when his sister was carrying the banner for her high school's marching band. His parents, a family friend, Ricky and I all went and had a great time. That must have been her Junior or Senior year, so 3 or 4 years ago I guess. Anyway, then we went again last year, and decided to keep the tradition going.

We rode our bikes through Sellwood and stopped at our favorite pub. We were disappointed when we got there, as we had the dog with us and both outside tables were occupied. However, one gentleman noticed our dilemma and offered to move indoors. We were very grateful (and bought his beer to thank him). Jacko lay under the table while we ate and he was so good. We were actually a little surprised at how well behaved he was. And of course, everyone commented on how cute he was.

After a wonderful meal we continued our bicycle journey to downtown Portland, where we found a place to watch the parade. Again, Jacko surprised and impressed us with his good behavior. Many people came to pet him, and several commented on how well behaved he was. One person even asked how we trained him!

The parade is one of the highlight's of our summer. It's wacky and goofy, and not at all what you expect in a parade. It begins with a run. Technically I think it's a race, though I don't know that you get anything if you win - the satisfaction of a job well done and hopefully no blisters, I suppose. But it's turned into this weird Portland tradition where people dress up in silly costumes. We saw PacMan being chased by two of the monsters, several brides, people in togas, a pregnant lady in a grass skirt and coconut shells, a guy in a grass skirt and coconut shells, and various other random costumes.

The best one this year was someone in this getup that was a model of the tram. Portland has a new tram, and while it's very cool, it's also been very controversial. This guy had this whole get up with two trams on pulleys.

After the runners, the parade comes. There are lots of high school marching bands, the One More Time Around Again Marching band (a group of people out of high school who want to continue to be in a marching band) the Star Wars people (I have no idea who they are or what they do but they are always in the parade), and lots of other floats. There are dog rescues that have floats, floats from other festivals in the northwest, and local companies.

All in all it's a good time with lots of craziness and fun (and funny!) entries. While the Grand Floral Parade (which is next weekend) draws a larger crowd, Ricky and I definitely prefer the starlight parade. And of course, our tradition of riding our bikes down to the parade and home again makes it even more fun.