DETENTION OF THE DEAD

Look at the left hand side of the photo and what do you see? A LongBoardLarry board IN A MOVIE!

Do you remember when I posted about Zombies and LongBoardLarry having something in common? This is it!!

Detention of the Dead is when "Comedy and Horror unite in this “The Breakfast Club” meets “Shaun of the Dead” tale about a group of oddball high school students who find themselves trapped in detention during a Zombie Apocalypse."

Ash (Justin Chon who plays Eric in the Twlight movies) will be riding our board. If you click "LINKS" on the Detention of the Dead webpage, Ash rides across the screen.

We will keep you posted as we learn new information and the movie release date. Needless to say, WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!

HAVE A DELICIOUS WEEKEND

Frozen yogurt will definitely be included in ours.

PADDLE BOATS AND FEEDING DUCKS

That is how we spend a good part of the day. The wee ones were frightened at first of the water, but after we coerced them into their life vests, seated them on the paddle boat, and out on the water, the fear was gone.

We had rented one boat but after ten minutes, we went back to the dock to get a second one.
Waverly Park is beautiful and we are already planning on coming back with the Larrys.

There are gorgeous flowers, cute ducks and geese, soft green grass, shading trees, picnic tables, BBQ grills, a trail around the water and these fun paddle boats that are only $5 for 30 minutes.

Bring bread for the duckies, a picnic lunch for the family, rent a couple paddle boats and be prepared to have your legs feel like jello.

WHO KNEW ICE CREAM AND MONKEY WOULD BE IN THE SAME SENTENCE,

without talking about Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey. I took the man clan to a cute little burger joint for some ice cream and to meet it's resident monkey, Elvis. Elvis is a family pet that hangs out at the restaurant during the day. He has a zip-line, rings, a hanging car and toys that makes for a super cute monkey playground. He was sleepy when we were there and I thought the boys might be disappointed in not seeing cute monkey shenanigans; but they weren't. There were a lot of giggles and ahh's as Elvis ate snacks from his snack tube and kept snuggling up with his blanket.
Malts, Sundaes, Monkey - this cracked me up!
You will find Alf's on the corner of Baker and Clairmont in McMinnville. It is a small diner with indoor and outdoor seating. It is decorated old school in black, white and red with a lot of fun retro tchotchkes and monkey paraphernalia.

I've heard mixed reviews on food and service, but when we were there service was very friendly and my man clan devoured the homemade ice cream. They want to go back and try the burgers and fries.

TASTE TEST

I was thrilled to find Rising Moon Organics had some vegan ravioli. It's been a year since I've had a ravioli and I was excited to find them! The hunt was on. I found four at LifeSource and couldn't decide which one to try, so I decided to get them all and do a taste test for dinner. I made some homemade marinara sauce (btw, it's ah-mazing!) and got the water boiling. Here's how we scored the tasty morsels.

1. Garlic and Basil Gnocchi - 5 out of 5 stars. Delicious! You would never know it was vegan.

2. Butternut Squash Ravioli - 5 out of 5 stars. Wonderful! Although, my marinara sauce was too much for it. I would serve it with a simple garlic sauce. Do you have any other ideas for sauces that would complement butternut squash?

3. Spinach Florentine Ravioli - 5 out of 5 stars. Fantastic! Loved the flavor.

4. Creamy Artichoke and Olive - 0 out of 5 stars. I thought this would be my favorite. I even saved it for last so I could savor it. I hated it. I took one bite and gave the rest to Larry. It doesn't specify on the list of ingredients, but I think the olives were kalamata and I don't like those. Larry gave it a 3 out of 5. He'd eat it if it was served to him and enjoy it, but he wouldn't go out and buy it.

3 out of 4 hit the jackpot and I'm thrilled to add them to my 'go to' grocery arsenal for those days I need something yummy, nutritious and quick.

WEDNESDAY MARKET

I took a couple of my man clan downtown to the outdoor market they have on Wednesdays. We came home with fresh mango lemonade and a delicious assortment of berries and cherries.

I was hoping the honey guy was going to be there. Local friends, where is a good place to buy raw honey?

SERIOUS GOODNESS

We just can't get enough.

PIONEER DAY

is the celebration of the arrival of Brigham Young and the first pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847 and the other pioneers who emigrated to the valley by 1869, before the completion of the railroad.
We have many ancestors who pushed their handcarts in unbelievable conditions to find safety for their families in the Salt Lake Valley. Pioneer Day is a day to teach our children about their ancestors and to celebrate their strength of character and physical endurance.

In Utah, it is celebrated with parades, fireworks, rodeos, lots of food, pioneer songs and games. Some people even dress up and walk part of the trek.

When I was younger, my favorite parts of Pioneer Day was singing The Handcart Song, making butter in a baby food jar, having a taffy pull and eating jello pretzel salad. Good times, good times.

Happy Pioneer Day!

ONE OF THE BEST INVENTIONS EVER

is Williams-Sonoma's Professional Multi-Chopper.

This chopper will make your life so much easier because you won't have to beg, plead, bribe or threaten to get a willing sous chef.

We've had ours since June (thanks A!) and my man clan is thankful because it helps with our addiction. We are addicted to sweet potato fries, vegetable tempura and deep fried pickles.

PS - We do not want an intervention.

READERS' CHOICE AWARDS

LongBoardLarry made Concrete Wave Readers' Choice Awards this year and he's in four categories!

FAVORITE LONG DISTANCE DECK - #4

FAVORITE CARVING/CRUISING DECK - #9

FAVORITE SLALOM DECK - #14

FAVORITE FREERIDING DECK - #14

Woo Hoo!!

THEY DIDN'T BREAK EVERY RULE

1. Shower before entering pool - does anyone?

2. No running - they ran.

3. No diving - they didn't dive, they flipped.

4. No horseplay - they really broke that one.

5. No food or drink in pool - they obeyed.

FINDING A VEGAN RESTAURANT IN GRANTS PASS WAS A CHALLENGE,

until we found Orchid Grill. They are not a vegan restaurant but they were so nice to accommodate my crazy food allergies, double check ingredients and their food is delicious!
My clan loved every bite of their food. You should have heard the mmmm, mmmm's at our table.

Between the kalua pig, banzai burger, pupu platter, sweet potato fries, passion fruit lemonade and mango lemonade, and for me, the teriyaki veggie stir-fry with yakisoba noodles, we all left with full bellies and happy taste-buds.

Next time we are in Southern Oregon, we will definitely be stopping here again.

WE FELT THE NEED. THE NEED FOR SPEED.

So we took the boys zip-lining at Out 'N' About treehouse zip-lines in Cave Junction.

The lines vary in height, distance and speed. The highest run is at 70 feet, we zip-lined 725 linear feet across a meadow, on two of the runs we zip-lined 650 linear feet and on one run you can get to up to 40 mph!

On one of the runs, I went upside down!

If you ask my man clan if they did, the answer will be a big fat nope. They were wearing shorts and that's against the upside down rules. At least they got to use the swivel attachment, so they could spin.
Zip-lining was the highlight of our weekend getaway. SO.MUCH.FUN.

Next time we go back, we are going to stay in one of the treehouses. This place is seriously cool, exhilarating, and the staff are incredible.

One tip for when you go. Don't be foolish, thinking that the basic package will leave you satisfied, because it won't. You are going to want to do the full enchilada. Trust us. It's worth every penny.

AND, don't forget to wear pants so you can zip-line upside down.

BIZARRO JERRY

We surprised the older boys with a weekend getaway in Southern Oregon.
Our first stop was the Oregon Vortex in Gold Hill. Within the vortex there is a House of Mystery, and it is just that. Strange things happen in this place. When you are in the house, you feel like there is a magnet in your body pulling you. It's so bizarre.
Here is the front of the house.
And here is the back.
Even though there is the major leaning, everyone is actually standing straight.
This ball rolls up hill, as do objects you put down in the house. When you are in there, put down your water bottle, give it a roll and see what it does.
This is seriously one of the most perplexing places I've ever been. It is quirky, amazing and unbelievable at the same time.
The strangest things happen in the vortex. Height shifting is one of them. Notice Laird is shorter than Larry J.
They switch places and now are the same height. There are different spots on the tour that the guide shows you height changes and areas that make you have a rotary sway.
Tucked away about six miles off I-5, the vortex is worth the stop. The tour is about an hour, the guides are super friendly and funny, it is very family friendly, inexpensive (under $10 per person) and will leave you saying, "Amazeballs", "Bizzaro Jerry", "Holy Smokes"... you will definitely keep talking about the phenomena.

HAVE A TRANQUIL WEEKEND

We are surprising our older boys with a weekend getaway. I'm so excited!

Do you have any fun plans?

HAPPY BASTILLE DAY!

Eat a crepe, croissant, or both, drink some Perrier, smell some lavender, kiss, put a dance in your step, play a little Petanque, laugh and have a fabulous day, my friends.