summer's over already??

School started on the 7th so I guess it really is over. July & August seemed to be a blur of ballet classes, performances & camp, and more classes. We did get a 2 week break at the end of August - one of those weeks we spent in AZ. Here's a quick run down of some summer highlights:

~ thru most of July & August, Amy took ballet class with 3 different schools/instructors so there was lots of scheduling and driving. We are so happy that everything in Bend is within a 15 minute drive. I did a lot of reading while waiting between classes.

~ Our nephew, Mike, was on a cross country trip with 2 college buddies and made a stop in Bend. It was quick but so great to see him and hear some funny stories from his college cohorts.





~ Amy performed in Central Oregon School of Ballet's production of "Giselle"


~ Amy and I went to Portland in late July to join my niece, Nancy, at her wedding dress fitting. We had a great time at lunch and shopping in downtown Portland. I think Amy tried on every dress in the Betsey Johnson store!

I must say, Nan is going to be one spectacular bride! September 30th is the BIG day!

~ In August, we took Amy to Eugene for a week long dance camp at the Eugene Ballet Academy. This camp did not provide any overnight accomodations so we had to get creative. Staying in a motel for 6 nights was not in our budget and driving 2 1/2 hrs over the mountains each way for 6 days did not seem like fun so...
I put together a little advertisement asking for 'volunteers' to take our kid for a week. And the ballet school posted it on the door. We didn't get a response till the day before we were leaving. A lovely family that had a daughter attending the camp stepped up and took Amy into their home. Amy was a bit apprehensive but she ended up having a wonderful time and has made a good friend in the deal.



~ Our big project this summer involved tiling the dining room floor. When we bought our house we knew we would want to replace the crummy carpet eventually and so we started with the smallest room. Of course, Dan did most of the hard labor - and it was alot of work! But it is beautiful - so worth the effort. Now onto the family room...




~ Earlier this year Dan & I started volunteering at The Giving Plate, a local food pantry. Our involvement has gradually increased to the point now that Dan is the Chairman of the Board of Directors. In these hard economic times, we are seeing that more and more people are finding themselves in need of a little help and we have the time and desire to help out. Amy has also found time to get involved, so it is truly a family affair.

~ The last week of August we spent at a time share in Sedona, AZ. Here is a slide show of our trip.

Another free picture slideshow by Smilebox

Amy has finished her 1st week of High School. She may even go to her 1st football game tonight - Go Bend High Lava Bears!! -
Of course, Dan is thrilled that college football is finally here. His beloved Ducks didn't fare too well in their opening game but there is always tomorrow!

As Coach Kelly says, "Win the Day!"

Critter Attack!

Three weeks ago Charles, Isabella and I (Dan) had an "encounter". You may know that some combination of Nancy, Dan, Charles (golden retriever) and Isabella (black pug) take a walk down in the Deschutes River canyon, which is a block from our house, each day. Before telling you about the encounter, I should set the stage a little bit.

Last winter, Charles and I diverted from the normal trails and service road to walk through one of the heavily forested areas. While walking along, I noticed the biggest deer I have ever seen standing in the path we were following. Huge antlers ...... I don't know how many "points". He was perhaps 25 feet away and just stood there looking at me. Meanwhile, Charles was behind me busily sniffing around. Using his vaunted senses and his every instinct, he failed to realize that there was a big critter in our path. When I tried to point it out to him, he continued his business at hand. When I called to him in a more pressing way, he realized there was something out of the ordinary and finally noticed the deer. He made a half-hearted run at the deer and uttered one woof. Happily the deer ran and Charles came back to check on my well being (actually to hide behind me). Only then did I recall that I had just read in the paper that morning that a woman down in California had been pretty well beaten up by a deer in what sounded like a nice suburban setting. Glad the big boy we ran into was not itching for a fight!

The stakes got a little higher 6-8 weeks ago when a couple of cougars were spotted down in the canyon where we walk. There were lots of warning signs posted, but we continued our usual walks anyway ...... albeit with a wary eye for big kitties. There was even a picture in the local paper showing one of them in someone's back yard. After a couple of weeks of keeping a wary eye, let me just say that it did not end well for the cougars when authorities got involved.

So now to the attack. Sometimes I like to play a "hide and seek" game with Charles while we walk. That means hiding along the path so that his "vaunted" senses can be honed to precision as he searches for me. (He is pretty bad at it so I usually have to call him.) Anyway, three weeks ago Isabella and I had hidden along a path and had to call Charles to alert him as to our whereabouts. After finding us, he went ahead of us scouting the way back home. In no time I heard blood curdling cries of anguish, as if in the throes of death, and scuffling about in the underbrush just ahead of us. It was Charles. A rather large doe had whupped him real good. (Mind you, Charles cries more readily than John Boehner so the cries of anguish may have been overdone.) Charles got up and could walk, but he looked like he was in pretty rough shape.

Ordinarily this would seem like the end of the story, but the deer reminded me of a kung fu fighter who takes out the first guy and then goes looking for the next guy. Well, this deer started looking for the next guy, i.e. walking toward Isabella and me with seemingly bad intentions. Fortunately, it stopped about 20 feet away. I became even more concerned when I threw a large stick at it, and it didn't move. The deer gave me a look of "What are you gonna do about it?" Screaming and hollering at it did nothing. So I backed away while looking for another stick, but most of them were old and rotten. Rather than mind its own business, the deer started stalking us as we backed away. With Charles hiding behind me, I walked away from the area looking for whatever weapons might be available ... a big rock, a stick, whatever. The deer kept stalking us, staying about 30-40 yards away. When I thought we had finally gotten away from the darn thing, there it was again..... only 25-30 feet away. This time I throw a rock about the size of a baseball at it - missed. It did not flinch. Charles was in a state of shock and could only walk along as in a daze so he was of no help. Finally we got to the place where we can get out of the canyon, and happily no deer was on our trail. You might say that I was pretty relieved.

I estimate that the deer followed us for a couple hundred yards or so. Charles was pretty subdued for a few days, but at least he did not appear to have any broken bones. My guess is that he got kicked, but I don't know. Maybe his subdued state was just paralyzing fear..... or the realization that "he got nothin", which I continually remind him of anyway.

"Peter & the Wolf"

About 2 weeks ago Amy participated in a performance of "Peter & the Wolf". Here is a slideshow of some of the performance. The last 2 photos are of her solo in the recital portion of the show - unfortunately I couldn't make them fit the slideshow so I hope you don't get a crick in your neck. ;)

Enjoy!

Slideshow design personalized with Smilebox

The Middle School Graduate

Amy is officially a High Schooler effective June 9, 2011. She ended her Middle School years on Thursday evening with a short ceremony followed by the 8th Grade Dance. She was one of a few students honored with a Gold President's Education Award for maintaining a 4.0 grade average for all 3 years of middle school. Wow - whose child is she, anyway??

Congratulations, Amy! We love you!

Mom & Dad

Dance Velocity Show - June 4th & 5th

Here's a sample of Amy's show this past weekend. I was able to capture one routine on video - "To Tame a Lion" - you can watch it here.













Tonight, Amy graduates from Cascade Middle School. Should be some picture taking opportunities there.

Next show - June 17th - "Peter & the Wolf"

On May 24th, Amy was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society at Cascade Middle School. She has worked hard these past 3 years and this recognition is well deserved. Her work ethic is really amazing to me because it is certainly not something that I am familiar with (I believe she has inherited it from her Dad).
She is in the midst of finals this week - Algebra and French today - and "graduates" from 8th grade next Thursday, June 9th. She is both excited to start High School and a bit dreading Freshman year. She has a full summer of dance ahead of her to distract from the upcoming changes in the fall. This weekend she has 2 performances with Dance Velocity, then on 6/17 a performance of "Peter & the Wolf" with Academie de Ballet Classique. At the end of July the Central Oregon School of Ballet performs "Giselle". In addition to those activities, when school ends next week she will begin private lessons with Joy Victor. It's going to be a busy summer. Hopefully, we will get in some travel in August - still working on details.



Memorial Day weekend we traveled to Portland. The primary purpose was to get new pointe shoes for Amy but there were also some decidedly more fun items on our agenda. The most important one being - dessert with Nancy & Jason @ the Vita Cafe. They are very busy with wedding plans so it was great to be able to squeeze into their weekend plans.

Of almost equal importance to one of us is a stop at a "real" mall. Then, something that we have missed out on during our last few trips to Portland - a stop at VooDoo Donuts . I'm not sure what's the real attraction of the place - the yummy donuts or the weird vibe of the place. Which ever - the place was hoppin' on Sunday! A line out the door that was not moving very fast was quite discouraging. Luckily they had a food truck set up where we bought a dozen (more than we really wanted or needed) and left the crowd behind.

A stop at the Portland Rose Gardens was welcome even though the roses are weeks away from blooming. The rhododendrons & azaleas were spectacular - very soothing to our spring deprived eyes. We left Bend, where the trees are just starting to bud - crossed the mountains - where the snow is still coming down and arrived in the green green Willamette Valley. Just lovely!

Lions & Tamers

A few weeks ago, Amy danced in a performance with Dance Velocity, her dance school where she takes Jazz and Contemporary classes. Maybe you can tell from the picture above that Amy was a lion. She danced in 5 different pieces and with all the costume changes it was quite a production.

Recital season is upon us!

Three more shows in June - so May will be a month of preparation.

More photos to come.