Eric Flowers, Author at The Source - Bend, Oregon

Whiskey 101: You don’t know Jack

inside JD’s house. As a Southerner with Irish roots, I’ve always had a particular fondness for whiskey. In my neck of the woods, whiskey soothes

Eric FlowersApril 9, 2008January 4, 2023

inside JD’s house. As a Southerner with Irish roots, I’ve always had a particular fondness for whiskey. In my neck of the woods, whiskey soothes the gums of teething babies. My family’s cough syrup consisted of whiskey and honey, in roughly equal parts. By the time I was seven, I had developed an appreciation for my father’s favorite cocktail: Seagram’s Seven and Seven-Up.

So, when I found out about the 9th Annual Whiskies of the World Expo in San Francisco, I signed up for a 2½ hour seminar called “Grain to Glass.”

Food & Drink

Brick Solid: Brickhouse adds to Redmond’s culinary bloom

Hangin’ in the half shell at BrickhouseTastefully appointed in brick, dark wood and oversized oils, Redmond’s Brickhouse Steak and Raw Bar is located downtown on

Eric FlowersApril 9, 2008July 4, 2025

Hangin’ in the half shell at BrickhouseTastefully appointed in brick, dark wood and oversized oils, Redmond’s Brickhouse Steak and Raw Bar is located downtown on historic Sixth Street and has the urban-meets-rustic aesthetic that is perennially popular in Bend restaurants.

On my first trip, I sampled just the happy hour menu as I heard it featured one-dollar raw oysters on the half shell. Show me a cheap oyster and I'll show you a happy diner. Oftentimes when oysters are offered for discount prices there is no choice as to which type you will get and the less expensive oysters are usually served. I was expecting something generic like the ubiquitous Blue Points.

Food & Drink

Brick Solid: Brickhouse adds to Redmond’s culinary bloom

Hangin’ in the half shell at BrickhouseTastefully appointed in brick, dark wood and oversized oils, Redmond’s Brickhouse Steak and Raw Bar is located downtown on

Eric FlowersApril 9, 2008January 4, 2023

On my first trip, I sampled just the happy hour menu as I heard it featured one-dollar raw oysters on the half shell. Show me a cheap oyster and I’ll show you a happy diner. Oftentimes when oysters are offered for discount prices there is no choice as to which type you will get and the less expensive oysters are usually served. I was expecting something generic like the ubiquitous Blue Points.

Music

Movie Star to Throwback Pop Star

Eric FlowersApril 9, 2008May 18, 2025

She & Him
Volume One
Merge Records
Volume One is the debut album and collaboration of indie film favorite Zooey Deschanel (Almost Famous, Elf) and guitar-folk musician M. Ward. The pair met while collaborating on a cover of Richard and Linda Thompson's "When I Get to the Border" for the soundtrack of the film The Go-Getter. After years of secretly creating home mix tapes of her songs and performing a cabaret act of jazz standards, Deschanel felt she had met the right person to collaborate with in M. Ward.

Music

A Bluer Shade of Grass: Yonder Mountain String Band returns to again smash misconceptions

Listen to enough bluegrass and you’ll be Living in a Band down by the River.The first time I saw Yonder Mountain String Band was at

Eric FlowersApril 9, 2008August 16, 2023

Listen to enough bluegrass and you’ll be Living in a Band down by the River.The first time I saw Yonder Mountain String Band was at Portland's Roseland Theater in 1999. They were opening for Leftover Salmon in a room that seemed much too large for their acoustic instruments, and I remember the band's infectious enthusiasm was hitting my group of friends at the back of the room with full-force.
We were all blown away, and after their show, when we spied mandolin player Jeff Austin standing near the bar we decided to introduce ourselves. It was a forgettable meeting, to say the least, as we practically threw ourselves at the poor guy, telling him how "awesome" we thought the band sounded.
It would be another two years before I had the chance to see Yonder Mountain perform again, this time on the East Coast in Asheville, N.C. at a little rock n' roll dive called Stella Blue's. This time, we caught Jeff in front of the venue a couple of hours before show time. He was on a payphone, and we boisterously approached him, not even considering he might want some privacy for the phone call.

Opinion

The Park Tobacco Ban

Eric FlowersApril 9, 2008May 8, 2024

In the beginning smokers lit up everywhere and filled the air that other people had to breathe with smoke, and that was bad.
And it came to pass that anti-tobacco organizations began pushing for bans on smoking in enclosed public spaces like offices and stores and restaurants, and such bans were enacted, and that was good.
And then the anti-tobacco crusaders looked about them for new worlds to conquer, and they began clamoring to get the filthy weed banned in outdoor public spaces as well, such as streets and parks. And that was just plain silly.

Opinion

Saddle Up, Bend

Eric FlowersApril 9, 2008November 24, 2023

Saddle Up, Bend

Recently an article about how to save money in Bend during the summer months caught my eye. Another bike rider was hit pretty hard by the craigslist rants and raves, as is typical from those overly large humans out there who drive their SUVs. All the person was saying to those people who live close to work, burn some calories, get the heart racing, make less visits to the overpaid doctors, etc. I run into so many overweight women who complain that gym rates are too high. They have no time to work out but they have time to go to their favorite bar and eat. OK, let's work out the math people. The average car holds roughly 16 gallons of gasoline and medium unleaded costs $3.33 and this equates to $53.28 per fill. Now if you were to use a tank of gas per week this will run you $213.12 per month now multiply this by 12 and it will be in the ballpark of $2,557. This kind of extra income could be used for a vacation for your family, schooling, bills, food etc.

Opinion

Out in the Cold

I just wanted to respond to your “WTF” article in your most recent (edition). Northwest and Pine Marten will be closing on the 20th. However

Eric FlowersApril 9, 2008December 4, 2023

I just wanted to respond to your "WTF" article in your most recent (edition). Northwest and Pine Marten will be closing on the 20th. However the important part that you left out of your story is that the mountain will remain open until its "traditional closure" operating out of Sunrise Lodge and running the Sunrise and Summit lifts.

Opinion

The Spandex Menace

I’m so tired of road bikers. They holler “Share the road,” but when they ride in their little packs the last thing they care about

Eric FlowersApril 9, 2008October 14, 2024

I'm so tired of road bikers. They holler "Share the road," but when they ride in their little packs the last thing they care about is sharing.
You bikers ride six or seven deep across the middle of the road, completely blocking traffic. We are forced to swerve into on coming traffic to avoid you. If we honk, you laugh. Some of us have things to do and places to be. Sorry if that interferes with your leisure time, but please shows some consideration to what the roads are primarily for: cars.

Opinion

Racism Is Real

The next time the Source asks people on the street about racism, you might want to ask one or two members of a racial minority

Eric FlowersApril 3, 2008January 4, 2024

The next time the Source asks people on the street about racism, you might want to ask one or two members of a racial minority who might have experienced racism and pure hatred first-hand. You might get some more informed opinions.
I am an Asian-American. For those new to the lingo, that means I was born in the US and my parents are from China. I have experienced racial prejudice and racism as long as I can remember.
On Saturday, March 29, I was exiting my vehicle on Bend's oh-so-trendy and affluent Westside. A man I have never seen before in my life, who was stopped at a gas station, said something about shooting "commies," pointed at me with an imaginary rifle and pretended to shoot me. I almost called the police. He was dead serious. THAT is what racism is.

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