McDonald - Dunn Forest (the bike ride)

This is self explanatory

Likewise !!!

The Quarry

Likewise !!!

The Oregon Amphibians Click on picture to enlarge. Click on Post Title for the Amphibians education page.

It was not a pretty day, overcast but dry. Temperature in the 50's, so I went biking. I went back to the trail Judi, the furry heard, and I went last weekend. This time I went alone. I went to explore the trails that branched from the main trail. fun stuff if you ask me.

I came across this old Quarry which as you can see was filled with water and massively populated with this strange looking Amphibians. It was very entertaining to watch them swim and come to the surface for air. If you wonder why I did not take the pups? well, I did not take them because I did not wanted to slowdown in the down hill sections of the trail. After all, speed is the fun part of Mountain biking.

Davies Nettleton Loop

Welcome to Corvallis, OR

Click on post title for a trail description

Judi and the herd enjoying the hike

Yep, Campeon found some green goo and smear it all over his coat.

This is Judi on the trail went I thought it was hot.

This is Campeon giving me his opinion about my photographic skills

No doubt a lot of joy for the heard (pack)

The trail wizard is about to do her magic

Escargot anyone? one big slug laying on the trail. How can something so nasty looking can be so tasteful? (a little Olive oil, Shallots, Garlic, ... hum, hum, hum)

Well, the weather was good and the weatherman said more rain comming; So we pack the heard an went to the woods. I discovered that Corvallis is loaded with trails and is just about 25 miles away. I hope to do a trail a week, I hope, but you all (Y'all for the Alabama Friends) know how that works.

Davies Nettleton Loop is a 6.35 miles loop with an elevation gain of just 800 ft. and it takes a total of 3 hours to complete. The trail is moderate and not a single track trail but it is a fire / logging road which made it perfect for the heard and us.

Spawn of Hell, Phil

This is not Rain is hail. See, I felt like collecting the ice pellets and made my own frozen margaritas. Yeah,yeah,yeah, It is not that I like my truck so much, but I do, it is that I seem to always park in the same spot.

Well it was a weekend of hail and snowflakes; more hail than snowflakes. Nope, no accumulation of snow no matter how much I prayed for it. Judi being a cheese head was tired of the white stuff falling from the sky. I have to admit I still get exited about snow and like to look out of the window to see its progress.

Hillary 2008

Eugene bleeding hearts displaying an anti-war flag. I couldn't resist to notice the resemblance to the the gay rainbow flag. Coincidence??? I think not. These democrats are weird Not this democrat He got his first real job in his life. Better her than Obama, any day.

UPDATE !!!

Click on the post for a link to Hillary's whole speech

Click twice for the movie

On April 5Th, 2008 Judi and I got up early and left the house by 0800 hrs; Our destination was Eugene Oregon and our mission to listen Hillary Clinton speak.

Well, It was a cold and rainy. We stand for hours in line. The doors did not open until 1210 hrs and Hillary did not speak until 1440 hrs. Please keep in mind that I am a Republican, I did the best I could. I hope you enjoy the short film; it was fun making it.

Two Years in Salem

Portland downtown.

Kind of windy, hard to believe Judi is from Wisconsin I thought this is a cool building. Not to earthquake standard so better take a picture now. Performing arts building

Wow, two years already; where does time goes?

Two years ago we arrived in Salem thinking I was going to be a Salem Police Officer and social service jobs were plentiful so Judi will get one in no time. We were wrong, 5 months later I got a job as a supervisor for the Department of Human Services (DHS) Child Welfare (CW), Working with the adolescent Unit, kids raised by the agency. Angry little angels with no respect for authority and the agency having no power over the situation. Not a good fit for me.

Judi landed a job with DHS / CW few months later as a Social Worker in the In-Home Unit. Judi is responsible for several families who are failing in being safe (decrease parental protection), but who's kids have not been removed from the home. This is a very delicate and sensitive matter since the victim and the perpetrator still living together and the case could go sour at any time. To work in this unit requires a quick mind, strong behavioral science background, excellent negotiation skills (Court, Attorneys, and community partners) and most important nerves of steal (your decision can result in a kid damage by the removal of his home environment or damaged by an abuser). Judi and the workers in her unit make decision based on Court orders, observations, and gut feelings.

The reward? The case gets close because Mom or Dad became a better parent or the kid(s) was removed with not further harm because the parents did not got better. The risk? A kid(s) gets hurt because the wrong call was made.

I changed jobs in September. I felt I had to at least do a year in DHS / CW. I became an Investigator for the Office of Investigations and Training (OIT). Our mandate is to investigate allegations of abuse and neglect to people with Developmental Disabilities. I think this is a better fit for me.

I still miss been a cop, but I am glad I did not become a cop in Oregon. Looking at the tactics employed by cops here, cops are not that safe. Cops are very involved in Civil matters and duties that should be carry out by a deputy Sherrif. Cops / citizens contact seem to be complacent, even when there are several prison's releasing felons every day. Law enforcement is reactionary as oppose to proactive. Now, I do not miss: traffic stops in the rain, traffic accident calls, heavy gear to carry, Citizen BS calls, etc. I still get to Carry a badge, confront hostile people (some times), people still lie to me (all the time), and I still get to seek the truth; so I guess it balance itself out.

Oh, I forgot, Judi and I have every Friday, Saturday, and Sundays Off. Life is hell here in the North West.

4 Years & Counting

Judi and I celebrated our 4Th wedding anniversary. I can't believe she has put up with me for this long. Believe me, I am not an easy person to live with but Judi somehow manage. She also seem to take good care of me. She spoils me an feed me well, I have a neck/chin, belly, and cholesterol to prove it. I am one lucky man; I am almost reaching the status of Campeon.

We went to the Melting Pot (Fondue place) in Portland. We order the big night out Lobster fusion as main dish, the Wisconsin three cheese as appetiser, Spinach salad, and the ying-yan (white and milk chocolate) desert. The ambiance was great. Little jazz playing in the background, little booth in the corner, low lights, you get the idea. Angie, our server, was very good. She gave us the right amount of information and a game plan to tackle all the food coming our way and was wise enough to give us our privacy.

Phil Was Wrong

Click on "Phil was wrong" for a link to the trail information page.

Judi is leading the pack.

Judi is in the look out for cougars and bears since we just read the post it sign warning us about their presence on the area.

Here is me, since I hardly have my picture taken. Evidence that I do exist.

The start of the trail, it is a battle for dominance.

The puppies are wild with Joy.

Phil was wrong, there is no shadow; at least not in Oregon. We lucked out. We will enjoy a 4 day weekend and it will be sunny and nice. The weather should be sunny and in the lower to mid 70's. The next schedule rainy day is not until Tuesday Feb 19th. Woo Hoo !!!!! We went to hike Dan's Trail in Corvallis. Just a little warm up for the up coming season, since Judi and I work schedule gives us Fridays off we are planning to tackle the trails this Spring, Summer, and Fall. That is ground or water. God willing that is.

The Roloff Farm (The Video Sample)

Here is a clip of our visit to the Roloff Farm back in September 2006. We posted pictures of our visit then but we never post the short film we created. That film is lock in Judi's computer, so I will have to edit another one. Here is a sample of what it may look like, but I really doubt it.

Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo

Judi waved while freezing, hard to believe she was born and raised in Wisconsin.

The wind was picking up (wind chill is a killer), so I had to hide behind the wall I hope you can get an idea of what it really looked from our perspective.

Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo

It is a White Christmas, sort of.

Salem is located in the Oregon's valley. One hour east of the coast and one hour west of the Cascade Mountains. Yep, you got it. One hour to the sea and one hour to the snow. Oregon has the same geographical features as Puerto Rico in the sense that all the moisture of the cold Arctic air hit the mountains and precipitates over the valley. The air which flows to the east of the Cascades is dry making eastern Oregon a desert. The same is true in Puerto Rico in which cold moist air flowing north to south, from the Atlantic ocean to the Caribbean sea, hit the "Cordillera Central" keeping the north side of the island wetter than the south.

This geographical feature keeps a lot of rain in valley during the end of Fall, all Winter, and the beginning of Spring. Rain start at the end of October and stops on early April. Now, Summer is awesome here in Oregon. We were told that very rarely snow hit the valley floor due to its low altitude. They claim snow does not fall below 500 feet very often, but our house is only 361 feet above sea level and I have seen snow flakes both winters. Go figure !!

Judi and I spend Christmas Eve with Molly's family here in West Salem; and x-mas day was spent with Karla, Judi's partner in crime when Child abuse has been reported.

The Weather News predicts 2 to 3 inches of accumulated snow after midnight. I can only hope. Have you noticed the hills around the house?

Erin Lynn Mann

WELCOME HOME ERIN !!!!! Michael and Holly Mann are the proud parents of a healthy baby girl named Erin Lynn. She was born at 0410 hrs on December 22nd, 2007. I think she is quite a lucky girl to be born in such a loving family. I have no pictures of her but as soon as I get them, with the parents consent of course, I will let you have a pick on the new Mann's baby. Congratulations Michael, even when it was Holly who did most of the work and all the labor.

RE: The Manns, posted on April 22nd 2006. (20 months later, huh?)

Blog Update

Hello there, I hope you got the chance to enjoy the updates I have been adding to the blog. First you may notice two (2) weather gadgets added to the blog. I added one (1) because I like to keep track of the movement of wind current and NOAA information. The other because it has a lot of cool features.

1. It has access to the web cams around the state with a link to its original page.
2. It also has access to Gaiagi, a cool satellite photo program.
3. It has a few days weather forecast by the Weather Bug and you can also see a little weather forecast clip.
4. More stuff, just play around with it.

I also added three (3) sources of local news, since the blog is kind of center around our lives in Oregon. Two (2) are TV stations gadgets and one (1) is a local news paper.

I hope you like the improvements.

PS.

Well, as I searched for gadgets to add to the blog, I came across a gadget about earthquakes. I thought, Oregon has the Cascadian Fault of it's coast, maybe a "watch" gadget will not be such a bad idea. Then I thought, why be such a pessimist. So I did not include it in the early updates.

I was proudly showing Judi my accomplishments as a "blog master"and she pointed out that the news feed has reported a 4.7 quake out of Oregon's coast tonight. So here I am adding this gadget. I hope you like the gadget as well, feel free to play with it.

Check Out, If you are a Trekkie of course, the tribute to Star Trek 40th Anniversary at the bottom of the page.

Mannheim Steamroller (Fresh Aire)

Click on the post title for a link to Mannheim Steamroller's web page.

This is how close we got to see Chip Davis and Mannheim Steamroller. We sat on table 36 and I took advange of the complementary wine. Judi attacked the cheese and crakers, typical Cheese head.

The "Show" is on its way.

Judi broke the Gingerbread man's heart.

Is the season to be Jolly.

This was an excellent village display

On November 30th Judi and I went to the Quarter Rose Auditorium in Portland to enjoy a Concert by Mannheim Steamroller. I became a fan of this group back in December of 1984. Bobby Beceril, a friend of mine, introduced me to a song from their first Christmas album.

I liked it so much that I did a diligent search and started to gather their Fresh Aire collection, first on tapes and now in cd's, all 8 of them. During the years I have also collected 5 of their Christmas albums, but I doubt I will collect all 7 of them since they are getting repetitive, Mannheim Steamroller meet the mouse, Yellowstone: The music of nature, Classical Gas, Saving the Wildlife, Romantic Melodies, and 2 of their Ambiance collection. Yes, I am a big fan.

In recent years Mannheim Steamroller became popular with their Christmas albums. Prior to the success of holidays music, only few people like me knew about them, not so good for bus sines. Now all they seem to focus is Christmas music. I am disappointed since I really enjoy the Fresh Aire style Chip Davis created. Now, I guess, I will never hear them play those song live. Anyways the concert was excellent.

First Movie

Here is a copy of the first short movie created by the Furry Herd Production company. The film was taken in the winter of 2004 in Wisconsin. The company agreed that an old fashion appearance was the key factor for the activity display by the protagonist.

2007 Summer Project Update

Hey Luis, are you done yet? asked Judi.

Can you finish today? asked Judi.

I dig and dig just like a chain gang inmate, but I make no progress.

What should I do with all this dirt?

The work just piles up around here. said Luis

Here are more pics of the project. At this progress , it may become into the "Summer 2008" project. Of course Judi will kill me if I let it go that far. besides I am ready to see the whole plan get together. I'll keep Ya'll posted.

Bahia Principe Part Deux

Click on the post title for a link to Bahia Pricipe Web Page.

Photo of the buildings

Judi drinking Rum products in a coconut by the beach

Judi leaving a shop by Pueblo Principe.

Judi and I, am not holding my belly in, judi is pushing it in.

Yours truly arriving in Florida, United States in 1986.

Now I know I am getting old. In past years some one would have sugest to take a vacation to sit by the beach and do nothing but eat, drink, and sleep. I would have laugh at that person. Vacation is not for rest it is for exploring and adventure. Well, I spent 7 days sitting, eating, and drinking and I loved it. I am getting old.