5th Grade Honor Choir

Here is the scoop. Justin and a couple of his buddies got selected to be in an honor choir for the Canby School District. So, in case we didn't have enough to do in our already busy schedules, we found ourselves going to a handful of practices in Canby and then the big performance. We made sure that Justin was showered and hair combed before he left the house. No guarantees on how he looked by the time we got him to the performance.

Here the choir (probably about 50 kids) is sitting on the stage warming up.



During the actual performance. There were about 5 or 6 different choirs invited to sing and if I am honest..... I rather enjoyed their singing.

Justin and his buddies at Honor Choir

The three amigos. Left to Right we have Tyler Hestand, Trevor Oyer, and Justin.
Both of these boys are regular buddies of Justin, so mischief was bound to happen.



Obligatory muscle shot. Note that the "guns" are much larger in person. The camera doesn't do them justice.



Calm Shot. Get it quick because they don't stay this way for long.



Did I tell you it wouldn't stay that way for long or what???

The Girls

So, Memorial Day in Oregon. Keep in mind that we understand that we live in Oregon. We expect rain basically from October to April. Having said that, END OF MAY IS NOT THE TIME FOR RAIN!!!!

So, we had rain on Monday. No garden work. No grilling on the deck. No sitting in the sun. Instead, the girls went shopping. I know... I know.... a shocking development.



This is the picture of Ashley unloading the car after shopping. I am sure that you noticed that Ashley is taller than Christy...... just thought I would point that out.

Springwater Corridor

I decided to try a new route this Saturday. So, the kids and Christy dropped me off downtown Portland near OMSI. You can see one of my mechanical crew (both kids are my "mechanics") help get me ready for the ride.





The route I rode today is called the Springwater Corridor. The trail starts basically as OSMI and ends near Boring. The trail is a busy one, so getting a picture without anyone but myself was tough for my photography crew. (Yes, I have a photography and mechanical crew...... I need alot of support).
You can see the beautiful skyline, Willamette River, and Hawthorne Bridge in the background.




After dropping me off, the family did some shopping and then drove out to meet me at the agreed pick up point, Eagle Fern Park near Estacada. On the way, Ashley took some pictures of the beautiful day. The forecast called for thundershowers, so we were pleasantly surprised to get what you see.

Reach the Beach Details Below...

Please scroll to the first posting of Reach the Beach to see the ride we took to the coast in sequence. Enjoy!!

At the Beach...

Here are a few more pics of the kids having fun on the beach after our Reach the Beach ride. They really enjoyed the time. So beautiful too!! Notice the very large rock formation...Justin's at the top...he was pretty pumped to get to the top.

Reach the Beach...At the Beach

After the ride, Jake had to catch a ride with Grandma and Grandpa back to where our car was parked - so I stayed at the beach...which gave Ashley and Juse a chance to play and climb this huge sand dune...twice!! It's hard to see them but they are up there somewhere.

Reach the Beach...The Finish Line... Jake & Christy

Jake and I made it to the finish line!! YEAH!! Our 55 mile ride was tough in a couple spots, but overall, we endured and it was great to finish such an accomplishment with my groom. Here we are putting our bikes in the "bike corral" and then congratulations all around for us and our friends, Kip and Jenny. Now...off to a big dinner... need to replenish all those calories burned!

Reach the Beach...The Finish Line...Juse & Grandpa

Justin and Grandpa successfully finished their ride!! The official mile count was 27 miles...but who's counting (Justin & Grandpa are)! Here are a few pics of those boys after their ride and what the finish line looked like. Way to go Grandpa and Justin!!!

Reach the Beach...During...Lunch Stop

Jake and I had 3 rest stops along the ride. Here we are at the second stop...Grande Ronde where Juse and Grandpa started...eating lunch. Most stops included quick loads of carbs and sugars in addition to lots of water. This stop actually had a meal...baked potatoes with all the fixings. It was perfect. We did notice though when we stopped how much hotter it felt - no breeze - so quickly got back on the road. We arrived here 1.5 hours after Justin and Grandpa left.

Reach the Beach...Before...Start Point Grande Ronde

Justin and Grandpa participated in the Reach the Beach ride as well.. they started from Grande Ronde Indian Wellness Center and their ride was 26 miles - which is about half-way into our ride from Amity. Here they are getting ready...Justin on his GT bike and Grandpa on his Recombant bike. Ashley and Grandma were there to take pictures and drive a car to the beach so we would have transportation back. Go Grandpa and Justin!!!

Reach the Beach...Before...Start Point Amity

The big day arrived for our Reach the Beach ride, Saturday, May 17th. It was our 55 mile ride to the beach for Jake and I. We rode with some friends that we met through the kids' school, Kip and Jenny Schuening, shown here. They picked us up to travel to our start point...Amity High School in Amity, OR. Our start time was 9:00 AM and we arrived there at about 8:15 AM so that we could get set up...unload bikes and additional gear, check tire pressure, etc. Here Jake and Kip are perparing the bikes, while Jenny and I are chatting and comparing bikes...how cute they are...what size they are...yada yada... then we were off at 9:00 AM.

Ashley's Camera Experience

Ashley is really enjoying the new camera - Aunt Andie and Uncle Andrew. Thanks again for the sweet deal! Ashley is starting to get a real eye for a good picture. Very cool!! Way to go Ashley!

Jake's Specialized Roubaix Bike

Jake is really enjoying his Specialized bike. This shows not only the look of his bike, but also how lightweight the bike really is. It's made of carbon fiber and is quite light. It makes for a very fun ride!

Street Surfing Challenge

The kids decided that they didn't have enough room to street surf and ride the scooter on just the carport - they needed to create this handy lane connecting the two cement surfaces. They scrounged every piece of flat plywood they could from Dad's shop to make their lane. Then they had time trials once the course was agreed upon. They had a lot of fun - and got out a lot of energy!