Chuck in Oregon (again....)

Well the combination of a great snowpack in Oregon and unseasonably warm weather made for a high flow on the Sandy River last week. Chuck made a last-minute trip out to 'his' river in order to join in an effort to sample bedload on the river (or in plain English - to pick up rocks off of the bottom of a raging river).
The plan was to spend several days on a cataraft (tied in place on the river with a large steel cable) lowering a sampler to the bottom of the river and then collecting the rocks that came by.
The river was cold, the weather was in the high 80s, and all in all, quite a good time.
There are a few more photos on Shutterfly.

Colorado Podolak Visit

OK...I am playing catch up.  Chuck's parents came out for a few days in April.  The weather was gorgeous--sunny, warm, and the air was full of pollen.  We visited the zoo, celebrated Chuck's birthday, and explored D.C.

Here are a few pics from their visit.

More politics

So I am listening to This American Life and they do a little story on the former mayor of Cincinnati Finn's hometown. I knew that Jerry Springer used to be in politics, and I assumed he was sleazy then too. But it is an interesting story about what kind of a politician he is and how he reconciles that with the sleazy show he now hosts. I assumed he was an idiot. I don't think he is an idiot and he seems to realize that he just spends his time now making garbage.

Sailing

The weekend weather forecast was supposed to be rainy. We woke up to a slightly overcast Saturday morning and the promise of good winds on the Chesapeake. So we headed out with our sailboat owning friends, Klink and Deb, for lunch somewhere out in the Chesapeake Bay, good winds, and a full sail. Along with hanging out with the Klinks, sailing has become one of our favorite weekend activities. Ashlee also joined us. Her camera provided us several great pics from the afternoon.

Play Ball...

Baseball has officially started for 2008. The Washington Nationals have a new stadium two blocks from our house--by the way, getting to the games is much easier these days. Last year we bought a 20-game season ticket package which is perfect. As a perk we received two free tickets for an exhibition game on Saturday (no pics) and opening night (lots of pics). Chuck and Scott Cain attended the game on Saturday night and Andi/Ashlee attended the season opener Sunday night game against the Braves. President Bush threw out the first pitch, the stadium was packed, George won the President's race, and the Nat's won in the bottom of the 9th...not a bad way to start.

You can learn more about the President's race at LetTeddyWin.com

Cherry Blossoms

The trees have bloomed and the tourists have come to DC. Andi and Ashlee were exploring on Saturday along with several hundred thousand tourists checking out the city. The trees bloomed early this year so the folks in town for the opening weekend of the festival had a treat. Hopefully when both sets of parents come out in April the trees will still be in full bloom.

Pics.

Political Stuff...

So I am pretty apathetic and pessimistic about our government and our politicians. Here in DC you get that stuff thrown in your face all the time, and I am not impressed. I have not been impressed at all with the current presidential candidates.
Last week Barack Obama gave a speech about race in America. I was pretty blown away by how he described the current state of our country. Even if you hate democrats you ought to hear him out.

Chuck

ok, enough heavy stuff, back to fun vacation photos........