Norwester

Our fishing group from Saturday

Rockaway Beach

Friday evening we headed to Rockaway Beach, OR for a weekend of deep sea fishing and catching up with friends.  Upon arrival we enjoyed a walk along the beach, our first since moving back to Oregon.  The lighting was so beautiful for pictures.

The beach has miles of drift wood

And seawood for Scott to whip around

A lot of plaid going on with my outfit

Trying to catch a frisbee

I love sunsets on the beach

Prost!

Feel the need to celebrate Oktoberfest in Portland?  We found the perfect spot, Prost! on the corner of N. Mississippi Ave. and N. Skidmore.  We enjoyed German bier, brats and sauerkraut, rye bread and pretzels.  The occasion for this night out was to see our friend Mark Pauley who is in town for the weekend.  Mark travels the world (literally) for his job and it is always special to see him, even if it is once a year.  Last year we saw him in July in Geneva, here is where you can see some photos from a hike we took together.  Until next time our dear friend!

Sunset Boulevard

Last night was date night with the Deckers to see Sunset Boulevard at the Gerding Theatre in Portland.  A perk of being in Portland again is being able to support the arts and see a play that takes you back in time.  We definitely plan to see more performances this season.  Right now The Santaland Diaries are at the top of my list, but next time we plan to do rush line to save our pennies.

Sunday

A few shots from our Sunday.

While waiting for the new tires to be installed on the Pathfinder (finally got Scott to replace them), I shopped for some new fishing gear.  This Barbie fishing net would have been perfect for me back in the day when I loved all things Barbie.

We biked Marine Drive pathway from the I-205 bridge down past Salty's and back.  It was the perfect afternoon for a bike ride and gorgeous view of Mt. Hood.

The weekend ended with dinner at 50 Plates with Tia and Andrew.  I recommend trying the Tuna Poke.

The rest of the weekend

Was spent reading by the pool, listening to the DJ and looking out at downtown Dallas

Eating pizza with paper thin crust at Eno's Pizza in the Bishop's Art District

Taking advantage of the warm evening and walking back to our hotel after dinner.  The Belmont was really fun and the staff were friendly and helpful.

Having one last breakfast at Smoke

Touring The Sixth Floor Museum and learning about the events leading up to JFK's assassination

Good bye Texas, thank you for your hospitality!

The Game

When we first walked into the stadium we just stood on the balcony and let it all soak in.  Even the smaller side screens are big!  The open air feel was refreshing after being outside in the sun and the energy of the fans was contagious.  I haven't seen Scott this excited or nervous for a game ever.

It appears that every seat in the house has an excellent view of a screen and the field.

James after his first touchdown

Quite a few people in orange on our side of the stadium!

Scott and Walker watching a replay

Even though we did not win, we had a great time watching the season opener and might need to make this a tradition!  GO BEAVERS!

Tailgating in 120 Degrees

It was hot tailgating!  Maybe not 120 degrees hot, but man oh man all of that pavement had been cooking all day in the sun.  Still, we had the best time cruising around the parking lot talking to TCU fans and Beaver fans.  The TCU fans have to be some of the nicest fans in the country.  The Beaver fans were drawn to any shade they could find around the stadium, us included.  Everyone was just so giddy that college football season was starting.

Just your average $1 billion stadium

                                                           Beer pong to pass the time

                                                                     Here we go!

Fort Worth

Saturday morning in Dallas we enjoyed breakfast at Smoke Restaurant, which has the same owners as our hotel.  As usual, I had to order the local eggs benedict, their version has pulled pork, and Scott enjoyed the broiled raw sugar grapefruit and with grits.

Scott's breakfast

Then it was off to the Fort Worth Stock Yards.  I had no idea what to expect, but it turns out it is just a tourist site with shops, restaurants, bars and the occasional longhorn steer you can pay to sit on and take a photo. 

Five dollars to sit on this hunk of beef

The perfect shade of orange and only $695!

After visiting the Stockyards, we drove to Texas Christian University to see their campus.  To put it simply, it is gorgeous.  We got out to snap a few photos in from on the stadium.  

Amy and Walker

Next stop, Cowboy Stadium!

Dallas - Night One

Scott enjoys taking mass transit in all of the cities we visit.  After landing at DFW at 4:20pm on Friday we took a shuttle from the airport terminal to a parking lot to catch another shuttle to the Trinity rail stop to catch a train to downtown Dallas to then take a bus to our hotel.  We arrived at our hotel at 6:20pm, safe and sound.  Another successful public transportation adventure!

Thankfully, my brother Walker and Amy were patiently waiting for us and we headed out for dinner on McKinney Avenue.

We enjoyed Mexican food at Chuys.  The salsa was very good!

And look who else joined us!  

Myself, Sarah, Tyler, Walter, Stephanie, KP, Dana and Scott

Dallas, TX

Tomorrow we fly to Dallas, Texas and on Saturday we will be here to cheer on the Oregon State Beavers versus TCU.  Get ready for a lot of pictures full of orange next week.  Any recommendations on what to see in Dallas?  We have found quite a few steakhouses to visit so far.