Cruise # 2 : That's not dirt...

 Crew : Cory, Boston, Tricia, Jerry, Travis

A lovely day on the river. We raised the mainsail for the first time in a few years, or tried to, the halyard broke on the first try (must replace running rigging) but chief rigger Cory tied some clever knots and we tried again. As the sail went up a rain of dirt came down on our heads. At least I thought it was dirt until I looked closely, heavy gray lumps of clay like stuff mixed with bits that looked like the leftover pupae from insects of unusual size. Moths maybe? Whatever they were, they didn't like to eat sailcloth, which I am grateful for. I would imagine that main sails, like every other part of a sailboat, are ridiculously expensive.

The wind was barely blowing but we cruised along for most of the afternoon and had a nice swim off Kelley Pt. Might have to invest in a swim ladder, climbing up the dinghy steps on the stern is tough.

Knee Update

So as you may have read I sprained my knee on the Deathmarch. This is what it looks like on day 3. Pretty gross, huh? It's maybe 85% stable and I can walk short distances with only low level pain. I would rate it as the 5th worst injury to my right knee:
1. The initial injury when I fell during bike polo and Billdozer fell on the knee when it was hyperextended. 2 weeks on crutches.
2. The apple kicking incident.
3. The cyclocross incident. 3 1/2 laps into my first race on my new bike I dismounted in a sand pit and my knee went sideways. Ouch.
4. The other polo incident.

Bad Day at Coffin Butte Landfill

My multiyear plan to clean out the garage and shed finally culminated in the maiden voyage of the Blue Honey and it was not a happy one.

I did get one large load of stuff dumped but then she wouldn't start. Why didn't I just leave it running? I don't know. She had started right up when I stopped at the post office and gas station in Rickreall.
I jiggled the battery wires and tried it in park and neutral then called Uncle Bill. He suggested I let the starter cool down and try it every 15 minutes. So I sat there for over an hour while an unending line of trucks dumped the detritus of the mid-valley area. Several giant bulldozers with spiky steel wheels prowled around the whole time. Whenever they got close the ground would vibrate. The air was filled with thick garbage dust and the wind whipped it about, creating new scent combinations all the time. Flies and yellow jackets were thick, poor Natty's ears were constantly twitching. She finally retreated to the floorboards and tried to hide under her tail. I briefly entertained the idea of just leaving the truck and hiking out, across the endless hills of entombed and plumbed garbage. Instead I called Aunt Karen and she graciously arranged for a tow truck and came to pick us up. That's the second time she's rescued me in the last month. Thanks Karen!


I never knew this machine existed. I always assumed garbage just traveled in garbage trucks.


Natty was not amused. The smells must have been even smellier for her.

A complete lack of wedding photos

I had a great time at Disco and Matty's wedding. Jaden took hundreds of photos, some of them good, but I can't find my memory card reader so they are trapped in silicon for now. In the meantime please enjoy some random images that have been accumulating on my desktop.

Uncle Bill and his faithful cat Bungie.

I'm not sure how I ended up with this photo but it must have been taken right before the opening alleycat of the Westside, and apparently I'm having a minor seizure out of nervousness.


This photo was from an article on how playing cricket messes up peoples bodies. Look for a similar expose on bike polo in about 20 years.

This must be fake but I still find it amusing.

God Bless America

I've got this year's hot dog eating contest on tivo but haven't watched it yet. I saw a replay of last year the other day at the Yamhill and it was nauseating. I don't know why I'm so interested in this, I guess it just seems like the quintessential American "sport".



"Once the contest ended, the runner-up suffered a reversal -- competitive eating-speak for barfing -- leading to a deduction from his final total. Kobayashi finished with 63 HDBs (hot dogs and buns eaten) in his best performance ever."


"The two gastric gladiators quickly distanced themselves from the rest of the 17 competitors, processing more beef than a slaughterhouse within the first few minutes. The two had each downed 60 hot dogs with 60 seconds to go when Chestnut -- the veins on his forehead extended -- put away the final franks to end Kobayashi's reign."

Quotes coutesy of the AP, who really outdid themselves on this one.