where were ben and i hiking yesterday?

In a white-out on Mount Hood. Ben met Moshe, from Israel, at break-fast Monday night. He invited him to Hood River for a day of adventure. They started out biking Post Canyon and then I joined them for a hike on Mount Hood.

While driving up the mountain it was rainy and started to snow. There was a break in the weather when we started our hike. The mountain was visible and beautiful. About fifteen minutes later, the clouds rolled in, the wind picked up and it started snowing.

We had a super snowy adventure.

how is ben's new board?

Apparently just fine.

what did ben and i have for dinner last night?

Beef Stew. I used Robyn's recipe from years ago. At first I thought I did not have the recipe. I looked up recipes online and nothing sounded quite right. I checked my recipe box and thankfully I found it. Dinner was delicious! The recipe is below if you'd like to try.

Robyn's Beef Stew
1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
1 clove garlic
1 medium onion
salt
pepper
bay leaf
oregano
1 can tomato soup (I used tomato sauce)
3/4 c red wine
1/4 c water
1/2 c ketchup
carrots
celery
potatoes
mushrooms

Directions:
Brown beef. Add garlic & onions. Saute until transparent. Add salt, pepper, bay leaf & oregano. Stir in soup, wine, water & ketchup. Cover & simmer. Add veggies on top, cover & simmer for an hour or until the veggies are soft.

who could be my organizational partner?

Ben. He recently organized one of our outdoor sheds.

I love the boat rack he built.

why round challah with raisins?

Rosh Hashanah. Happy New Year. Shana Tovah.

why am i posting a picture of a check?

It's the check from my first "paid" organizing job. Woo Hoo!

which waterfall was my favorite?

Ponytail Falls. You can walk under the falls. It's pretty magical.

Here's the view from under the falls.

what did ben and i do this weekend?

Went to the air show at WAAAM Saturday morning...

and camping the rest of the weekend.

We planned to stay just one night, but after our hike to Tilly Jane Cabin...

and Cloud Cap Inn...

we decided to stay another day and relax...

at our campsite "beach".

We had a wonderful time.

what weird thing did we see at bridal veil falls?

A bride... in the water.
It was bizarre until we realized that there were two other brides and this was probably a photo shoot... not a wedding. I know some brides will go to great lengths for the perfect shot, but she was sitting in the water. This clearly was not her wedding dress.

what did ben and i have for dinner?

A delicious T-Bone steak. We purchased a quarter of a cow we met at the farm (Bean Haven) of a friend... and now we have a freezer in our shed full of meat stamped NOT FOR SALE.

what did ben and i start training for this morning?

The Columbia Gorge Marathon.
Sarah has been asking me to join her in various 5K runs and a marathon she's doing in Pittsburg. She finally convinced me to do this one because it's right near our house... and we would only be running the half-marathon. Actually Sarah and I will split the half-marathon so it will be like a 10K for me. I'm signing Ben up for the half-marathon no split. I have a feeling I may end up doing the entire half with Ben because the second leg of the race is all downhill and since I signed up for the first leg... Well you get the idea.

what are we doing with our surplus of tomatoes this year?

Making ketchup. I found the recipe in Metropolitan Home. We even had our own ketchup bottle to put the ketchup in and of course I had to make homemade french fries. YUM!

how many waterfalls did ben and i visit today?

Four. It was raining today. We wanted to hike. We ran a few errands in Portland and drove home on the Historic Highway. Our first stop was the Bridal Veil Overlook.

Followed by Bridal Veil Falls.

A waterfall along the Oneonta Gorge Trail.

Ponytail Falls along the same trail. Notice how one can walk under the falls.

And the last one, Horsetail Falls.

where did i spend last week?

In California, transforming Cassie's classroom into a theater.

Cassie got a job teaching theater at Horrall Elementary. She will teach grades K-5. We transformed part of her room into a stage and the other part into a teaching space complete with her special theater chair.


Congratulations Cassie. Your students are so lucky!

how did kelly & i celebrate my birthday?

She took me out to dinner and then to see Julie & Julia. We had a great time and loved the movie. Thanks Kel!

where did i find this jellyfish?

At Cannon Beach. They were everywhere. I'm not sure if it's a seasonal thing- but it did freak out Ben.

how did i organize the printers and files?

Look below. Above is what it looked like before... and now it's better.