Merry Moosemas

   At 6:03 pm eastern time today , the Winter Solstice occurs. And of course this means that Moosemas begins, with much eating of casseroles and laying about and watching old movies. The rich heritage of Moosemas is found in the ancient cultures celebrating Sol Invictus and Saturnalia. If you ever have the chance, hop over the pond and catch the Stonehenge, England festival with thousands having a most excellent time. Pictured above is a Moosemas celebration photo  at one of America's lovely beaches.

Merry Moosemas

It is the end of the year and the holiday season is upon us, and all good boys and girls are excited for the best holiday there is :  Moosemas . This centuries old celebration finds it's roots in the ancient festivals of Sol Invictus and Saturnalia. So bake a casserole , kick back on the couch  and watch old movies in the true Moosemas spirit.

Merry Moosemas

Hard to believe, but another year has come and gone and the holiday season is upon us. So grab the remote, put on an old movie, grab a bag of fritos and kick back and get some quality couch time in with these great traditions we have all come to love over the years that make Moosemas such a beloved holiday. Read here about the centuries long traditions and history of this ancient festival that finds it's roots in Saturnalia and the feast of Sol Invictus.And that whole end of the world that the Mayans predicted for today is actually a misreading of what they actually believed . They, like other indigenous people saw life and time as a cycle that repeats , not a linear view as we do.

Merry Moosemas

It's the winter solstice and the ancient celebration of Moosemas is here. Though it's origins still are moosterious, it can trace it's roots to the celebrations of Saturnalia and the Sol Invictus. Sadly, those crazy Mayan priests predicted the end of time on this date next year 2012 , but the rest of us can happily celebrate with the usual feasting and laying about, watching old movies .

Merry Moosemas

Hard to believe, but another year has come and gone and the holiday season is upon us. So grab the remote, put on an old movie, grab a bag of fritos and kick back and get some quality couch time in with these great traditions we have all come to love over the years that make Moosemas such a beloved holiday. Read here about the centuries long traditions and history of this ancient festival that finds it's roots in Saturnalia and the feast of Sol Invictus .

Bridge Town

Looking north along the Willamette River on the hike and bike trail. The first bridge is the Broadway Bridge , built in 1912 . The bridge in the background is the the Fremont Bridge , built in 1973 .
The 630 foot wheat tanker BALTIMORE , loading up before leaving for it's destination of Singapore .
The steel bridge , built in 1912 . With the bow of the BALTIMORE just visible on the left , an Amtrak train is crossing , about to enter Union Station, the Romanesque brick railway station that is just a 1/4 mile to the right , which was built in 1896 .

Seen from left to right : a loading crane , the 2 towers of the Convention Center , the large grain silos , the BALTIMORE tanker, the Steel Bridge with the light rail MAX train just crossing and in the foreground, an old salvaged anchor at a lookout point on the hike and bike trail .

Portland Chinese Garden

Lan Su Chinese Garden in downtown Portland .
Bonsai in window sill of the Scholar's Study .
Black pine bonsai
Bonsai in front of 6 hand carved gingko wood panels titled Flowers Bathing In Spring Water .

The Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland , Oregon is the most authentic Chinese garden outside of China . Sitting on a 1 acre plot in downtown Portland, the garden had 65 artisans from her sister city of Suzhou , China stay in town for 10 months to complete the work . Most of the materials in the garden , including more than 500 tons of rock, came from China . Lan Su is a 2000 year old Chinese tradition that melds art , architecture , design and nature in perfect harmony .

Merry Christmas

Watch the whole movie here .

Merry Moosemas

The great holiday of Moosemas comes from the old Saxon word " mooz" , which meant : to lounge about, watching old movies , eating fritos and bad casseroles . Hard to believe, but another year has come and gone and the holiday season is upon us. So grab the remote, put on an old movie, grab a bag of fritos and kick back and get some quality couch time in with family and friends with all the great traditions we have all come to love over the years that make Moosemas such a beloved holiday. Above is the traditional Moosemas tree in it's full fall color - the Japanese maple . Read here about the centuries long traditions and history of this ancient festival that finds it's roots in Saturnalia and the feast of Sol Invictus .

Happy Thanksgiving

Norman Rockwell cover from 1919 .

Happy Halloween

kodakula by the sea

Jack-o'-lanterns

Read the lore behind carved pumpkins here .

7th grade Lamar Colts

Happy 30th birthday

Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge

Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge is a 140 acre floodplain wetland located in the middle of Portland, Oregon along the Willamette River . Originally an old landfill that was saved from developement as an industrial park in the 1960s, it is the home , nesting area or temporary migratory stop-over for 400 species of birds including hawks, ospreys, goldfinches , water fowl and the official bird of Portland- the great blue heron, which can be seen on the painted mural in the background .

'48 Ford

1948 four door sedan Ford with a flatheadhead V8 engine and a 3 speed column shift , fully restored.

The World comes to Portland

The World cruise ship docks along the waterfront in Portland, Oregon for a 5 day visit. The 644 foot long 12 story high ship has 140 residents who instead of renting a room for a temporary cruise have bought at a minimum a $1 million dollar per room for the smallest condo on this ship that sails around the world . Why buy a house in Hawaii, a villa on the coast of southern France or an apartment in Shanghai when you can have them all .

Sunday family picnic

What's going on here at the farm

The pinto bean crop is coming along nicely. And below, the masked invader who was sneaking around out front yesterday .

Tram at OHSU waterfront development