Hard Fall: Playing it safe doesn’t always pay off
Twice in the past three years, I've opted to walk around a dangerous looking section of mountain bike trail only to end up in the ER. Call it clumsiness, call it good intentions gone awry, call it bad luck- it happened.
With Lars, the Crazy Just Keeps Coming
I never miss one of Lars Larson’s little commentaries on the Oregon Catalyst site. They’re some of the best free entertainment on the Web.
Would a State Bank Be a Good Deal for Oregon?
Would the state of Oregon be better off if it was its own banker? Ann Kramer thinks so. Kramer, chair of the board of the Gorge Grown Food network, an organization trying to promote a regional food system in the Columbia Gorge, writes on the Blue Oregon site that having a state bank could help…
Still Time to Vote for Adventure Galley in the Rock the Space Contest
Adventure Galley, the Bend-rooted band I’ve blogged about and wrote this feature story about, is in the finals of the Toyota Music Rock the Space contest. The band cruised its way out of the preliminary rounds and then made it into the finals, thanks to the success of their song “Addict” — a track that…
Pioneer To Davis: One more link in Vince Genna’s dream trail
During his long tenure as head of the Bend Metro Parks and Recreation District, it was said of the late Vince Genna that he, “never met a ballfield he didn't like.” But Genna was more than just a ball sports guy as he held a long term vision for a walking/biking trail that would go…
Chowhounds: Thirty dogs walk into a restaurant…
The menu this past Sunday at the Cascade Lakes Brewing Company Lodge was chicken and rice kibble and a canned chicken mixture, topped with a sprig of parsley. Desert was a bone-shaped biscuit dipped in a carob coating. Some diners ate from the table, while others were content to eat from the floor. Most everyone…
In the Mix: Solid Hawaiian Fare comes to the Old Mill
Bend seems to have a connection with Hawaii. More than a few people I know have traded their surfboards and suntans for snowboards and four seasons (theoretically).
Our Picks for 8/25-9/2: The Dirty Words’ Farewell Bend Show, Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp, Art in the High Desert, Clink Black, and more
Bonnie & Clyde ends sunday 29 If you read last week's paper, you learned from Suzanne Burns' review that Bonnie and Clyde is one of the stronger musicals to hit Bend in some time. The two-person play is closing this weekend, so if you haven't had a chance to see Jessica and Jeremy Bernard depict…
Kitzhaber and 3E: Where There's Smoke There's … ?
As if he didn’t have enough headaches being behind Chris Dudley in the polls and in the race for campaign cash, John Kitzhaber has gotten involved in a scandal. On second thought, better put quotes around “scandal.
Herman and Hal: Two legends pass on
In the past two weeks, two legends in their respective fields (photography and track and field) passed away without much notice unless you happen to read the major metro newspapers online. For those who take or admire photos of musicians at work, Herman Leonard's images are the cornerstone of popular music photography.
Chowhounds: Thirty dogs walk into a restaurant…
The menu this past Sunday at the Cascade Lakes Brewing Company Lodge was chicken and rice kibble and a canned chicken mixture, topped with a sprig of parsley. Desert was a bone-shaped biscuit dipped in a carob coating. Some diners ate from the table, while others were content to eat from the floor. Most everyone…
wRite: Peach Pie
My life is a whirligig. It is symptomatic of the plague of busy busy busy that has seized so many of us. Nonetheless, my daughter and I decided to write a two-woman story. Hers is hers, but mine is yours. We chose the theme Peach Pie. Here is what emerged from the multiple whirligigs of…
This Week Upfront: Nude 32, Nude 32. Chan’s Heartburn, Election Watch and The Tradition
Nude 32, Nude 32… Hut, Hut, Hike There's bad news for Oregon sports this week, and some of it comes from the “What are Those Dang College Football Players Going to do Next?” file. While the Ducks have been steadily embarrassing the state for the better part of the year, the Beavers just got into…
The World's Tallest Sparrow Nest: These birds can make a home anywhere
If you’ve driven the freeways between Brainerd, Minn., and Spokane, Wash., you will recall seeing the “World’s Biggest Turkey,” the “World’s Biggest Cow,” “World’s Biggest T-Rex Skull” and other “Biggest” this-and-that.
The Water Log: Summer on Sparks, river and lake kiosks, and a Rogue reconnaissance
Suggested Flatwater Adventure: Sparks Lake Even at the height of summer, this lake feels tranquil and pristine on a Sunday afternoon. Sparks is one of the more popular kayak and canoe destinations off the Cascade Lakes Highway partly because it is so close to town and partly because there is so much to explore on…
A Week of World Wackiness
The author is gathering lawyers, guns and money for the launch of this new column. Ten weeks from mid-term elections, when Republicans will supposedly sweep dozens of seats and maybe take back the House (according to pundits who get paid to enrage the public with unfounded rumors), the time has come to tally the damage…
We are All Common: A non-profit restaurant wants the haves and have-nots to eat together
Zach Hancock has been a carpenter and a schoolteacher. He is an ordained Presbyterian minister and has his Masters in divinity. At 36, he's thin, energetic and tends to wax philosophical. With disheveled brown hair, thick-rimmed glasses and wearing a worn Phillies T-shirt (though he says he's not really a fan), Hancock looks and acts…
Little Bites: Street Smarts: Because you can never have too much street food
It started with Spork… or was it Sancho and Soupcon? We're not sure whom to credit for the local gourmet-ification of food carts, but whoever it was, they started a revolution. Lately, downtown (and some eastside spots) have seen gourmet food carts popping up like weeds. While they may not be open all the time…
Fighting Fire with Fire: The Girl Who Played with Fire packs more action, but leaves little mystery
In the Swedish-language series' second film, Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist reprise their roles as Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist, upping the action quotient while discovering the literal and metaphorical repercussions that come of playing with fire.
Serving Up Gore Galore: People-chomping fish prove intentionally hilarious in Piranha 3D's high camp fun
Piranha 3D is not necessarily a good movie but it's one of the best movies I've seen all year. The fact that it doesn't skimp on the blood, gore, carnage or splattering and bouncing bikini-clad, buxom women unafraid to take off their tops and swim naked might just give it three stars right there. Throw…
A Straight Up Shooter: Dog Days holds few genuine surprises
Kane and Lynch are two bickering hit men who can’t seem to get along without one another. Dog Days, their second videogame shooter together, finds them squabbling their way through the byways of Shanghai, with the camera tagging along behind Lynch with the handheld shakiness beloved by cinema verité and episodes of C.O.P.S.. The image,…
Don Hoxie – Can't Get There From Here
Longtime local rocker and one-time Ranch Records employee Don Hoxie is so clear on his album opener, “Welcome,” that he's not impressed by the lack of skill and hard work demonstrated on current records. I agree, music seems too easy to record and sell. Problem is, few artists with strong musical chops make memorable albums.…
New Donut Company Starts Baking in Bend
Sometimes working at the Source has its perks – like today, when Kim, from the new donut company Full Circle Donuts came in with a box of fresh baked goodies. Like the Dough Nut – the Voodoo Doughnut-style baker who, until last week, was baking out of Jackson's Corner – Full Circle Donuts has unique…
24 is Back! Ka-BOOOM!
[Dudes! I'm on vacation! So enjoy this only moderately moldy I Love Television™ repeat column, with adorable old-timey pop culture references left intact! – Humpy]”THIS WEEK! Super agent Jack Bauer returns in another exciting, pants-wetting, testicle-dropping, liposuction-ing season of the Fox hit series 24! DO… NOT… MISS… IT!!” Okay, how did I do? See, I'm…
Hurt So Good: Mellencamp and Dylan share an epic double bill this weekend
Whether it's by design or just a happy accident, the Les Schwab Amphitheater (LSA) concert series has managed to attract some of America's foremost songwriters and storytellers over the past few years, a line-up that includes Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard on the country side and Beck and Bob Dylan on the pop and folk…
Oh the Sweet Stank of Success! On the road with Abe Jones Septic Service
“A straight flush always beats a full house” reads the business card of Abe Jones Septic Service, owned by Mark and Gayle Johnson for the last 20 years. Employing seven, including Mark's son Tim and son-in-law Matt Finnestad, this family's business is all we would rather flush and forget. Mark is actually the third Abe…
Treatment Homes Schedule Open House
After drawing the ire of neighbors in northeast Bend, the county has scheduled a pair of open houses for the community and neighbors to learn more about a pair of mental health transition homes that are slated to open in the area around Pilot Butte.
The DA Drama: Tough talk answers union talk at DA's office
The drama at the Deschutes District Attorney's Office continued this past week as D.A. elect Patrick Flaherty informed Chief Deputy Prosecutor Darryl Nakahira that Flaherty would be terminating his employment when he takes office in January. Flaherty who has kept a low profile since defeating long time D.A. and his former boss, Mike Dugan, in…
Jeff Merkley Speaks Out for Sanity
Xenophobia (noun) – an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers, or of that which is foreign or strange. From the beginning, xenophobia has darkly stained the pages of American history. In the latter half of the 19th century, “the yellow peril” – Chinese immigrant labor – was the prime focus. During World War…
Joaquin Phoenix Documentary Trailer is Finally Here
If there’s one thing I’ve been anxiously awaiting (Hoverboards excluded), it’s the much-rumored documentary, entitled I’m Still Here, about the increasingly weird and insanely bearded Joaquin Phoenix, who gave up on his acting career in the past year to allegedly pursue a life as a rap star. Seriously.
