Uncle Phil's Playhouse
Nike founder Phil Knight's generosity to his alma mater has been well documented. The sometimes Redmond-area resident has donated tens of millions of dollars to the University of Oregon in the form of new facilities for its athletic department, primarily its football and basketball teams. And his mark on the University is undeniable, just look…
Lunker Quest: Gorgeous waters yield few fish
In his self-published book The Meanderings of A Fisherman, the late financier Dean Witter mused how one very popular Oregon stream looked like a flyfisher’s paradise when, in fact, it was quite the opposite. Now I know the “looks good but isn't” Witter spoke of, as this past Sunday's flyfishing expedition turned out to be…
Fall Music Preview: The Thermals, Atmosphere, Blind Pilot, Greg Brown
It happens almost every August, right around this time. I see a single “back to school” ad, then I see another one.
Running for Governor the Hard Way
Whatever you might think of Richard Esterman’s politics, you have to admire his persistence. Esterman, a Sisters resident and professional photographer, has been struggling to get on the ballot as a candidate for governor.
McKenzie: A good ride spoiled?
Back when mountain bikes came without suspension, an annual fall group ride down the McKenzie River Trail was a big deal for the three dozen or so fat tire riders who lived in Central Oregon. The trail was one of the few long ones open to riding.
Fears of Unleashing the Demon Rum
Two initiatives that would privatize liquor sales will be on the ballot in Washington state this November, and Gov. Chris Gregoire foresees horrible consequences if they pass.
Tea Partier Warns Against Commie Bike Conspiracy
File this one under “How Wacky Can Those Tea Partiers Get?”: Dan Maes, the Tea Party candidate for governor of Colorado, says that a Denver program to encourage people to ride bikes is part of a United Nations / one-worlder / socialist / communist conspiracy. It seems that back in 1992, Denver became part of…
Michael Franti Video From Last Night: Because you were probably there
Well, that was crazy. Last night several thousand (maybe 5 or 6?) Bendites let loose, to put it conservatively, at the Michael Franti and Spearhead show at the Les Schwab Amphitheater.
The Perils of “Uniqueness”
“Unique” is the most overworked word in the advertising copywriter’s lexicon. Aside from that, I guess there isn’t anything wrong with telling the world that your area is “unique” – unless you start believing it yourself.
Pickathon Preview: Dr. Dog, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Langhorne Slim and more
As I’ve been saying quite a bit lately, I really believe that Pickathon is Oregon’s premiere outdoor music festival. The wooded setting, the eclectic yet focused lineup, the schedule that has most acts playing multiple times, saving you the festival stress when two bands are playing at once — that makes for a great festival.
A Quiet Success; Thai Thai takes a lighter approach to its dishes
I follow a quirky rule of thumb not to frequent restaurants with pictures of their food on the menu. So my heart sank a bit when I opened the menu at Thai Thai, the new Thai restaurant in Northwest Crossing last week. Luckily, thanks to spot-on recommendations from an enthusiastic waitress and prime seating for…
Little Bites: Eat Your Veggies Four places to get your five-a-day
Central Oregon has a blink-and-you-missed-it growing season. Luckily, we're smack dab in the middle of the 90-day window that farms have before the frost returns. Local farms are finally picking their bounty and are sourcing out their produce to lucky restaurants across the area. The high desert is a tough growing environment, but it produces…
From Bend, With Love: On the other side of the planet, there's an African orphanage powered almost exclusively by Bendites
On the back of Malerie Pratt's hand, the phrase “cap and gown” is written in big, curvy handwriting as she scrolls through a slideshow on her laptop in early June. Just a few days later, she'll be graduating from Oregon State University's Cascades campus, and like other college graduates, Pratt has a lot on her…
Why You (Probably) Like Michael Franti and Spearhead
You can try, but it's pretty tough to say you don't like Michael Franti. You can be the sort of person who somehow, someway, hates hip-hop, punk rock, reggae, folk and dance music all at once and still find yourself unable to dislike the giant, dreadlocked artist. Franti's career has seen him making music from…
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Before Today 4ad Records Not trying to be a jerky, judgy-McJudgerton here, but I absolutely hate the name of this band. It sounds like a joke. A not-funny one.
The World of Insects: How to identify all the six-leggers in your back yard
Welcome to the world of insects! If you're ever bored or think life is the pits, grab up an old sheet, place it under the nearest bush, tree or flower patch, take a stick and gently beat the plants and see what drops out. I’ll give you two-dollars-to-a-donut there will be things flying and hopping…
Big Time Ride: Sandy Ridge is Oregon's new must-do mountain bike area
To say that former pro snowboarder and voiceover artist Kris “Jaymo” Jamieson can be overly enthusiastic is putting it mildly. So, a couple of Saturday's ago, when he went off about the greatness of the new Sandy Ridge trail system near Brightwood in the shadow of Mt. Hood, I figured if the riding was half…
Sorry, Charlie!: Charlie St. Cloud proves Zac Efron shouldn't do emo
When did Zac Efron become such a hottie? It wasn't too long ago that Efron was a kid starring in the Disney Channel's High School Musical series, waiting for his voice to change. Suddenly, my girlfriends and I realized that Efron is a handsome dude. His piercing blue eyes and washboard abs contribute to grown…
Man or Superman?
Guys! I gotta admit this whole “race of supermen” thing creeps me out. First of all, why do we even need a race of supermen? They're just going to eventually enslave us, right? Um, that's why we're building robots and teaching apes sign language – having supermen, too, would just be REDUNDANT! Now, if the…
Insignificant Espionage: Alpha Protocol has plenty of firepower, but fails as an RPG
The first foe I faced in Alpha Protocol was a soldier who burst through a door. I was unarmed, so I ran to the far side of a table that was in the middle of the room. The soldier chased me halfway around the table and then reversed, trying to catch me on the other…
A Quiet Success: Thai Thai takes a lighter approach to its dishes
I follow a quirky rule of thumb not to frequent restaurants with pictures of their food on the menu. So my heart sank a bit when I opened the menu at Thai Thai, the new Thai restaurant in Northwest Crossing last week. Luckily, thanks to spot-on recommendations from an enthusiastic waitress and prime seating for…
Chopping His Way Up: Sisters' lumberjack David Green swings his big axe at the Timbersports Collegiate Series
With a Brazil-nut crunching grip, collegiate timbersports king, David Green, shook my hand, then recoiled suddenly. “Sorry, I’m just used to being around lumberjacks,” he said.
McDonald's Super Sized Signage
There are few symbols – save Old Glory and maybe a slice of apple pie – more symbolic of mainstream American culture than McDonald's sweeping yellow arches. While there is nothing wrong with McDonald's per se – we enjoy a basket of fries and Big Mac as much as the next person, maybe more -…
Take the Wheel, Kid
Do you remember when your mom, dad or grandpa put you on his or her lap and let you, just a child, steer the car down some vacant rural road? Yeah, a lot of us have that memory and for the most part, it was probably hardly dangerous. Such behavior is probably more frowned upon…
Tougher Than Steel: What's in a death toll? The RNC's power struggle, epic floods and more
The author is smelling smoke yet too dazed to know if it's from a fire in Sisters or his new piece of art/glass/pipe, watching the greatest political video ever made @ http//www..youtube.com/watch?v=1hvaeHllwtw (thanks Carrot). Give a view and see why our country is both beautiful and in deep doo-doo. Enjoy!
Bigger Is So Much Better
Remember when about the only people who owned crew cab pickup trucks were railroad and oil field crews? If someone offered to give you one of those it would have been a really bad investment. Now the average – must have – three-quarter-ton, four-door pickup, after getting its lift kit, and giant tire makeover, spends…
Brothels Was A Bust
The brothel (Bend's Brothels, 7-21) article last week was extremely poorly written. It was painful to read – my high school newspaper had much better articles.
Share the lakes
I am a windsurfer who, along with several other friends, enjoys sailing on the lakes around here. Recently, on two different occasions, I encountered a lack of courtesy and lack of knowledge of the right-of-way rules by motorboats on both Cultus and Odell lakes. Both times I was sailing across the lake and the boats…
Our picks for 8/4 – 8/12: Michael Franti & Spearhead, Flobots, William Fitsimmons, Art and more
Michael Franti & Spearhead, Flobots thursday 5 The show, a big faction of Bend's live music, that fans have been waiting for is finally here as the benevolent Michael Franti and his band return to the LSA, this time joined by indie hip-hoppers Flobots. See the On Stage column for more. 6:30pm. Les Schwab Amphitheater,…
Bend Roots Open Meeting Tonight with Music from the Mostest
Bend Roots Revival, Bend’s quintessential local music event, is slated for September 23-26.
