Christophe and Alan's visit to Portland

My cousin Alan and his son (my godson) Christophe were in Portland last weekend for a short but fun visit. We kicked off Friday night with a walk around the Pearl District and dinner at Sinju Japanese restaurant. Unfortunately Barbara was not able to join us as she had a gala event at work.. Saturday we watched the British Open for a little while then took off to the Nike Employee store for a little shopping spree. Following that we drove out to Hood River and had lunch at the Full Sail Brewery before we took in some of the Gorge Games. The wind surfing and kite boarding looked really cool, but most of the competition was over before we got there, so we decided to drive back on the Washington side and get some pictures of Mt. Hood. We closed out the day with dinner at Esparza's Tex-Mex.

Sunday was an all golf day. We watched the British Open and they went out and hacked it up ourselves. You can check out the great swing shots at "My Photos" any comments and advise is welcome. We capped the day with some great Indian food at Bombay Cricket Club as Alan taught us the finer points of the game.

On Monday Alan attended an open source conference and Christophe came to work with me. He got to see how we make TV commercials and attend a creative presentation with the Nike Golf client so maybe now he knows what not to do when he grows up. At the very least he got to eat an awesome burger at Fullers Diner for lunch.

Band of Horses - Everything All the Time

Here goes another fudge. I think you should buy both Band of Horses records; I am recommending Everything All the Time because it came out first and I heard it first, but Cease to Begin is equally excellent.

The band is from Seattle and I think they had a couple of independent releases before they hit it big with this record. These guys are college radio darlings and the music is amazingly accessible. I always love bands who treat he vocals like another instrument and I think both these records fit the bill. Give them a listen, definitely one of the best bands of the 2000's.

Gearhart Trip

We took our second annual Barbara's Birthday Trip to the Coast last weekend, with the dogs in tow. We left on Friday afternoon and got down to the coast around 9:00 p.m. About an hour after we got settled in we took the dogs out in the backyard and managed to lock ourselves out of the house. Of course none of the neighbors were there or if they were they were visitors too, so no spare keys were easily accessible. Since my cell phone and everything else were all in the house, I had to walk into town to try to use the phone. The only place still open at 10:30 p.m. was the bowling alley, which technically was closed but they let me in.

After a few calls, I was able to get a 24 hour locksmith to come out to the house, which was not so easy as I didn't know the exact address. The guy who showed up did not exactly inspire confidence as he tried to get a credit card in the lock to open it. Finally after an hour or more of messing around trying to pick the lock, he had to drill one of the locks to get in. I was pretty amazed to find out that with a high quality drill, you can break into almost any house. I also got a lesson on all the different kinds of locks you can buy. So close to 1:00 a.m., we finally got back in the house although we still had to have the guy come back the next day to replace the old lock he had destroyed with the drill.

The rest of the trip went a lot better. We had a couple of great dinners at the Pacific Cafe (see review: http://kennethwilliamsmith.blogspot.com/2007/07/pacific-way-bakery-cafe.html) and had some awesome long walks on the beach. The weather was also great the majority of the time, although there was a thick fog on Sunday and Monday mornings. Overall another great birthday trip.

The Judy's - Washarama

The Judy’s first full-length and most popular recording, Washarama was a watershed event in the Texas new wave scene and solidified the band’s status as the state’s most original and daring musical provocateurs. The album perfectly captures the band’s quirky sensibility and their signature minimalist sound. The twelve-song, 35-minute album includes some of The Judy’s most popular songs including “Her Wave”, “Man on a Window Ledge”, and the legendary “Guyana Punch”. This was the first time that the band had spent an extensive (for them) amount of time on a recording project including a total remix of the album after its initial completion. The album was officially released in 1981 at a record release party at Houston’s Agora Ballroom and literally became a top seller overnight. Sales were later bolstered by Wasted Talent securing distribution from a major regional distributor. Despite it’s age, Washarama still holds its own as the classic Texas new wave album.

You can order all the Judy's recordings at: http://www.wastedtalentrecords.com/

Kauai - June 2008

A little late in getting to this, but last month Barbara and I spent a week in Kauai, Hawaii. It was our first time in Kauai; we thought we'd mix it up a little after two trips to Maui. We stayed at the Hanalei Bay Resort in Princeville, which is in the northern part of the Island and is one of the prettiest places I have ever been to. The airport is very small, but nice. The drive to Princeville is 30-45 minutes depending on traffic and you will need a rental car. The Princville Resort is nice, but we heard mixed reviews on the rooms, so we rented a condo from vrbo.com (for rent by owner) which is a great site that has worked out really well for us so far. We were very happy with the room and the Hanalei Bay Resort was great, with a nice pool, friendly bar, several tennis courts and a short walk to the beach. The beach is shared with Princeville Resort, and you can eat at their restaurant, but you may not want to as the are way more expensive.

The first day there, the resort had an orientation and presented all the fun trips you can take (not a heavy sales pitch). Barbara won a half price trip on the kayak trip we wanted to take, so it worked out well for us. We took two great excursions - one kayak/hiking trip to the waterfall and a boat trip around the south part of the island to a great snorkeling spot. The kayak trip was great and not too strenuous. We journeyed up the Wailua River for about an hour, then hiked for another hour to swim in the Secret Falls (which are not very secret). The falls were really beautiful and worth the hike; the rain forest along the way is also really great to see. Barbara and I finally got in sync on the paddling on the way home.

The boat trip was great on the way out. It was a pretty big boat and the crew were really nice. We cruised from the southwest side of the Island along the Na Pali Coast, where we saw some amazing mountains and caves. Along the way we also ran into a pod of bottle nose dolphins (the most common and familiar species of dolphin). When we got to the Forbidden Island we dropped anchor and went snorkeling. When we were in the water we saw a stingray and a monk seal swam right up to us. The amount of fish was amazing and the colors were all very cool. Once we got out of the water they served a nice lunch, but I think I swallowed some sea water, because I was not feeling very well. Unfortunately this was the precursor to much worse. The ride back to the dock was very rough and I threw up the entire way. I have to say the crew was very nice about it as they kept bringing out water and napkins. I have never been more happy to get off a boat, but it was still a great trip.

On the way home we stopped at Scotty's BBQ, we had heard it was a must visit and it paid off. The food was great and they have a nice view of the beach as well. While the prices were a little high compared to the main land, they were very reasonable for Hawaii. Overall the restaurants in Kauai were very good. The town of Hanalei is a 10 minute drive from the resort and it has a lot of good restaurants. The Dolphin is one of the best, it is a little spendy, but the fresh fish is very good. On the low end there's Bubba's Burgers. The teriaki burger is awesome, go next door and get some shaved ice for desert. I would avoid Sushi Blues, the food was OK, but is too expensive for what you get. The Paradise Cafe has great Kaula pork and there is a Chinese takeout that is OK. The grocery store is worth driving to as well as the prices are much better than Princeville. There is also a little camera store (in case like me you forgot your charger) and a couple of good surf shops with cool T-shirts.

The best thing about Kauai is the beaches. Several of them are world class and the funnest part is the ones you can hike to; you get away from the crowds a little and you get some exercise. The most famous hike in Kauai is the Kalalau Trail which provides the only land access to the northwest part of the rugged coast. The trail traverses five valleys before ending at Kalalau Beach where it is blocked by sheer, fluted pali. The trail drops to sea level at the beaches of Hanakapi'ai and Kalalau. The 11-mile trail is graded but almost never level as it crosses above towering sea cliffs and through lush valleys. We only did a couple of miles and it was pretty hard going. You should be prepared to stay overnight if you do the entire hike (and be in good shape). When we got back to the beginning of the trial, we spent the day at Ke'e Beach, which is nice, but easily the most popular beach in Kauai.

Hideways Beach is one of the nicest sandy beaches on the North Shore with good swimming when the surf is calm. There are actually two small beaches here separated by a rocky outcropping. A ten minute hike makes this beach more secluded than other, more easily accessible beaches on the island. Another popular beach with great snorkeling is Tunnels Beach, which is a little hard to find as it is not sign posted, so check the guide book. The beach down at the Princeville Resort is also great, Barbara saw a shark (up close and personal), a sea turtle and hundreds of other fish. The best thing about all these northshore beaches is that you can stop and get lunch at Red Hot Mama's which is located on the road midway between Hanalei and Ke'e Beach. They offer great burritos, tacos, wraps, salads and sides to go; there is also a little grocery store next door for drinks, etc.

A really nice surprise was the Kilauea Lighthouse which is at the northernmost point of the main Hawaiian Islands. Built in 1913, it was had the largest lens of it's kind and guided ships heading to and from the Orient. Native vegetation and an informative visitor center attract thousands of tourists to this site to bird watch, view the sweeping cliff and ocean vistas, and revel in Kaua's past. The main light was turned off in 1970 and replaced with an ugly modern light, but is still a must see.

The mountains in Kauai are the wettest place on earth and the rest of the Island can get a lot of rain too, so check the weather patterns before you go. I am sure you'll have a great time.

See all the pictures at my flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/musingsandwanderings/sets/72157605903870238/.

Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet

Still one of the funniest movie lines ever, from House Party as the party is taking off, the old neighbor leans out the window and yells,"...turn down that Public Enema." But you can't turn down Public Enemy, you have to bring it strong. Sure they didn't invent rap, but it was pretty boring until these guys came along. I know Flav is a clown, but hey "911 is a Joke" is a classic, and Chuck D is one of the coolest, smartest people you will ever meet. So, the debate can start now Fear or It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back? Hard call. You should own them both, however, "Fight the Power" and "Burn Hollywood, Burn" inch Fear ahead. I can't help but remembering Ice T saying he predicted the '91 LA riots, when you hear this record you know Chuck D was way ahead of him. This is where I wish rap was today: smart, political. Believe the hype, buy this record.

Snoop Doggy Dog - Doggystyle

Finally some love for the Gs out there. Calvin Broadus a.k.a. Snoop Doggy Dog is in my opinion the best of the gangster era rappers. His flow is smooth and relaxed, he sounds like he is having fun and there is a hint of a smile every time he pulls off some over the top violent or misogynistic rhyme. There is no doubt that Dr. Dre's The Chronic is viewed as the standard in this genre, but I would hold up Doggystle to anything Dre or Biggy or Tupac, etc. every pulled off. Of course I am sure Dre had a lot to do with Snoop's sound as he produced this record, however he ain't the one laying down the flow and in the end that is what it is all about. There is no rapper that brings a smile to your face faster than Snoop. Peace. Out.