The Year of the Tiger

I visited the Chinese Classical Garden in downtown Portland this afternoon. This is the Chinese New Year – The Year of the Tiger. At 1:00 p.m. I attended a Feng Shui Lecture - Welcoming the God of Wealth – in the Scholar’s Study. I received a red envelope, symbolizing good luck for the coming year and two chocolate coins. There was a ceremony in the Scholar’s Courtyard (see photo). Afterwards I sat on the deck of Painted Boat in Misty Rain where I ate my lunch that I had purchased earlier at Starbucks. There was a very fragrant Meyer Lemon plant in a large ceramic pot next to me. I purchased a yearly membership so I can return many times this coming year.

Geocaching on a warm Springlike day, Feb. 17th

After my monthly blood test at the Providence Cancer Center in Portland, my #2 son, Christopher (Dancing Penguin) and I did a few geocaches in the east side of Portland and then found several geocaches and created two geocaches in the area east of Oregon City. I had corresponded with Dave Ulmer, pioneer geocacher, so I was anxious to see the places that he talked about. We stopped at the Original Stash Plaque even though we had been there before. We also stopped at the Redlands Grange where the GEOregon 10th Anniversary of Geocaching will be held on Saturday, May 1st.

Trip to Lincoln City for Geocoin Hunt

Christopher, Catherine and I went to Lincoln City for the Geocoin Hunt early Saturday morning. We took Hwy 18 west, finding a couple geocaches along the way. We arrived at the Community Center about 9:30am. After the welcome speech from Ivan we were given our contest forms. We found nine geocaches and six virtuals in Lincoln City. It took us about two and half hours. We turned in our filled out forms and got our geocoins.

Afterwards we found a few more caches. We checked into the motel about 3:30pm. We unloaded the car. We had a suite -- living room with sofa bed, dining room and kitchen; bathroom; and a separate bedroom for Christopher. Catherine and I watched the ocean from the huge front and side windows while Christopher took a short nap.

We had dinner at McMenamin’s Light House Brew Pub on the second level. We stopped by the motel office so I could rent a movie. We watched “Twilight.” When I went to bed the ocean was so loud it sounded like it was coming in the room although we were about a hundred feet above the shore.

We rose about 7:30am, ate breakfast of hard cooked eggs, bran muffins and bananas. We loaded the car and headed north. The weather was quite lovely. We found several caches and benchmarks between Lincoln City and Astoria. We stopped at Tillamook Creamery for ice cream. Christopher and I climbed the Astoria Column while Catherine walked around looking at the exhibits. Christopher flew a balsam airplane off the top. I watched it soaring through the air.

We traveled southwest to Jewell finding geocaches and benchmarks along the way. We cut over on Hwy 103 to Hwy 26. It was dark by the time we reached the Sunset Highway. We got to Vancouver about 7:15pm. Christopher stayed long enough to log the caches and benchmarks but Catherine headed home to her cat, Patches.

Tuesday evening, February 2

Posh Spice Victoria Beckham was one of the judges this evening on "American Idol." I was absolutely shocked at her appearance. She looked like a skeleton with a rather strange hairdo.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

I drove into Portland and rode MAX light rail and streetcar to The Old Church at 11th & Clay. I sat in the front row for “The Mysterious Mr. Love” play reading presented by The Portland Civic Theatre Guild. The professional readers told their story without costumes or sets. Afterwards I caught the streetcar and then walked to Nordstrom. I had lunch in the Nordstrom Café at a table overlooking Pioneer Courthouse Square. It was a lovely day. January was one of the warmest months on record but I am still glad it is over. Someone once said that January would not be so bad if it just came later in the year.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Christopher and I drove east on I-84. I stopped briefly in Troutdale so Christopher could find a cache that I had already found. We stopped at the Hood River Suspension Bridge but could not find the cache. We did find the cache in The Dalles that I was unable to find on my last visit. I drove just a little north of Dufur ("Ask not what Dufur can do for you, ask what you can do for Dufur") so Christopher could find a cache for Delome Square #31 that I had already found.

We crossed The Dalles Bridge to Stonehenge, the first of the six caches in the Goldendale series. We drove north to Goldendale where we found the rest of the series: Vern Markee Park, Presby, Books, Star Gazing and Wind Farm plus two benchmarks on the road down from the observatory. We found two more benchmarks along the Columbia River and retrieved a cache near Carson, Washington. We crossed the Bridge of the Gods at Cascade Locks and headed home on I-84.

January 26, 2010

I went to the Goodwill Superstore on 6th in Portland. I purchased a British novel “Backpack” by emily barr. Afterwards I drove south to Papa Haydn’s where I had a slice of delicious Tangerine Cheesecake.