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December 5, 2019December 16, 2019

Dog Toy Nirvana

Ruffwear is a premium dog gear company and they are located in Bend. Their headquarters recently completed a remodel and ‘re-opened’ the retail store.

This is one of the few stores where any dog is welcome, so we made a special trip to let Tip look around. He has a bunch of Ruffwear gear, but it is nice to see what is new.

What is really nice about Ruffwear’s store is there is no guess work in finding a harness or collar that fits. Lots of places sell this gear, but rarely do they carry a full line.

We found a tote to hold Tip’s stuff when we are on the road.

Also, we picked up a replacement for his well chewed fetch toy, the Lunker Floating Throw.

It works great in the water, and recently we discovered it floats quite nicely on top of snow … a perfect solution to the inevitable “ball sinking in the snow – never to be found again” problem.

December 1, 2019December 16, 2019

Trip to the City

There are times when it’s nice to make a trip into the city, walk it’s streets and enjoy it’s neighborhood eateries.

We understand the allure of living in Portland, Oregon. There is a vibrancy in that urban expanse.

Recently we visited the City of Roses, taking time to visit family and old friends. It was a typical PNW (Pacific Northwest) fall day, overcast with spots of rain and cold enough to require a jacket.

First morning found us at a favorite spot, the Pearl Bakery. After pastries with coffee we explored a few spots in the neighborhood. ending up at Powell’s Bookstore.

We enjoyed an Eastside Pub, Ancestry Brewing, which if you get a chance has great burgers and fine pints.

The city is still filled with hipsters and homeless amid the tall buildings that give a very different city feeling than Bend. The trip was just a few days, but more than enough to get our city fix.

We finished up with a stop at Edelweiss Deli to restock German delicacies and after a late breakfast with friends, we popped back over the mountain happy to be back home.

November 28, 2019December 16, 2019

Hard Cider

In this country when we talk about cider, often it’s in reference to the unfiltered juice of apples.

The rest of the world is talking about a drink Americans call “hard cider.” This may be changing as more and more craft brewers turn to apples as a fermentation source.

Last week while scanning the beer and wine selection at a local market, we noticed they had Legend Cider on tap.

Legend NW Cider Company is Oregon family owned and operated. Their cider is hand-crafted, has no added sweetners and is made from natural juices and Northwest-grown apples.

Luckily for us they began construction on a facility in La Pine this summer, but as is often the case, progress was slow. Finally, early this fall they opened their brewery for public tasting.

We decided it was past time to try their ciders, so stopped by the local tap room.

Our initial flight featured Apple, Columbia Gorge Grape, Paulina Pomegranate, and Coastal Cranberry.

Subsequent samplings included Broken Top Blood Orange. Rockaway Beach Raspberry, and a limited offering Tank Blend.

Coastal Cranberry was a favorite of JQ and I particularly liked the Blood Orange. That said, we did reach an accord. We left with a growler of the tank blend, featuring cranberry and pomegranate.

We’ll definitely be back to refill the growler.

When ordering a flight at Legend NW Cider Company, you have the option to select four cider flavors of your choice. We really liked what we were tasting, so ordered nachos from the food truck adjacent to the brewery, then settled in to sample all seven ciders on tap.

November 24, 2019December 16, 2019

War Time Sketches

We try to make it over to the High Desert Museum at least once a quarter, which is how often they change out exhibitis.

The most recent one is a collect of journal drawing from a Japanese internee and it was extremely interesting. A totally unique look at the shameful treatment our government pushed on American’s of asian descent during the second world war.

Takuichi Jujii was an art student in Seattle at the beginning of the war when his family was ‘relocated’ to a camp in Central Washington state. through the duration of his inprisonment he filled sketchbooks and portfolios with views of life in the camp. this exhibit is a selection of that work that illustrates the life of the ‘interned.’

Mixed in with porcupines, otters, and a 1904 ranch and saw mill are these currated pieces of history and art that really make the High Desert Museum a treasure.

November 21, 2019January 6, 2020