Svensen Flea Market ~ Finally.

We frequently drive by the Wickiup Grange, which hosts the Svensen Flea Market the 2nd weekend of the month, and every time I think to myself, "damn, we really need to do that." 

Well, that was until yesterday when we actually stepped foot inside!  I was pumped all week when I realized that the flea market was scheduled for this weekend and we would actually be in town.  I kept reminding myself about it, so as not to forget like we'd done every month for the past year.  I found myself constantly lost in dreamland, fantasizing about all the amazing finds that were just waiting there for me to snatch up.  Dreamland sequence, "Oh hello there 16th century something or other that is rare and extremely expensive.  Why yes, I will take you home and flaunt you on Antiques Roadshow just to turn around and sell you to the highest bidder who is a bazillionaire and just waiting to drop no less than 10 Wilson's on you.  Thank you so much for asking."

And finally, after a week of tormented waiting and demented fantasizing, Saturday arrived.

We packed up the rugrat, hightailed it 9 miles east and pushed open the large wooden doors and BEHOLD!

Not.What.I.Expected.  Obviously they haven't seen NYC's flea markets that I've heard such great things about from my friend, Nate.  Yeah, Nate Berkus.  Our dreams of antique bounty may have been shattered, but we were able to find a few things that tickled our fancy.  Josh picked up a bunch of poker chips for his classroom and I found an old lard container and a basket.

While our maiden visit will probably be the final one, I'm glad we finally checked it out, even if it didn't get us our Wilsons or our trip to Antiques Roadshow.  Damn you, Svensen.

Killing me!

The suspense, that is.  Two days until we find out if the little house in Chinook is ours.  I am so impatient.

Update:
The tenant's declined!  (Yay for us, sad for them.)  So, we move on to the inspection which is on Sunday.  If all goes well, we will be celebrating Christmas in our new home.   Excuse us while we dance a jig!

Professional Help Needed!

No, not the therapy-type.  I recently purchased this wool blanket at Goodwill (heart.) and would love it if someone could tell me who/where it was made.  I am hoping that it is some authentic Native American handwoven blanket, but I'm sure it's just a machine-made Russian knock-off.  A girl can dream...

Authentic or not, isn't it beautiful?

Update:
Thanks to Carlos Trujillo at Trujillo's Weaving Shop, I learned that it is an authentic mid to late-20th century blanket from the Chimayó region in New Mexico.  While not as valuable as the first-phase chief's blanket shown on Antiques Roadshow (yeah, that bad boy was worth $350k to $500k), it's nice knowing that it is authentic and I didn't fall those Russian's tricks.

(un)Welcome Fall Visitors

With fall comes the rain and then come the worst houseguests imaginable.  I never thought I'd say it, but I'm ready for winter.

We're Feeling Hoppy! ~ Redbeard Post

38 fresh hop brews waiting to be consumed.

This past Saturday we were down in the Gorge for the Myers' 30th Anniversary party.  But, before we were knees deep in decorations, we sprinted over to Hood River for Hops Fest.  We paid our entry (even the DD had to pay...LAME!) and had 4 tokens to spend among 38 beers.

Favorites of the Day?

• Meagan was a huge fan of Ninkasi's "Total Crystallization" and spent two of her four tokens on the fresh hopped version of their "Total Domination IPA." But really, that's not much of a surprise, she's a loyal fan of the Eugene, Oregon brewery. Even Kailee, not a beer drinker, enjoyed this beer's crispness.

Sidenote:  what the hell does Ninkasi mean?  She was the Sumerian matron goddess of beer and a hymn sung to her is the recipe for the malty beverage.  Now back to the beers...

•  Josh fell in love with a Belgian (surprise!) from hometown brewery, Full Sail.
• Chad...well, we're just not quite sure what Chad enjoyed.  But he sure as heck did not like something.  Just look at his sour face.

 

While we spent only one measly hour at the Hops Fest and, in essence, paid $10 for one full beer, it did give us the opportunity to fill up a growler of Double Mountain's fresh hopped "Killer Green." Much, much better than the Bud Light we were serving to the riffraff at the party.

One Step Closer

So, we've submitted an offer, agreed on a selling price (of course they countered!) and now are waiting (im)patiently for 10 days before we move on to an inspection.  Why 10 days?  Well, because of the good ol' Right of First Refusal, an agreement that gives the current tenants the option to buy.  On October 15th we'll be in the clear and this little fixer-upper may just be ours in a month or two.

Good potential, right?

Homeowners Times Two?

The thought of it gets my nerves all knotted up like those balls of christmas lights you have tucked away in your garage.  Not only would we be tied to one place, but two, and for a wanderlust like myself, that is just straight up scary.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not completely against the idea.  There are definite pluses to purchasing rather than renting.  AOL's 5 Reasons to Buy a Second Home had some insightful ideas, but we have our own list. The first would be the tax benefits of living in Washington.  (No income tax on Josh's fishing income. BIG plus there.)  The second, and most obvious of which, is paying a mortgage rather than rent.  The general idea of paying twice as much towards someone else's mortgage rather than our own just rubs me the wrong way. And the third, we'd have freedom to do whatever we wanted ~ oh, the deck needs restained?  Well, instead of waiting MONTHS upon MONTHS for someone from the horrible property management company to get back to you (bitter, much?), we could just roll up our sleeves and get to work.

And speaking of work...I've already let my imagination run wild planning what I would do.  First off we'd build a patio, pergola, storage/brew shed, as well as a dormer addition and finish the attic, paint a chalkboard wall in the kitchen and build a bench in the breakfast nook, plant some flowers, extend the front porch and add an arbor at the front entrance.  But, like I said, I've let my imagination run wild.

We're checking out a place in tiny Chinook, Washington tonight.  Yes, the same Chinook where Josh's parents lived just a few years back.  (Too bad they didn't just keep that place. Ha!)  And it turns out that we're talking with the same agent that sold his parent's house.  (Not that much of a coincidence in a town of 500. )  So, here's to new adventures and multiple mortgages.

Guest Post from Redbeard Brewing

Thanks to the folks over at Redbeard Brewing for sharing their post, ahaha yeah that's us.

Living on the Oregon Coast, we see our fair share of rain but in a small community of 10,000 where there are two hometown breweries and an annual brew fest, rain is just about the only thing we have to complain about.

The Pacific Northwest Brew Cup is hosted by Fort George Brewery and Baked Alaska Restaurant. Last year, we showed up as fresh transplants to the area and what a welcome it was. This year, we're seasoned locals and ready for a full day of beer, music, and SUNSHINE! That's right, the sun has made a rare appearance. I guess beer really is the nectar of the gods.The 2011 10th Anniversary Brew Cup takes place along the railroad tracks and behind the abandoned train depot, (which is now under development to become a boat building facility). This year's Cup had 36 beers on tap; IPA's, a session ale, stouts, fresh hops & a maple porter, from breweries across Oregon, Washington, and California and all were pretty damn tasty, aside from that revolting chili beer.

That asparagus guy made THE BEST street tacos EVER and tamales, too.
Man, I ate A LOT! (Canby Asparagus Farm)

So, which beers warrant mentioning? Boneyard Brewing from Bend, OR won the "Thar She Blows Award" for their "Hop Venom IPA" being the first keg emptied and the "People's Choice Award" went to hometown Astoria Brewing Co.'s "Lincoln Lager". The general populace had chosen their winners, but what did we think?

The Mas~ Ma Barley & Grand(MA) Dennielle

We were flooded with IPAs, so narrowing down a favorite was a difficult task. Josh cast his People's Choice vote for Columbia River's "Hoodoo Voodoo" double IPA; partly for the cool name and partly for its nice thick hoppy body and clean dry finish. Honorable mention deserves to go to Ninkasi's "Maiden The Shade" a nice citrusy session IPA.

Often a day's worth of beer ends up being the gift that keeps on giving (if you've ever drank multiple double IPAs you know what we're talking about). This year, though, there were actual desirable gifts, courtesy of Astoria's downtown shopkeepers, via raffle tickets gained through a downtown business crawl. Meagan threw all her chickens in one coffee tin, hoping to win a kid's gift pack, to no avail. However, Josh came away with a belly full of beer AND a sweet Viking t-shirt courtesy of Finnware (pictures forthcoming). Meagan's super-great-grandfather Odin (yes, the Norse god ~ thank you Ancestry.com for validating my grandeur) must have been looking out.

Family Tree ~ Cont'd

You may remember us mentioning doing a little family tree work, in our first Family Tree post.  Josh had gathered some information from his Grandma Linda, which sent us, well me mostly, on an obsessed quest to gather as much information as possible.  While Josh was in Alaska, I joined Ancestry.com for the free 14 day trial and immersed myself in all things genealogical.  Speaking of genealogical, I hate trying to spell that damn word.  Good thing it was never on a spelling exam.

Ancestry functions by housing an online database of census records, death certificates, and many other documentation pertaining to when/where a person lived.  It also allows a researcher to search through other member's family trees.  I started my research on my side, since Josh's information was tucked away in a place only he knew about.  After only a few dead ends, I was off and running and praising Ancestry like it was the holy grail.

My great-grandfather, is none other than Eino Sarvela.  Little did I know how significant of a family he stemmed from.   His family line was chalk-full of royal figures throughout Denmark, Sweden, and Germany and because of that known ancestry the information kept coming and coming and coming.  Until, around 214AD, I came upon Odin.  Odin?  You mean the norse god Odin, otherwise known as Wotan, Wodan or more commonly, the Wanderer?  The father of Thor?  Yes folks, the one and only Odin, is my 60th Great-Grandfather.  Apparently, Ancestry members can throw in just about anyone on their tree and if you aren't paying close attention you could very well get off on the wrong track by adding these mythological characters

Do you see the family resemblance?

Although Ancestry has its definite drawbacks, it is exciting when you come upon a personal story or photo of your ancestors.  We lucked out when entering Josh's family information and stumbled upon a few photos of his Great-Grandfather Albert Padgett & Great-Great-Great Grandfather Franklin Merritt Padgett.

Atafu, Unit 93, Original Crew (Albert F. Padgett - bottom center)

 Franklin Merritt & Julia Marie Padgett

 Franklin Padgett home

I've hit a bit of a snag in regards to the Padgett family line and ended with Harry Padgett from New York in the 1780s, but Grandma Linda's side has warranted some gems like those above.  Here's some photos from the Sholberg (Skjolberg) side.  Josh's Great-Great Grandma Dorothy (Dordi) and Great-Great-Great Grandparents Anders & Alida are pictured below.

Dordi is seated on the far left and Anders & Alida are seated on far right.

The final branch left to research is the Myers side, which with the help of my Great Uncle Dick should go much more smoothly.  It was seemingly impossible to find anyone until a conversation with Uncle Dick gave me some key pieces of information.  Alas, no photos have been uncovered, but I'm still holding out hope.  For those of you interested in Ancestry, I would highly recommend checking them out ~ at least for the free trial period.  Bear in mind, not all the information, like Odin, is factual.  Happy Hunting!

Time Flies...

A cliche phrase that's mostly used by adults referring to their growing children. But AHA! I am one of those adults, so use it I will.

Seriously though, where the hell did the past year go? Last year around this time, I was laying on this very couch under this very window, but instead of a laptop on my lap, I had this...

Adorable, right?

Man, he was a handsome and easy baby. Don't get me wrong, there were definite hard times, sleep deprivation just has a way of making me into a MOMZILLA. Fast forward one year...now I have a handsome and relatively easy one year old. Sure, he throws awesome feet stomping fits from time to time and is constantly running around, but all in all he's a pretty cool kid and I think I'll keep him. BACK UP! Did I just say, ONE YEAR OLD? Seriously, time flies.  For a trip through memory lane, visit Luke's tumblr page at Day in the Life.

Chilling at his beach birthday party.

I can hardly wait for all the adventures our little family will get into, but I can't get lost too much in dreams of the future or I'll miss all the fun of the present - or so they say.

Fast Forward Vacation

I'm writing this in a post speed-vacation haze. It's the first full day back from 10 days up north and man, am I wiped. I feel like my body has shut down and my mind is right behind it, but alas, there will be no rest for the wicked as my better half has conned me into bottling his latest brew. I'd rather lay around like Jabba-the-Hut.

Me.

After going back and forth on his departure date, Josh surprised us with a "Guess what? I'm flying home tomorrow" call on Thursday, Aug 25th. I was ecstatic. And then I was busy. And then we were all busy. Enjoy some pics from our week and a half of visiting family, catching some alone time, and hanging out with friends. It seems I did less photo taking and more hanging with the slim pickings I had. It was a great (and tiring) vacation ~ thanks to all those who helped make it special.