Dad & Kaisa at the Columbia!

I like this picture, taken by expert photographer Andrea! :)

It was taken on the Columbia River in the Gorge.

Trashdale

Am I the only one who thinks our 4th of July traditions are among the stupidest in the world? Around here, in Troutdale OR, last night was like living in Baghdad, with small arms fire and the occasional mortar round. This went on until nearly midnight, with every boom from an M80 rousing our sleeping baby. Real nice, Oregonians. Way to spew unnecessary noxious gasses into the air. And, of course, these idiot rednecks didn't even bother to clean up after themselves. The streets around here were littered with shrapnel this morning, which will of course all flow to the rivers and eventually the Pacific Ocean. My Father In Law had to hose off his cars and house to clear off all of the debris left on them by the "celebration."

And don't tell me this isn't a celebration of war. You can talk all you want about the visual "coolness" of fireworks, and when I was 13 I would have agreed. But when a great deal of the stuff is just explosions (blowin' shit up) I don't see how that's anything but a celebration of war.

Oregon has a good reputation in the Midwest, for the most part. But it is undeserved in Trashdale.

Portland Trip - post #1

June 30, 2008 marked Kaisa's first trip to Oregon. Mom, Dad & Kaisa endured a looooonnng flight out here (saved a few bucks going through Houston - not recommended since the total flight time wasn't much less than going to Italy!) Flew on Continental, which we can recommend because they still give meals and drinks for free. We were expecting to have to pay for it these days.

The thrill of the day was sitting behind someone with some sort of issue. He would scold us out loud every time the baby made a noise. Made Andrea's blood boil! We think he must have been autistic or something like that. Blech! What a long day. :^P