Brunswick's Tube of Catnip

At Portland Saturday Market, we picked up a tube of catnip for Brunswick. What could be more enticing?

Everything seemed fine at first.

Then he lashed out.

And then going all out crazy.

Later that day we questioned his actions.

He got angry and replied, "I have no regrets."

New York State of Mind

During the first week of December we were fortunate to join Matt's associates in celebrating their holiday party. Matt and I had never been to New York City during the holidays and took in as much sight seeing as we could.

Upon landing, we joined Rachel and Chun for dinner at Wolfgang's Steakhouse for some beef.

Some of the juiciest, tenderest beefiest steak we've ever had.

The following day was filled with lots of walking and shopping up and down Broadway Avenue. But first, Rachel and Chun helped move us to another hotel, closer to Times Square and Central Park. After the quick move, we enjoyed Ramen noodles for lunch.

The new hotel room had a secret compartment. Can you tell where it is?

We waited for the restaurant to open.

Chun's Ramen bowl.

After the company soiree, Matt and I took to the streets to capture the holiday spirit.

Matt with St. Patrick's Cathedral.

While Atlas holds the heavens, I hold him by his toe.

Cue the music.

Cue holiday music to be exact.

On Saturday, we took the subway to SOHO and did some more walking, standing and posing.

Standing.

Posing.

Standing by a "No Standing Anytime" sign.

Blatantly violating the no standing policy.

Standing with a pastry.

More posing, but this time with the Empire State Building.

For dinner, we met up with Chun at Carnegie Deli for some tall sandwiches.

We shared this one.

Chun took care of this himself. Standing behind Chun, our server, who meant business.

What did I say? He finished the whole thing. Our server was lurking.

Chun wasn't done. He insisted we try a real slice of New York Cheesecake.

To walk off our dinner, we trekked from Times Square to the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle.

Matt liked the His and Her statues.

Him with Her.

Her with Him.

The giant straw did not intimate Matt while he spoke with Pete on the phone.

Until next time, New York.

Proud American

You see reality has caught up to your expectations

Hope for change happens today

We made his story into our story for generations

Democracy wins, hooray!

Slave Monkey

It's been a while, I know...

Happy Halloween! We caught David Sedaris and there was nothing spooky about it. We giggled alongside a packed auditorium. 

David Sedaris and his slave monkey. (Sorry, no credit on the photo. Don't know who took it!)

Coastal Cavorting

We headed to the coast with some friends.

Tillamook Cheese Factory was our first stop. We sampled cheese curds, medium sharp cheddar and extra sharp cheddar. The squeaky curds reminded me of how much I miss the taste of fried cheese curds at the Minnesota State Fair. Fried, Cheese and Curds are three highly dangerous words on their own, let alone together.  Following Tillamook Cheese, we headed over to the Blue Heron Cheese Factory. I much preferred Brie over Cheddar. I'm American as the next guy, but Brie just taste divinely superior to Cheddar. To top, they have old farm equipment and petting animals at the Blue Heron Cheese Factory.

Retired farm equipment at the Blue Heron Cheese Factory

Llama asks you to recommend an orthodontist.

Shortly aftewards, we hopped on Highway 101 and took advantage of the many scenic viewpoint areas from Tillamook Bay, Oregon to Cape Disappointment, Washington.

Some locals enjoying Saturday fishing in the calm Tillamook Bay.

One of the many Highway 101 Viewpoints

Enough with the viewpoint stops. Let's see the landmark up-close.

Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach

Lost jellyfish. My tummy will be your new home.

Speaking of food, authentic seafood shack at the Ecola Seafood Restaurant & Market, Cannon Beach, Oregon

The Astoria-Megler Bridge spans across the Columbia River. The longest continuous truss bridge in North America is surprisingly narrow.

Rain Rumor

Rumor has it that it rains a lot here.

It's been raining more often than not. The rain has been on and off all day. I wonder when I'll get used to this.

Operation Baking Gals

This morning I packed and mailed double batches of Reese's Brownies, Double Chocolate Brownies and Lemon Cookies to the homesick troops in Iraq.

I read somewhere that Lemon was the thing Martha Stewart missed the most while in jail; her family was second. Don't get me wrong, I am not correlating jail time to time in duty. Service men and women exemplify courage, honor and selflessness--three of many characteristics that distinguish themselves from those in the clink. I hope a bite of the Lemon Cookies will bring refreshment and a bit of home to the troops in the hot, desert heat.

Cookies, nuts, dehydrated fruits and pre-paid calling cards are only tokens of our appreciation. How does one truly thank those who have dedicated more than their lives?

Double Chocolate Brownies

Reese's Brownies

Lemon Cookies

Sent to Zachary Sain