oh rory O.

Rory makes The Bee (Reed neighborhood paper)

2007-11-27T20:24:00.000-08:00

Puddletown Montessori Preschool children visited residents of the Odd Fellows Retirement Home on Hallowe’en and gave them handmade cards. The preschool is located in the basement of the Holgate Center, a continuing care facility across the street from Grout Elementary School. (Photo by Merry MacKinnon)

Reed neighborhood’s Montessori school brings young and old together for Hallowe’en

By MERRY MacKINNON

for THE BEE

The 45 children enrolled at Puddletown Montessori Preschool by S.E. Holgate and 32nd Avenue in the Reed neighborhood had a very non-traditional Hallowe’en this year. No costumes. No candy. But, for the preschoolers attending school that day, it was a gratifying Hallowe’en, nonetheless – and one that touched the hearts of many older adults living next door.

At noon on Hallowe’en, Puddletown Preschool teachers and school co-founder Andrea Ludlow assembled the children and ushered them out the classroom door for a short walk to the adjacent Odd Fellows Retirement Home. There, the train of children entered the facility and marched down the stairs to the dining room where elderly residents were having lunch.

Then, softly singing “Autumn leaves are falling”, the children wound their way through the room, stopping at tables to give seniors their gifts of handmade Hallowe’en cards. As the little ones approached, the seniors would lean toward them, and smile reassuringly.

“It's good for them. And it’s good for us,” said one elderly woman, waving to the four-, five- and six-year olds as they passed.

One man brightened at the sight of the preschoolers and declared, to no one in particular, “I wish I were that age again.”

That wasn't the preschoolers’ first visit to the retirement home. As reported in the August BEE, a part of the school’s intergenerational program has teachers periodically gather the children for trips to visit the retired residents next door or upstairs. The school is located in the basement of the original Odd Fellows building, now called the Holgate Center, a continuing care retirement facility.

“Bringing younger and older people together is so beneficial for both,” explained Ludlow. “The elders are like surrogate grandparents. They like to tell stories, and the children love to listen.”

what a weekend

2007-11-26T06:19:00.000-08:00

what a weekend...so packed with adventures. First of all, Grandmere Jackson got me tickets to see a puppet play for Christmas, and mom got the tickets for yesterday, since it was the last day of "Pinocchio". We got the book from the library so I would know the story. The last 2 weeks I could not wait for the show. I barely slept Saturday night, and was so excited all day I kept saying "my head will pop off".

More on that in a minute. It all started when dad put up a strand of lights and my Santa in my room. exciting. A neighbor won a Rudolph with glowing nose at his Temple on Saturday, and his kids are too old, so he gave it to me. It is so cool, my new best buddy. Then we drove into Washington to a farm and got some FRESH goat milk and 3 dozen nice fat eggs...mmmm...

Saturday was good. Then Sunday came. We had a leisurely morning, then got up and saw Gretchan's boss' house they are still working on, ran some errands so dad could work on my teacher's bike. We then had a quick lunch, then went downtown to the theater so we could walk a bit before the show. It has been crystal clear here, but windy and Wisconsin cold (well, like windchill of 20ish). So, we hit a big store downtown to warm up. And what do you think we heard? The ringing of sleigh bells and jolly "HoHoHo"s. That's right, we ran in to Santa coming down the escalator. So, I got to tell him what I wanted for Christmas, and GOT MY FIRST CANDY CANE!!! We all split it. Then we walked back to the show.

IT was SOOOOOOO great. I had a big smile on my face the whole time. I couldn't take my eyes off the stage. It was a mix of puppetry and live acting. IT was cool. After the show we got to touch the puppets and meet the actors and learn about puppetry. Then I decided we needed to go out to eat. I choose Sivalya (Jose's place) and LO AND BEHOLD I heard the familiar dulcet tones of Jose, back after 4 months in Thailand and helping his momma get better from a bad Kidney infection.

wow. thanks for reading. go see a puppet show!!

Day two

2007-11-20T19:24:00.000-08:00

Well we had a great sleep in today...7:00! wow. I have been sleeping great, and in case you are wondering I am still not sleeping by myself, I just muscle into mom and dad's king-sized wonder about midnight and we are all warm and toasty.

We had our last farm food pick up today, then mom and I went to the Thanksgiving addition of the Farmer's Market. Nice. Dad did a massage today (his slow time has started), and that's about it.

Don't forget to check out the sweet Youtube.com videos. Check for us under "pugalugs", daddy's posting name.

First Day Off!

2007-11-19T17:17:00.000-08:00

Well, I started my vacation for Thanksgiving today...ahhhh...I love Portland Public Schools (my preschool follows their schedule). So, today daddy went to work. I had breakfast with mom and dad and then Dad shot out and rode to work. After he left, Mom and I had some adventures. We took a walk to Mt. Tabor in the rain, there was noone there. We saw lots of mushrooms and I did lots of running downhills. We then came back and had lunch. Mom always has some projects going for me. We played "Don't spill the beans", I did some cutting projects, I had to pick up some beans under the couch, and we found a DEAD mosquitto there, so I refused to go by the couch. Then I decided I would never again go to Grandmere's or Grandma Bonnie's because of the mosquittos. Nice. What a day.

The pictures are from last month's Halloween decorations, and today's last projects of putting lots of tatoos on....love rock and tatoos....

YOUTUBE.COM

2007-11-18T17:16:00.000-08:00

Yo, for those of you that forgot...were lazy...whatever...we'd like to REMIND you to check out youtube.com and search under "pugalugs" our screen name. Some funny stuff of Rory and daddy.

Halloweeeeeeeeeen 2007

2007-11-18T16:52:00.000-08:00

Here's the fam for Halloween this year. Gret, dressed in Rory's moose/bear costume was great. Dad was Frankenstein, Rory was a ghoul with bloody fingers.

Rory's candy trades were as follows. Candy for:
-a book
-a can of Tropical Fruit
-tatoos
-glow in the dark stickers
-kisses from mom and dad

His candy was taken care of in an appropriate manner, I assure you.

back online

2007-11-18T16:44:00.000-08:00

Hey folks, sorry for the delay. We are finally back onboard the blog world. Rory says he's by the computer and he has his rope out on the floor, 2 pugs around, he got a library book about Pinocchio, and is looking forward to seeing Mark, Kalli, and the boys for Turkey Day in 4 days.

Today we went to a Cirle sing a long with Dave Orleans, the Earthsinger. It was a fundraiser for music classes for poor children. Rory requested "I've been working on the railroad" and "This land is your land". But we pretty much sang all the kid's classics.

Yesterday, we went to a Circus Party some parents put on for their kids' November birthdays. It was unreal. About 100 people, we had HulaHoops, cupcakes, juggling, unicycles, a clown, magic, trickery, and lots of laughing and chasing.

Last day of school

2007-06-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

Check it out...Last Day of School. Yes, that's right. Last Day of School. OH wait...I actually like school. I don't want summer vacation. Oh, that's OK, Mom and Dad put me in the summer session. I only get 3 weeks of vacation, then back to half days. yipeeee.

In the meantime, check out my hat this morn and check out me belting out the classroom hits for the Puddletown Las Day Celebration. I am the best singer ever.

Please keep on checking back for more YouTube.com video downloads.

My daddy

2007-06-12T06:48:00.001-07:00

Well my daddy went away this past weekend. He went to Breitnebush with our friend Joss. Daddy and Joss did 2 days or riding...they were supposed to anyway. Our car broke down on the way down, and daddy waited along I-5 for 2 hours until the tow guy came. Then he had to go to Joss' to borrow their other car. Daddy made it to have dinner with Joss on Saturday. What would they do for thier Sunday ride. Please see the picture below.

That's right folks. Daddy and Joss Rode 7 HOURS, 30 MINUTES, 18 Seconds. Damn. Look at that time again. I will only say this once. My daddy may not be able to beat up your daddy, but he'll stomp him on the bike.

weekend

2007-06-05T19:57:00.001-07:00

Wheeeew...what a weekend. I am tired. On Friday we took the bus...

to the 2007 Portland Rose Festival. Rides, rides, rides, cotton candy, soda, elephant ears, corn dogs, carmel corn, and OHHHHHH the HUMANITY. (actually, I don't know what most of those aforementioned "treats" are. Though I did get some regular popcorn. nice.)

Here I am on stage with Willie the something-or-another....I can't recall his name. What's important is that I was on stage. I rocked. I was short and wayyyyy cuter than the other bozos up on the stage.

Then it was time for some rides. Here I am on the Magic Bus or something. You can just barely see the top of my hat in the very back compartment.

Now my favorite the SLIDE. Dad wanted to go with me or at least help me up the stairs, but I said "daddy go". I got my carpet, walked up the stairs by myself, climbed on and ripped down. Not super well, but man it was fun.

Last ride. I had no nap. Glazed eyes, tight mouth, not looking at the parents. Wow, just like being a teenager.

And that was my weekend. At least the start. On Saturday we had the Puddletown (my school) fundraising garage sale. We donated and momma bought stuff, daddy grumbled and mumbled. I went with daddy to Therapeutic Associates on Sunday to give to massages to two ballet dancers. I love going there because I can run and play with anything I want. This time I used 200 post-it notes and imitated the garage sale by putting "price tags" on everything. Dad got mad and said we'd have to go home and chop the cherry tree in our back yard down so we could make more paper for post-it notes. I didn't see the relation...

Big Fall

2007-06-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

So...The Big Fall. Momma and I went to the SE Farmer's Market a couple of weeks ago. It was a blast. I had some snacks (healthy of course) and met up with some buddies. We were running around and I tripped and hit the deck. The whole Farmer's Market got quiet and everyone went "ohhhhhhh". Damn. Damn. Damn. That hurt. We're talkin' both hands (palms of course), both knees. Really good. Luckily mom and dad both crashed a lot as bike racers, so we have, like, the PRO body repair kit. I even had some surgical gauze on my knees like the riders in the Tour de France get. But, man did it hurt.

Memorial Day

2007-05-28T20:52:00.000-07:00

Went to a party last night at my friend Augden's. What a blast. Almost tried fresh NW salmon, but not quite.

Went to my school buddy Ben's 4th Bday today. Cool. Lotsa rolling in the grass, yelling, chasing, kids hitting each other with foam bats, throwing of dirt, eating of things, disconnected parents drinking and ignoring...all things every kid's party should have, you know.

Coming up later this week...photos and story of my fall. AAAANNNNNNDDDDDDDD...the 'possum. Let's just leave it at that.

Lazy Day

2007-05-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

Well it was a lazy day today. Momma and I went to the downtown Farmer's Market while dad rode 3 1/2 hours. I got to hang at market with my friends Ezra and Harry. It was a blast. Got a muffin and some hazelnuts. Mom got us garlic whips and asparagus. mmmmm. spring is sprung.

I had a nice nap, but all afternoon I just couldn't get it together. I fell a couple of times, just felt like crying another, got in my pool, got a spanking, laughed, cried, hammered, climbed a ladder. All this in just the afternoon. Mom did tons of yardwork and dad did some construction type stuff around the house. Mom and dad put in some 2 x 2s to hold up our kiwi out front. Momma says there is tons of buds on it, so we may well have a decent number of kiwis this year. We shall see.

Dad said he would post some new photos in a couple of days, including the ones of my first real big fall...both knees, both hands. woooooo whoooooo.

TaTaForNow

The last month

2007-05-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

What have I been doing the last month? I don't know, my memory is a little fuzzy. I recall school several times, Mom going to Grandmere's flooded house in Topeka for 5 days here with Daddy, lots of books, snuggly-buggly, dad riding me to school in his trailer, going to work with daddy, the crazy landlord next door starting a pile of trash on fire (in city limits, no permit of course) at his rental then yelling to his buddy "Where's the hell's that gas can?" then BBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM. Dad and our neighbor Ken called the cops within 30 seconds of each other. Ken told them how stupid they were and dad just shook his head and muttered. He spelled some stuff out to Ken. I'm not sure, but is sounded like "dumbass", "Jackass" maybe...not sure.

What else...?

Lots of laughs with the pugs.

Well guess who's back in circulation...?

2007-05-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

Holy cannelonis...I can't believe dad hasn't let me write for over a month. He is lame. He did get a lot of heckling from family out there who want to see more of...well...me. heehee. Well I am back.

This past weekend dad and mom were in the car and dad was whining about mom's love of garage sales/estate sales and how our house was getting filled with c.r.a.p. (Dad and Mom spell stuff out so sometimes I don't know what they're talking about.) Mom mentioned the fact that Puddletown (my school) is having their annual garage sale at a church. Dad said something to the effect of "no getting junk from the church." However, to my mind it seemed like he said that junk comes from garage sales and churches. Puzzled, I asked Mom if the reason we didn't go to church is because dad thinks that junk comes from there. Mom muttered something and told daddy I said that later. Dad said he would take me to church whenever I wanted. Dad also muttered something under his breath. Hmmmmm.

On a lighter note, dad said that since all these pro cyclists are coming forward and admitting they doped, he may finally have a clear shot at being a pro. So, he has started to ride more. Vive Le Tour. EPO-NO. (IF you don't understand this, don't worry...inside joke.)

Super Tower

2007-04-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

WHOA! You should have seen this tower I built out of Legos. Daddy was cooking dinner and Mom was working on some computer stuff. I pulled my table out and started to make my tower. I kept having to ask dad to come out of the kitchen and stack more blocks on the top. It was so cool. The dogs almost bumped the table a few times, and a few times dad put a block or two on top and it almost went down...but didn't.

Then I decided to knock it down. It was way fun.

Easter Dinner...

2007-04-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

Well, Grandmere Janet sent me some money for Easter to take mom and dad out to dinner. I chose Mio Sushi, mom chose PokPok with a backup of K2 Kebab. Dad didn't care either way. Mom and I argued back and forth a bunch about the eating choice. Finally, we agreed on K2 Kebab. Momma didn't check the net, and it was closed on Mondays...so...I win again.

We went to the sushi place (3rd time in for sushi in 2 weeks time!) I got a tamago roll and got some of mom's vegetarian tempura. Dad had a Philadelphia roll and a mini shrimp roll and curried veges. There was plenty left since we got miso soup and some salad as well. We ate our fill and had some left for my lunch tomorrow.

Toady at school we were outside in the sun basking in the park. Then, a sudden shower caught us all unawares. All the kids got soaked. It was amazing. Luckily, we all have extra clothes at the school for just such an emergency, so I put them on.

Also I have a funny story for you. As you readers will doubtless know, I don't have sweets (yet). Well...yesterday, mom caught me eating chocolate candy from our friend's Easter party! Then I told mom that dad let me have a WHOLE fortune cookie while she was in California. We roll BIG TIME here in P-Town...

Easter with Rory's friends

2007-04-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

Here is one more YouTube.com video from this morning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N4qYeXzJnw

Happy Easter

more YouTube.com

2007-04-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

Check these out from today...as usual, no sound...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XhVSbYRcTE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD85gUeQELc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6zRTrAEY_c

Check 'em out

EASTER

2007-04-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

Well, daddy is the smartest man I know, yet he is so unaware of the attempts by our Mormon neighbors to get him to church. Momma always picks up on their overtures when they subtly ask about our plans. They like to ask us that a lot it seems. hmmm. Daddy never gets it. Well, anyway...I slept 12 hours and got up this mrning at 7:20. Mom seemed to be going nuts and couldn't wait until I got up. Daddy showed me the Easter Bunny came and there was eggs everywhere in the backyard. I was psyched. Grandpa Randy and Margie sent out some stuff as well, and Uncle Parker and Aunt Kristen sent out some treats and the Easter Bunny put them all together. It was great.

Cake

2007-04-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

The POWER of the blog:

Daddy complained that momma and I just got him belts for his birthday, and so momma felt so bad that she and I made him a cake on Thursday, the day after his birthday. Mom and I worked soooooo hard on it, it was so fun.

Do you understand how hard it is to look at a cake all day that you and momma have made. Daddy didn't even get home from work until 7 pm. I got to lick the spoon, but jeez.

Just a little touch..........p-----lllllll-------eeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeee??

Finally daddy gets home...why do you have to work anyway? I don't understand this work thing. Dad's young (relatively), he's got his health...what's he want with a job?

Dad's 36

2007-04-04T20:23:00.000-07:00

My daddy turned 36 today. Momma called his work and got him the afternoon off so we came home from school and momma mowed the lawn and dad and I played out front. Then dad and I had a nap together on my bed and we woke up grumpy and went to sushi. Then, we went to Target and mom bought daddy his birthday pesent....2 new belts.

Daddy got no cake, no balloons, no sing-songy joy...just belts. Mom felt so bad she got him a chocolate-peanutbutter brownie from the grocery. Daddy loves that pbutter.

Mommy returns!

2007-04-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

So...mom got back from San Fran/Oakland today. Daddy picked her up while I was at school. It was great to see her. She said she missed me, but look at that big smile and look of contented enjoyment. I am skeptical...and I don't even know what that means.

But, she DID get me some really cool Chinese silk pajamas from Chinatown. You can't beat that. I look cool. Look out ladies.
Here I am not so sure about mommy being home. I had a great time with daddy. Mom sure has a lot to live up to now that Daddy set that bar really high.

Here's my cool smile. Look at me......

Day5, last day

2007-04-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

Last one without mommy. I got up late and had a big breakfast...then I got to school. I was fine until dad got ready to leave me. I got real upset and quiet. Once at school I was fine....until....

Paddles our school fish was dead on the rocks...then...
my penis started to hurt after potty. hmmmm

(daddy is going to write the rest) I was in the shower after a bike ride and Andrea from school says Rory is really upset about his penis hurting and that he really needs me. Now, I wasn't born yesterday, so I am sure Rory wanted to play a bit o' hookey. Which is cool with me...I was known to do a bit of that "tummy ache" thing. But a hurting penis??? Never fool with that thing, you don't want to anger the gods you know. Anyway...I pick him up and get him home and take a peak...no redness, no blackness, no anything. Urination is fine, no blood, no VD. Hmmm. I make him lay down with an ice pack for 10 minutes. He says it feels better and doesn't complain the rest of the day. Like I thought...hookey.

But we went to our friend Milo's house. Lars and Quemby were there and the boys rode pedal cars in the back and we chatted. We stopped by the library, walked Hawthorne a bit, and then cruised to Toney Bento for some Udon noodles and miso soup, Tamago, Unagi, and Smelt Egg sushi. Then Rory asked to go to bed early...done by 7:30.

Day 4

2007-04-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

Not much today, kind of low key. Daddy and I hit the pool, it was great--not many kids and we hit the slide a bunch. Only, I think they just emptied and filled it because brrrrr it was cold. I only wanted to stay about 10 minutes, but dad said we had to stay longer. Then it was sunny out, so we went home and dad washed a bike while I ran around outside. It was nice. We made (or maked) some calzones for our friends Jen and Christophe. They just had a boy on Monday named Elliott. It was weird seeing a teeny baby. I sure don't remember being that small...dad assures me I was. Dad and I went to have sushi, but every place was closed. I was so upset. Dad reheated some pasta and we made the best of it. Everything was alright after I had mom's homemade yogurt and berries for desert. I made dad promise sushi tomorrow night. I can't wait for school tomorrow, that will be fun.

Day 3

2007-03-31T20:37:00.000-07:00

OK. Another day that daddy and I survived, though it wasn't too hard. Went to Therapeutic Associates to do a half hour massage on one of daddy's runners. I did 40 minutes of non-stop running. The runner's mom was very impressed i could run so fast and much. Then our day started...we went to the hardware store and I got popcorn daddy got some hardware. When we got home I did some hammering with real hammer and nails like I learned at Montessori preschool. You should see me, a small hammer, big nails, googles, 4x4...it's pretty fun. After lunch daddy and I did "snuggly buggly" and we slept for a half hour. It rained really hard and woke us up, we went out to the garage after a snack and dad fixed his massage table. It turns out had rained 2" in about 30 minutes. Literally. We fell asleep and it wasn't raining, then we heard the sound of pouring and got up to look outside. Then it cleared up totally.

We cut the dog's nails and took them for a walk. Went to the playground since I slept through the night again and had some tempeh sticks and potato fries for dinner. It was great...daddy rules.

Day 2

2007-03-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

Well, Daddy and I had another good day. No plumbing problems (yet, though we haven't got in the bath!) We woke up early (well, I did and woke dad up), had a nice leisurely breakfast, went to the Kid's Museum and met Griffin, ran like crazies, painted our faces (sorry no pics, mama took the camera to CA), and then went to have lunch in the car, Griffin left and we met the mayor or Portland, Tom Potter in the parking lot of the museum. We told him MORE bike lanes and better education for drivers, and NO...repeat NO more talking on the cell phone while driving! He laughed at our proposals, I am sure recognizing they are self-motivated. Anyway, then we came home and had some snuggly time, I napped for 20 minutes, then we went to Hawthorne neighborhood and distributed some flyers for our CSA farm (that's Community Sponsored Agriculture...you basically pay a farmer for a bushel of food a week...ask my momma for more info), we walked around Hawthorne singing nursery rhymes, jumping, and acting goofy. Daddy was psyched because Dave Bower from Bower's Bakery was putting out some 2 day old sweet goodies for free. Needless to say, we filled Daddy's bag to the max. However, it seems that all of the sweets had coffee in them because Daddy kept saying they were for him "coffee treats"....hmmmmmmmmm. Then we came home had pasta, and rocked out to some Portland rock bands. It was another awesome day.

OK, more later from Bachelor pad

Bachelor Days - Day 1

2007-03-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

Well it was quite a first day. We dropped momma at the airport, had coffee, went and rode the 50 cent horse at Fred Meyer, got some groceries, hit the library, dumped some songs to iTunes, went to the playground, had calzones for lunch, took the car to the tire shoppe for rotation, walked to Target/Mall 205 since the horse at Fred Meyer was broken down, rode the carousel there, looked at stuff at Target, walked home, got the car, Rory took a quick nap, went to Sivalaya Thai to eat, Rory ate more than me (almost his whole plate of Eggplant) and amazed them all at the restaurant, came home and played, took a bath........

and......
and......

Daddy forgot he was filling the sink while we were in the bath. Daddy heard some funny sounds and opened the shower door and OOOOPS. About 10 gallons of water in about 35 square feet of floor. Luckily, our wood floored hall and house is 2" higher than the linoleum bathroom, sooooo no water escaped, but it was right up to that 2" threshold. I have never seen Dad move that fast. He always says he was a fast bike racer, but boy I never believed it. He could have beet any Olympian running from the garage with a pile of towels, the bucket, the mop. He even had 2 loads of wet towels in the washer before he was even totally cleaned up. Not to mention that his hair was lathered with soap and he had just soaped up. Boy is it funny watching silly daddy screw up. Don't tell mom, she's in California...she'll think dad doesn't know what he's doing.

Two boys...bachelors

2007-03-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well, mommy is going to California tomorrow morning. Daddy and I are going to be home alone. Mommy and I haven't been apart for more than one night in 3 1/2 years, hence daddy hasn't had me all to himself in that time either. We are excited. Momma is going to see some friends in San Francisco (well, Berkeley). Daddy and I have some BIGGGGG plans. We're going to....
---rock and roll. turn the music up and rock out. Daddy's gonna play some guitar and I'll sing
---go to the pizza shoppe (I love pineapple)
---go to see Jose at the Thai restaurant
---maybe go to the guitar shoppe
---cut the dog's nails, wash the dogs and walk them everyday
---polish and clean the house (I am good at cleaning, and I like to help)
---fly a kite, Daddy keeps promising me a warm, sunny, windy day but it hasn't happened yet
---some long bike rides

and maybe some more fun stuff. I'll check in from time to time with updates.

bye, bye.

Daddy's Last camp. UH-OH...CRASH

2007-03-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

Well, Daddy got back on Saturday from Buellton, CA. He was at Carmichael Training Systems (www.trainright.com) third camp of the year, and last at Buellton. He said he had another great time.

The camp started on Friday with Daddy flying down to meet up with the staff and get a quick ride with the coaches...

It was a DRY (re-read that...DRY) day, clear and sunny. Unlike what Daddy rides in every Portland winter day and doesn't crash. But the water at a stream crossing seemed to confuse him sooooo...riding along and coming to a stream he crashed......and skinned his knee.

Oh no. Daddy had 2 other stream crossings to do, but he did those unscathed. The two triathletes who did NOT crash gave daddy some hard times up that climb.

Luckily my daddy is sooooo fast and brave he didn't cry and continued the 2 more hours riding with the coaches. He said he whipped everyone up the long dirt road climb, but I find that hard to believe since Coach Jim took his photo at the top. If daddy got there first, wouldn't he look fresh by the time everyone got there?????

Finally, the coaches got to the beach.

Daddy was so tired the rest of the week that he slept every day while in the car. Here's a sneaky photo of daddy that Chad took in the SRAM car during one of the rides...

That's daddy's camp experiences. He had a blast playing dodgeball, looking at the scenery and meeting the campers.

This is what it's about

2007-03-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

Rock and Roll is what it's about. I found some old photos of Rory and I that Gret took a few years ago. Pretty cool. Also, a picture from last month's CA camp holding Chris Carmichael's daughter. Chad is there as well. He sent Gretchan an email that I had another family down in Solvang, CA. Pretty funny that Chad guy is...

Bad Link

2007-03-09T09:03:00.001-08:00

OK, here's a better link. You also have to have Windows Media (I think):

mms://multimedia.ford.com/volvo/200703volvosaved.wmv

Sickies with NO sleep

2007-03-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

I have been sick the last few days. Coughing, slight fever on and off, and just a little "off" as Momma says. Daddy has been pounding the Emergen-Cs all week in preparation for his last spring trip to CA next week. He's a bit stressed about getting sick before the trip. Too bad for him...he has a little pip like me to carry the germs from school to home. heehee.

Momma is going on a trip to San Francisco (ALONE!) after daddy gets back from California. She is going to see a bunch of her high school friends that all relocated from Kansas to CA. She is really looking forward to it. I don't understand why she would want to be away from daddy and I. hmmmmmmm hmmmmmmmmmm

I learned a couple of new songs from Puddletown in the last few weeks. I like nothing more than walking around the house and blasting them out. The are "You are my sunshine", "Sunshine on my shoulders", and "Twinkle, Twinkle traffic light". Last week Daddy and I walked to the grocery and sang the whole 10 blocks each way. It was great. Sometimes I don't like daddy to sing though, just me.

oh, Daddy wants everyone to check out this link to VolvoSavedMyLife. It's about our friend Chad and his Boss Butch's Neutral Mechanic service. You get to see Dad's buddies Butch, Jose and Chad throughout. Watch the whole thing, though, and see the '06 Volvo that was crushed in an accident on I-80 and how Butch walked away.

Here's the link:
http://mms://multimedia.ford.com/volvo/200703volvosaved.wmv

Busy Sunday

2007-03-04T20:25:00.000-08:00

What a day...talked to Grandma Bonnie early this morning and Wisconsin got 2 feet of cold, blowing snow. Lots of drifting and closed roads...crazy. Sure wish I could get some out here.

Momma got home real late last night (she went to the Orgon Ballet with our friend, Dr. Rosa--then went out and drank beer), and went to yoga this morning. Dad and I went to our friend Shirley's house to help her move. I was the star of the show making everyone laugh at how goofy I was. I spent 3 hours running up about 25 steps...and then back down. I liked Shirley's daughter, Carrie, a lot. Daddy said they had a lot of clothes.

Then we met up with momma, had lunch, and went to the pool. I love the pool. I am getting better at jumping in and holding my nose. I am not so good at keeping my mouth closed, but I really like to drink the pool water, it slides down easy. Mom and dad each took me down the slide about 20 times, and dad let mom relax in the hot tub. Mom and dad argued about whether the 85 degree pool water was cold or warm.....

I asked daddy if we could have Thai eggplant for dinner, and momma said that sounded good. After a quick run to the Asian market by our house we had Thai eggplant with rice. One of my true favorites...ahhhhhhh the life...to be young and in charge of two adults. It takes a lotta work, but I think they're coming around to my view of the world. I had such a hard day I went right to sleep like a good boy should.

I slept through the night last night, let's see if I can make it 2 in a row.

YouTube Stars.

2007-03-03T08:41:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone. I bugged dad long enough that he finally posted some videos of us on youtube.com. Check them out. We rule.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOvKr1Qaakk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAQ5CR0f4TQ

Enjoy the hilarity of our family. We are here for your amusement. Come and visit and see the real thing in person. Oh, sorry our camera doesn't capture sound. The first video is of us singing "Yellow Submarine" by the Beatles. The second is an unnamed rock band.

Daddy's Home again

2007-03-02T07:25:00.000-08:00

Well, my daddy got home a few days ago from his second CTS camp in Buellton, CA. He brought me a Babar book and sent me postcards everyday. He had a good trip and met some more nice people. I missed him a lot though. Daddy goes back to one more camp in 3 weeks.

Jim Lehman asked if daddy was interested in going to Bejing, China for the 2008 Paralympics next July right after the Olympics. Daddy said he'd have to ask momma since he'd be gone for 4 weeks next summer. I will REALLY miss daddy if he does that.

He is some pictures of daddy getting to ride one of the days at camp. He got to ride one of Chad's SRAM neutral Orbea Opals with 10-speed Sram Gruppo. It also has the deep dish Zipp carbon wheels. It's like 16 pounds! Daddy looks great in his magenta and black T Mobile stuff. (Thanks for sending the photos Chad! and daddy says THANKS for the use of the bike as well!)

family photos

2007-03-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

nothing today...but, here's some family photos.

2007-02-27T21:29:00.001-08:00

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

sushi nite

2007-02-27T21:17:00.000-08:00

whoooo whooooo......Momma made sushi tonite. Take a look at that spread. Lotsa good for you stuff. All made by my momma. I bet that's better than what you had for dinner.

My mommy got a book from the library on sushi making. We had tamago, inari, edamame, miso soup wtih udon noodles, Super HOTTTTTTTT wasabi (I didn't have any, but Daddy and Momma did), and momma had Saki. It ruled. And for dessert, mung bean rice triangles. Sounds weird, but was good.

is it too late to change my family?

2007-02-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

This morning my daddy made me some breakfast of cereal, o.j., milk. It was pleasant. Soon after, my two pugs, leo and ginny, got up and were running around my chair hoping for scraps and/or droppings.

Then, I started to smell something funny. I kept asking my dad "are we having maitakes?". Mom and dad kept repeating no...and wondering why I was asking about my favorite semi-obscure mushroom. I kept repeating over and over I smelt something stinky...

Finally, dad came over to check out what was going on. BINGO! He realized that Ginny the pug had pooped right by my chair at the table.!!! Stinky Stinky Stinky!!!

Luckily, since I slept through the night everyone was in good spirits and had a good laugh.

I love my family, but I always have to shake my head. So does daddy.

oh rory O.

2007-02-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to the rain in P-Town.

Daddy got back from California last week. He was doing massage at the Carmichael Training Systems camp in Buellton, CA. I really missed him, my mommy just isn't as great.

Some highlights he wanted to share:
-rainy weather in California? yup. (he took more shorts than pants hoping...no tan
-going to Team Discovery's cycling camp in Solvang and meeting Basso, Leipheimer, and Danielson. Not to mention Yatesy and EKI. Got some autographs for Joss. Sweet. Dad promised to post those photos later.
-Checking out the new SRAM Orbeas. Daddy wants one bad.
-Hanging with Auntie NayNay, Michy, Chadee, Butch, Jose, Jimmy, and Jason. Not to mention robot Steve.
-Meat. Lots o' meat. Rare.
-Auntie NayNay bringing 2...count 'em 2 muffins from Wooglin's to Kurt. good
-the CTS campers. Always a pleasure to meet the campers every year.
-Seeing the ocean.
-Figueroa...rather "THE STINGER"
-blah blah blah...I tire of daddy's stories.oh rory O.

thank you i love you

2007-01-20T17:42:00.000-08:00

Well, my daddy got hurt last week when he picked me up out of the car and was bent over and twisting with me. I thought is was funny. There was a big "POP", and daddy made a grunt and was quickly down to one knee. After a few minutes, he was up and about but moving slow. We went to a great Mexican place and I tried Chicken Mole. It was ok, I liked my vegetarian taco with about 1/4 pound of cheese on it, better.

P-Town is finally thawed out of the winter snow and cold. It was mostly sunny today, and about 48 out. NICE.

Momma and Daddy bought a dehumidifier today. Mom spent the last few days thinking about it, then spent 1 1/2 hours googling them last night. She wanted the quietest one on the market, which was $100 more than daddy thought reasonable. She settled for the cheaper one though. Recommendations are for you to keep your house less than 50% humidity. Ours was about 65%. Nice. How did I choose these bumblers as parents.

Daddy got me a calendar yesterday, and I am learning the days of the week. I know most of them, but not in the right order. I start 5 days a week pre-school on Feb. 1, so that will help me learn the days easier I think. Also, daddy leaves to California next Friday to work at the CTS cycling camp. I already decided, I am gonna give her a run for her money. I will miss daddy though, who will sleep with me every night? Whose hair can I pull?

snow day 2 in p-town

2007-01-17T20:25:00.000-08:00

Hello again. Yup, day 2 of "the Snow". Portland has, like, 16 plows for the city, and no salt...only sand. The 2+" are now compacted to ice from all the people who HAD to drive yesterday. So, the city is shutdown again. No massages for daddy, no work for mom...no daycare for me. Dad and I started out the day reading and singing lotsa songs on the microphone and guitar. Dad put some effects pedals effects on my voice...sounded good and demonic. We did "Hard Day's Night" and "Yellow Submarine" about 5 times. Then we read again. Then mom got off the computer and harranged us into going downtown on the bus. I had my big boots and jacket on, a hat, gloves, my backpack with popsicle (my stuffed pug toy), my play egg, and my eye ball. I love to take stuff with me. My momma packed two bags o' snacks and I was ready. The bus was chained up, so what should have been a 30 minute ride was 50. Daddy gets really impatientsince he was holding me and I was whiny. We finally had burritos at ChaChaCha and I was better. I like to complain about stuff, and lately I like to complain about walking. About every 30 steps works well for me. I get picked up a few times here and there by mom or dad, but mostly I complain.

When we finally got back home after our 4 1/2 hour day just getting downtown and back, we had my auntie (by friendship) Charlotte over for dinner. I went to bed, but I am up later to write my blog. It appears from my searing lungs and burning eyes, not to mention the 2' of smoke in the house this evening that my mommy decided AGAIN to try and build a fire. Our chimney does NOT vent well...Let me repeat that...Our Chimney DOES Not Vent Well. 4 smoke detectors going off later and lots of laughing from mom and Charlotte (with LOTS of grumbling by dad), mom finally figured it out. She seems to forget every couple of weeks and tries again. Dad says it's real funny how optomistic people will keep trying anything.

Well, it's late and I should go back to bed. My bronchitis was doing better today, but I am not optomistic about tomorrow...see you at the hospital on the oxygen.

Cold and Snowy in P-Town

2007-01-16T16:32:00.000-08:00

Well, my co-op daycare was cancelled this morning. Mom and Dad braved the drive into co-op at 15 miles an hour with all the other crazies. It took Portland Public Schools a long time to decide to cancel. By the time we got halfway to school it was cancelled. We went anyway to play for 1/2 hour while daddy called all the other kiddies and parents. The church realized the furnace was broken as well, so our play space was about 45 degrees...brrrrrrrr. Good thing no school today.

As soon as we got home we walked the dogs...no photos because mom and dad's camera batteries were dead in the camera. Our house has 50's baseboard (electric) heat, so our house is about 57 degrees...mommy walks around with 3 shirts, a sweatshirt, a scarf and hat on at all times and still shivers. Daddy is normal and has a long sleeve shirt and hat sometimes. As for me....

well....as soon as we walked the dogs I insisted on parading and yelling all afternoon at the top of my lungs. I alternated between a pair of sweatpants (and nothing else), and pure nakedity. That's right, in a 57 degree house I paraded off and on in the nude. I am tough. I fought my parents as they tried to make me get dressed, I couldn't figure out why they were freaked out.

This is a far cry from my Grandma Bonnie's house in Wisco that was full-time warm and toasty when we were there over Christmas.

So, if you're in P-Town, stop by anytime (you may see a little naked white butt) to see me. If you're not in P-Town---why the hell are you NOT here?

Keep on checking on me, Dad promises he's gonna post more.

(our) family Christmas day 12.17.2006

2006-12-17T10:35:00.000-08:00

Well, Santa came to visit me today! I got all the things I asked for. I got my whoopie cushion and Frankenstein YO-YO. The 2 things I asked Santa for. I also got some playdough extruders (I can't believe a 3 yr old can spell that), some rubber balls, some walnuts, a stamp kit with coloring book, assorted books, and, my favorite, Silly Putty.

I am just a simple lad, and few things make me happier than playing and creating. My dad got some candy (what he calls it, I don't know what c-a-n-d-y is----I have never had it. Mom said Santa knew what dad really wanted.

Also, all of us got some oranges and walnuts in our stockings. Luckily, Jolly old elf remembered my cat and dogs. They got some treats as well.

Merry Christmas to you all

Rory turns 3!

2006-08-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

Howdy pardner. I turned a big ole 3 last Friday and boy was it super.

First we met at the playground for a roundup of my pals. We had coffee and plum mimosas and cupcakes. Yum. Check out my ten gallon hat.

After the party, Mom & Dad took me out for pizza and we ate at a nearby park. I went home to take a quick nap, then it was onto presents and more play outside. We ended by going out to eat at my favorite thai restaurant, Sivalaya.

Ah, what a day. I like 3.