Moving to Eugene Oregon

I’m so excited! Next Saturday, January 23, my dance troupe, The DAC Nooners, will be performing at Dance for a Reason in the Hult Center Silva Concert Hall.

We’ll dance two numbers. “Hair”, a 60’s style hippy musical, has lyrics that make me laugh:

She asks me why
I’m just a hairy guy
I’m hairy noon and night
Hair that’s a fright
I’m hairy high and low
Don’t ask me why
Don’t know
It’s not for lack of bread
Like the Grateful Dead

…and we’ll dance a retro hip hop number. We will be the last group, closing the show.

The annual dance performance and benefit showcases the variety of talented dancers, choreographers and movement specialists in our area. It also provides a financial boost to one of the many nonprofit groups working in our community.

This year’s beneficiary is our local animal shelter, Greenhill Humane Society.

Here’s the details:
The 16th Annual Dance for a Reason
January 23rd, 2010, 7:30 pm
Hult Center Silva Concert Hall

Reserved Seating | All seats $15.00
Hult Center Box Office
online at The Hult Center
or call 541.682.5000

The 2010 performers are:
EDGE Swannies
Oregon Ballet Academy
Island Arts
ZAPP
Jawani Bhangra
Ifilldance
Eugene Youth Ballet
Kings Krew
Robin Bryant Dancers
RAWK – Breakdance
Urban Pulse
Pacific Classical Youth Ballet
Lane Dance Company
Won Tan Nara
Drum & Dance Ensemble
Dac Nooners
Eugene Casineros
Darin Henry
Picuris Pueblo Tribe
The EDGE

In the past 16 years, Dance for a Reason has contributed
over $44,000 to non-profit groups in our community.

Past beneficiaries:
St. Vincent de Paul (funds dedicated to the homeless)
Womenspace
Centro Latino Americano
World Wheelchair Sports
Youth Literacy Program for Head Start
Community Soup Kitchens
Courageous Kids
White Bird Clinic
LILA (Lane Independent Living Alliance)
The EDGE Scholarship Program
Young Writers Association
Lane Arts Council
VALID (Violence & Abuse in the Lives of Individuals living with Disabilities)
Committed Partners for Youth
Doulas Supporting Teens
Huerto de la Familia (The Family Garden)
and, to keep it all going,
Dance for a Reason itself was the 2009 Beneficiary.

Filed under: Dance for a Reason, Indoor Activities on January 18th, 2010 | No Comments »

Saturday I took pictures around the Hayden Bridge neighborhood. It was raining, so not many people were out and about.

The Hayden Bridge neighborhood is north of the I-105 freeway and east of I-5, bordering Eugene. Bordering it to the north is the Gateway Mall, the new Riverbend Hospital (a new building that opened in 2008) and several large employers, including Symantec, Royal Carribbean Cruise Line call center and the hospital.

Riverbend Hospital

Gateway Mall

Here’s some photos I took of Page Park, next to Page Elementary.

Behind the park is a paved, off road bike and walking path.

I just listed a home three blocks from this park and bike path, at 1080 S Street. It’s about 10 minutes from the hospital.

From the park, heading north on 14th Street is a short but lovely country drive to the McKenzie River and Harvest Landing birding site and the Rodakowski Boat Landing.

Nearby is Willamalane Park and indoor community pool. No one was about, since it was raining, but I took these pictures of the skateboard park and playground. In the background is the indoor pool.

As I was heading to my car I couldn’t resist taking a picture of these pretty leaves on the sidewalk.

Filed under: Hayden Bridge in Springfield, Neighborhoods, Springfield on October 20th, 2009 | No Comments »

The Eugene Celebration is this weekend. Yes, it’s going to rain. So go inside The District at 1 p.m. to see Argentine Tango. Tom and I and some other couples will be giving a demonstration, also at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. The District is on the corner of 13th and Oak. You don’t need a wrist band to get in.

Filed under: Argentine Tango, Eugene Celebration, Indoor Activities, downtown on September 3rd, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Owosso Bike Bridge to Greenway Bike Bridge

Sunday I walked the 1 1/2 mile section of the West Bank Bike Path by the Willamette River from the Owosso Bike Bridge off Copping Street in River Road to the Greenway Bike Bridge in Maurie Jacobs Park. Here’s a link to the
bike path map.
It was a warm beautiful day and lots of people were out enjoying the bike path and playing
in the Willamette River. The annual Whiteaker Block Party was going on also.

[Shameless Plug] I just listed five duplexes on Copping (bordering the river) and East Howard and wanted to explore the area.

This section of the path is very beautiful and shady with lovely views of the river. Close to the Copping Street end of the path is a large duck pond where people enjoy feeding the ducks.

”

I ran across some people playing with their dog in the river.

The Greenway Bike Bridge, seen in the distance, leads to Valley River Center mall. On full moon nights people come out to dance Argentine Tango on the bridge.

I passed by some girls enjoying a swing on the river.

Here’s some boys tubing down the river.

Another beautiful view from the path. Spencer Butte is in the background.

There are wildflowers to enjoy too.

An island hideaway.

This section of the bike path takes you to the Greenway Bike Bridge at Maurie Jacobs Park.

There are community gardens all over Eugene. This one is in Maurie Jacobs Park across from the Greenway Bike Bridge.

This is the end of North Grand Street, entering the park.

Filed under: Bicycling, Neighborhoods, Outdoor Activities, River Road on August 6th, 2009 | No Comments »

Last Sunday we had a freak summer thunderstorm. I have never seen anything like it this time of year. I was at the Oregon Country Fair and took a video of fun in the mud. The crowd was being egged on by Stephen of Utilikilts. He can sell ice to Eskimos and mud to hippies!

Filed under: Oregon Country Fair, Outdoor Activities on July 21st, 2009 | No Comments »

The building that housed the Tango Center has been purchased by the Lord Leebrick Theatre Company. We are sad to lose our big, beautiful space, but the Tango community is alive and well. There are still many opportunities to dance Argentine Tango around town.

Saturday:
Milonga Entre Suenos at Studio B

2nd, 3rd, 4th (and sometimes 5th) Saturdays
189 W. 8th Ave (above Brenner’s Furniture)
Cost: Sliding scale $6-10; $5 student

Sunday:
Practica at Studio B noon-4pm

189 W. 8th Ave (above Brenner’s Furniture)
Beginner-Intermediate lesson noon-1pm
Cost: lesson $8, lesson+practica $10, practica only $5.

Tuesday:
The Bailonga at the Vet’s Club starting July 14

1626 Willamette St
Cost: $4-7 (a sliding scale) and the profits go to the music makers

UO Tango club(not in session over the summer) 6pm-8pm
Lawrence Hall room 166 on the U of O campus

Cost: Free

Thursday:
Practica at Studio B 8pm to 10pm.

189 W. 8th Ave (above Brenner’s Furniture)
Cost: $5

Friday:
Alternative Tango Friday on the first Friday of every month
At Studio B, 189 W. 8th Ave (above Brenner’s Furniture)

Cost: $5

Random times and places:
Tango Bombs
This one was at the Eugene library:

Other local Tango web sites:
http://eugenetango.com/tango/events

The etango yahoo group
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://groups.yahoo.com/group/etango/

The Tango Center’s group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5375423733

Filed under: Argentine Tango, Indoor Activities on July 5th, 2009 | No Comments »

Amanda, a friend of mine who is in my dance troupe, the DAC Nooners, recently went to India. There she met a group of classical Indian dancers who are visiting Eugene now!

On Tuesday at the Tango Center they will be giving a lesson in classical Indian dance and performing for us. I’ll be there for sure! Here’s the schedule:

Tuesday at the Tango Center (Broadway at Charnelton):
7:30 p.m. A lesson in classical Indian dance
8:00 p.m. A lesson in beginning Argentine Tango
9:00 p.m. A demonstration of Indian dance
Followed by: The milonga (social tango dance) starts
With live music: Guitar and Flute duet

Filed under: Argentine Tango, Indoor Activities on May 23rd, 2009 | No Comments »

My daughter Loreen and I spent the afternoon touring the eight private native plant gardens and one of the four public native plant gardens in Eugene Sunday. It was hosted by the Emerald Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Oregon (NPSO).

The homes all had impressive gardens made up of mostly, if not entirely, plants native to our area. All the plants were labeled, so I took this opportunity to photograph the plants and their labels.

Here are a few of the plants, with their labels, that I photographed. The last picture is our last stop, inside my daughter’s mother-in-law’s yurt.

Candy Flower

Baneberry

False Solomon’s Seal

Tall Bluebells

Oregon Geranium

Hall’s Lomantium

Sticky Cinquefoil

Straggly Current

Red Flowering Currant

Smith’s Fairybells

Kinnikinnick

Cooley’s Hedge Nettle

Fringecup

Fawn Lily

Tea, Anyone?

Filed under: Gardening, Outdoor Activities on May 17th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Yesterday our bees arrived!

Tom put the hive facing south just outside of our woods.

They were pretty sleepy when we transferred them to the hive.

Here’s Tom dumping them into the hive:

We didn’t get stung, but Tom tucked his long beard into his shirt just in case. I took a look at the hive this morning, and there were eight dead bees on the threshold. Not to worry, the bees kick out any dead ones. The loss of only eight is not bad!

When we moved into our home in 1985 there was an ancient oak tree at the edge of our deck, full of honey bees. About five years later the tree fell in a storm. We were able to move the swarm into a hive where they lived happily for several years until the bee mites finally got them. The fallen tree had many, many pounds of honey in it that we enjoyed for a couple of years.

All that’s left of that oak now is the hollow end. After we chain sawed the last piece, it rolled down the hill and landed upright. Here it is with our cat (Ogopogo) sunning herself on it:

Filed under: Gardening, Outdoor Activities on May 9th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

It’s April 27 and the new poison oak leaves are just coming out, some red, some orange, some green.

The leaves look a lot like blackberry leaves, but poison oak is shiney and smooth and blackberry leaves are a bit hairy or fuzzy and not smooth or shiney.

Poison oak likes to form ropes and climb trees. We have cut all the ropes climbing our trees on our property, which has greatly reduced the amount of poison oak we have. I took these pictures on our neighbor’s property.

Climbing trees is the primary way it spreads. The climbing poison oak fruits and the birds eat and drop the fruit. On the ground below a tree with poison oak you’ll find lots of poison oak plants on the ground. It’s not always easy to spot the plants on the ground, as you can see in the picture below:

If you hike where there is poison oak, wear clothes that cover you up as much as possible. If you touch it, you have about 10 minutes to wash it off. Use soap and hot water. Also wash the clothes you were wearing in hot water.

Here’s some more pictures:

Filed under: Outdoor Activities, Poison Oak on April 27th, 2009 | No Comments »