Sent: Monday, September 29, 2008 7:07:05 AM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central
Subject: Almost arrived
Hey Family!
I'm safe and sound in Amsterdam, and dodged into this internet cafe to escape the threatening rain. I was faced with the daunting 9 hour layover, so I followed the lemmings route into the city, desperate to find a museum or bookstore or something to keep me occupied till my flight leaves this evening. I quickly gave up on the notion of renting a bicycle -- this town takes bicycling seriously; I might as well enter the grand prix.
So, all I've accomplished so far is getting further and further lost, wandering on foot within the famous 'red light' district, which looks pretty banal in daylight
The Beavers did terrifically--it must have been one heck of a game to watch. I really enjoyed the reference to the Oregon Vortex. I remember Bop taking us there when we were youngsters--the weird house, the place where the other person seems to grow or shrink depending upon where one stands. I also remember some caves. Was that on the same trip?
CORVALLIS, OR - A little over a hundred miles south of Corvallis, near the town of Gold Hill, there's a tourist attraction called the Oregon Vortex.
By my description, it's an outdoor funhouse replete with optical illusions and tour guides giving pseudo-scientific explanations for what the visitors think they see. Objects hang from the ceiling at odd angles. People appear to shrink and grow taller merely by walking from one end of a wood board to the other. Balls roll and water runs uphill.
As described on its website:
The Oregon Vortex is a glimpse of a strange world where the improbable is the commonplace and everyday physical facts are reversed. It is an area of naturally occurring visual and perceptual phenomena, which can be captured on film. No matter your education or profession you will find a challenge to all your accepted theories.
Sound like anywhere else you know?
On a cool September evening before 42,389 fans aglow in equal parts orange and outright delirium, Reser Stadium and the Beavers once again spun their combined magic... once again at the expense of the USC Trojans.
Unlike the Oregon Vortex, the odd happenings at Reser don't require a basis in science or belief in the paranormal. All the proof you need is on the scoreboard, and after sixty minutes of football that particular data would read Oregon State 27, USC 21.
This was not bad science, and this was no fluke. For almost the entire sixty minutes, it was utter and complete domination by a team expected to be steamrollered by most college football "experts". In fact, for the entire first half, the game was nowhere near as close as the final score would indicate.
Oregon State won the coin toss, and from that point
forward the beat-down was on. The Beaver defense played like they had something to prove and, if they did, they certainly don't anymore. They made their presence known from the very first snap, when they stopped a Mark Sanchez to Joe McKnight sideline pass for a gain of exactly one yard. The Trojans proceeded to go three-and-out on their first possession.
Next, the Beaver offense led by Lyle Moevao would neatly and efficiently pick apart the much-lauded USC defense as easily as they marched on Hawaii's twelve days ago.
On the eighth play of their first possession, OSU went up 7-0 when Moevao completed a screen pass to James Rodgers, who was able to turn the corner and get the ball across the goal line despite being horse-collared out of bounds in the process.
After two more USC possessions ended in futility, the Beaver offense executed another sustained drive, led by an offensive line that opened hole after hole for Quizz and gave Moevao the time he needed to find his receivers - most notably a 14-yard strike to Sammie Stroughter for a first down at the USC 2-yard line. The very next play Quizz would do the rest, scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run with 7:38 left in the first half to make the score 14-0, Oregon State.
By then, the feeling in the stadium was euphoric, if not somewhat guarded. Was this merely a quick start that could be erased quickly and easily by the mighty Trojans?
Yet, in that first half, there wasn't a single sign of life from USC. I know... weird. Credit Moevao and company for masterfully executing Part One of the game plan: keeping the USC offense off the field.
When the USC offense did take the field, the Beaver defense made sure they didn't stay long. They proved something, alright. They proved they could stop the run - against one of the nation's best, most versatile offenses. Head Coach Mike Riley has said on more than one occasion that if you can stop the run, and run the ball yourself, you put yourself in a pretty good position to win.
A number of first-half stats are notable, but I think Coach might like these in particular:
USC running back Joe McKnight ran for a total of six yards.
The USC offense managed just three first downs. They usually rack up that many in their first possession.
Quizz had 105 yards rushing with over four minutes to play in the half.
Not too shabby. And the half couldn't have ended any better. Moevao connected on another short pass to James Rodgers with four seconds remaining to send OSU to the locker room with an stunning 21-0 lead.
The game wasn't a sellout, but you sure couldn't tell by the decibels pumping out of Reser. The chants of O-S-U led continuously by the cheerleaders would rival those of any European soccer team anthem.
At halftime, Coach Riley told his players not to get carried away by the score, and to continue to play with focus and intensity on every single down. Good words from Coach, to be sure, but the second thirty minutes of football would start in a much different manner than the first.
USC opened the third quarter looking much like the steamroller many expected would dominate the evening. Two quick, efficient third-quarter scoring drives would cut the Beaver lead to 21-14 with just under three minutes to play in the third quarter.
The momentum had shifted. Now is when a good football team has to go and get the momentum back. And in a game full of impressive defensive stands, the biggest of those may have come with 10:57 left in the game. A partially blocked Johnny Hekker punt took a fortuitous roll and pinned the Trojans deep in their own territory at the 6-yard line. The Beaver defense rose to the occasion, clamped down hard, and held USC to yet another three-and-out series of downs.
USC had the ball for less than a minute. Pick your own turning point for the game, but that possession gets my vote.
Later in the fourth the Beavers appeared to put the game
on ice when, with USC again trying to move the ball deep in their own territory, safety Greg Laybourn picked off a Mark Sanchez pass and returned it 28-yards to the USC 2-yard line. On the next play Quizz, who would finish with 186 yards rushing on 37 carries, plunged across the goal line for his second touchdown of the night. The PAT by Sean Sehnem failed, but Oregon State still extended their lead to 27-14.
It turned out to be a score they would need.
As fans crowded along the sideline readying to rush the field, USC put together one final scoring drive, reaching the end zone when Patrick Turner hauled in a 14-yard scoring strike from Sanchez to make the score 27-21. The drive took such little time that the exodus of students from the stands may have seemed premature.
But by then there simply wasn't enough time left. An onside kick attempt failed, Moevao went down on his knee three times, and David had slain Goliath. Cue the students. Cue the fireworks. Cue the headlines we all will undoubtedly clip from our local papers tomorrow. The Beavers had done it yet again.
Tomorrow, I'm emailing my friends at OSU Sports Info to see if any statistician or archivist will be able to answer the question I posed earlier this week in the OSR:
What team has EVER knocked off the nation's Number Three, Number Two, and Number One ranked teams over three consecutive regular seasons - not counting Bowl games. I can't imagine that happening, even by a perennial powerhouse.
Chalk up another spectacular achievement for Mike Riley and his staff. In 1967, Coach Riley was in the stands watching his dad help coach the Beavers to an equally improbable win over OJ Simpson's USC Trojans. As we all know, that Dee Andros team would become known as the Giant Killers.
In his post-game meeting with the media, Riley reflected on that bit of history and its connection to the present. "To be part of that history (in 1967), and then have the chance to coach at that same school and have this kind of success, it's very special," he said. "And every day I'm thankful for the opportunity."
We had some excitement at the ranch a couple days ago. I wasn't here but Tom writes about excitement at the ranch.
9/22 - Puppies arrive and discover their new quarters. By day the puppy paddock, by night the dog room has been divided into a puppy area and an adult area. The adults have access to the outer ring which we always thought, but never tested, a good way to protect puppies from ground borne predators.
Here are Monte Carlo (red) and Tulane (black) sleeping in the puppy paddock.
9/23 (9pm) - I hear a pack of coyotes doing the hunt call. A little while later (11pm) the K-Boyz, Kiev and Kazan (the two on puppy guard duty) go berserk. I hit the back pasture with the spotlight and I see a coyote moving off to the east. Not moving very fast and stopping to turn and look I decided that it needed more incentive. I went out back and released the K-Boyz. They dashed at full speed to the east and I figured they had a good run and that Mr. Coyote would not return.
9/24 (4am) - I am awaken by sounds of dogs fighting. I stagger out of bed, grab the spotlight and hit the back paddock with the light. I see nothing. I have the puppies indoors in their puppy area so I believe I know where they are. There is a terrible commotion in the enclosed area under the kitchen balcony. This is the area we arranged so that the basement hounds could enter a leave the basement. I was afraid that somehow one of the K-Boyz got trapped in there and was struggling to get free or that Kiev and Kazan decided to have a "to death" fight or worse yet a puppy got into the adult area and for some reason the adults thought it prey. I dashed downstairs with the spotlight, check the babies - whew they are safe and secure. I dash to the dog door and they are still going at it. I stick my head through the dog door and there trapped in the corner was Mr Coyote. I dashed back upstairs as I was unarmed. I armed myself and went back to the scene, which was getting bloodier. I took aim and ended the fight. Kiev grabbed the coyote, ran out of the enclosure, did the kill shake and he was satisfied that his job was done. Kazan stood over the carcass making sure that the job was finished. I got a bowl of water and betadine and cleaned the blood off of both hounds and looking for wounds. I found a slight nick on Kiev's muzzle and cleaned it thoroughly. Kazan looks like he came through unscathed.
KC writes: Tom spoke with the El Paso County Wildlife folks later on the 24th. There's no rabies in the area so they weren't concerned. Neither was the sheriff's office. Why the coyote decided to come into the basement is a mystery. After food? After the tender little puppies that had arrived a few days before? The coyote looks well fed and in good condition. It came into the paddock area voluntarily, although the scent of borzoi has to be everywhere, so obviously, it wasn't the smartest coyote in the world. Bottom line, Tom and I are relieved that we have a "moat" around the puppies paddock and sleeping area, occupied by two protective adults. Good job for Dad and Uncle for keeping the puppies safe. Here's a picture of the coyote.
Barbara announced to Tom and me that she's engaged to a young soldier and plans to marry on 11 July 2009. The boy's name is Jason. Tom spoke to him briefly but that's about all we know. We felt fortunate learning that much.
Oh gosh, I love Noah and have no doubt he's got his head screwed on straight, but I sure will miss the idea of having Haley in the family. I'm delighted that they are still friends. That's something anyway. Boo hoo is right Dee.
Noah told us last night (as we drove to basketball) that he and Haley broke up two days ago. It was mutual, they agreed to remain "friends." Noah said it just felt to both of them that they were headed in different directions or were becoming different people or some such foolishness.
I assume it was completely unrelated to Haley having met the extended family a couple of weeks ago!
I texted Haley and told her we would always adore her. She wrote back that she was sad and felt as if she had lost her best friend (Noah, not me).
Well, this stuff happens and I'm sure they made a good decision and it seems to have been handled respectfully.
Boo Hoo! There goes my best hope for super athletic grandchildren. No, that really isn't why I liked her so much. She is just a quality young woman and Noah was very lucky to have caught her attention.
Yesterday morning, Judi and I joined the watershed, forest service management group, and watched while the copter picked up a full length tree from an invisible site and carried it down to Rock Creek and placed it somehow, we couldn't see how, in the stream. Later in the month we will be able to see where it went for they will be having tours. The Chinook was very impressive. It had a long cable from its belly, with a clasp on the end. The clasp was fastened to the big end of the log and it carried it to the placement site. There will be about 80 trees placed in different places on upper Rock Creek. We only watched four logs or four trips to place the logs.
I hope my description isn't too obscure to give you a glimpse of what we observed.
I talked to KC. She had just arrived in Colorado Springs at 2 p.m. my time.The dogs are soooooooo good. She will be at work in Omaha Monday.
I can't believe how fast time goes by. KC left for home with her two companions at 5;30 a.m. yESTERDAY. When I last heard from her yesterday she was in Idaho. Today I expect she will arrive in Colorado Springs tonight. The dogs are so cooperative. They load up for the trip as if they know they are going home. They were so well behaved while they were here. So quiet and so content to be in our little pen under the filbert trees.
This weekend there will be helicopters working up in the Corvallis watershed. Starker Forests is providing access to a viewpoint to watch the activity. The project is scheduled to occur on Saturday or Sunday between 9 and 11 a.m. If you would like to receive notice of the day, please contact Karen at 602-1649 or email: outreach@mrwc.net.
KC took a lot of pictures while she was here. She explained to me that black and white pictures last much longer than colored pictures. So good for you, Sandra, to be learning the basics.
What a treat to hear from Joe and his family. I sure appreciate it.
I'd better press Save before the gremlins get a chance to mess things up for me. Love, Bopcha
I just wrote all of you a message letting you know about my crazy photography class.
But it has been lost. When I pushed the Save/send button it said "internal server error"
I want to scream.
I wanted to let you know that we are expected to learn so many different technical things just to take a picture? I currently have aperture and shutter speed running through my mind, not to mention the light meter and film speed adjustment.
There really is a lot to know and remember.
KC, my praises to you for staying with it for so many years. This course would naturally be a breeze for you because you have been practicing everything the instructor is talking about for years and years - as evidenced by your photos.
By the way we have to use a manual camera and learn everything from the beginning. We will also only be developing black and white film in the dark room. This is required before you can take a digital photo class.
Well, hope you all had a wonderful weekend together. Have a great rest of the week.
One of the things I always stress as the joy of life is the fascinating wonderful people you meet along the way. I always stress to my kids that not all is lost, a great relationship can start at any time during life and does not nearly need to begin in childhood.
It was a real pleasure for Sid and Sandra - (definitely she, the more lovely of the two) to come to my family's Labor Day picnic at my brother Ted's home. Curiously the first combative topic with Sidney was Henry the fish, which I had direct involvement at the time of his death in the winter of 2003/04,-- that, I cannot deny, but at most I can I only accept mutual responsibility for his death - Fishslaughter if you will.
Upstate Pennsylvania is starting to show Fall. I am sad to see summer go so soon, but we are diluting it with the hopes of a more active ski season. Joe Jr. is due back from a short deployment in Afghanistan. I am looking forward to seeing him return safe and unharmed. My youngest son Matt, is researching various schools to attend, now that he graduated High School. Fortunately, I convinced him not to attend ITT technical institute, rather Johnson College an accredited school. Boy was ITT really after his money, they telephoned him 6 out of 9 days. Kristy, my daughter is again attending Camden County College, Sid I still have a glimmer of hope she'll strive to get to your desk at Penn.
I really enjoyed all the great pictures posted over the past few months. I hope soon that I'll be getting a digital camera and will be able to share my views with all of you. Especially Colleens newest addition, a Lion Head Rabbit named Echo. It looks just like the Gopher in the old movie Caddyshack:).
