S & M's Excellent Adventures

Hawaii Day 2

2010-05-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

So, the day started off with breakfast at the Condo. Then we made sandwiches for a lunch picnic. Our plan for the day was to head up Waimea Canyon. Along the way the plan was to do a little hiking along the Ditch Trail. However, the trail wasn't too well maintained so we couldn't go very far on the trail. We stopped at a couple of lookout points along the way. Actually we stopped a couple of times at the lookouts. The first time there wasn't a lot to see due to the cloud/fog coverage so when the sun came out and the cloud/fog cleared up we made a second stop at the lookouts. By the time we finished for the day we were ready for dinner and drinks at the Condo. What a fun day!

This is Waimea Canyon Lookout while it was foggy

Dave and Michael at the Waimea Canyon Lookout.

Gale and Dave at the Waimea Canyon Lookout.

Gale, Dave and Kim at the Waimea Canyon Lookout.

This is the road we drove down to get to the Ditch Trail for the hike that didn't quite happen. It was quite a road! Very bumpy. Gale, Kim and I were in the backseat and we got bounced around like rag dolls.

Kim on the part of the Ditch Trail that we were able to navigate.

Michael hiking along the trail. I think we maybe hiked a half mile before we had to turn back because the trail just kind of disappeared.

Gale at the turnaround point.

Dave the conquering hero!

And here's Kim!

A creek along the attempted hike.

Gale was really into her photography!

More photography.

And even more photography.

Did I mention she was really into her photography?

Kim decided to follow in Gale's footsteps and take a picture.

Michael, Dave and Gale.

This is at the Kalalau Lookout with a view of the Kalalau Valley.

Kalalau Lookout.

This along Waimea Canyon but I'm not sure which lookout it was.

Kauai - Day 1

2010-05-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

This is the first day on Kauai. Well, actually we arrived the previous night but by the time we got the shopping done at Costco and found the Condo where we were staying it was kind of late and too dark for any pictures. It was a bit on the rainy side as you can see. But, we still managed to get out and see the sights. We had a nice leisurely breakfast and then we were off to see the Limahuli Garden.

Dave playing in the rain outside the condo before leaving for the Garden.

Bird of Paradise at the Limahuli Garden.

Limahuli Stream runs through the Garden.

These rocks are thought to be a remnant of home sites built by the ancient Hawaiians.

I don't remember what this is but maybe Gale does.

Here is a spider that Gale wanted a picture of only her camera didn't have batteries so I took the picture for her. This was a bit of a trick because I don't really like spiders all that much and this one wasn't exactly tiny.

This is a Cooks Pine Tree.

The rock walls on this terrace style garden has been dated to about 700 years old and is part of an agricultural system used to grow Kalo.

This is a picture of the ocean just outside our condo. After a full day of checking out the Garden we got back to the condo and had some drinks and relaxed on the lanai (or balcony if you prefer) watching the waves.

Another picture taken from the lanai of the condo.

Honolulu Hawaii

2010-04-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought I would start posting some of the Hawaii pictures. These pictures are from the Honolulu portion of the Hawaii trip. I figured I had better get started on this since Gale has been posting hers and making me look bad. We stayed at the Outrigger Reef on Waikiki Beach. It's a very nice hotel and just steps from the ocean. I know Michael posted a few pictures from our first day there, but I thought I would add a few more before moving on to the Kauai part of the trip.

This is a picture of the Outrigger pool taken from the balcony in our room.

This is the ceiling fan set up at the Shorebird. We stopped in at the Shorebird for a Mai Tai before walking along the beach.

This is looking towards Diamond Head which is just barely visible behind the palm trees.

It was a bit cloudy and rainy while we were there as you can see from this picture.

One of the sights on our walk.

Diamond Head

Michael in front of a banyan tree. A very interesting tree.

A closer view of the Banyan tree.

Michael trying to be Vanna White.

The Pink Flamingos were at the Hilton Hawaiian village.

Gale says this is an Ibis.

This little bird was my friend while we were waiting for the shuttle to take us to the airport to meet up with Kim, Gale and Dave. Next stop Kauai.

Boring'ol Hawaii

2010-04-04T23:46:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are.Waikiki. Whodathunkit.
Kinda commercial, kinda cliche, but still pretty darn nice.

This is a bit of rainbow as seen from the beach.
We weren't certain what it meant, and then we started getting wet.

This is the hotel as seen from the beach. The lil'ole rock is Diamond Head

We got a free room upgrade, so we can actually see ocean. Nice bed too.

Darva Visit

2010-02-21T21:55:00.001-08:00

Michael and I went to Yachats to visit with Darva back in September. Because we were showing up on Friday night and Darva had to be at Jay and Susan's for a dinner thing, Jay invited us to attend the dinner as well. I got some rather entertaining pictures at the dinner.

Darva and me.

Susan had some vintage reproduction masks that people were trying on. Doesn't Michael look like a real catch?

Jay and Susan.

Darva and me with Lulu.

Michael, sticking his tongue out at me.

Darva and Michael and Lulu's tail sticking up by Darva's foot.

Yachats September 2009

2010-02-21T19:20:00.000-08:00

Well, I got a bit behind in my posting of our adventures again. I'm so easily sidetracked with other things. So, I'll try to get caught up. Here are few beach pictures from one of our visits to the coast in September.

There was just the tiniest bit of fog out on the ocean so it looks a bit hazy in the distance.

I liked this shot looking back at Yachats.

I thought I would fuss with the filters in the photo editor on this one.

Another filter fussing.

Michael was waiting for me while I was wandering around taking pictures.

Robbie's Wedding

2009-12-14T19:26:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Robbie and Anastasia's rehearsal picnic and wedding on Aug 21 and Aug 22.

This first group is the rehearsal picnic...

Here is my sister Carla and her husband Brad and Mom and the "child of mine" Brandon on one side of the picnic table...

And here is Bob (Yes, everyone should have an Uncle Bob) and my other sister Charlene and Brandon's fiance (at the time, they're now married) Tiffy on the other side of the picnic table.

Carla in the outfield for a game of a kickball like game.

Michael looks like he's giving signals to the pitcher.

I thought this was a great picture of Mom and 4 of the grandchildren watching the game.

This next group is the Wedding...

This is Jeremy. He was one of the groomsmen and is also Charlene's stepson.

Brandon and Tiffy.

Bob on his way in to sit down.

Cortez, another one of the groomsmen.

Carla posing for the camera.

Jessica and Samantha looking away from the camera. They think they're too cool for such things as pictures. Then of course there's Bob, Carla and Brad.

Charlene and the kids.

Robbie escorting Mom down the aisle to her seat. Doesn't he look handsome?

Robbie and Anastasia's stepfather (I think). He performed the ceremony.

Jeremy walking one of the bridesmaids down the aisle.

Cortez walking another bridesmaid down the aisle.

Aaron (Best Man) walking Maid of Honor down the aisle.

All the groomsmen.

Anastasia. Need I say more?

Robbie and Anastasia saying their vows.

It was a very nice wedding.

Brandon's August Visit

2009-11-14T20:21:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from Brandon's visit in August. He was here for Robbie's wedding. The wedding pics will be in the next blog.

Brandon and Tiffy at the beach.

Tiffy doing a Karate Kid move.

Here is Brandon and Tiffy going down the slide at the Enchanted Forest.

A picture of me and my baby, Brandon, at the water fountain show at the Enchanted Forest. We went there because Tiffy wanted to see it. So the three of us went and had a wonderful time.

Here is Michael looking out at the McKenzie River. We decided to take a trip up the Old McKenzie Highway before we had to take Brandon and Tiffy to the airport.

McKenzie River

Brandon and Tiffy on the trail to Proxy Falls.

Proxy Falls.

I liked this picture.

Brandon and Tiffy at the bottom of the falls

The Three Sisters.

There were lots of chipmunks at the Dee Wright Observatory.

Summer Family BBQ. August 2009

2009-11-08T16:45:00.000-08:00

I figured I better get caught up on the blog since it has been awhile since I put anything on here. My family decided to have a BBQ in August since we had a visiting cousin from Norway in town. Here are some pics from that BBQ.

My sister, Carla and mom's cousins wife, Francine.

My niece Jessica.

Carla.

This visiting cousin, Reidar, from Norway and my niece Samantha trying to hide from the camera. But wait til the next picture.

This is Reidar and Samantha after Radar grabbed her hands and pulled them down so I could take this picture.

My nieces K.D. and Shayla.

My one and only nephew Aaron.

Mom's cousin Jens and Shayla in the back. I'm not sure what she's up to, but I'm sure it's a secret.

Anastasia, Carla and my baby brother Robbie.

Michael having fun in the sun.

I guess the cat was really thirsty.

My siblings Charlene, Carla and Robbie.

Bob, Grandma and Mom.

Mom's cousin Bill.

Da Vinci Days

2009-08-31T19:22:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from Da Vinci Days.

Michael and Steve setting up for their gig. Dustin was supposed to be their but didn't make it.

Michael was really tired after the gig so decided to rest up for the next day.

This is the vehicle that a coworker of mine is part of. She's the one in the back on the right side.

Plane Ride with Alex

2009-07-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of my plane ride with Alex.

Alex had to wash the plane before we took off.

Reser Stadium.

Part of OSU Campus.

Alex the pilot.

Gale's house at the top of the photo.

Alex managed to get a picture of me. It took several tries to get a decent shot.

A couple of views of the river.

Alex getting gas at the Independence Airport.

A couple of Birthday Pics

2009-07-23T23:06:00.001-07:00

Birthday Bash in Eugene.

The Bobbsey Twins with a goofball twist.

Rock, Paper, Scissors?

What's up?

And the winner is...

And here's a musical interlude...

2009-07-23T22:56:00.001-07:00

Such melodic sounds...

This would be Steve and Michael

And heeeere's Dustin...

Michael concentrating

Mill About Smartly at Fireworks.

A shot of the strange audience members at Fireworks.

The look...

Gravel Beach Classic

2009-06-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures from the Everett Clan Gravel Beach Classic!! I know everyone has been on pins and needles waiting for these to post to the blog (for those of you who check the blog). The pins and needles are probably less painful than looking at these.

The dumb hat competition.

Contemplating his golf strategy and wondering how his hat will do.

Father and son moment. Don't worry, there are also mother/daughter moments & father/daughter moments & mother/son moments. What a family!

This is Gale's "I hit the stupid ball wrong" face.

Several shots of the family T-ball Tournament.

"If we collaborate I'm sure we can find the green somewhere."

It's so hard to clip Dave in the head.

There, that's better.

They look way better from this angle.

Waiting for Golfdot.

Where did it go?

More of the T-ball Tournament.

It's true, we're hot and we know it!

Advice from the coach.

See my new tongue ring!

In this game the glove is EVERYTHING.

The coach says "Give it up!"

"Did anyone see where it went?"

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Golf Ball.

Displaying the proper form.

Not displaying proper form.

Confused about proper form.

Michael's trying to hide, but not doing a very good job of it. I think I'll send him to hiding school.

This is Michael demonstrating the proper napping form. Exciting party.

The excitement is catching on!

Harris Bridge Winery

2009-06-08T18:31:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Harris Bridge and Michael playing at the Harris Bridge Winery.

This is Harris Bridge from the property of Harris Bridge Winery.

Michael playing mandolin at the winery.

The creek that flows under the bridge.

Some flowers on a tree near the bridge.

McDowell Creek Falls

2009-06-04T21:20:00.001-07:00

Pictures from the McDowell Creek Falls outing.

This is McDowell Creek.

Another view of McDowell Creek.

A little falls in the creek.

Here is McDowell Creek Falls. I guess we went at the wrong time. I was told by another visitor that if we had gone right after a heavy rain it would look a lot more impressive.

Michael on one of the many bridges crossing the creek.

Another picture of McDowell Creek.

A flower we saw along the trail.

2009-05-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

We went to Kentucky Falls for a hike back in April and here are some of the pictures from that hike.

This is upper Kentucky Falls.

Look Gale...a picture of me!!

Another picture of Upper Kentucky Falls.

Michael took this picture of the trillium.

Kentucky Creek.

This is either North Fork Falls or Lower Kentucky Falls. I'm not sure which since they are next to each other.

Just below North Fork Falls and Lower Kentucky Falls.

Kentucky Creek.

Big surprise...a picture of Michael.

This is the other (North Fork or Lower Kentucky Falls) waterfall.

Oh Gale...another picture of me.

I liked this tree with all the moss hanging on it.

We saw this along the trail and thought it was pretty cool so Michael took a picture of it.

These two pictures are a spot along the road (after leaving Kentucky Falls) heading towards Florence.

More DC Pictures

2009-05-25T17:00:00.001-07:00

A few more pictures of the Washington DC trip.

This is a night shot of the White House. I kind of like the night shots.

This is the Treasury Department.

This is some strange person on the street. I enjoy taking pictures of strange people.

A picture of the Washington Monument without me.

The Lincoln Memorial with a shot of the WWII Memorial in the front.

Artsy picture of part of the WWII Memorial. Taken by Michael. He's the artsy one.

Korean War Memorial.

Korean War Memorial.

Vietnam Women's War Memorial.

Renwick Gallery. We didn't have time to look around the gallery but we did get a picture of the building.

Michael in front of the Dwight D Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

One of the various statues in the surrounding parks.

This guy was on top of the White House watching for (apparently) planes getting to close or invading the White House air space.

Another statue in the park.

The Old Post Office.

Michael checking out one of the exhibits at the Smithsonian American History Museum.

This might be a repeat but I liked it and this is my blog so I can repeat if I want!

One of the statues in the Sculpture Garden.

Another piece in the Sculpture Garden.

This is a shot of a portion of the chairs that were set out on the Mall for the Police Week event.

A church we came across while walking around.

These two are sculptures that we saw in a little park that I liked.

I know you won't be able to figure this one out so I'll tell you. It's the Thinker by Rodin.

This is the house that's across the street from Ford's Theater where Lincoln was taken after he was shot. He died in this house.

The capital from the top of the Newseum building.

A shoeshine station at Union Station.

This is a picture of what I like to call the ducklings. They follow a tour guide in a row like a mother duck and her ducklings.

We saw this sight on one of our walkabouts.

Can you count the squirrels?

Union Station.

S&M in DC VIII

2009-05-16T18:33:00.001-07:00

Day 8: Kennedy Center and a Walkabout along the Tidal Basin

Michael and FDR at the FDR Memorial.

I liked this statue at the FDR Memorial.

Well, how about that! I'm with Eleanor Roosevelt!

A look at the interior of the Kennedy Center. I guess they had free concerts every night but I didn't know about them or I would have gone to one. Bummer!

The Jefferson Memorial with a plane getting ready to land at Dulles Airport.

Along the Tidal Basin.

Oh look! Another picture of Michael!

This is one side of the row of street vendors...

And this is the other side of the street vendors.

S&M in DC VII

2009-05-15T21:02:00.001-07:00

Day 7: Newseum and a walkabout

We went to the Newseum today. It had all kinds of stuff on the history of newspapers/journalism. Afterwards, we did a walkabout to see some of the other sights around the area. Here is a picture of the Capital building.

Here is another picture of the Capital only a little more artsy. Michael took this one. He likes to be artsy with his photos.

Oh look! I wonder who they are?

This is the Library of Congress.

And here is the Supreme Court.

Oh, and Union Station.

S&M in DC VI

2009-05-15T20:25:00.001-07:00

Day 6: National Gallery of Art and Ford's Theater

Here is a fountain in the sculpture garden on the way to the National Museum of Art.

Here is a statue in the museum. The dog is licking her leg. I Thought it was a pretty cool statue. (Diana the Huntress)

Here is a painting. Can you guess who did this painting? That's right, it was Leonardo DaVinci! Apparently the only DaVinci piece in the U.S.

This is one that Michael liked. The artist is Canaletto.

Here is Michael enjoying the awesome art that is surrounding him. He was totally thrilled to be there.

We got to see a play at Ford's Theater. This is the new part of Ford's Theater.

And here's the old part where Lincoln was shot.

Here are some interior shots of the theater including Lincoln's box. It really is a cool place.

And the play we saw was all done in song. It was about the Civil War and very well done. I really enjoyed it.

Here is the section that we were sitting in. That's Michael towards the back hiding from the crowd behind a piece of paper.

S&M in DC V

2009-05-15T20:01:00.001-07:00

Day 5: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and then the exciting Air and Space Museum

Here is an example of what is in the sculpture garden with the Hirshhorn Museum in the background.

Here is a piece of art that made me think of Gale. It's a little bit odd, kind of like the pig gut forms and the dead fish prints.

Here is Michael's wild and exciting attempt at art. He took a chair and a table in the the hall area and positioned them in a pleasing fashion and then took this picture of it. I think it should be displayed along with the other art pieces here.

I think this was Michael's favorite museum. He likes planes and certainly got his fill of them here.

Here is another example of what they have at the Air and Space Museum.

Here is Michael totally captivated by the museum.

S&M in DC IV

2009-05-12T22:12:00.001-07:00

Odd to be passed on the way to breakfast by a gaggle of Bobbies, or is it 'passel' Anyway there was a bunch of them, right by Treasury, not the Justice dept. like you'd expect.

Even some of the less ornate buildings have little pockets of fantastic detail.

We spent most of the day in the Museum of American history. It may be newer but it didn't have as impressive displays as Natural History. The history of Transportation and the section on wars were well done, and one bit on the 250 year history of one house and all the people who had lived in it was VERY interesting. Sewing machines were in a section on inventions.

This is the Smithsonian 'Castle' main office and information.

S&M in DC III

2009-05-11T20:10:00.001-07:00

Day3: le Sofitel Lafayette Sq. is a fairly amazing hotel almost a block off the square where the Whitehouse is. The staff and the rooms are impressive which they should be for it's location and the $500++ per night rate. We're paying a fraction of that, or we wouldn't be here. I gather it's a regular spot for french diplomats, not sure we fit in exactly. The small eatery starts off at $15 for a small bowl of breakfast cereal and goes up from there.
Below you can see the 35in. TV and granite topped desks with the featherbed on the side. The bathroom is bigger than some hotel rooms and is all marble and granite tile. The only clue to this being a 'low end' room here is that the window looks out on an interior lightwell.

A look down Pennsylvania Ave. The big tower is the Old Post Office. There is some other old building off in the distance.

We spent a rather long day at the Museum of Natural History. The picture is of the rotunda area. There are three floors each with a normal sized museum on it. They just re-did the whole thing in the last couple years and most of the exhibits are quite amazing. My feet are tired.

There is a very nice dinner place across from the hotel. Potenza http://www.potenzadc.com with good 'new Italian' cusine. They have only been open for a month or so and things are really hoppin' in there.

S&M In DC II

2009-05-10T21:18:00.001-07:00

Day2, up late. darn those timezones anyway.

Street scene half a block from the hotel on the way to breakfast. Michael's friend that lives here called on the way and we'll hook up with them later.

I Guess the Washington Monument needs little introduction. You need tickets by 7:30AM to go up though.

Some other Monument.

The new WWII Monument is very well done. That's the Lincoln Memorial in the background

Korean War Memorial. We hear it looks great at night!

Lincoln. I always wanted to see this.

John and Robin picked us up and toured around for a bit. This is their house in Fairfax Virginia. The cookout and food was great and the compaany even better. Thanks guys!!

S&M in DC

2009-05-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

The first thing we did after checking into the hotel and getting a bite to eat was wander down to Laffayette Square. About a block from the hotel. There is a big house there. You will probably recognize it.
The hotel is also amazing. More on that later.
We also found this Treasury type place. Not bad for in-the-dark-shooting.

Thats all for tonight

S & M in Boston

2009-05-06T20:53:00.001-07:00

So, here's a few of the more than 200 photos of our trip to Boston.

This is a picture of the front porch of the hotel where we
stayed in Groton, MA for the Fiddle Hell event that
Michael attended.

This is the Stagecoach Inn in Groton, MA. This is where we
stayed and it's also where the Fiddle Hell event took place.

Here is Michael in front of the Paul Revere house.

At the end of a VERY LONG day we managed to get to the
site where the USS Constitution is hanging out. We did a
whole lot of walking that day.

And look! Here's a picture of Michael at Fiddle Hell! He's so cute.

One of Boston's finest hard at work guarding a hole.

I like this picture of Michael, with the church steeple in
the background, walking along the Charles River.

This is the oldest Candy Company still in business. We
found it while driving around Salem, MA on our way
to Groton.

How cute is he?!!!!!

Here is a really cool church in Boston. Boy, does Boston
have a lot of old churches!

Michael at his best.

The Massachusetts State House is really big. I like the gold dome.

This is the house that inspired the book "House of the Seven Gables".

Another one of our discoveries while driving around
Salem was the "Friendship of Salem". What a cool ship!

This is an old cemetery near Harvard University in
Cambridge. There are a large number of old cemeteries
in and around Boston!

This is more artsy photo that Michael took of some sailboats
on the Charles River. I believe there was a sailing class
happening.

Here is another artsy photo from Michael. He really does do
a nice job of taking photos.

Now here's on of Boston's finest talking to a pedestrian.

The cobblestone street that has probably been
photographed by every single tourist that's been
to Boston, including me. Hey, what can I say...I liked
the street!

A musician in the Boston Commons. I got such a kick out of
him I had get a picture of him.