Finally Saw a Gorge Concert....One More Check off the Bucket List!!!

I finally did it and sucked it up and went to a Gorge in George concert. I must say that the drive was spectacular...all the windmills next to the road going up the pass at Maryhill were pretty cool...very distracting though...pretty windy road to be gawking at windmills on. I made it through unscathed though.

Would I see more music at the Gorge? Probably not....It's a Looooooonnnnggg drive, and the sound is bad. The view is amazing, but 20,000 people on a VERY steep hill lawn is a little much. I will have to say I far preferred Red Rocks in Colorado...much smaller than this venue, but a better venue for taking in good music. Important thing is that I did it...As I said, one more thing off the list.

What did I think of John Mayer and Keith Urban together? Well, together they sounded every bit as good as I thought they would....And I'd just seen Keith a few months back at the Rose Garden and was impressed out of my shoes. This show was an abbreviated version of that, only with worse sound and too many people....but it made me remember the Garden show so I was happy. As for John Mayer, alas, I just don't like HIM...I tried to look past it for the music, but then realized the music is a little too sleepy for me. I don't hate him, but he's nobody I'd go see again. I like him better when he's jamming with others than I do on his own playing his own stuff.

So, overall it was not a bad day, and I'm glad for the experience, but unless U2 books the Gorge pretty soon, I probably won't be back anytime soon...I have too many good venues within 20 miles of where I live to feel the need to drive 300 miles for a concert. I guess that's why I live here in the first place!

How Not to Go Over Oak Springs

We are all going rafting on Sunday. Hopefully this is NOT how Oak Springs works out for us...

Jimmy Fallon on a Roll....Idol Skit

This is really funny...gotta give Jake credit for doing this:

Evan Lysacek and the Argentine Tango

Best dance I've seen since Gilles was on the show a couple of years ago...VERY hot!

My Girl Melissa on DWTS

This doesn't suck. Nuff said. :-)

Maks Dancing to Reba

This TOTALLY works for me! Maks with his shirt off dancing a 2 step type thing is just so hot...enjoy!



And this Paso Doble was pretty hot as well...I've already stated how much I love Derek in the past!

Crystal Bowersox....Very Good!

American Idol completely sucks rocks this year....except for 2 points of light: Crystal Bowersox and Casey James....without these 2 I think the season would be a total loss.

More "Why Dogs Bite People" Photos!!!

I do not take credit for these photos, but they are pretty great!

Denise:-)

Highlights from Haiti Concert

The buzz on this was that it was dark and depressing...To me this looked just like the 9-11 telethon, and I thought the same thing of that one. The only person who really exuded we were going to live was Faith Hill...her song she dared to smile and exude some sort of hope. I think that's important in a "concert for hope". So here's a retro look at my fav cut of the 9-11 Concert for Heroes telethon.



Now to the present and back to the Haiti concert...honestly I DVR'ed it and then fast forwarded through most of it, BUT, this version of Hallelujah and Matt Morris (I don't know who he is)is VERY good...the harmony is fantastic. I liked this:



Lastly, Bono penned this song but did very little performing in it...Rhianna and Jay Z did most of it (not really familiar with who they are either...other than I know Rhianna got the crap beat out of her awhile back by her ex). The more times I listened to this the better I like it...I'm seeing some Black Eyed Peas influence on my boys since they toured with them so much last Summer. Some will despair, I sort of like the ability to "mix it up". Very cool...

Notes from an 87 Year Old Horsewoman's Journal

A page from an 87 yr old. horsewoman's journal...I've proclaimed that Firenze is the last horse I will ever buy. When I'm 87 he would need to be 50. I'm thinking I'm not going to get that sort of longevity. I'll be stoked if I'm still riding at 70, so we shall see.

Enjoy...

Denise:-)

This is for all the women here who will no doubt shed a tear as they nod in agreement and for the men in the group who might just understand why we do what we do. I hope my fingers still work well enough that I may write something like this when I am 87.

I Ride

I ride. That seems like such a simple statement. However as many women who ride know it is really a complicated matter. It has to do with power and empowerment. Being able to do things you might have once considered out of reach or ability. I have considered this as I shovel manure, fill water barrels in the cold rain, wait for the vet/farrier/electrician/hay delivery, change a tire on a horse trailer by the side of the freeway, or cool a gelding out before getting down to the business of drinking a cold beer after a long ride.

The time, the money, the effort it takes to ride calls for dedication. At least I call it dedication. Both my ex-husbands call it 'the sickness'. It's a sickness I've had since I was a small girl bouncing my model horses and dreaming of the day I would ride a real horse. Most of the women I ride with understand the meaning of 'the sickness'. It's not a sport. It's not a hobby. It's what we do and, in some ways, who we are as women and human beings.

I ride. I hook up my trailer and load my gelding. I haul to some trail head somewhere, unload, saddle, whistle up my dog and I ride. I breathe in the air, watch the sunlight filter through the trees and savor the movement of my horse. My shoulders relax. A smile rides my sunscreen smeared face. I pull my ball cap down and let the real world fade into the tracks my horse leaves in the dust.

Time slows. Flying insects buzz loudly, looking like fairies. My gelding flicks his ears and moves down the trail. I can smell his sweat and it is perfume to my senses. Time slows. The rhythm of the walk and the movement of the leaves become my focus. My saddle creaks and the leather rein in my hand softens with the warmth.

I consider the simple statement; I ride. I think of all I do because I ride. Climb granite slabs, wade into a freezing lake, race a friend through the Manzanita all the while laughing and feeling my heart in my chest. Other days just the act of mounting and dismounting can be a real accomplishment. Still I ride, no matter how tired or how much my seat bones or any of the numerous horse related injuries hurt. I ride. And I feel better for doing so.

The beauty I've seen because I ride amazes me. I've ridden out to find lakes that remain for the most part, unseen. Caves, dark and cold beside rivers full and rolling are the scenes I see in my dreams. The Granite Stairway at Echo Summit, bald eagles on the wing and bobcats on the prowl add to the empowerment and joy in my heart.

I think of the people, mostly women, I've met. I consider how competent they all are. Not a weenie amongst the bunch.. We haul 40ft rigs, we back into tight spaces without clipping a tree. We set up camp. Tend the horses. We cook and keep safe. We understand and love our companions, the horse. We respect each other and those we encounter on the trail. We know that if you are out there riding, you also shovel, fill, wait and doctor. Your hands are a little rough and you travel with out makeup or hair gel. You do without to afford the 'sickness' and probably, when you were a small girl, you bounced a model horse while you dreamed of riding a real one.

"My treasures do not chink or glitter, They gleam in the sun and neigh in the night"

Pants on the Ground

Alright, this guy is THE MAN:




Then THIS GUY makes it just a little bit funnier:(it's actually Jimmy Fallon imitating Neil Young, but I bought it the first time). I GUARANTEE this guy will make it on the Idol Finale. LOL!

Rain: A Beatles Tribute

We went to this on New Year's Eve. Only 5 words necessary: Holy Shit that was awesome!!! If you get a chance to see these guys, go.

Rain: A Beatles Tribute