To Do > Make masks

I made masks in my ceramics class:

Scooby Doo meets Donnie Darko

Darko Doo profile

Pig meets lucha libre

Speckle face

Mask wall in hall ... more to come!

I Like > Monster Anatomy

Zilla cross section: Illustrator: Shogo Endo Publisher: Asahi Sonorama

Road Trip>McMinnville Oregon

This weekend was a blast — rollerskating on Friday night at Oaks Park then packed up for a quick trip to McMinnville on Saturday.  Char and I headed out to the countryside to explore the area around McMinnville. This area is packed full of wineries and attracts the wine and cheese bunch from Portland and the surrounding area. Char and I are more beer and nut types so we took advantage of the sunny January day to sit on the roof of our hotel – Hotel Oregon – and sip their suds. Hotel Oregon is part of the Mcmenamins empire and is a noisy but fun place to stay. We had drinks and appetizers at a fancy restaurant in the area but sadly, were not inspired to order a main course. The place was way overpriced and the food was average –  disappointing after reading a glowing review from the Oregonian – maybe it was an off night. We decided instead to fill up on beer at a dive bar down the street and spent some time stalking Ranch Records which was closed but had a good window display. The next night we had a kick-ass, delicious, best-steak-I’ve-had in-many-years dinner at Laurelhurst Market. Yay!! Some snaps below:

Room at Hotel Oregon

Inside ET's tent on the roof of Hotel Oregon

Sunset on the roof of Hotel Oregon

Blurry Tree -- Look at what a pretty shade of blue the sky was

Outside of Ranch Records

One copy of born in the USA, please

After we failed at fancy dinner this is where we ended up

Inside the Blue Moon, move over Merlot

Road Trip > San Francisco > Golden Gate Bridge

We took a trip to the bridge!

One of the local gulls

Gull Troll - Hangs out under bridge

Hopper's Hands

Driving over the bridge

Road Trip > Half Moon Bay Sunset

On our way to San Francisco from Cameron’s Inn, CharChar and I stopped to catch the sunset:

Half Moon Bay Harbor

Folks enjoying the sunset on the breakwater

Merman surfaced on the bay. Ahoy!

She likes fish and chips with ale

Road Trip>Half Moon Bay, CA>Cameron’s Pub

Cameron’s Restaurant and Inn in Half Moon Bay, CA: This here is one of my favorite places on the planet. Located on on an amazing stretch of California coast between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, Cameron’s offers brews, burgers and buses. A British Pub with a smoking bus, tons ‘o suds, shuffle board, arcade games, darts, pool & fish and chips…I’ve had many good times here after long bike rides or pumpkin hunts.

One of the buses at Cameron's Pub

Who let this sexy beast on the bus?

Things to do: Christmas Tree Surfing

I’m always so late to the fads… I just learned of Christmas Tree Surfing as illustrated by Tom, Ray & Jon in the video below:

These guys seem to know how to have a good time. Echoes of Teen Wolf, I’m liking it.

Road Trip > Santa Cruz, CA

After our stop at Casa de Fruta we headed to Santa Cruz to visit Lizzy G. It was an amazing day: Clear, warm with big waves. We wandered around downtown, went to the butterfly preserve, visited the beach and hit up the boardwalk. Some snaps:

Santa Cruz West Cliff Lighthouse

Miss Lizzy and Char Waiting to get on a ride at the boardwalk

Boardwalk beach days

Carousel at Santa Cruz boardwalk - love it

Sit on the outer horses on the carousel so you can grab rings to toss into the clown's mouth. Get one in and he goes Crrraaazy.

Road Trip > California > Casa De Fruta

Casa de Fruta

Casa de Fruta is a roadside oasis that began in 1908 as a humble stand selling goods from their orchards. They now dub themselves as a “Roadside Orchard Resort” and boast buildings filled with fruit, nuts, strands of braided garlic, bins of candy, local citrus, wine tasting, bathrooms, antique farm equipment, gas station, RV hookups, a miniature train, pounds of salt water taffy, a two-story carousel, ponds with ducks, a café that serves buffalo burgers. There is probably a petting zoo somewhere. It’s the story of car culture and the American Dream, baby!

Casa de Fruta Entertainment

Casa de Fruta

Old farm stuff - Casa de Fruta

John Deer Wheel

And next time, Char, we ride the train ya hear?!

Road Trip > Fresno > Chicken Pie Shop

The Chicken Pie Shop in Fresno's Tower District

As part of our Fresno culinary excursions on a recent trip to California’s heartland, Char and I stopped in The Chicken Pie Shop for steak and fries. Just kidding… we had Chicken Pie and a biscuit. Yum. This place hasn’t been touched since the 50s or 60s… a Fresno treasure.

Chicken Pie, Biscuit, Crossword = Good times in Fresno