December Monsoon Season

Well, SKYFALL was the name of the James Bond movie we saw in Southern California last month while visiting Neil's brother Bruce and his wife Sandi.  Hard to believe that was in mid November and we are past Thanksgiving and headed into Christmas!  Skyfall now describes the heavy rain and wind that we are experiencing in the Portland/West Linn area.  Our new place is on high ground (about 550 feet) so no worries there, and Neil did get the gutters cleaned out (twice?) so the rain gutters are gurgling along as we get the bands of rain from the "Pineapple Express" rollling towards us.

Since we last posted to this Blog, we have taken our Winnebago Via down to Junction City and dropped it off to have some warranty work done.  We actually dropped it off before we went to Southern California and picked it up on November 20th.  Guaranty RV replaced a propane valve, defective LED light fixture, pull down curtain, and fixed an issue where when the water tank is full, it can slosh out of the overflow vent as you drive down the road.  Since we are like most RVers and try to travel with a half tank or less, it was not a big deal, but it was good to have it fixed.

On the way back from dropping off the Via, we stopped and had a late lunch in Corvallis at the old Tower of London pub that we visited thirty nine years ago when we were dating at Oregon State University.  Man, that is a long time ago.  The place is now a McMenniman's pub, but the place still looks the same; right down to the two sides (one for adults, one for families) and the signs on the rest room doors (see below).

We also drove around the OSU campus and looked at some old places, like the original Beaver Lodge house that Neil and his brother Bruce were at and lots of new stuff, like the big football stadium.

Speaking of football, just last week was the Civil War Football Game between Oregon State and our arch-rivals, the University of Oregon.  Or the Beavers versus the Ducks for you Oregonians.  Both teams have done well this year, especially Oregon who was in the hunt for the National BCS game until Stanford beat them.  It was a good game, but the Beavers just could not keep up with the Ducks, who won it handily.  Oh, well--maybe next year.  Both teams are going to bowl games; with the Ducks playing Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl, and the Beavers will be playing Texas in the Alamo Bowl.

We had a good Thanksgiving with Seth and Cathy Finney's and their families in Molalla.  Great food and visiting with the family.  Right now, we are planning on hosting the Finney clan on Christmas Eve at our home in West Linn.  That means that we will be putting up a tree for the first time in a long time.  When in Juneau, we flew out for Christmas almost every year so did not set up a tree.  Neil thinks that the Christmas decorating elves will be asking for help real soon!

Our Water Leak Wasn't this Small (or as Dry)

If you have ever wondered if things really come in threes, we are believers again.  When we were in the garden a couple of weeks ago, Pamela was planting bulbs and wanted Neil to did a hole for one of the trees we have had in a pot all summer.  Well he did--and found one of our irrigation lines and broke the PVC pipe.  We got it fixed and the tree planted in a different location, but it was our third water issue this year.  Here is hoping for no more in 2013.

Neil's Christmas, Birthday, and Every Other Gifts

Pamela went shopping for Christmas stuff at the Michael's craft shop in Oregon City, and Neil suggested that we stop at the nearby AT&T store to look at a new iPhone 5 that he has been wanting.  Big mistake for Pamela, but a wonderful windfall for Neil.  We took a look at the specials that they had for iPhones and iPads and wound up getting both!  They were able to take Neil's iPhone 4 in for a trade and we got over $100 off the iPad.  Neil is loving both of these, he is in technology heaven!  Now his biggest worry is what to get Pamela that she REALLY wants.

Pamela at Her Creative Memories Booth

Pamela has been keeping busy with her Creative Memories business, helping people to create books to save and share their memories.  She has worked on wedding books, travel books, family memory books, recipe books, and lots of others.  If you want to find out more, contact her at finneypj@gmail.com.  She does great work and has lots of examples to share.

West Linn Christmas Tree

Just last Friday, we attended the West Linn Christmas Tree Lighting at the city offices and shopping center about a mile from our house.  Santa arrived in an old fire truck and lit the tree.  It is now officially the shopping season around here.  There is even a full time Christmas music station that has been going for the past several weeks.  They are at www.k103.com and you can listen via the internet if you are so inclined.

Five Guys Burgers in Willamette, Oregon

After the tree lighting, we both felt like a burger for dinner so drove down the hill to the Willamette Area and had dinner at Five Guys Burgers.  Pamela told the workers that she was taking photos for the Blog, so here is their fifteen (five?) minutes of fame:

Workers at Five Guys Burgers in Willamette, Oregon

Last weekend, while Pamela and Cathy Finney were at a Creative Memories booth in downtown Portland, Seth Finney and Neil went to the Kershaw Knife Sale at Tualatin, Oregon factory.  Seth tries to go every year, and this was Neil's first time.  Wow!  Talk about every kind of knife at rock bottom prices--it was a bit overwhelming.  Neil went in not wanting or needing anything and came out with several knives for himself and others.  There were even some $5.00 kitchen knives and some nice lock back knives for less than $10.

There was a bit of a line getting into the factory floor where they hold the event, but it was worth it.  It will probably become an annual event for Neil as well.  His brother Bruce and friends Sam and Dave would really enjoy the selection of blades and the prices.

The Kershaw Knife Sale is Busy--But Worth It

Well, this long post kinda makes up for the last several short ones, we guess.  We will try to post more often and come up with interesting things, but probably won't.  Thanks for visiting.  Send Neil an email if you are enjoying these or just want to keep in touch.  Click here:  hagafinn@gmail.com

Have a safe and enjoyable Holiday Season,

Neil and Pamela