Wine tasting on Labor Day weekend

Teresa and Pooja went wine tasting at a couple Yamhill area wineries. The view from the wineries would have been even nicer had it not been raining everytime we stepped out of the car.
 
After a hefty lunch at Calamity Janes in Dundee, we took a detour to the Evergreen Aviation Museum to satisfy Pooja's curiosity about the massiveness of Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose, which is housed there. It is pretty huge, and as an added bonus we didn't even have to pay to get in the museum to get these pictures. You can take photos from the gift shop, which is free.
 
Not sure what this was (guess that's where it helps to pay the admission so you can see the placard), but it sure is shiny and cute.
 
Teresa poses with some soldier guy statute that makes her feel normal sized.
 

Downtown McMinville

In between wineries we walked downtown McMinville, which didn't take very long, but it's is a cute little town. McMenamin's Hotel Oregon has a neat bar on the roof where this picture was taken.
 
Gotta love the puns...
 
 

Peninsula Park

Dan's parents came to visit, and he took them to Peninsula Park Rose Garden, Portland's first, but lesser known, rose garden, in North Portland.
 
 

 
 

The Grotto

Later that day, we went to the Grotto, a sanctuary and garden in northeast Portland.
 

 
 

Trip to the coast

The next day we went to the coast. We started out in Newport and had lunch and a pint at the Rogue Brewery.
 
 

Yaquina Lighthouse

 
 
Inside the lighthouse...
 
 

 
 
 

We saw whales at Depoe Bay! (unlike the fake whales near the lighthouse that were really just rocks in disguise...)
 
 

 
Seals!
 
Starfish!
 
 

 
 
 

How many ... does it take to change a lightbulb?

Dan's dad decides that after dark is a great time to replace our ugly light fixture when the circuits need to be off and a headlamp becomes necessary. Pooja assists by wearing said headlamp and learning how to do something handy.
 
















Usually when you get a bright idea, it's a lightbulb that goes on over your head, not a light fixture globe that goes on top of your head, but Pooja is ESL. Also, she has a FIXation with putting things on her head.
 
Extreme Indians unite!!!
 

Hood to Coast 2008

197 miles from Mt. Hood to Seaside on the Oregon coast.
17,000 runners

12 teamates, 2 vans, 3 legs per team member in 30 hours = recipe for fun and sore legs.

Our team name was O Seaside, Where Art Thou. We later thought of several other cooler names such as, "That's What She Said," "Runderful," and "Duck Soup." Too bad we didn't think of them earlier - but there's always next year!

Minh's camera captures the journey. Here's the team minus Chris the night before the big day.

 

Mt. Hood at way too early in the morning
 

 

Minh nervously awaiting the first leg of the race - and it was a brutal one!