2009

Oz

Since he arrived at our house in November of 2008, Oz has attached himself to Olive's hip. Luckily, she's tolerant of his unique idea of personal space.

Olive and Oz mudding it up at Forest Park

Oz and Olive have a Spider visitor during their photo shoot.
Oz and Olive at Fernhill Park
Attached at the hip.

Puppy nap time ying-yang.

Cross-country skiing at Pocket Creek.



LA
In April, we made a long overdue trip to visit Katherine in LA.
We narrowly avoided being sucked into the La Brea tar pits.



Magnolia
In the spring, Neris helped us aggressively trim the Southern Magnolia at our old (now rental) house. We ended up with a stack of wood as big as a van, which Ra and I chipped a few weeks later.


Yachats
In May, we had a serious scare when Oz had a seizure the morning we were preparing to head out to the Oregon coast for a long weekend. We met with the vet and had some meds on hand in case any aftershocks happened, but the weekend with MJ, Gen, Boomer, Erin, Aaron and Oscar was a great all around adventure with plenty of games, beach, food, dogs and even a newborn seal!
...but definitely lots of dogs.

After a visit to a veterinary neurologist and a series of tests, we learned that Oz lacks proprioception (body awareness), which makes him a bit odd and awkward but doesn't impact his long-term health. He's certainly turned into a happy, fun, healthy pup.

Erin & Ra

Ra pulled by Olive, Oz and Oscar
"Boing"

Newborn seal soaking up some rays, waiting for the high tide return of mom.
Sunset over burgers.


Board Game Geeks
Weekly games continue to be a big part of our social life. Happily, some of them actually involve interaction rather than just brain-burning parallel solitaire.

MJ, Gen, Barto and Agricola

Mac, Merm and Age of Empires

Gen, Shiv, MJ and Puerto Rico



Alaska
In June, we spent over a week in Alaska with Les, Joel and Zaiden. It was my first trip up there, and I was blown away during the flight into Anchorage. I've seen mountain and glaciers before, but the size and number in AK is beyond comprehension. While there, we did an overnight camping trip, some biking around town and generally relaxed and enjoyed the scenery.

Zaiden, Joel, Ra and Les near our camping spot on the Turnagain Arm.

Shiv and the camp fire. This could have been 6pm or 11pm. Who knows?
Ra rocks.

Ra and Les on our ride out to the airport.

Zaiden, Ra and Les hanging out on a cliffside under the main runway approach.

Shiv & Ra near Hatcher Pass
Shiv on Archangel Road

Les and Zaiden near the end of Archangel Road.



Ultimate
My competitive ultimate career is just about over, but I'll continue to play Spring League in Portland as long as I am able. I also teamed up with a handful of Whor$hack alumni to join the new-fun-drinkable team, Keggers, doing well enough to take second place in Oregon Sectionals.

Spring League flick.

Spirit This III at the Seaside beach tournament.



Boston
The big trip of the summer was a trip to Boston to visit cousins and their associates.
Food, family, fun... you know the drill.

Shiv and Ra outside of Fenway. Anyone need Sox gear?

The Flynn conglomerate at Fenway.

Ra, Shiv and The Green Monster

We are now taking bets on "Raminta vs The Lobster"

Evan and Shiv sped down this front walk more times than I can count.

Gift Trap lessons:
Everyone knows what Barry likes.
Shiv & Erik are soulmates.



CX
As I transition to a lower intensity of ultimate, I have been looking for alternative exercise activity. MJ suckered me into trying cyclo-cross, alternatively known as "45 minutes of hell". I was near the back of the pack in the beginner division but may have enjoyed myself enough to continue next season.

MJ and Barrett round a corner at Alpenrose.

Shiv in the pack at Alpenrose.

Crossing the barriers at Sherwood.

MJ and Shiv recover after the Hillsboro race.



Lake Quinalt
For our anniversary this year, we stayed at a rustic lodge in the middle of the Olympic Penninsula.

Olive and Oz are not captivated by the intricate strategic decisions of San Juan.



Other Adventures

Admiring a classy croquet shot during the lawn party phase of Rick's bachelor event.

A great wedding for our wonderful friends (and soon-to-be parents!)
Shar and Joe couldn't be more happy.

Erin made sure the dogs were safetied-up for Twin Lakes during hunting season.

Erin, Sara and Ra at Twin Lakes

Very scary pumpkin time.

Ra and Sara show off their second bacon-covered Thanksgiving turkey.

Turkey Day dinner at the Blue House

Boys' weekend paintball. I took several in the eye and appreciated the full masks.

Now taking bets for "Oz vs Dog Bed"

Neris and Shiv take down the Hawthorne Berry tree on the south side of our back yard. We'll be glad to have more light and fewer berries in the yard this year!

Tiiiiiiiiiiiiimberrrrrrrrrr!



Christmas
Infusing vodkas for our holiday gifts to some friends and family.
Strawberry-vanilla bean
Lemongrass-lime-kaffir leaf
Hot chili peppers
Satsuma

We hosted Christmas again, but we swapped Ra's family for mine and had quite a bit less snow. We played about a dozen different games (Castle Panic!) and pretty much emptied the liquor cabinet (several times over).

The meeples of Carcassonne

The conclusion of the NFL season was highlighted by trophy awards. Even the scrub in last place was provided with a token for his efforts.


2010 will be dominated by the arrival and adjustment to TJ, but I hope we can have some of our own adventures to share again.