HOTEL REVIEW

We stayed at the Red Lion Hotel in Bend.Pros:

1. Very clean.

2. Comfortable beds and comfortable pillows.

3. Easy to find. It's on the main road, so you can't miss it. Although it is on the main road, it is very quiet.

4. The staff were very nice.

5. They have Bath and Body Works shampoo and conditioner.

Cons:

1. Looks like a motel. Nothing wrong with that, but I was surprised. But, looking back at their reservation home page, it shows it is set up like a motel. I just wasn't paying attention to that fact. It was the first Red Lion I've stayed at that looks like a motel.

2. The flow of our room didn't work due to the placement of the desk and office chair. You had to keep your shoes on, or you'd stub your toes. It would be a nit-picky con if there was a way around the toe stubbing situation, but in our room there wasn't.

3. Although the front desk staff were super nice, they couldn't recommend a vegan restaurant.

We would stay there again. The price was very reasonable, it was clean, comfortable, quiet and located only six minutes away from Cafe Yumm!, which serves vegan dishes.

Our rating 3 out of 5 stars.

ZZZZZZZZZ....

Are you one of those people that can take a nap anywhere. I'm usually not, but the atmosphere at the Les Schwab Amphitheater was amazing, we had perfect weather, and in spite of the growing crowd, it was relaxing. I almost joined him for a cat nap before the concert but thought taking pictures of him would be more fun.

AND I QUOTE, "BEST BURGER EVER!"

Larry got a burger from the Pilot Butte Drive-In Restaurant in Bend. Not just any burger, he got the 50/50 burger.

The 6 oz patty is made up of 50% beef and 50% bacon. It is topped with pepper jack cheese grilled onions, jalapenos, lettuce, tomato and chipotle mayonnaise on a pub style bun.

He was full for the rest of the day and still talking about the burger. My man was one happy camper.

BEN HARPER

Larry and I drove to Bend to see Ben Harper. I'm so glad we did, it was so much fun.We met up with Etienne, Paul, Spencer and Cassie.
Jenny O. opened for Ben. Her band wasn't with her, unfortunately.

Haven't heard of her? Listen here - this is one of my favorite songs of hers.

There was a huge crowd up at the front of the stage. My brother-in-law, Paul, took my camera and delved into the crowd to snap a few shots. The above photo and the two below are what he got. I was so excited!

Top 5 Reasons We Loved Ben Harper's Concert

1. Ben is SO genuine and gracious.

2. Ben changes instruments for every song.

3. The amphitheater was amazing.

4. Ben played a couple of unreleased songs. Masterpiece made me swoon.

5. Ben played a one hour encore. Seriously people. One hour. How cool is that?!

P.S. LongBoardLarry has limited edition Ben Harper longboards in the Ben Harper Shop. Go take a looksee, it's a rad board!

HAVE A REFRESHING WEEKEND

2007 Pender Harbour

This photo makes me laugh, I should have sent it in to Jay Leno.

BLOOMING BATH

My boys' bathtubs were the hard plastic ones. You know, the ones that after the bath, you're trying to find where the heck you can put it. We've never been blessed with spacious bathrooms, so the baby bathtub was stored in the grownup bathtub. When we needed to take a bath or shower, the baby tub had to be moved to the toilet seat or sink. Picture the dramatic people in the infomercials, sighing and huffing so their bangs move from their breath. That was us. Well, that was me because Larry is bald.

The tubs didn't last long, because we really, really hated the inconvenience they created. We hand held our babes over the kitchen sink for bath time or they bathed with one of us.

If you have wee ones, you need to check out this baby bathtub that is soft, comfortable and will fit into any sink you have. It transitions to the family tub, where it will keep your baby's bottom where it should be and the best part is that when you're done, all you do is wring it out and throw it into the dryer. To store, fold over the the petals and it's ready to tuck away until the next bath. Blooming Bath comes in canary yellow or turquoise and they're on sale!

PS - No, this is not a paid advertisement. I just think it's an amazing product!

JACK AND WHITE

Gosh, I wish I had the talent of singing. Music makes me so happy and Brooke's voice brings a smile to my face. I love her voice.

Have you heard any songs from Jack and White yet? You need to, it's awesome. I can't wait for August 30, so I can get my cd.

I don't know why the video isn't showing the full frame, so click here to see the video.

SNEAK PEEK - TYLER

Fun photo shoot! And yes, there were push-ups, while in a dress shirt, during the session.

BEST ENGAGEMENT PHOTO SHOOT EVER

I cannot even tell you how much I love this photo shoot of Ben and Juliana. Click here for the photo sequence. Genius, I tell you. Absolute genius.

via jane wiedlin via mlkshk via amanda rynda photography

Love, happiness, zombies and triumph. What a perfect day.

HAVE A DREAMY WEEKEND

2004 Oregon Coast Aquarium

I WAS THINKING ABOUT SUMMER 2009

when one of my man clan decided to make himself look like Spiderman, while the rest of us were picking Marionberries. He was so proud of his idea and it was one of the cutest sights ever.
I need to go berry picking.

WE'VE GOT THE BEAT!

Saturday night we had a picnic dinner with Debbie and Kevin at the zoo amphitheater and saw The Go-Go's in concert. Can you hear me saying AH-MAZING? We were having serious high school flashbacks and the people watching was beyond incredible!Elephant ears were enjoyed by these three but no vegan elephant ears were to be found. Sigh...
The opening act was Girl in a Coma and they were a great way to start a concert.
The Go-Go's played almost all our favorites and even threw in Belinda Carlisle's Mad About You, which is still one of my favorite songs.

Perfect weather, yummy food, great friends, awesome music, I could have listened to The Go-Go's all night.

PS - Jane Wiedlin would be the coolest next door neighbor. Man, someone's lucky.

HAVE A GOOFY WEEKEND

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE

bread machine? I'm in the market and would love to hear your pros and cons, praises and nays about your machine.

THEY LIED

The pool was not heated.It didn't take long for my man clan to have some pool fun, in spite of their chattering teeth.

WE STEPPED BACK IN TIME,

to a time of knights, maidens, magicians, fortune tellers and pirates! We took the boys to the Renaissance Faire in Washington.

This fair is three weekends long and each weekend is a different theme. This weekend was pirates and the fair was incredible and so much fun. My man clan enjoyed archery and throwing knifes and stars. We watched amazing equestrian acts that even included jousting!
There was music, dancing, a maypole and food galore. One of the best parts of the fair was there were so many performers walking around interacting with the crowd. Everyone was having such a great time.
On of my man clan's favorite spots was the sassafras booth where you could have your choice of birch rootbeer, honey rootbeer or cream soda, on tap.
We saw a copper dragon in the making.
This cute iguana is sixteen years old and the Pickle Wench was always nearby selling ice cold, crunchy pickles, which are quite delicious!
There was so much to do at this festival, we didn't get to it all. We will definitely be visiting that fair again.

But the highlight of the fair, was meeting my cousin, Zinger of Zinger's Royal Magick.