Summer Amnesia
Don't know why, but when I wrote my Where Oh Where Did My Summer Go entry, I forgot a few rather fun activities that really should have been included.
Knocking another item off of this year's To Do list, Dain and I went skydiving at the end of June with Skydive Oregon. Our first attempt ended without us going up, thanks to a cloudy, rainy day. Our second attempt, the following weekend, was blessed with perfectly clear skies and amazing views. Immediately after jumping from the plane, my instructor tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to where a commercial jet was flying beneath us a few thousand feet. Talk about surreal. Also during the minute and a half of free fall, my tandem instructor and I rotated multiple times and got to see most of the major Cascade mountains in their full glory. Dain admitted to starting his jump with a bit of a yelp, but I found my second jump to be rather easier and more enjoyable than my first one, over ten years ago. There was a short period in the weeks afterwards when I almost signed up for classes to get a solo skydiving certification. I abstained so that I could direct that money elsewhere, but the thought still crosses my mind periodically. Mostly because I desperately want to try those wingsuits out.
Did a lovely 70 foot cliff jump from above Punchbowl Falls along the Eagle Creek trail in the Columbia Gorge. And then, thanks to a couple friends not seeing the first jump, I did it again. The 35 foot jump further down the creek is a bit more enjoyable though, thanks to it being so easy to reach and a bit less nerve wracking. And, we even got Liz to do the Li'l Jump just across from it. Oh, and swimming behind and going underneath the Upper Punchbowl waterfall is quite the experience too. The current is amazingly strong just getting to the whitewater and then the pressure underneath the spray is intense. Spent two days in a row having fun there.
Absinthe & Flamethrowers: Projects and Ruminations on the Art of Living Dangerously was released in paperback back in June and I discovered it shortly thereafter thanks to BoingBoing.net. Doing a little research, I discovered that Integrity Spirits was just down Belmont from our old house and that its Trillium Absinthe Supérieure was served at the Green Dragon next door. So, one night, while up to no good with friends who undoubtedly had dubious and outrageous morales (mostly Christians), I ordered absinthe and tried it out. Alas, the green fairy is not to be my drink of choice. The experience was different but not ultimately for me. Alas. Still, one more item off that wretchedly long To Do list.
Knocking another item off of this year's To Do list, Dain and I went skydiving at the end of June with Skydive Oregon. Our first attempt ended without us going up, thanks to a cloudy, rainy day. Our second attempt, the following weekend, was blessed with perfectly clear skies and amazing views. Immediately after jumping from the plane, my instructor tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to where a commercial jet was flying beneath us a few thousand feet. Talk about surreal. Also during the minute and a half of free fall, my tandem instructor and I rotated multiple times and got to see most of the major Cascade mountains in their full glory. Dain admitted to starting his jump with a bit of a yelp, but I found my second jump to be rather easier and more enjoyable than my first one, over ten years ago. There was a short period in the weeks afterwards when I almost signed up for classes to get a solo skydiving certification. I abstained so that I could direct that money elsewhere, but the thought still crosses my mind periodically. Mostly because I desperately want to try those wingsuits out.
Did a lovely 70 foot cliff jump from above Punchbowl Falls along the Eagle Creek trail in the Columbia Gorge. And then, thanks to a couple friends not seeing the first jump, I did it again. The 35 foot jump further down the creek is a bit more enjoyable though, thanks to it being so easy to reach and a bit less nerve wracking. And, we even got Liz to do the Li'l Jump just across from it. Oh, and swimming behind and going underneath the Upper Punchbowl waterfall is quite the experience too. The current is amazingly strong just getting to the whitewater and then the pressure underneath the spray is intense. Spent two days in a row having fun there.
Absinthe & Flamethrowers: Projects and Ruminations on the Art of Living Dangerously was released in paperback back in June and I discovered it shortly thereafter thanks to BoingBoing.net. Doing a little research, I discovered that Integrity Spirits was just down Belmont from our old house and that its Trillium Absinthe Supérieure was served at the Green Dragon next door. So, one night, while up to no good with friends who undoubtedly had dubious and outrageous morales (mostly Christians), I ordered absinthe and tried it out. Alas, the green fairy is not to be my drink of choice. The experience was different but not ultimately for me. Alas. Still, one more item off that wretchedly long To Do list.
– Posted: November 08, 2009, 07:16 pm