Bend Craigslist Item of the Day
The best thing about craigslist, may be the freedom to add in all kinds of tangential and often unwittingly amusing information that was once precluded by traditional classifieds, whose per line rate precluded such ramblings. Case in point, this listing for a fully loaded tournament bass boat previously owned by none other than Clyde “Balls”…
You Got Mail: Sorting through the email trash
I’m positive that you, like me, have at least one relative who can’t resist sending you a lot of cute e-mails. You know the ones with pictures of a mama moose that’s adopted a squirrel, a cat and dog that pal around like that’s the way it should be, a cobra that sleeps cuddled up…
Joan Osborne Coming to Bend
Here’s a question for you: “What if God was one of us?” Remember when we spent much of 1995 pondering that question, thanks to the hit song, “One of Us” by Joan Osborne? Well, now Osborne will be bringing that question to Bend on September 13. The show, billed as the Joan Osborne Duo, at…
Your Local 21-Hour Pub: Caldera Grille comes to the aid of the hungry late night, early morning crowd
Bend is no mecca for late-night food; a common issue for temperamentally urban mid-sized cities. Sure, our food scene is growing nicely in the cascade shadow of Portland – more food carts, more farmers' markets, reimagined restaurants – but where can we grab a bite to eat late at night? Downtown is relatively quiet on…
Beer Tasting is Hard Work
Whew. Riding around looking for beers, finding beers, drinking beers…it’s exhausting. But we’re doing it for you, dear beer-enthusiasts, as part of our Bend Brewfest preview.
Hand Washing From the Future
The Source staff had a great team lunch today at Slick’s Que Co., where we enjoyed all manner of tender, smoked meats. But eating barbeque is messy business. Luckily, Roy (the owner) is a genius and installed the most tech hand-washing system any of us had ever done laid eyes on. It works like this:…
City's Water Project is a Drain
Government spending is under the microscope wherever you look. Here in Bend, City staff have succeeded in getting the City Manager and the City Council out on a plank on a “trophy” water infrastructure project misnamed the Surface Water “Improvement” Project (SWP). This project is an unnecessary and costly burden that ratepayers cannot afford, and…
Bend PD To Public: Beware the Crosswalk
Bend Police announced today that they will roll out another crosswalk enforcement campaign this week. Police officers will be out on Wednesday midday at Franklin and Harriman to monitor if drivers are yielding to pedestrians in the crosswalk near the rail underpass.
The Virtue of Patience in Land Conservation
Patience is a virtue, or so the saying goes. In fact, there are many quotes and clichés which talk about patience. American theologian Lyman Abbott claimed, “Patience is passion tamed.” Journalist Ambrose Bierce was more cynical in his view, declaring patience a “minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue.” Whether your view of patience…
Fat Tires To Easy Waters: Carl Decker takes tops at Worlds, Skyline mtb, and more!
Coming off Super D mountain bike race wins in Wisconsin and in Bend early in the summer, local mountain bike racing pro Carl Decker headed down to Downieville, California July 9 and 10 to try for his second straight All Mountain World Championship – the true test of who's the best all-around mountain bike rider.…
Bend’s Foreclosure Soldier Story in the Headlines Again
The Bend father who has become the symbol of homeowner suffering at the hands of big banks amidst the foreclosure crisis made headlines again this week when his story was featured by the LA Times. Times reporter Kim Murphy traveled to Bend to interview Tim Collette, a contractor who fell behind on his mortgage, and…
Obama Environmental Policy Adviser in Bend: “I like what you’ve done here”
Bend-ites have known for some time that we have something special here — particularly when it comes to recreational opportunities. Now the White House knows too and they want to learn from Bend. During a brief meeting Wednesday morning, Nancy Sutley, Obama’s principal environmental policy adviser, asked Sunnyside Sports co-owner Don Leet what he thought…
Bend Book Club to Honor Slain Member, Meyer
Friends of the Bend grandmother who was believed to have been murdered by her husband earlier this year announced that they intend to honor her memory by dedicating a room in her name at the local women’s shelter and counseling center. Members of Sandra Meyer’s book club have adopted a room at Saving Grace that…
Horsing Around:Polo taking hold in High Desert
It might seem counter intuitive that in the midst of the ongoing recession the newest sport take hold in the High Desert would be polo, the activity most associated with British Royalty. Regardless, the relatively young and locally based Cascade Polo Club is demonstrating that the sport has an audience here in Central Oregon.
Of Polo and Puppies
I've been scratching my head trying to figure out what is the connection between polo and puppies. In a moment of clarity it came to me that there isn't one, and yet there is.
Get A Clue
To the woman riding her bike around 7pm Friday night on Baker Rd. against traffic with two small children without helmets: What are you thinking?! Children should wear helmets; it is the law.
Shut-Up and Listen
I attended the recent Alive After Five concert featuring the renowned musician David Lindley. I was amazed that a large part of the audience seemed uninterested in the show, and talked so loudly that it was hard to hear David's stellar performance over the crowd noise.
Our Fresh Straight Poop Is Always Rated AAAAA+
Monday, Aug. 1 Playing kick the can: House passes debt ceiling bill containing $2.3 trillion in spending cuts, no revenue increases; sends it on to Senate … Sources say Vice President Joe Biden accuses Tea Party Republicans of “acting like terrorists” in debt ceiling negotiations … Look who's calling names: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin…
The High Cost of Driving While Stupid
An estimated 2,600 people die in America each year as a result of drivers being distracted by using cell phones. This summer, 16-year-old Forrest Cepeda of Bend apparently became one of them. Police say Cepeda and a friend were biking along Reed Market Road on July 25 when he was struck by a pickup truck…
Too Much of a Good Thing: Wind influx means Northwest has plenty of power with nowhere to go
Last month, customers of Central Electric Cooperative, the Redmond-based rural electricity provider, received a letter from CEO Dave Markham with some surprising news. Despite a near record snow pack that left reservoirs overflowing and created a surplus of cheap hydropower, customers could expect a nearly eight-percent increase in their monthly bills come October when the…
Straight Outta Utah: The Devil Whale's big, new and old sound
For a band like The Devil Whale, making it in today's music business means not just putting out an excellent full-length album, like the Salt Lake City indie folk act did this spring, but also putting in some serious miles on the road and obtaining more than a few bruises along the way. Not all…
Chew-Chew on This: The Terrebonne Depot's train has arrived
What would a place called Terrebonne, literally meaning “good Earth,” be without good food? Thankfully, we'll never know, thanks to the Terrebonne Depot. Terrebonne Depot mixes a farm-to-fork menu, a modern country setting and solid ambiance (wild lavender and a wrap around porch surround the old train depot) to create an experience of enjoying what…
Little Bites: Can We Sit Outside?: Three popular Bend spots add patios
If you're in Bend on a warm, sunny day, of which there have been plenty over the past few weeks and want to grab a bite to eat, you almost certainly want to sit outside. Patio dining is a popular Central Oregon pastime and one that's revered to the point that some of us would…
Fake Swords, Real Community: Getting medieval at the Corvaria Harvest Tournament
Standing on a grassy lawn at the Peterson Rock Garden on a sunny Saturday afternoon staring at vaulted canvas tents, arcane symbols emblazoned on banners flapping in the breeze and, most notably, a lot of oddly dressed individuals, I start trying to sort through all of the strangeness. I am at the Corvaria Harvest Tournament…
History on Wheels: Learning Bend's past on bike with Let it Ride
As a transplant to Oregon, I'm embarrassed to admit that I remain largely unlearned of the rich history that is Bend's past. I imagine I'm not alone in this ignorance, which is why the folks at Let it Ride may be onto something. For $45 you can get a two-hour guided tour of downtown Bend.…
Summer Done Right: Thank you, movie gods, for Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Dear Movie Gods, Now that's how it's done. All I had to do was complain in four straight reviews about the death of the Hollywood blockbuster and you, the movie gods, answered my prayers. With the excellent Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I'm sure I must owe you a blood sacrifice or at…
The Same Old Switcheroo: The Change-Up brings nothing new to the table in the tired body-switching comedy genre
Yawwwnnnnnn! That was the sounds of the extremely tired body-switching plot convention that has come to us yet again, this time in The Change-Up. You would think after Freaky Friday, Big, 17 Again, 13 Going on 30 and The Hot Chick (OK, I'll stop) that Hollywood would realize that we've finally seen it all in…
Don't Mess with Texas!
“The stars shine bright! All day and night! [CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!] Deep in the heaaaart of Texas!” That song is the only good thing about Texas. Now admittedly, I don't know much about the state. I've visited it on only one occasion: It was 1984 and I was a drug mule for a large-ish…
Boot to Booty: The Asskickers lives up to its title with a lo-fi approach
The Asskickers, as its name suggests, is a game about kicking ass. So how does this make The Asskickers different from hundreds of other videogames? For starters, the asses in The Asskickers are all hand-drawn. Most asses in videogames these days are the result of hundreds of hours spent staring at computer screens, arranging wire-frame…
Rafting the North Umpqua
On the verge of paddling into a class IV rapid, there is always a thought that wells up in the back of my mind: Is this really such a great idea? It'd be a cakewalk in my inflatable kayak, but my little hardshell playboat raises the flip factor exponentially. You're solid on class III+,' I…
The Children of Summer: Introducing your kids to the world of bugs
Margaret Anderson (no relation, darn it) couldn't have picked a better title for her exquisite book about Jean Henri Fabre, the father of experimental entomology, than Children of Summer. And as far as I'm concerned, you couldn't pick a better book to introduce your children to insects – and entertain yourself – than Anderson's 95…
The Brawl: Baseball players still care enough to occasionally try to punch each other
Last Friday night, I was earnestly paying attention to a guy in a crowded bar who was telling me how crowded this bar happened to be when my eye caught a glimpse of one of the many televisions in this particular drinking establishment, prompting me to tell this new acquaintance to “shut up for a…
Video of The Shins in Bend
I just got home a bit ago from a very sold-out appearance by The Shins at the Domino Room here in Bend and I’m pleased to say that this rehashed version of the band far exceeded my expectations. In fact, James Mercer and crew — cheered on by an incredibly appreciative audience — looked to…
