Summer Happenings

Kerry and I kept relatively busy this summer without forgetting about the ever-important plan-less weekends. It'd been a great mix of spending time with family and friends, going on adventures, and taking advantage of lazy Saturdays--none of which are necessarily mutually exclusive of any other.

Our Fourth of July weekend was spent camping on the coast with Kerry's mom. Beachside State Park, while close to HWY 101, also sits on one of Oregon's best beaches. The sun was out most of the time and the wind perfect for kite flying. Stunt kites are fun though it took us a while to realize that they need to be balanced just so to avoid a quick return to the ground. On the Fourth we drove into Yachats (Yaw-hawts) for the annual La Dee Da Parade. This was a bit different from the Fourth of July parades we grew up with: no marching bands, no VFW, no National Guard, no tractors. There were however cardboard seagulls (strategically loaded with cans of whipped cream), children walking dogs, jelly fish made out of umbrellas, a geriatric walking club, and a local Tai Chi group. It was fun to watch and definitely a good representation of the good folks of Yachats.

The evening of the Fourth was spent on the beach for the big fireworks show. While the organized portion of the event was great, we would argue that the local contribution to the professional display was more entertaining and provided a different representation of good folks of Yachats: parents laughing at their children who are shooting roman candles at each other; filthy two-year-olds with bags of Cheetoes as tall as they are; and presumably intoxicated folks who believe that no Fourth of July is complete without a flare gun.

We also managed a trip up north for some "camping" with the Evans side of the family. This trip was also fraught with shenanigans that included launching baby carrots from a pneumatic cannon--Dad's belated Fathers' Day present. Originally it was intended to be a rocket launcher, but paper rockets are time consuming to make and baby carrots are somewhat expendable. We also spent time trying out the Relaxation Station, the most recent addition to the fleet of water toys and the Evans Cabin. It was great to see people and to be able to camp with things like electricity, inflatable mattresses, a kitchen...okay it didn't really resemble camping at all, but to quote Shelley Long in Troop Beverly Hills: "Roughing it? One bathroom for 9 people..?"

And of course we enjoyed the annual August McLaughlin trip to the coast. This is the one of the few times of year that the whole McLaughlin family is able to get together. Kerry and I had a great time visiting with folks, walking on the beach, and spending some time with Kerry’s cousins who we rarely get to see. The food was fabulous and the company mighty fine. It was also during this trip that Kerry and I learned that running on the sand, in the fog, can be a miserable proposition.

On the job front we just moved in 3000 new students, most of the campus is under construction and I have been giving safety trainings to various staff groups within our department. I have a clip that I like to use from "The Office." Check it out, it’s pretty good.

Kerry has also been hired by Housing & Dining to part time and temporarily do some marketing work. For the next little bit she will be working on the launch of a dining rewards program and editing the department's annual report. She works with a great group of people and has made some amazing contributions already--I'm convinced that there isn't anything she can't do. She's still on the hunt though, both for a job and for the perfect job and she's gotten some good insight into her career preferences as well.

At the P-FAR

Anniversary lunch!

Learning to fly a stunt kite.