Gabriel at Princeville 2

Gabriel at Princeville 3, originally uploaded by korynasz.

Wow! And here he is enjoying the reflecting pool at the Princeville Hotel while Dada enjoys the view

Gabriel at Princeville 1

Gabriel at Princeville 1, originally uploaded by korynasz.

Wow! Here's Gabriel enjoying the view of Hanalei Bay at the Princeville Hotel

Gabriel's 2nd Birthday

Sunday was Gabriel's 2nd birthday and my own 34th birthday, so we threw a party in the back yard. Not allowed to eat much sugar, Gabriel definitely enjoyed the cake, ice cream and fruit sodas that were served. The shot below is right after Gabriel blew out his candle.



Several cousins of Gabriel's appear in the photo and I had to refer to the following webpage for guidance as to how Gabriel is formally related. Gabriel's first cousin once removed (1C1R in geneology lingo) Teri Lynn Garcia is holding him. Teri's sister, Leigh Ann - also Gabriel's first cousin once removed - can be glimpsed immediately above Teri's right shoulder.

To Gabriel's right are Toni Rae and Taryn, Teri's daughters and Gabriel's second cousins. Behind Toni Rae is a partial glimpse of Me-Ma, Gabriel's great grandmother and Gramma Dianne's mother. Well, that's all settled and I got to learn how cousins are designated. Nifty.

Also attending his birthday party were his Grandparents Korynasz and Grandparents Reid, his mama (who was fighting through a bad headache, poor mama) and dada, and his friend Ian, Ian's parent's Karl and Melani and Melani's sister, both of whom are from Indonesia. Melani brought over some tasty sticky rice with chicken stuffed inside. Google revealed the dish to be called Lemper Ayam - here's the recipe for those interested.

Below is a shot of the kids playing in the sandbox - a big hit (thank you Uncle Tom and Aunt Kate) - though Ian's a bit preoccupied with dumping a bucket of sand and didn't look up.



By the time of the birthday party, I was already a bit worn out from all of the chores and cooking. I cooked a 10-lb. brisket in the smoker for ten hours and I have to say I think it turned out very well. I actually saw my dad cutting his like butter with his plastic spoon. I took that as a compliment.

The old Texas grocery store chain H-E-B, where I shopped on the cheap during college in Waco, turned out to be invaluable for brisket recipe information. Their site has some great, local recipes from various places in Texas. Check it out.

Gabriel did very well in the gift department, as can be seen in the photo below. I helped him open his gifts, he helped me with mine, and Gramma Judy is there showing him how to push the music buttons on an Elmo book. Gabriel's fascination with choo-choo's was clearly rewarded with several trains and train books, including the Duplo Thomas the Tank Engine set.


But honestly, if everyone had brought him a balloon, the boy's so fascinated with them he may have been just as happy!

Thanks to everyone who came and generously gifted both of us! We hope you had a great time!

Susan Butcher

The Anchorage Daily News reported yesterday that Susan Butcher, four-time Iditarod champion, lost her long battle with cancer in Seattle late Saturday night. She was 51.

I had followed her story in that paper over the past few months. It was just a week ago that her doctors at Fred Hutchison Cancer Center in Seattle helped her to fight a further complication of her body rejecting her tissue transplant. The same day they let her know her cancer returned. If you read between the lines, she wasn't given much more time to live.

The news is sad, and her passing reminded me of a particular Robert Frost poem. I've posted it below.

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Renovation In Progress

As you can see, I'm working on a major overhaul of the appearance of this blog. I don't know if I like the colors, but I like the layout and the versatility with what goes where.

I plan on modifying significantly, so we'll see what happens.

Seattle to Portland Ride Photos

This link will take you to the Post Falls Recumbant Active Unofficial Group (PFRAUG - guess what the animal mascot is!) website.



There you can find various photos of the groups's bicycle journey from Seattle to Portland a couple of weekends ago. Here's a shot I took at the finish line along with some action shots of Gramma Dianne, Andrea and Jim Ed.





Congratulations Again!

Eventful Weekend

Part I

This past weekend was rather eventful for Hillsboro, Oregon and/or its residents.. at least the ones that get press on this website.

First, Mom and Jim Ed completed, and Andrea went over half way on, the Seattle to Portland (STP) Bike Classic. It's a two-day bicycle ride (over 100 miles each leg) from the University of Washington in north Seattle to the Lloyd District in Portland.

I don't have photos, but I can vouch for the fact that they were both rather sunburnt and exhausted when I picked them up near the finish line. Follow the link above for more information about the event.

Congratulations to All Three of You for Your Foolhardiness Bravery!

Part II

This weekend marked the annual Oregon Airshow held at the Hillsboro Airport, a couple of miles from where we live. Past years have been enjoyable because the different plans have a flight pattern that goes somewhat near where we live.. fly-bys, not acrobatics.

Well, this year was a great time to not be home. It turns out that on Sunday, one of the planes crashed into a residential area, killing the pilot and destroying at least four homes. We were visiting a garden in Forest Grove when it occurred, but on the way back home we noticed a large plume of black smoke billowing upward in the distance from where the airport is located. As we got closer, the smoke was coming from a slightly different direction than the airport. It turned out it was coming from a neighborhood just east of the airport.

The Hawker-Siddeley Hunter MK-58A


It was apparently part of the static display of planes parked on the ground. At the end of the show, as the pilot took off to head back home to California, the engine apparently had an all-out failure. The story reports the engine was silent when it hit the ground. Luckily, the house was vacant and the pilot managed to stear the plane from hitting the always busy Orenco New Seasons grocery store we visit often.

Here's video caught by people in the area and rebroadcast on a local TV station.


A sad day for Hillsboro. Now the whole airshow is being questioned, led (not surprisingly) by Intel. The company has two of its largest facilities in the world located right near the airport and could easily have suffered a major catastrophe compared to a few homes, still tragically, destroyed.

Part III

Tom and Kate were in town to ferry folks around for the STP bicycle event and to visit Gabriel and us, but they ended up mostly ferrying people around. Gabriel got to see them for a couple of hours or so. Maybe next time!

THE COWLITZ TRIBAL CASINO - IN THE NEWS AGAIN

I recently provided testimony before a Clark County, Washington Board of Commissioners work session regarding the impacts of a major, new tribal casino proposed along I-5 at the northern end of the county. I wrote a memorandum for the County summarizing our comments about the Casino Environmental Impact Statement and was there to answer questions.

The Columbian, the paper of record for Southwest Washington, had a couple of stories including information about the memo I wrote, one of of which includes a misquote of something I said.

First story
Second story with misquote

I like the press, but I'm not dumb enough to actually believe (much less say) that a small casino could work at a warehouse/distribution center. I have to wonder what the reporter was smoking thinking.

WOW!!

Day At The Beach

There are now a couple of photos I promised showing Gabriel's grand day at Cannon Beach, to the left and below. Enjoy.. but not as much as he enjoyed the water! Yes, that's his mussel shell he's throwing in the water.



We returned to the beach on Saturday with the rental car I had: a Sebring Touring. It was a grand drive to the coast on a sunny day. But Gabriel didn't so much like the wind in his hair when we got on the freeway. All in all, it was a great time, though. We capped the afternoon off with a great pizza at the beach.

JOHN RECOVERING FROM EYE SURGERY

John Korynasz had surgery last week on his left eye to relieve symptoms of glaucoma. Lucky for him the surgery was done by the head of the department at the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU).

So far, the surgery seems to have been a success with his symptoms, primarily fluid pressure within his eye, being alleviated along with gradually improving eyesight. Good News.

ME-MA TO BECOME AN OREGONIAN

The 4th of July Weekend move for Me-Ma to Hillsboro is now in the furniture rearranging stage as she settles into Gramma Dianne's house. The cooler weather compared to Pahrump, NV must be a relief. We welcome her to town and hope she finds the new digs comfortable! Gabriel enjoys it over there, anyway.. particularly when the waterhose is on.

Toni and Taryn are also in town for a few weeks to pick berries and enjoy the summer up here. Gabriel had fun playing with them the other day, particularly when Gramma turned on the lawn sprinkler.

Welcome!

WAWA & HOT

Those two words were officially added to the Gabriel vocabulary this week. We now count over twenty words, some recognizable and some not. To qualify, they must be specific words for specific things, even though they may not necessarily be English.

mama dadda baby gabri bubble bee hi bye baaa moo choo-choo nana (no) deedah (diaper) nena (Nino) ummy-ngummy (food) wawa (water) hot mo (more) ngigh-ngigh (night-night) ball peepee bath uh-oh wow

I'm sure I forgot something.. I'll go back and revise when I remember something else.

The Front Page

Today marks a noteworthy first in my professional career: being quoted in the headline story of the front page of a major newspaper. I'll probably view this as a nuisance later in life, but for today, I'm delighted.

Today's Oregonian features a headline story about how land prices in the Portland metro area have increased dramatically over the last several years, with availability on the decline. The effect is higher prices, smaller lot sizes, and fewer choices for buyers among other things.

The writer of the story interviewed me for about 30 minutes last friday. Fun stuff. Check it out. The story's called "Land prices sizzle, home market cools"

Note: you might have to tell them your zipcode, birth year and gender to access the story. No one said you have to be honest.

A DAY AT THE BEACH

Yesterday was so hot in Hillsboro that we decided to drive to the coast for cooler, more pleasant weather. A second afternoon of 100-degree heat was best avoided.

So we drove to Cannon Beach and let Gabriel run free on the sand. I hope to post a photo or two, but he wasted no time running through puddles, running out into the shallow waves and splashing, grabbing and throwing a mussel shell over and over again, touching a starfish, and wow-ing at the seagulls as bigger kids chased them into flight.

We all had a great, much cooler time, and Gabriel didn't seem to at all mind the foot-numbing cold of the ocean water. Whereever we go on vacation, it's going to have to have a beach. The kid loves the water.

IN THE NEWS AGAIN

I did a study recently for the Central Oregon Home Builders Assocation and the Association of Central Oregon Realtors about their contribution to the regional economy. The story with some other information got a good write-up in Bend's The Bulletin newspaper.

Take a look.. The article is called "The ripple effect"

UPDATE: I'M A WAL-MART SHILL!

The Comments section in The Olympian article (reached by clicking "Comments" near the top of that webpage - ironically below the Safeway ad!) are priceless.

I take exception to one particular discription there: someone calls me "some stooge from Seattle..." But I'm not even from Seattle.

IN THE NEWS

Here's a link to a story in the Olympia, Washington newspaper The Olympian about the economic analysis I did about a proposed Wal-Mart in Tumwater. Tumwater is south of Olympia. Recall I did a study and provided public testimony about a store in nearby Yelm, Washington as well.

I get to answer public questions about my findings in a couple of weeks in Tumwater.

BAD BLOGGER, BETTER PHOTOGRAPHER

After Kate shamed me into updating the blog, I'm here to put up a new post with plans to add during the day when possible.

I'll start off with the following photo:


This is the view out of my window at my office in downtown Portland, taken yesterday right before I headed home from work. Andrew Sullivan, a writer that I regularly read and admire for contrarian political and religious opinions, is presently publishing select reader-submitted photos to his blog at Time Magazine's website. I submitted the above photo and he liked it enough to post it.

MATTHEW GARDNER MAKES NATIONAL NEWS

The Seattle City Council recently voted to reverse a building height limit in the downtown core of the city. Our company's Seattle Principal, Matthew Gardner, has been a part of the process through coordination with the Downtown Seattle Association. (I had a small part with a white paper I wrote some months back about the tax benefits of taller buildings).

But since then, he has co-published an editorial with the head of the DSA, Kate Joncas, in the Seattle Times about the benefits of greater density in downtown Seattle.

And yesterday to cap it off, the AP Wire picked up the story of the height limit reversal and Yahoo! News picked that up on its front page. Matthew is given the closing quote about significant changes to building heights downtown.

Congrats on the exposure!

LOOKING FORWARD TO A LUAU

Jill and I will be attending a huge luau in Forest Grove on Saturday, April 8. The thing is apparently quite a deal, with over 2,200 people attending annually. Here's a link to the press release about the luau. Here's even more startling information about the size of it, particularly the freight of food and goods from the islands involved:

Luau of Hawaiian Club at Pacific University
Aramark at Pacific University for ten years has been hosting the parents and supplies for five days each year. We offer the parents free meals and use of our kitchen while they prepare their Luau meal for their annual Luau at Pacific University that is open to the community. Luau is a time when 'Ohana comes together to celebrate and share our culture with the extended Pacific Community. This event has an average crowd of 2200. Over 18,000 lbs. of cargo shipped in from the Islands, and over 100 parents, siblings, grandparents, aunties and uncles arrive to prepare a Traditional Luau Meal and show and this is the largest mainland Luau west of the Mississippi. This year will be the Luau 46th Annual Benefit Luau.

TIMELY MOVIE - GREAT NOVEL

I did some googling and found out that The Tortilla Curtain, a novel by T.C. Boyle that I read some years ago, is now being filmed and will star Kevin Costner and Meg Ryan.

Now before anybody rolls their eyes, the novel is a well-done story (I have no idea how the Hollywood-ization will turn out) about a "latte liberal" Southern California couple that crosses paths literally with an illegal immigrant Mexican man. The yuppie runs over him with his car accidentally when the Mexican runs out into a rural road unexpectedly.

What happens after that is a wicked satire, with a strong dramatic and tragic streak. What I found most impressive about the book, and Drop City by Boyle that I'm reading now about the end of the Hippie era when a commune relocates to rural Alaska in the early 1970s, is that Boyle is not sentimental or slanted in his narrative. He's honest and surprisingly objective with the issues so that you don't truly know where the story will end up, but a lot is observed and treated along the way.

It's the sort of story that last year's Best Picture Crash apparently tried to emulate - superficially without the comedy - and the movie Spanglish the year before parroted in some ways, but not very effectively in my opinion.

I'll go on record as saying that I truly do not understand the rage expressed by the right about illegal immigration. It's a crime, there's laws on the books, let's enforce them. If the law cannot be enforced as a misdemeanor, why is it smart to ramp it up to a felony when the offender couldn't read the difference between the two in English - or understand the difference - if they wanted to? Anyway, it seems like a lot of misspent rage targeted at the poor - which to me personally is bad policy.

But I will go on the record and say that I think this issue is being stirred up nationally to motivate conservative turnout and pro-GOP independent votes in the 2006 mid-term election like the Gay Marriage Bans were for the 2004 Presidential election.

The reason I think so is because of the farcical effort put into protests in Oregon as a gubernatorial issue of late. Seriously - what on Earth can Oregon's governor do about illegal immigration besides freeze funds to public services for illegals, including their helpless children, many born here? This is a grass-roots political effort to take the pressure off the GOP for pork-barrel spending, corruption and poorly executed war by ramping up xenophobic hysteria.

Anyway, check out the book. And if you can find a copy of it, El Norte does a far better job of treating the illegal immigration issue than most everything out there already. For instance, the focus is on an indigenous Guatemalan family (Mayan) trying to get into the U.S., reflecting the shift in immigration trends from largely Mexican to Central American people due to changing economic conditions at home.

TWO RECENT BIRTHS

First up is the birth of Savanna Holmes, granddaughter of the "Other" Grampa George Reid, Jr. It looks like I have a new second cousin. She was born March 14th in Farmington or Bloomfield, NM. Congratulations!

Second, my old college friend Bryan Moore and his wife Renee had their second child on March 11th. Connor Austin Moore was born 8 lbs. 15 oz. 21 inches - WOW - buy that kid a football. Congratulations!

A TRIP TO THE COAST

We spent Sunday, Sunday night, and Monday at the coast this past weekend. The goal was to take Gabriel to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, which we did. But playing in the sand was, by far, the best part of the trip. Well, except the staircase at Mo's in Lincoln City.

But among all the displays of sharks, fish, otters, puffins, seals and sea lions, Gabriel liked the simulated tidepool with real sea life the best. Here's a shot of him reaching for an anemone.



He was also pretty fond of the starfish tucked under the corner, as well.

And to any parents out there who would like to go to the Oregon Coast with a toddler, I highly recommend the Looking Glass Inn where we stayed.



Located in south Lincoln City, properly known as Taft, the hotel has all sorts of reasonably priced rooms with:
-seperate-bedroom suites
-kitchenettes
-Mo's chowder house right across the street (Gabriel couldn't get enough of the halibut fish and chips)
-a boardwalk overlooking the Siletz Bay across the street
-direct beach access across the street, and
-good espresso places in case your toddler decides to melt down rather than sleep through the night

We got home last night before 8pm after less than a two-hour drive - which Gabriel slept through mostly, put Gabriel to bed, and I then promptly fell asleep on the couch leaving a hand print on the left side of my face.

Good Times!

MY NAME IS BILL AND I'M AN INTROVERT

Hi, Bill...

The movement is growing. Here's an owner's manual:

Caring for Your Introvert

Our Motto: "I'm Okay, You're Okay-In Small Doses"

But best of all, at the end of the article, are three fundamental tips to those who know and deal with introverts (25% of the population):

How can I let the introvert in my life know that I support him and respect his choice? First, recognize that it's not a choice. It's not a lifestyle. It's an orientation.

Second, when you see an introvert lost in thought, don't say "What's the matter?" or "Are you all right?"

Third, don't say anything else, either.

DSL AT LAST

And wireless, too!

YEEEEEEEHHHAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWW!!!!

SCARIEST/HARRIEST ATHLETES ON THE PLANET

Mushers clearly are not out to win a beauty contest, as the Anchorage Daily News 2006 Iditarod Musher gallery proves.

Click at your own risk.

Looked like a huge police line-up, didn't it?

If you ever worried that meth has reached Alaska, the photo of Lance Mackey (#24) will do nothing to calm your fears. Other highlights include:
Trent Herbst (#68) - Proof there's someone for everyone.
Tim Osmar (#41) - Looks like the actor who played Bluto opposite Robin Williams' Popeye finally turned up.
Sebastian Schnuelle (#34) - I guess Schnuelle is German for "Manson."
Rachel Scdoris (#42) - Finally, and admirably (and actually attractively), she's blind and running the Iditarod. Of course, I'm sure she'd reconsider if she had an inkling of what her fellow racers looked like.

By the way, as of noon Tuesday, March 14 three-time champ Jeff King was the first to begin taking his mandatory 8-hour rest at the White Mountain checkpoint, roughly 60 miles from Nome. Barring any surprise event, like collision with an insane moose - just ask Susan Butcher - he has the contest locked up.

SNOW DAYS

We've had a crazy winter: record rainfall through February and then snow in March. Notice our pink camellia blooming in the background.

Gabriel got to take advantage of it at least.

WAY OVERDUE

Wow, am I lazy? Well, yes and no. Between work at the office, being on the road frequently and problems with my previous computer(s), posts have been sparse.

Well, today marks a new one. As you can see to the left, Gabriel has grown considerably since Halloween and now talks on his toy phone and the real phone. Well, he'll respond to me over the phone. He'll say Dada, "Nene" or meow (Nino), Uh-oh!, Mama, or Bebe (baby) when he hears me ask "where's ...?".

And as you can see below, he's a very quick study!



NEW COMPUTERS

My 4-year-old work computer recently decided to quit working and our 5-year-old home computer has been disfunctional on and off for quite a while. So both were recently replaced with HP Pavilion machines.

My new work computer is an HP Pavilion a1330n.

The new home computer is an HP Pavilion a1230n. The main difference is the home computer has a slightly smaller hard drive, slightly slower processor and I had to buy and install the DVD-ROM drive myself.

Otherwise, both are fantastic machines.

And speaking of updates, our neighborhood finally has DSL service and I'm scheduled for service set-up on March 17. One week and counting! I also ordered a wireless router so that I can work in other rooms with the laptop much easier. Wow.. Hillsboro in the 21st Century is shaping up nicely.

RECENT GOINGS ON

A lot has been happening with family and friends, so I'll just bullet-point in the interest of time...
-Grampa Dave recently visited Gabriel for nearly a week this past week. Much dining out and playing was enjoyed, even though Grampa got wore out.

-Gabriel is taking swimming lessons again. He has one more week in Forest Grove and then he can take lessons in April in Hillsboro now that the swim center has reopened. No more racquetball?!

-Uncle Tom is glad to no longer be with the trust law firm and has recently gotten a different position elsewhere.

-Grandma Judy has been invited to sing with the praise group and the traditional choir at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hillsboro. We've been visiting there the past few weekends.

-Me-ma is continuing to have a good recovery after her lower spinal surgery in Las Vegas. The surgeons repaired nerve damage in her lower spine that was causing several different problems for her lately. She's in the middle of physical rehab and has a good prognosis.

-Gramma Reid (my gramma) has recently moved to a nursing home for a while following a rough patch with her health. Things seem to be getting better for her, though.

-We were saddened to learn that family friend Shirley Anders recently passed away from complications due to the flu. Shirley was a cancer survivor well into her 70s, so the news was surprising but not shocking. She recently relocated to Klamath Falls from Medford. She will be missed. She had a remarkable life, a pioneer of sorts as a woman in rural southwest Oregon. She was one of the first female log truck drivers in Oregon, she was one of the first women to bid on timber sales in Oregon, and she ran a fishing guide service on the Rogue River in Curry County for several years with her late husband. All this in a petite little package - a stiff wind could have blown her over. She was one of the nicest, sweetest and with-it senior ladies I've had the pleasure of knowing.

-A door is closed and a window opens: Margaux Johnson recently turned one year old. Happy birthday!

PORTLAND HOME PRICES: JERRY CHIMES IN

Here's a front-page story in the Oregonian today. Portland's real estate market continues to be making price gains that are more than likely unsustainable. I wouldn't want to be an owner in some of the nuttier areas of Portland.

Jerry chimes in with just enough skepticism that the jouro writing the article didn't catch on. Nicely done.

I would add that although the market as a whole shows sustained price gains and low inventory, I think the region is being pushed by a smaller and smaller inventory of neighborhoods/areas. I am personally noticing more and more homes that are sitting with a for sale sign and no two-day "Sale Pending" turnaround.

It remains to be seen...