Noah went fishing at Detroit Lake on Sunday with some good friends of ours, and he had a great time. He doesn't quite have the hang of casting yet, but he'll get there. He got off to a bit of a slow start, but eventually caught his limit of five Rainbow Trout, and we grilled them up for dinner last night -- a little olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic & herb Mrs. Dash -- it was delicious!
This part of the yard is still a work in progress, but this definitely helps things...
We were able to dine at the patio once, and it is definitely a nice spot. But now we are back to the usual Oregon cool showery spring, so it may be a while until we get to use it again...
We want to do some more exterior projects this spring / summer, and today was the start -- a gravel patio on the shaded side of our house.
I was just going to plan out the first one and get supplies, but Steph and Em were at a birthday party, so I decided to git-r-done! Except that I got about half as much 1/4 minus gravel that I needed... guess I'll finish it next week.
So here you go Steph, Happy Mother's Day! :-)
Maybe we should use this method to test the durability of the corrugated boxes that we manufacture at Custom Box Service... ;-)
Western Oregon gets high praise for its lush green valley landscapes and its rugged coast line, but along with that comes a lot of rain. Sometimes it's nice to get away and head over the mountains to the sunshine of Central Oregon...
The Deschutes River -- looking to the south.
Every year in the spring, a group of life-long friends gets together in Sunriver for a kid-less weekend. There is always golf, dinner out, relaxation, and lots of laughter. Oh yeah, and lots of hanging out in the sun.
The dry climate of the high desert has its own natural beauty, even if it isn't as green as the Willamette Valley. I had always thought that the Oregon Coast would be the place for me if I could live anywhere in the world, but Central Oregon has really grown on me... the abundant sunshine has a lot to do with that.
The following is my Yelp review of Kanpai Sushi in Bend, Oregon.
I was part of a group of 6 that stopped in at 7:30 on a busy Friday night, and I could not imagine a better sushi experience. Kanpai is quite small, and everything is freshly made to order for you, so don't expect your sushi to come out at a fast food pace. I read all of the yelp reviews before visiting, and was pleasantly surprised to find excellent service from wait staff and no unreasonable waits for anything.
We tried a variety of different Nigiri and Sashimi options, as well as several of the Classic and Specialty rolls.
First off, the star of the show for me -- an absolute standout that dazzled my taste buds and had me on cloud nine: the Yakuza roll: Ahi Tuna, Cucumbers, Tempura Fried Jalapenos, topped w/ Seared Filet Mignon, Pickled Red Onions, and Wasabi Aioli. This roll had it all -- perfect texture, a little spice, and complex flavors. Outstanding.
Also near the top would be the special Nigiri of the evening: Ahi & Striped Sea Bass in a light, flavorful, sesame oil and soy sauce. All incredibly fresh and vibrant.
I'm a fan of a good dry sake, so the server brought me two different samples to try, and I ended up ordering the Origin of Purity -- an excellent accompaniment to my dinner. Highly recommended.
The fun part for me was sharing the many different flavors from the variety that we ordered -- and the conversation with friends that happened during the short wait times between our courses. In addition to the above mentioned items, we also ordered and enjoyed the following:
-Salmon & Ahi Nigiri
-Broiled Tomato Nigiri
-Flying Kamikaze
-Shipwrecks
-Orgasm
-Tsunami
-Kanpai Roll
Our night was topped off perfectly with a sampling of Kanpai's homemade ice creams -- Salted Caramel, Coconut, Avocado, and Fermented Garlic. They were unusual, flavorful, and just the right amount of sweetness to finish the evening.
Five stars for sure. We will be back.
