My Caffeine Induced Meanderings

***Jason is changing blogs/webpages again***

 

Spaces seems to be slowing down way too much lately, so I plan to cut back on using this blog.  I have another blog, which has been in existance for about a year at http://jgrantmarshall.wordpress.com .  I plan to start using that one from here on out, but if you have troubles with that site for some reason or just prefer my Spaces site (this one), please let me know by leaving a comment here or sending me an email. 

 

OK?  Great!

I wish I had some really exciting events to tell about after my blogging hiatus, but, alas, nothing spectacular has happened lately.  Actually, I had better take that back because Grant did turn 4 since my last entry.  He has had 3 out of his planned 4 birthday parties.  I plan to post again next weekend after we have his final party with his school friends that will be a "Pirate Party".

 

Besides that, the big fun this weekend has been the completion of our dry riverbed!  On Saturday morning, we had 12 yards of 1.5" river rock delivered for ground covering on the area between our fence and the road.  As it turns out, 12 yards is alot and we even had more than enough for our dry riverbed in the back yard, too!  We still have a pile about 3' high in the front, so the next plan will be to move the pile for use on the other side of our driveway... river rock the length of our property.  For the dry riverbed, I dug down about a foot by about 3 wide in a meandering fashion.  We placed the "weed fabric" down and laid down some bark mulch on the fence side of the river.  Next, I wheelbarrowed about 15-20 loads of rock from the front to the back to place in the bed.  Once done, we ran down to the real river and loaded up the Jeep with some boulders (most were for the front yard to keep cars (hopefully) off of our new rocks) for added interest in our dry bed.  I think I might take one more trip to the river for some more rocks so that I can make a little rock garden.

 

I think we definitely made the best of what is likely to be one of the last nice weekends for this year!

jya	ei	son
Person	Flourishing	Honor

 

This is my name in Japanese according to www.yournameinjapanese.com.   Give it a shot!

OK, my previous excitement for the trip was definitely warranted.  This was a great family outing and I would strongly recommend it for all ages (well maybe not real little kids).

 

We started out by driving down to Grants Pass, OR, which actually looked to be a pretty neat little town.  My previous visits never found me further than a mile from I-5.  Anyway, the offices/gift shop for the jet boats were VERY easy to find.  There were 2 stories of merchandise to paw through and the interior was decorated like a rustic lodge... except there was a Starbucks stand on the main floor and we all know that no self-respecting rustic lodge would allow frilly coffee on its premises.  After slathering on the sunscreen, we went down to stand in line for the boats.  This was about 4pm and was HOT.  They really should have more trees or somehow provide more shade.  At about 415, we could hear the roar of engines as the previous trips were coming to an end and letting the people off.  One boat, our boat as it turns out, had some really wet people getting off.  (We found out later that a newbie was piloting the boat and was not used to this boat's "features".  He evidently did a break check (throwing it in reverse causing the nose to go down and water to fly over the top) but ended up putting the whole nose under water.  OOPS.)  Our pilot, Rick, had a lifetime of experience and actually came from a family of river guides on the Rogue.  He was great and really made the trip a personal experience.  We got on the boat, took a couple pics and headed off for adventure.  The engines were surprisingly quiet and it was entirely possible to carry on a comfortable conversation while at top speeds.  I was amazed at how fast we could go through some pretty rough water and how little water was needed for the boat to jet past.  When the boat is at crusing speed, it only needs 1 foot of water depth.  The trip down the river was pretty slow.  We had to slow down for others rafting and we stopped to look at the animals.  We saw deer, bald eagles, osprey, etc.  My favorite part was taking corners because it felt like a graceful slide, rather than a turn.  We were offloaded dockside at the OK Corral Restaurant but had to walk about 1/4 of a mile up the hill to get there.  It was beautiful.  Designed without walls, it had natural timbers as supports and had 5 or 6 patios where guests were seated.  A live musician played a variety of country and classic rock.  We were treated to a first course of salad and bread which was quickly followed by chicken and ribs and potatoes.  It was all you can eat and all you can drink of beer, wine, lemonade or water.  The food and the ambiance were great... and so was the family time!  It was tough walking back down the hill to the boats because my belly was so full.  The trip back, though, was worth it.  The guides really tore it up on the way back and it was FAST!  We did spins, break checks and had some fun with wakes with the boat directly behind us.  To say the least, we were drenched!  Grant's eyes were wild with excitement and I just thought to myself, "This is one of those things that boys of all ages just love."  Speed, water, gasoline, risk of death... ahhh, it's good to be a boy!  By the time we got back to the docks in Grants Pass, we were all good friends with Rick and I was a little wistful of the fun life on the river enjoyed by our new friend Rick.  We spent some time rummaging through the various trinkets at the shop before heading off into the sunset.  It was a great trip and one that I will be making again in future summers.

I'm soooo excited!  Later today we are heading down to Medford for a Jet Boat Trip on the Rogue River.  We will be travelling up the river to a ranch where we will be served dinner.  The trip is put on by Hellgate Jetboat Excursions (the link is: http://www.hellgate.com/Splash/ ...in case the other doesn't work).  I will write a trip report when I get back.

 

 

 

fun game of conquest... caution: addictive!

Looking for something to do this weekend?  Check out what other geeks (& non-geeks) are doing at http://upcoming.org/ .  You can see what is upcoming and make plans for events in your own area.  This may be a very cool site!

You've all seen the Mac vs PC commercials?

 

Here is a link to Commodore 64's response: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YfgmusXRJw

 

Good stuff!