BMW Torture

One can only shed a tear.....

Umpqua Dairy Summer Ice Cream Flavors!

I was so excited today to see a print ad for Umpqua Dairy's summer ice cream flavor Lemon Cream Pie. It was such a major favorite for me when I was a kid. Being a 25 year employee of Umpqua Dairy, my dad never left us wanting for gallons of ice cream at home. He would bring home new flavors for us to try and old favorites that he knew would always be a hit (kids can't get enough of cookies and cream and mint chocolate chip).

While winter meant we pigged out on peppermint ice cream, summer marshalled in the availability of Lemon Cream Pie, Mountain Berry Revel and Strawberry variations. I've tried to tone down my ice cream intake since then, but I'll admit I struggle on a regular basis to not buy a couple gallons everytime I hit the grocery store.

So, as soon as the weather starts to actually act like it's summer, I plan to treat myself to a bowl of my favorite summer ice cream and have a moment of nostalgia. Then I'll throw the rest of the gallon carton away. :-)

Grokkers and Ninkasi at the Green Dragon

We (Ben, Sean, Corrie) caught the Grokkers at the Green Dragon on Saturday night as part of a trifecta of activities at the brewpub - music, beer, movies. In addition to the great music from the indie blues/rock band, Jamie Floyd from Ninkasi Brewing also came up from Eugene to share some of the breweries latest creations with the crowd (Oatmeal Stout -Schwag Lager - Total Domination). The Penny Jam, a non-profit podcast that features local bands, also showed two movies filmed at the Green Dragon - "Brave New World" and "Moving Picture Girl." The whole thing was sponsored by Ninkasi and Pop Tomorrow.

So what did I think - great time! The beer was great (the husband enjoyed himself a couple of thick, chocolaty oatmeal stouts), the music was incredible for that venue (picked myself up a copy of The Grokkers' CD which I have blasting through the home office now) and the films were a great introduction for me to what the Penny Jam is doing.

I love when great ideas come together on a Saturday night.

Epilogue: Found ourselves at the Montage again for late night mac'n'cheese, fritters and gator bites after leaving the Green Dragon. In true Ben fashion, he managed to walk into La Merde (adjoining lounge) and recognize the bartender as an old friend from Eugene who he had not seen in years. "Remember when" conversations ensued long into the night.

Appreciation For Food Drive Participants

Just a quick thank you and congratulations to everyone who participated in the National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive that took place on May 12. Everyone in Oregon and Clark county that left a bag of food for their letter carrier to pick up contributed to a 3% increase in food donations compared with last year's drive. That may not seem like a huge increase but in these tough economic times, more and more families are using the Food Bank on a semi-regular basis.

In total the carriers picked up 1.65 million pounds of food on that one day. My meager couple of cans of veggies surely wasn't anything crazy but when we all pitch in to do a little, we can make some big differences in our community.

So, the downside - the group had set a goal for collecting 2 million pounds of food on that day. A lofty goal for sure but one that I think many would like to see met. So how can we help?

The next Food Bank sponsored drive will be at the Blues Festival July 3-6 down at waterfront park. With a daily donation and 2 cans of food, you will get to attend one of the largest blues festivals in the country. Keep this in mind as you look for ways to help around PDX.