So we're leaving early tomorrow morning for a week in the pacific northwest. I've never been further than Denver, so this is new to me. We'll fly into Seattle and spend a few days, drive down the coast into Astoria where a huge portion of my childhood was filmed. Thanks to Richard Donner, I believe that Goonies never die... somewhere in the back of my mind, there are a few kids still hunting for treasure under Astoria.



We'll drive out of Astoria into Portland and tour the city before flying back. It's neat, we fly out from Raleigh to Newark, to Seattle. Drive from Seattle to Astoria, then into Portland, before flying back through Houston to Raleigh.

Expect pictures to be uploaded to my picasa link from the previous post. If you have any requests, let me know... I'll do what I can.

"A good photograph is knowing where to stand." - Ansel Adams

I'm no photographer, but I love taking pictures. There are far too many "photographers" around Asheboro.. and I'm sure it has something to do with RCC and lots of students that have a bigger ego than portfolio.

Just the same, I take pictures. Some of them turn out pretty good. I make every attempt to not do any post-processing as I would rather just shoot a photo and then upload it for people to see.

So... that said.  I have my pictures online.Check out my picasa page or my flickr page if you want to see them.

That's exactly how I feel. No, not dead.. but absolutely at rest. Well rested. Recharged. Beaufort tends to do that to me. More pics will follow soon.

There is nothing in this world as calming as spending time in Beaufort with my wife. Nothing.

Except maybe pairing the experience with a bottle of good cabernet.

So...

after a lumpectomy and some exploration of lymph nodes, it's been determined that my mother-in-law is clear of cancer. There's still some radiation to come over the coming weeks, but for right now... we're in the clear.

Go get yourselves checked out and hopefully avoid the stress associated with a surgeon telling your family that "it's cancer."

Cancer, Cancer Awareness and a gripe.

I'm not sure how many of you are using Facebook. I know it's effectively the most annoying of my addictions, behind good food and computer-geek-stuff. A few weeks back, there was a chain letter going around to all of the ladies on Facebook urging them to post their bra color in support of breast cancer awareness. Of course, 90% of the guys on Facebook had no idea what was going on. Believe me, I have nothing against raising awareness for a cause I have always believed in. If you're a woman, go get a mammogram as soon as your doctor will allow it. Men? Prostate exams as soon as possible. Cancer screening and awareness is nothing new... but when folks dilute themselves into thinking that a gender-specific-coded-message on Facebook is helping, we're all at a loss.

I bring this up because I was sitting there yesterday when a daughter and husband were told that their mother/wife (and my mother-in-law) indeed had breast cancer. She was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS for short). According to what I've found in research, and from what the doctor said, it's the most common of non-invasive cancers. Lumpectomy followed by radiation can normally take care of the treatment, mastectomy is another option. I've never sat there for that specific moment in time... when someone is given the news that their loved one has something inside them that could potentially be fatal.

I guess, if I'm trying to achieve anything by this blog post.. it's this: Get yourself checked out. Go to your doctor. Both men and women. Simply having a pink ribbon ball-cap and a Save-the-Tatas sticker on your car doesn't replace a screening.

I sat around trying to figure out why these women on Facebook had digressed back into middle-schoolers with their random color status updates, meanwhile my mother-in-law had a tumor growing inside her. If you want to support a cause that you claim to believe in, make a donation... go to a relay for life and walk... but most importantly, don't be a hypocrite to the cause. Don't dress up in breast cancer awareness garb and never get yourself checked out.

Long story short, they're going to meet up with an oncologist next Monday for a plan of action. If you're a religious person and want to send out a few prayers for Cathy Wood, please do. If you're a secular humanist and just wanna throw out some well-wishing or good karma, that's perfectly accepted too.

 
I love transitional meals. Lately, our Sunday morning breakfast hash has found itself stuffed into a tortilla and alongside a black bean soup by later that evening. Today will be no different. The hash is relatively simple. Just dice sweet potato, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, onion and mushroom. Sprinkle with cumin, pumpkin pie spice, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and toss it onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or so.

Thankfully, it works just as well later on as a quesadilla. Good times.