Woodchuck Wisdom

The snow has arrived. My butt is getting cold. The road is always fun in the snow. HWY 2 in Washington near the summit. I loved the view out of my Hotel window in Leavenworth , WA. I just love this little place and it looks like I might be able to stay in this little town more as it is on the way from here to there.

But, it does look good.

And everyone talks about how the mighty Mississippi is so large and wide. But, here is a view of the little old Columbia river looking north from Oregon to Washington. Yes, that is one river and the mountain range you see way in the distance is truly Washington state. And we have killer Seagulls that will take on anything in their path.

S stands for Seaside Oregon. The sun was shining and the wind was very light. Over all a perfect day at the Oregon coast. To bad I had to work while I was there. More to follow soon.

I win!

Nice day for a drive in the back country.... This is not looking good..... Crap Crap I say... Can't we just wait for winter to get here before the snow starts? This is how the day began. Love the fall colors.... And the river runs through a very nice valley......

Yes, I know have my own computer to use when I travel. Let the games begin. High points of the week: Getting inspected at the border crossing........AGAIN! Working with Paul again. The first snow of the season crossing over the pass on HWY 2 in Washington. (pictures to follow) Yep, it was a good week.

Tonight DW had a class in downtown Portland and being the nice completely whipped DH that I am, I drove her down to the class and then went to pick her up. Getting her there was no big deal as I drove her right to the building that the class was in. I might add that I did get her there a hour early. We went for coffee and then I went home to wait to go back into Portland and pick her up. First off, I was not in the right spot to pick her up, so she had to walk a block to find me. Then on the way home, once we were on the freeway where 405 south bound splits to I5 north and south bound....all heck breaks loose when a small Toyota driven by a young lady decided to make a last minute lane change from south to north bound and the Dodge 4x4 with a 32 foot trailer that was driving way too fast...in the same lane....decided to do a little dance and block both lanes of traffic. Did I have my camera...no. My question is this...If you are going to spend $40,000 plus for a trailer and $30,000 plu...

A Rogue Ale press release: A limited release fresh-hop beer, Independence Hop Ale was brewed in two 50-barrel batches, following the harvest cycle of the hops. The first batch was brewed with 500 pounds of fresh, unkilned Centennial hops. The second was brewed a week later with 750 pounds of wet Cascade hops picked, stuffed into sacks, driven 77 miles to Newport and tossed in the brew kettle before they had a chance to start drying. After fermentation, the two batches were blended together. The result is a light copper-colored, unfiltered ale marrying the two distinctive hop characters of each batch.Independence Hop Ale is brewed with 8 ingredients: Two-row, Munich, Caramel Wheat and Carafoam malts, fresh, unkilned Centennial and Cascade hops, proprietary Pacman yeast and free range coastal water. I would like to point out the part in "bold" print. I'm all about giving one's self to the ale gods, but this takes it to a whole new level. As a Rogue Nation member in g...

Picture the scene in the movie with the Governor responding to the question...Do I dare say... Dare , Dare .... I keep going back and looking at a mid-life type of "I'm going to catch hell" kind of dilemma. I have found a street rod type of 1963 BMW R69 bike. It has a custom front suspension with a Norton wind screen, Ducati fuel tank and period style saddle bags. The paint is black with red fogged into the tank around the leg rest. The frame is painted red to match the fogged in color on the tank and fenders. The engine is from a later model BMW 1000cc bike with custom built stainless steel spoke wheels. I'm to scared to even take pictures of it as DW has been a good sport listening to me talk about it. But, I do believe that if I start bringing home pictures of it I just might find myself sleeping with the worm in a bin. I don't really think I need or even want the bike. It really is pretty and needs a good home. I just am at that point when I think I should hav...

World Domination Summit..Part two. Yes, once again the Hamster party has met and confirmed that the Northwest is secure and accounted for by WC and RS. MonkeyDragon was there to take notes and document the event....film at eleven....and rejoice with a nice Rogue Gin with a splash of soda water. WC went for the Rogue Rum, while Squirrel drank the Rogue 200 meter IPA with a I2PA chaser. TR drank a nice Juniper Pale Ale, also known as Yellow Snow Ale while the leader drank lemonade. The royal part did get to meet the next generation of the Hamster party members as both of my rodents and little Squirrel were there as well. Even the head of the Squirrel household was there to give us legal advise. TR and WH are two of the nicest guys one could spend time with, charming and down right funny. However, I will take the blame for not checking with the Tacoma Glass Museum to see if the the tour day was in fact the one day of the year when the museum is closed for it's big gala.

I have no ideal why that comment comes to mind, other than the fact that I don't eat bread made from wheat and this is where the issue starts. Try and find a nice burger served on a bun not made from wheat flour, NOT going to happen. This is why I should own stock in Chipotle Grill as I eat there more than I do at home. When I travel it's Chipotle for lunch and it's Chiptle for dinner. You know you have been somewhere to often when you walk in and are asked if it will be the usual? And this happens in both Seattle and Portland locations. For those of you that are wondering, is Chipotle Grill Gluten free? The answerer is yes as long as you don't have the "hot" sauce and the flower wraps. On a side note, I took the littlest rodent with me on today's travels. All I can say is, OMG, does she ever stop talking? The answerer to that questions in a definite NO!

and games until someone tell's on me!

Most people don't think of the upper section of the Rogue as a place to go visit and think about life. I find that the upper section is full of visual poetry and calming sounds. This is a fun little drop to play in on a hot summer day or during the cold spring run off from Mt. Mazama (Crater Lake) This is another section of the Rogue that travels through a collapsed lava tube. Great fun in a inflatable kayak. I could sit for hours in the twilight and listen to the rushing water as it flow to the sea. The upper section of the Rogue is not seen or used by many as it is so close to Crater Lake that most everyone drives right by these sites. The real beauty here goes unseen by the masses. Any true Rogue Nation member knows these spots well...........Mr. Squirrel.

Did I mention that I was snowed on in June. I'm not overly fond of snow as it makes for a cold butt. Dreaming of the early days on the river. Spring run off always makes the rivers more fun. Out for a nice hike. As a Druid, one must always stop and spend time with the locals.

Means that you never know when a post might be in order. I have lots of pictures to show everyone, however, blogger does not seem to want to help with the upload of said pictures. Later maybe? For the month of June, I've been snowed on while traveling to Central Oregon, burnt in Northern California, blown away in Central and Eastern Washington. Good times have been had by all. So, on the topic of computers, does anyone have any input on what I should get for myself and for the oldest rodent in the house? I will be using mine for work and goofing off. Oldest rodent will be using it for high school class work. The garden tour is just 2 weeks away and I have so much to do. I think that I shall drink from the Rogue Rum bottle and sit back and enjoy what we have done so far and ignore the rest. It's not that I really drink rum or even want to drink rum. It just sounds good to drink rum with a umbrella in the back yard.

Since taking a new position this spring, I have enjoyed the lack of travel that came with the change flow of life. However, all good things seem short lived as I must now start traveling again on a somewhat regular basis's. The travel will be one to two nights a week during the summer months and then I can go back to less travel come the winter months when sales slow down and customers don't want to see me as much. And due to the lack of a computer to travel with, up loading pictures will come at less regular intervals for present time. And just for the record...I flipp'in snowed on me Wednesday....Snow in June. I have pictures to prove it. Stay tuned.

of my sweet DW turning 29 again. It seems that one furry little rodent has tried to forget the pending doom of another Birthday in the woodland creature house. But thanks to friends in the blogging world, not going to happen. 1st Birthday in a new house, job, and stage of my life. Just how does that change anything that is going on or the point of view at which you look at things in your life? The answer....it does not change a thing! Who has time to contemplate life, the universe, and everything? We all know that the answer is 42 and I good with that. Thank you to my littlest rodent for making me breakfast today. I had a very nice omelet with toast. And the omelet was fluffy just the way it should be. I have Rogue Hazelnut spiced Rum, and Tequila if I should decide that I want to celebrate with a little drink later tonight. Birthday plans for the weekend. I will be working in the yard all day Saturday on the drip system for watering the plants. And Sunday, mow the lawn, pull weeds, an...

A nice new toy to play with.... But I'm getting a I'm so lucky......No wait, DW is going to be the lucky one as this is to replace her computer.

At a Holiday Inn Express Sunny/Raining/Sunny Washington. Nothing to report at the moment. Question: Why do things break as soon as I leave town? DW's putter dies just as I'm about 3 hours away. CRAP!