Cycle the Lakes

Today my friend and I participated in Cycle the Lakes, a bike ride around Dorena Lake in Cottage Grove. 
Wow, what a funny experience!
We signed up for the 26 mile distance as it was the shortest.  (You could also do 50 or 100 miles.  In retrospect, I think we did the 100 miles.)  Last night, we went out to the Bier Stein to celebrate Jim's birthday, but I headed in early as we had a 6:15am wake up call.  It was still an early Saturday. 
The ridiculousness began at 6:45 when we tried to get my bike into the car.  I've never learned how to remove the front tire, but after a half hour of craziness, we figured it out.  (Girl power.) 
Cottage Grove is about a half hour away, and you could start the ride any time between 7am and 10am.  We'd thought we'd start at 7:15, but by the time we got started it was actually 8:15.  And then we got lost.  Multiple times.  All we were given was a poorly made map.  Our cell phones didn't get service.  We only encountered about 5 other bikers in the first few hours of the ride.  All the while, I was worried I'd attached my front tire incorrectly and that it'd fly off. 
The scenery was really pretty.  We saw a lot of live stock, but we were in the deep country, so I was worried that if I took pictures someone would appear with a rifle.  (No alpaca pictures.  Sorry.) 
We repeatedly had to turn around.  We laughed so hard we were crying.  And after about 3 hours and 15 minutes, we finished.  (We'd been assuming that 26 miles would take us no longer than 2 hours.)  And at the end, we realized our entry fee must have been put towards a mile of American flags, not directional signs along the course. 
But we did it.  I'm in desperate need of yoga.  And a bath. 

Possessions

Look at that angel.  This poor pup is itchy again and has a hot spot on his little dog forehead.  Poor guy.  If you didn't know, I have a lot of love for this little animal.  As I've said, he's basically my spiritual leader.  He could be the next leader-in-exile of a certain formerly recognized country that I won't name.  (No need to be flagged by China.) 
And so you will be stuck with iPhone pics for a short while (hence Instagram above) because I dropped my beloved digital camera at the football game (triple wah) and the diagnosis is that it would be cheaper to buy a new one than to fix it.  Jim gave that wonderful camera to me for Christmas in 2009 and it was still working like a charm.  I had a total two day long pity party about that one.  But, alas, there is a solution: manufacturer refurbished cameras on ebay.  I am trying to remind myself that it's only a material possession.  What would my spiritual leader do?  (Take a nap.)  So hopefully soon I'll be back to being a (refurbished) photog. 
In the meantime, we can all look forward to the Legal Beagle entering his 32nd year!  I've cleared my entire weekend (except for a 25 mile bike ride on Saturday morning) to spend with him and the dog.  We'll keep you updated on our birthday festivities!

Books and Such

I am excited to say I'll be hosting October's Book Club!  I was unable to attend the last BC (in August) and did not read the book.  (Fifty Shades of Grey.  I guess I am a bit of a prude.)  I picked a book for October that I have read before: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.  I am really enjoying reading it again.  It is a really interesting, well written book that reads quickly.  The style can take a little getting used to.  There is also a lot of Spanish, so I just try to pick up on context and plug ahead.  I'm looking forward to checking out Diaz's new book, which features characters from this book.
I am also excited to host a fall themed party.  I bought Halloween fabric to make a fall table cloth at the fabric store and already have a few fall candles out.  I'm imagining a pumpkin themed tablescape. 

Christmas

Christmas!  What?!  Yep, Christmas crafting has already started.  Yikes!  And inevitably, around mid-December I will have thought, I should have started earlier.
The Legal Beagle and I would like all of our dear friends and family to know that every year we are spoiled to the MAX!!  We are so lucky and thankful for everyone and really have so many awesome belongings.  So this year we are hoping you could just give us the gift of love and maybe one of the following:
Donate to a charity.  Jim is a big supporter of The Wounded Warrior Project and I am a big supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lane County and any local Humane Society or doggie rescue. 
Make a handmade gift.  I know you are all creative and artsy. 
Buy a small locally made gift or something from a small, local business.  Support local!
Or vote for Obama.
Subliminal messages aside, we are for real.  Plus we already will have a huge amount of stuff to load up in a U-Haul in 9 months. 

Last Days of Summer

Generally, I don't partake in sports that involve balls.  However, I do enjoy the excitement involved in a good college football game.  Once upon a time I was a Gator (13 years ago?!) and now I'm married to a Duck, so why not walk across the street and hang out with friends. 
Looking at this picture reminds me that you should all Instagram.  If you don't have that App for your smart phone, you should get it.  And befriend me.  It's a pretty fun photo based social media app.  I took the above pic with it.  Do it.
As the days are getting cooler and shorter, I am happy to welcome back autumnal cooking.  For dinner tonight, I made Pioneer Woman Spicy Drip Beef Sandwiches.  These are kind of like a distant cousin of the Italian beef.  And for a treat: apple streusel bars.  I've already tried a bite and they are pretty darn lovely.  And for one of this week's snacks: pumpkin spice granola bars. 
Okay, dear friends, I hope you are all welcoming the changing seasons with something fall themed.  You can expect more of that from this blogger. 

Crater Lake

 We spent our Labor Day at Crater Lake!  It's a National Park that is about a 2.5 hour drive from Eugene.  (Unless you hit traffic on the way home.  Sigh.)  We've been wanting to go for awhile and today we did it before life passed us by!  It was a bit hazy from the recent fires, but it was still gorgeous. 

 Trooper was so excited to get there. 

 The lake was formed by the eruption of Mount Mazama over 7,000 years ago.  After it imploded, the caldera filled with water.  It is the clearest lake in North America.  That island, Wizard Island, is also a volcano.  (Dormant, we hope.)

 This picture cracks us up.  I guess he was squinting because of the sun. 

What a nut!!

Coconut Cake

One of my favorite Eugene friends celebrated her birthday this weekend so I celebrated by making her Ina's coconut cake.  It was a hit, if I do say so!  The only changed I made is that I didn't use sweetened coconut.  For the batter, I used small unsweetened flakes and for the frosting, I bought large unsweetened flakes in the bulk section and toasted them in the oven.  Voila!
I would also like to follow up on my snarky (snobby?) margarita comment from the other day.  My husband said I may have "alienated" some of my readers with that comment.  I apologize for sounding like the Mitt Romney of mixed drinks.  I actually approve of the Skinny Girl line of premixed drinks and if everyone is free to drink whatever they like!