Wizard World 2017

When I went to Texas over the summer, my sis and I attended a Wizard World convention (you can read more about that here). Simply by accident and at the very last minute, I realized that Wizard World was coming to Portland, so Hubs Man and I took a day to ourselves and went "con-ing".

The first person we saw was Tatiana Maslany from Orphan Black.

I don't watch the show, but Hubs has been watching it and thinks it is pretty good.

Second was Alan Tudyk. You probably know him from Firefly but he was also K2SO in the new Star Wars Rogue One movie. He was brilliantly funny and brought "gifts" for the people who asked him questions. The best "gift" was a broken clock from his house (but at least he signed it).

The highlight of our day, no doubt, was meeting Jon (Larry Wilcox) and Ponch (Erik Estrada) from the tv show CHiPS. Both Hubs and I have fond memories of CHiPS from our childhoods. One of the earliest photos my parents have is of me standing in front of the TV watching CHiPS. They said that I would come screaming into the living room, regardless of what I was doing, when I heard the CHiPS theme music. 

When it came time for me to get a "big wheels", I refused the pink powder puff cycle with pastel tassels on the handle bars, I wanted a CHiPS cycle. So my parents got me one just like the one above for $19.99. I rode the wheels off that thing! Gosh, I wish I had the actual photos from when I was a wee tot.

Immediately after taking group photos there was a 45 minute Q&A session. It is truly rare to meet people you admired in your youth, it is even more rare for them to not disappoint you! This was their first convention appearance together and it was refreshing to see/meet guests who haven't been jaded by the convention circuit. They were funny, entertaining, honest and truly grateful to be there and meeting the fans. Both had great stories from the CHiPS days as well as stories from their lives, both professional and personal. I cannot express enough how much I enjoyed meeting them!

Overall, Wizard World is a smaller convention than we are used to. Much smaller than the conventions in Las Vegas, by far, but even smaller than the Rose City Comic Con in September. At first we thought that would be a drawback, but honestly, the smaller size made it easier to navigate and much more personal with the guests. It was easy to find seats and navigating the food/beverage/vendor area was fairly simple. I am already looking forward to Wizard World 2018!

We are still Arizonans Living in Oregon

5 years into living in Oregon and we discover, occasionally, that we aren't as prepared for inclement weather as we think. A cold arctic blast hit our area right before Christmas and we were trapped in our house for 5 days. While we had food, power, heat and water (the most important stuff), we weren't able to leave our house for work or pleasure. The driveway was treacherously slick with snow and ice, we didn't have a snow shovel and our cars didn't have chains. Even if we could get down our hill, there was no getting out of our neighborhood or onto the country road that leads to civilization. By no means is this the worst snow we have seen or even the deepest, but it stuck around the longest with below freezing temperatures. We are bracing for another cold blast on Sunday and perhaps another week indoors. We have a snow shovel and chains now, though!

Update:

That second cold blast of arctic air hit us just as predicted and this one was a doozy! Portland reported about 12-14 inches of snow. Our town got about 4 inches. The entire northwestern corner of Oregon shut down for 7 days. No going to work, no trash pickup, no mail...just nothing...for 7 days. Chains didn't help and the snow shovel didn't matter as the temperatures never rose above freezing. Hubs worked from home. I read, watched movies and tv,  and played video games but when I got a chance to leave the house yesterday after an entire week at home, it was glorious! There is something about "forced" couch surfing that isn't nearly as fun as choosing to couch surf. All the girls were troopers and did pretty well through it all. Our only issue now is that our reserve of firewood is almost gone. This epically cold winter caused us to burn through more of it than we ever expected, plus half of it got rained on unexpectedly during a storm, so that half won't be available until next winter. It will be a chilly few months in our house until spring as we must rely solely on baseboard heating now (yuck)!

I thought this was a bad afternoon...

...until this happened! She had cabin fever just like the rest of us.

Merry Christmas

Wishing all of our friends and family all over the country a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 2016 has been a difficult year, here's to hoping that 2017 has something better in store for us!

This is our version of roasting a chestnut.

Teeny Tiny Kitchen: Cabinets and Countertop

While I was on vacation in Texas, Hubby decided to do some major home renovations. Surprise! I had no idea what he was up to but was amazingly stunned at the transformation upon my return.

We have big plans to gut the entire kitchen next year and start over, but in the meantime there were just a few things that we were having a hard time tolerating. The sink was too shallow making large pots difficult to clean, the water faucet leaked unless you put it in just the perfect position, there were burn marks on the countertop, the fridge took up half the kitchen and the oak cabinets were original to the house and, frankly, were disgusting.

Hubby fixed all of that in just one week. He moved the fridge, dropped in a new sink, installed a new faucet, painted all the existing cabinets white, painted all the cabinet hardware bronze and installed brand new countertop.

The good thing about having a really small kitchen is that minor updates like this don't break the bank. He bought a few quality items which we can reutilize in the new kitchen but didn't invest a lot in others so they can literally be donated or thrown away in the future.

BEFORE

AFTER

What do you think of the white cabinets? I wasn't sure it "fit" the style of a cabin but any other color just seemed to darken the room and make it gloomy. There is a clean feeling about white that is refreshing in a wood house. Don't like white? Let me know what other colors to consider...

Texas Vacation: Day 5

The highlight of my entire trip was going to Johnson Space Center in Houston! I have worked at and visited so many museums but I have never set foot in an actual NASA facility. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning, the anticipation was almost more than I could bare. My sis, Mo and I met up with his sister, brother-in-law and nephew who also love space history. Having a big group was so much fun and we literally arrived at opening and stayed until closing. Not too often have I opened and shut a museum down!

Lunar Module

Saturn V building while taking the tram tour

Mission Control...the real Mission Control from the Apollo days.

I almost couldn't breath, seeing it in person and sitting in the VIP section was such an intense moment. After looking at pictures for decades, I finally saw it with my own eyes and sat in the exact same chairs as prominent historical figures.

Mercury Redstone Rocket (outside the Saturn building)

Walking the gantry

For decades I looked at pictures in books of the moon-era space flights. I have read, studied and know this section of our history better than anything I learned in college. For 4 years at Evergreen, I took people on tours and tried to explain to them the incredible size of a Saturn V rocket. "It is over 300 ft tall", "it is three Titan II's on top of each other tall", "it is wider than this particular area of our museum" but nothing could prepare me for walking into that building and seeing it. To say that it was a spiritual moment for me just doesn't explain it. My hand immediately went over my mouth and tears welled up in my eyes. Not just because of was the Saturn V stands for but because I was finally there, with it, in person. I could touch it and smell it. A dream that I have held in my heart since I was 16 years old was realized in that moment. I have my sister to thank, who made this trip to Houston happen and who was hell-bent on getting me there, even in the worst of Texas weather. I also have my hubby to thank, who sent me on this trip with a smile and hug and told me to have a wonderful time and make incredible memories. My Love -- it's you and me at Kennedy!

Texas Vacation: Day 4

My sister and I are no strangers to conventions! Our very first convention was a Star Trek convention when I was in high school and she was in middle school (when Star Trek Generations came out -- circa 1994). That was quickly followed by an X-Files convention and now we have been to more conventions than I can count so when Wizard World was coming to Austin, I made sure to plan my trip to Texas so we could attend.

The first thing my sister's boyfriend asked was "can we dress up?" My sis and I were hesitant. One of the things we prided ourselves in was not being one of "those people". But we agreed. Morgan decided to be Link, my sis Leela and I wanted to be Rey. I love that we all picked something different, although next time I think we should do a group costume.

I openly admit that I wasn't sold on dressing up (even after buying all the costume pieces) but I figured I am a thousand miles from home, who will notice me? A lot of people, in fact. It is the closest thing to being a celebrity for a day. So many people wanted pictures with me, especially little girls who love Rey and BB8. It made me happy each time I felt a tug on my costume and a little girl was there asking for a picture. I even ran into a guy dressed like Old Luke, which was awesome!

In the end, I am glad that my sis and Morgan convinced me to do something outside my comfort zone. It was a blast! Would you do it again, you ask? Absolutely, I am one of "those people" now!

They just couldn't get their selfie game going!

Bruce Campbell was a rockstar! Funny and just all around great guy!

Texas Vacation: Day 3

Day 3's adventure began in Waco, Texas to visit Magnolia Market. Some of you may be familiar with Chip and Joanna Gaines and their television show "Fixer Upper" on HGTV. I loved visiting their retail shop and seeing in real life what I have watched being built on television.

Located in downtown Waco

The Magnolia Silos

Magnolia Flour: the most delicious cupcake I have ever eaten!

Called the "Cup of Jo", chocolate cupcake with coffee frosting.

Dr. Pepper Museum located just steps away from Magnolia Market

The soda you purchase from this museum is the best Dr. Pepper I have ever tasted. I don't know what they have done to it but it is more fresh and delicious than any fountain or bottled drink.

Saw the Magnificent 7 at the Alamo Draft House.

The single best movie-going experience of my life!

They deliver food and drinks right to you as you watch the movie.

Texas Vacation: Day 1 & 2

Unfortunately this year Hubs and I were not able to take a vacation together. Circumstances with both Trudy and Mom-in-law precluded both of us from leaving simultaneously. Back in August, Hubs went to CA to visit his bestie which left September open for me to visit my sister in the great state of Texas! 

My initial impression of Texas after getting off the plane into the airport was, "well the humidity isn't so bad" and than I walked outside and thought I had been slapped in the face with a wet wash cloth. Wow! High temperatures and high humidity...I cannot even adequately describe it.

Mexican food in Texas is the best Mexican I have had since leaving AZ

Breakfast burritos in Texas: NOPE

Breakfast tacos in Texas: ABSOLUTELY

Very cool museum on Camp Mabry

The Austin Toy Museum! A blast from our past. 

This place literally has every toy from the 80s that we had or wished we had!

The infamous Austin bats which live under the bridges and fly out in swarms at dusk. 

EXCEPT on this night, they decided to take some time off.

Teeny Tiny Kitchen: Walls

Phase 2 of the kitchen remodel is underway. If you remember from back in February we had the whole house replumbed and we moved the washer/dryer & hot water heater into the garage. Before moving forward in this section of the house the walls of our cabin had to be addressed. Unfortunately since the 1970s (when it was built) no one thought to seal or protect the logs. Stains, dust, grease and water intrusion have left unfortunate marks on most of the logs. It took many months of trial and error to find a solution that would clean the logs without harming them. Hubby ultimately discovered that a combination of water, vinegar and Borax along with scouring pads got most of the dirt and grime off the logs. Sometimes in bad spots, it took several cleanings over several days. Once dry, Hubby applied a tinted stain to help even out the log coloring and than a glossy top coat for protection. Even I couldn't have anticipated what a remarkable change occurred in this small area.

(above) This is where the washer and dryer used to be, notice all the stains on the right-hand wall from a roof leak before we moved in. We discovered that water stains are almost impossible to remove from unprotected logs, so most of the repair had to be with stain. This will be where the fridge goes.

View from the garage, dead ahead will be where we build the pantry.

We are considering opening up that doorway into the kitchen even more by creating a "pony" wall.

View from inside the kitchen. Isn't the difference amazing between the cleaned and protected logs and the logs in the kitchen?

Portland Spirit Dinner Cruise

Hubby's company celebrates 50 years of business this year. In honor of the occasion, the company chartered a dinner cruise along the Willamette River for its employees and their spouses. We had a really nice time! Good food, good conversation, beautiful scenery! I usually don't like boats or deep water (and add sea sickness to the mix) but the Portland Spirit was a smooth and luxurious ride.

Can we just all agree that my husband just gets more handsome every single day?

I mean, seriously, look at him! I am loving the beard!

Canterbury Renaissance Faire

I convinced Hubby to take me out to my first Renaissance fair a few weeks ago in Silverton, OR. The day was beautiful and the temperature was just right! I wish I could say that I had a great time but I just found the whole experience to be...well...weird. I can't really explain it any other way. The venue was strange (not their normal location), the people were odd, and it had more of a swap meet vibe than a fair or festival. I am not against attending a different one in the future, but I think I will stick to comic book/sci-fi conventions, that's the kind of weird I understand!

Happy Birthday Trudy!

Trudy celebrated her "Sweet" 16th Birthday on July 26th. Getting her to this ripe old age has been a true labor of love and one that we continue to arduously pursue each day. She was diagnosed just a few weeks ago with doggie dementia. Just like with humans, our medical interference has allowed her body to grow old beyond its expectations but we are now seeing the consequences with her mind. She is on a special dementia medication that works about 50% of the time in dogs. Our vet (and probably everyone else in our lives) thinks we are nuts but she deserves every chance for a happy and healthy life! We love you T-Bear!

For those curious what doggie dementia looks like:

• Getting lost in the yard or in the house, can't find their way around familiar furniture
• Pacing and wondering, starring at random spots for long periods of time
• Sleeps heavily during the day and paces at night (Sundown syndrome)
• Easily startled, scared and shaky, does not recognize familiar people or pets
• Potties in the house, forgets commands/rituals they used to know

Apple's are Expensive!

My absence from the blog-o-sphere was not of my own making, unfortunately my computer video card decided to give up the ghost and I was computer-less for over 2 weeks. Luckily after talking to Apple and working with the repair shop, we were able to get a $700 repair free of charge. The video card was a known issue and although just a few months out of warranty, Apple did the right thing and covered the repair. Huge thanks to Apple and PowerMax!

You should see several blog posts here shortly!