Well folks, we survived the packing and the moving.
Barely.
As Nikki alluded, I kinda freaked out during our three-day packing and moving. Sometimes I'm not the most mellow person on this planet. OK, OK.... I'm never the most mellow person on this planet.
I hate moving. I hate packing. And yes, I blamed Nikki and her need to go to a school across the country.... I got mad because we're broke and I quit my well-paying job to become a full-time dad while she goes to school. Not exactly paying attention to "the big picture," I realize, but hey, we're allowed our moments of weakness.
Aren't we? Please say yes.
Whatever. What's done is done. It is what it is. And right now, "it" is us living with what we could fit in (and on) our car.
We're in Bend, and I'd say it fits us well. It's full of - as my friend Bryce would say - "the PLU." That's People Like Us. Unlike Hillsboro...
People here like the great outdoors, beer and each other. There are a ton of bikers (on our street the bike traffic is easily twice that of cars), climbers, skiers, kayakers, hikers and other adrenaline junkies. There are also several breweries and brewpubs. AND, AND.... the people are friendly. I constantly find myself in conversations with strangers (who don't feel like strangers). So unlike Hillsboro, where if you talk to someone you don't know they either ignore you, glare at you or try to talk about their intimate relationship to Jesus Christ (or how a woman's role is in the home.... and she should have, as one woman told me "as many babies as God allows. I hope to have eight." "Wow," I replied. "That's a lot. I hope you have help." "Oh yes," she said, "God." "Does God change diapers?" She stopped talking to me after that. I was fine with that.)
The boys and I have been riding around town checking out the playgrounds (all of which seem to have a mandatory climbing wall) and the river scene (it's been in the mid-90's, so a dip in the ice-cold river feels perfect!). On Nikki's first day off, the family went on a hike around Todd Lake, an alpine lake up near Mt. Bachelor. It felt so good to be in the mountains again.
We'll have to put Bend on the short list of "places we could move to when Nikki is finished with school." It would be a great place for the boys to grow up; there's skiing, world-class mountain biking, climbing, and, most important, a sense of community.
04 July 2009
21 June 2009
Sunday Parkways
little rider
Originally uploaded by Ben McLeod
The loop connected several parks and neighborhoods, and temporarily converted a good portion of the city into a (carfree) park. The turnout was amazing and the weather was typical Portland-weird (sunny rain showers).
Last year, there was one experimental Sunday Parkways. It was such a success that the city decided to host three this summer. I wish we were going to be around for the next two.
Liam rode his own bike, and, while there were a few tears and moans about halfway through the ride, we all made it and had a wonderful time. He tried his hand at the MTB skills course that was set up in Kenton Park.
A big HUGE thanks to the City of Portland as well as all the volunteers who made today possible!
17 June 2009
grocery shopping by bike
We may be car[e]free, but that doesn't mean we can't stock-up on supplies.
The boys and I just got back from a trip to the grocery store - by bike. I'm not able to pick up the amount I could get when I have the car, but I can still get what we need. Today I got some diapers, beer, bananas, local strawberries, tortillas and charcoal. I was able to fit it into my panniers, bike bag and the Chariot.
Liam, being the big boy that he is, rides his bike alongside me (no more bike train for him)!
Being car[e]free in Hillsboro with two little boys is a challenge, but we're making it work!
The boys and I just got back from a trip to the grocery store - by bike. I'm not able to pick up the amount I could get when I have the car, but I can still get what we need. Today I got some diapers, beer, bananas, local strawberries, tortillas and charcoal. I was able to fit it into my panniers, bike bag and the Chariot.
Liam, being the big boy that he is, rides his bike alongside me (no more bike train for him)!
Being car[e]free in Hillsboro with two little boys is a challenge, but we're making it work!
16 June 2009
one of those days
Camper woke up crying today at 7 am and pretty much cried all day; look at him wrong, don't share a toy, share a toy, it didn't matter, he was a screamer. Liam wanted nothing but to either watch TV, "do his work" (Liam refers to playing on the computer as "doing my work") or eat chocolate chips and/or some gross-ass popsicles (that Nikki bought last weekend. "Slow Melt" popsicles?! What the fuck is that!? It can't be good for you!).
It's eleven pm and Camper finally stopped running around about 45 minutes ago. I've barely had a minute to myself all day. They wouldn't play outside unless I was with them. They wouldn't play (nicely) inside unless I was with them. I couldn't even go to the bathroom without Camper following me and pounding on the door (if I dared shut it!).
I tried taking them to the library for the reading time this morning, but Camper was such a little asshole, we had to leave. He was screaming, yelling, throwing books, grabbing things from other kids, and crawling up on the table. It was really great. I was the father of that kid.
It's only Tuesday, but I'm already starting to go batty. I get tweets from a twitter-bot that lists all the beers on tap in PDX I get tweets from BikePortland describing all the fun Pedalpalooza events ... and I get to hang out in Hillsboro with a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old (we're still carless, so the only way into PDX is on the MAX, which is fine, but not realistic with the boys and any bikes).
Today was one of those days where I had to keep reminding (and trying to convince) myself that I'm one of the lucky ones. Most dads don't get to see this much of thier children....
Tomorrow will be better.
It's eleven pm and Camper finally stopped running around about 45 minutes ago. I've barely had a minute to myself all day. They wouldn't play outside unless I was with them. They wouldn't play (nicely) inside unless I was with them. I couldn't even go to the bathroom without Camper following me and pounding on the door (if I dared shut it!).
I tried taking them to the library for the reading time this morning, but Camper was such a little asshole, we had to leave. He was screaming, yelling, throwing books, grabbing things from other kids, and crawling up on the table. It was really great. I was the father of that kid.
It's only Tuesday, but I'm already starting to go batty. I get tweets from a twitter-bot that lists all the beers on tap in PDX I get tweets from BikePortland describing all the fun Pedalpalooza events ... and I get to hang out in Hillsboro with a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old (we're still carless, so the only way into PDX is on the MAX, which is fine, but not realistic with the boys and any bikes).
Today was one of those days where I had to keep reminding (and trying to convince) myself that I'm one of the lucky ones. Most dads don't get to see this much of thier children....
Tomorrow will be better.
glimmers of humanity
Yesterday I witnessed an act by my son that I believe every parent would want to watch their child do.
While crossing the swinging bridge-thing, a little girl behind Camper stumbled and nearly fell off. Camper let out a gasp, and quickly moved in to help. He handed her a bar, and then held it steady while she pulled herself on. After that, he walked slowly across the bridge with her to make sure she was OK.
Once it was clear that she was across the bridge and OK, he quickly resumed his rambunctious, and potentially hazardous play.
It wasn't a huge deal, but sometimes it's the very little things that matter the most.
Those glimmers of humanity.
While crossing the swinging bridge-thing, a little girl behind Camper stumbled and nearly fell off. Camper let out a gasp, and quickly moved in to help. He handed her a bar, and then held it steady while she pulled herself on. After that, he walked slowly across the bridge with her to make sure she was OK.
Once it was clear that she was across the bridge and OK, he quickly resumed his rambunctious, and potentially hazardous play.
It wasn't a huge deal, but sometimes it's the very little things that matter the most.
Those glimmers of humanity.
15 June 2009
change in plans!
We're being sent to Bend, Oregon rather than Nampa, Idaho!
View Larger Map
I guess the doctor in Idaho is having some personal issues (like a trip to see Betty Ford), so Nikki has been reassigned to a dermatology clinic in Bend.
Sweet!
I'd much rather spend July at the base of Mt. Bachelor than in a town with a slaughterhouse and paper mill. So would you.
Two weeks from today we'll be in Bend, so we've been packing and organizing. Most of our belongings are going into (or are already in) storage, so it's a matter of picking what comes and what stays, and then of the stuff that stays, making sure it's well-organized and easy to access so when we do need stuff, it'll be easy to find.
View Larger Map
I guess the doctor in Idaho is having some personal issues (like a trip to see Betty Ford), so Nikki has been reassigned to a dermatology clinic in Bend.
Sweet!
I'd much rather spend July at the base of Mt. Bachelor than in a town with a slaughterhouse and paper mill. So would you.
Two weeks from today we'll be in Bend, so we've been packing and organizing. Most of our belongings are going into (or are already in) storage, so it's a matter of picking what comes and what stays, and then of the stuff that stays, making sure it's well-organized and easy to access so when we do need stuff, it'll be easy to find.
09 June 2009
my little punk
Camper has taken up a charming new way of letting his displeasure be known.
Sticking his tongue out and zurburtting at you - and if you're close enough, he'll take a swing at you. He's deadly serious when he does it, which frankly, makes it all the cuter, and therefore harder to punish (it's hard for the kids to believe you are serious when you're half-laughing).
I'm trying my best to ignore it, but I'm not sure that's the best approach.
He's a tough little guy with a strong personality who won't back down for anything or anyone.I don't think he should have any problems with the McLeod Clan motto: Hold Fast. The Clan Crest is a bullhead between two flag poles with red flags and the motto Hold fast.
Sticking his tongue out and zurburtting at you - and if you're close enough, he'll take a swing at you. He's deadly serious when he does it, which frankly, makes it all the cuter, and therefore harder to punish (it's hard for the kids to believe you are serious when you're half-laughing).
I'm trying my best to ignore it, but I'm not sure that's the best approach.
He's a tough little guy with a strong personality who won't back down for anything or anyone.I don't think he should have any problems with the McLeod Clan motto: Hold Fast. The Clan Crest is a bullhead between two flag poles with red flags and the motto Hold fast.
07 June 2009
auction is a go
My Mac Pro is on eBay.
Mac Pro, 24-inch Cinema HD display and speakers - eBay (item 150350275083 end time Jun-13-09 10:20:38 PDT)
I really (really ... really ... really) hope that I can get enough to afford a 17-inch MacBook Pro.
I don't want to be computer-less while we're doing our gypsy-thing, and I want to be able to continue running my photo processing/organization software, Aperture, which needs high-end hardware to run well. I've just started to make a bit of money from sales of photos through Getty, as well as the art dealer, Farmboy Fine Arts. It would be kind of silly to walk away from that opportunity. Besides, the travel may give me an opportunity to build up a more diverse portfolio.
And really, could I live without my blogging and tweeting and Facebooking and Flickring!?
Mac Pro, 24-inch Cinema HD display and speakers - eBay (item 150350275083 end time Jun-13-09 10:20:38 PDT)
I really (really ... really ... really) hope that I can get enough to afford a 17-inch MacBook Pro.
I don't want to be computer-less while we're doing our gypsy-thing, and I want to be able to continue running my photo processing/organization software, Aperture, which needs high-end hardware to run well. I've just started to make a bit of money from sales of photos through Getty, as well as the art dealer, Farmboy Fine Arts. It would be kind of silly to walk away from that opportunity. Besides, the travel may give me an opportunity to build up a more diverse portfolio.And really, could I live without my blogging and tweeting and Facebooking and Flickring!?
Up
We took the kids to see Up in 3D last night. As usual, Pixar knocked it out of the park.
I had heard that the first half-hour-or-so is a bit sad, and may be too much for little kids. We
needn't have worried; the whole death thing was lost on them. Pixar does such a masterful job of telling a story on two levels; one for the adults and one for the children. I was choked up by tears of sadness over death, and dreams never fulfilled, while Liam was choked up laughing at poor little Carl fall through the creaky board in the old house.
Watching it in 3D offers a strange and somewhat disconcerting experience. It wasn't like "traditional" 3D movies where things appear to be popping OUT of the screen. It was more like looking INTO a moving diorama. The edge of the screen appeared to be about twenty feet from the wall. I'm not really sure if I liked it or not. The 3D glasses were a bit heavy and felt odd piled on top of my glasses (Liam said to me, as I was sitting down, "Daddy, you should have worn your contacts!"). Liam wore his for about 75% of the movie, while Camper barely wore his.
It was a great movie with wonderful characters, amazing animation and a fun-filled adventure to tie it all together.
"Won't you please be my prisoner, please please please!"
I had heard that the first half-hour-or-so is a bit sad, and may be too much for little kids. We
needn't have worried; the whole death thing was lost on them. Pixar does such a masterful job of telling a story on two levels; one for the adults and one for the children. I was choked up by tears of sadness over death, and dreams never fulfilled, while Liam was choked up laughing at poor little Carl fall through the creaky board in the old house.Watching it in 3D offers a strange and somewhat disconcerting experience. It wasn't like "traditional" 3D movies where things appear to be popping OUT of the screen. It was more like looking INTO a moving diorama. The edge of the screen appeared to be about twenty feet from the wall. I'm not really sure if I liked it or not. The 3D glasses were a bit heavy and felt odd piled on top of my glasses (Liam said to me, as I was sitting down, "Daddy, you should have worn your contacts!"). Liam wore his for about 75% of the movie, while Camper barely wore his.
It was a great movie with wonderful characters, amazing animation and a fun-filled adventure to tie it all together.
"Won't you please be my prisoner, please please please!"
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