Independence Day

Get up late.  11am.  Out the door and on the Eastbank Esplanade at 1pm.  2nd ride this year for Heidi.  10 miles.  1 hour.  Hot day.  Home, shower, eat, relax, and then on the bus to the Blues Fest by 4:30pm.  Good music.  Ok food.  Bad beer.  Miller only (why?).  Stay for fireworks.  Not bad.  Wait over 1 hour for bus to get home.  The #54 passes our stop because it's crammed full.  We make it on the #56.  It has to pass up 2 stops full of people because we were the last ones allowed on.  Full.  What's up with that Trimet?  Heidi promises next year we'll ride bikes down.  While we wait get to meet some interesting people.  Guy born in Iran, made into Iraqi citizen but says he's from Israel. (is he clear on this?)  Watch a vocal shouting match ensue between 2 American Indian girls, talking and looking like there from the South side of Chicaho, and a handicap woman over her complaint of their smoking - a Portland man comes to her defense - kinda.  He would like them to stop with the foul language in front of his daughter.  A drunk nineteen year old girl holds up a 12 inch American flag to cars passing by.  Eventually she and her 2 friends grow tired of waiting and call friends for a pickup.  As I sit and contemplate how it sucked to wait for the bus (I could've drove, should've rode my bike etc...), I realize that the best parts of life are happening here in front of me.  Meeting new people and experiencing life.

We look down on the blues fest from the Hawthorne bridge.

Boats in the Willamette River in front of the festival.

It wouldn't be Portland if there wasn't some political statement to make.

Always a Starbucks in sight - even on a hot day and look at the line!

Yoga?  At a Blues Festival?

This guy rocked.  Sean Carney Band.

Getting crowded on the other side of the festival.

What a great harmonica player.  Mike Tracy.  Kept calling himself a nobody from Eugene.  Very impressive.  How about the pants on the guitarist?

Tugboat moves the fireworks barge into place on the river.

Not sure what they raised the bridge for.  It is cool to see it happen though.

Fireworks!

Happy 4th.  Later.

Weekend Update 2007.06.30

Relaxing. Time spent with our hobby - food and drink.  Red wine, pasta, Italian sausage on the grill, crunchy garlic Romano bread in the toaster over.  In bed by 10pm.  Up at 5am, can't sleep.  Cinnamon swirl french toast and bacon.  Nap at noon for 2 1/2 hours to recover.  Do dishes, mow lawn, dig a fire pit, and make run to grocery store.  Saturday night its homemade Sangria, went overboard and cooked up some nice tenderloin on Friday on the grill.  Does it truly cost $22.95/lb or is that because we bought it at New Seasons?  Wrapped in bacon with corn on the cob, grilled vegetables and some hashbrowns.  Have our first backyard fire.  Sunday.  Read the paper, spiced chai and leftover cinnamon swirl bread toast.  Make run to Heidi's boss' mothers' house to pickup firewood.  Unload firewood.  Margarita's, taco bowl, chips, salsa - the roses grow naturally around here...