Leaves!

Through the gray skies and rain, Portland does have a good showing of fall colors. Here are some nice ones near my neighborhood. I especially like the leaves on the ground. Teddy Roosevelt definitely belongs on a horse amid the trees.

I went to the ocean

I've lived within 100 miles of the ocean my whole life, but rarely visit, and when I do, I'm delighted. Last weekend, I went to Cape Lookout State Park near Tillamook, OR. I stayed in a yurt and listened to the rain on the roof while eating camp food, playing board games and reading. The yurts are small cylindrical houses, about 15 feet in diameter with conical roofs and skylights at the top. They have lights and heaters, so it's winter camping in luxury. I recommend them.
In the morning, we set off for a muddy, misty hike toward Cape Lookout point. Walking along the edge of a tiny peninsula, we got great views of the coast from many directions. This might have been easier in summer, but I liked the fog. Oregon wilderness always feels a bit prehistoric to me, with all the ferns and moss.
What's with sea foam? I don't think I've ever seen sea foam like this.
We did not forget the Tillamook cheese, and stopped at Blue Heron wine and cheese, where they have a pretty good petting zoo and even have an emu.

Congratulations on your new president!

We did it! And we were not thwarted by the electoral system this time. Now we just have to wait until January to see what this man can do.

This was a good election in so many respects. A few downsides from my view are Gordon Smith beating out Jeff Merkley for senate (Oregon), and the passing of California's Prop 8, reinstating a ban on gay marriage.

Nevertheless, there is much to celebrate, including great results on the Oregon statewide ballot measures. Of particular interest, we voted in opposition of a "top two" open primary system in the state. This is an interesting concept that seems like a chance to get candidates who better represent that voters into the general election. But, it would actually cause parties to split votes among a slew of candidates in the primary, potentially advancing only candidates that are supported by a unified minority. Two general elections is not good for minor party candidates, or major party candidates either. So, good job, Oregonians, on voting that down.

I'm also impressed to see that school bonds passed in many places, demonstrating voters' commitment to education and children even during an economic disaster.

Voter registration and turnout was great, so I hope that continues for near-future elections.

My classic CDs

We all must go through the cycle of buying new CDs, listening to them religiously for a while, and then forgetting about them when other new music replaces them. This weekend, I decided to go back to not just my all time favorites, but a broader sample. I flipped randomly to a page of my CD holder and made myself choose one of the 8 CDs that appeared (pretty lenient anyway). I ended up listening to Mark O'Connor "Heroes", the Macalester College orchestra playing Vivaldi, and Gaelic Storm "Tree".

Heroes was a favorite of mine at one point in large part because of the concept-- the whole CD is fiddle duos with Mark O'Connor and another fiddler who inspired him. That means a good range of styles on one disk. There's Texas Swing, some Bluegrass, and even some Indian music. And, man are those good fiddlers!

The Mac orchestra is a bit sloppy at times, but it's good to reminisce. Plus, I love listening to the Four Seasons.

Gaelic Storm's CD was my favorite of the three. I love the songs. I want to sing along and learn to play the fiddle parts. This is the band from the lower decks in the movie Titanic. They are a good trad/non trad Irish band and have some funny songs and pretty songs in this collection. Nice percussion, vocals and fiddle.