February 2025 Check-In's

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10PM Lab with Xylyn Hathaway At
The 1905, Portland, Oregon
Saturday, February 1, 2025

Logan Strosahi (alto sax), Thomas Tuerff (tenor sax), James Powers (trombone), Xylyn Hathaway (bass), Dae Bryant (drums).

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Xylyn Hathaway. Portland, Oregon. Xylyn Hathaway has become a conduit of vulgar-beauty-jazz music that sinks teeth into the space it fills. They paint canvas into composition and wield an upright bass like bazookas, exploding hearts open peeled backwards into one bouquet of manic laughter from the pit of your chest.

What Is This Storefront For?
Saturday, February 1, 2025

Around the corner from The 1905. I wonder what they sell in this store?

I love most of the entertainment culture of Portland and the Pacific Northwest, especially all the music, wineries, wine tasting rooms, craft breweries, tap rooms, the art community, the unique restaurants, the late night life, plus they have beautiful forest walking trails nearby and a great science museum (OMSI) and zoo. But, I'm not that happy with the political cluture of Portland. Fortunately, you just need to drive about ten miles away from the urban areas of Portland and Vancouver and you are out in rural farmland and ranches with American Flags, Trump signs, and pickup trucks with gun racks! They've got craft breweries and vineyards & wineries too!

Working From Bed At Our Home
In Vancouver, Washington
Sunday, February 2, 2025

This is my view as I work on my computer most of the day.

Free Member Wine Flights and Live Music At
Maryhill Winery, Vancouver Waterfront, Washington
Monday, February 3, 2025

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Pizza For Dinner At
Cliff's Tavern, Vancouver, Washington
Monday, February 3, 2025

Chris Brown Quartet At The 1905, Portland, Oregon
Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Jack Radsliff (Guitar), Greg Goebel (Piano), Garrett Baxter (Bass), Chris Brown (Drums).

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Nick Biello Quartet At
The 1905, Portland, Oregon
Friday, February 7, 2025

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Saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist and composer Nick Biello brings a quartet to The 1905 featuring longtime musical collaborator and NYC bassist Alex Tremblay. Together, they will be presenting a program of new music, supported by George Colligan on piano and Chris Brown on drums. Nick has shared the stage with world-class artists, such as Slide Hampton, Cedar Walton, the Jimmy Heath Big Band, Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band, Clarence Penn, and John Benitez. 2024 saw his trio project release, "Between Light and Shadow", available on La Reserve Recordings, which received critical acclaim. His new album, "New America", featuring Charlie Porter and George Colligan, will be available in May.

Watching Super Bowl LIX At
Playmakers Sports Bar & Grill, Vancouver, Washington
Sunday, February 9, 2025

Dropping Off Barbara At Our Local
Massage Envy, Hazel Dell, Vancouver, Washington
Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Exploring Our Local Craft Breweries / Taprooms
While Barbara Is Having A Massage
Tuesday, February 11, 2025

First I went to Double Barrel Taphouse but it was closed as it was preparing for a private party. Then I went to Heathen Brewing, the closest one to our home, but it isn't ever open on Tuesdays. I met a staff member or owner heading into Heathen who said they were having a special Cornhole event and he could sell me a 4 pack, but that the kitchen was closed so they'd have no food. I declined and said I'd come back another day. I finally ended up at Brothers Cascadia Brewery for a flight of their IPAs. They only have food trucks parked out front for food. Not knowing if I'd be staying or not, I did not buy anything at the food trucks to bring into the brewery.

Happy Hour Dinner At
Shanahan's Pub & Grill, Vancouver, Washington
Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Our First Winter Snow At Our Home In
Vancouver, Washington
Thursday, February 13, 2025

I went out and cleared our front walkway and most of our short driveway and sidewalk of snow. Looking up and down the street I noticed that NOBODY else on the street had cleared anything. It was only about a half inch of snow at most. I posted a question on NextDoor asking if it was common that people don't clear the snow in Vancouver? My question got hundreds of replies with about 80% saying they don't bother to clear any snow from their property.

So here is the story. During the winter, the coldest it usually gets in Vancouver is right around freezing. Day to day, and even withing the same day, winter temperatures can often vary between 30F and 40F degrees. That means we often get alternating snow and rain. Thus, when it rains, it will wash most if not all of the snow away. So the snow just doesn't stick to the ground very long and rarely ever piles up. Thus, people just wait for it to melt or the rain to wash it away which happens withing a few hours, or withing a day or two at most, usually. Because of this, Vancouver has very little snow plowing or snow removal equipment.

Having grown up in Massachusettes where it takes several inches for anything to shut down due to weather, a LOT closes here in Vancouver when there is even a half inch of snow on the ground: schools, stores and restaurants. It can be very dangerous to drive in Vancouver even with a half inch on the ground. What happens is that it will warm up and the snow starts to melt. But then the temperature can drop again freezing the melting snow leaving ice coated roads, even under the snow. Thus, driving can become trecherous. Since the snow is so rare and lasts so short, most people don't bother with winter tires or all weather tires, and studded tires are probably illegal. Those who few who frequent mountain roads tend to keep snow chains with them.

Valentine's Day Morning
Friday, February 14, 2025

More overnight snow. By the time we went out later in the day, the roads were totally clear of snow and ice though most of the sidewalks and yards still were covered in snow.

Valentine's Day Celebration At
Mama Mia Trattoria Italian Restaurant, Portland, Oregon
Friday, February 14, 2025

Northwest Transit Band
Valentine's Day Party At
Celebrities Parkway Grill & Bar, Fairview, Oregon
Friday, February 14, 2025

"Step into the groove with Northwest Transit Band! From the smooth harmonies of Chicago to the timeless hits of The Beatles, our gallery showcases the energy and passion we bring to every performance. Whether it's a packed festival, a cozy tavern, or a scenic winery, these moments capture the spirit of live music at its best."

This band has a keyboard player, lead guitar, bass guitar, drummer, singer, saxophone player, trumpet player, and trombone player, 8 members of the band in all. Both the singer and the keyboard player are vocalists. This is a fantastic band. I often wonder how some bands make it to the big stage and some don't as often many of the lesser known bands, like this one, are just as good as the well known bands.

For the first half hour they only did Chicago songs, one of my favorite bands. They certainly have the instruments to do a great job of playing Chicago's hits. I've paid good money to attend Chicago Tribute Band performances and this band was every bit as good, if not better, than those bands. And at this performance, no tickets were needed, not even a cover charge! They then when on to doing some Beatles songs (my all time favorite band), some Steely Dan, and then some other songs. This band only does about one or two public performances per month. Certainly not full time jobs for anyone. They also do some private parties.

Soul Vax At
Trails End Saloon, Oregon City, Oregon
Saturday, February 15, 2025

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Soul Vax is a 12 member brass band with 2 trumpet players, 3 sax players, 2 singers, a keyboard player, a drummer, a lead guitar and a bass guitar. Two local large brass bands 2 nights in a row! I don't know where to find bands like this when I visit Orange County in Southern California other than once in a great while at Spaghettini or CampusJAX. While tickets tend to be pricey in Southern California, admission at these venues in Oregon is either free or just a $20 cover charge. The food in Southern California also tends to be more gourmet and pricey while in Oregon these venues have more inexpensive pub grub like nachos, hamburgers, sandwiches, etc.

Snow Almost Totally Melted And Gone
After 3 Days At Our Home In
Vancouver, Washington
Sunday, February 16, 2025

This is why almost nobody bothers to clear the snow in Vancouver.

Ron Steen Jazz Jam At
Clyde's Prime Rib, Portland, Oregon
Sunday, February 16, 2025

It was raining so Barbara and I thought Clyde's would be less crowded than usual, but we were wrong. It was more packed than we had ever seen it! We had to share a large round table with some other gals as that was the only place to sit. Tables didn't start to open up until almost closing time. But it was well worth coming tonight. There were 3 saxophone players, a trombone player, as well as Tom Grant on keys, Ron Steen on drums, and a number of different singers.

Karaoke Sunday Through Thursday At
Cascade Bar & Grill, Vancouver, Washington
Monday, February 17, 2025

Ben Rice & The PDX Hustle At
Billy Blues Bar & Grill, Vancouver, Washington
Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Google Nest Security Cameras
At Our Vacation House In
Anaheim Hills, California
Tuesday, February 18, 2025

I just discovered by using the Google Nest Web Page instead of the obsolete Nest Web Page, I can display all of the security camera images at the same time rather than just a subset of the images. This allows us to keep an eye on all of our Anaheim house while at our home in Vancouver, Washington.

Double Barrel Taphouse
Vancouver, Washington
Thursday, February 20, 2025

While Barbara was at Massage Envy, I checked Double Barrel Taphouse for the first time. They have an excellent selection of both craft brews on tap as well as whiskies, including Islay Ardbeg. Unfortunately they don't offer beer flights but they have some excellent local IPA. I don't usually go for junk food, but I thought I better have something small with my beer as I hadn't eaten anything yet today. Tater Tots are very popular in the Pacific Northwest and are available at almost every bar and restaurant.

Fenix (Sax) Rising Blues Band
Every Tursday At
The Blue Diamond, Portland, Oregon
Thursday, February 20, 2025

Westward Whiskey
February Release Event
Saturday, February 22, 2025

"Celebrate the latest release with us! Pick up your bottle, vote on June's single barrels, and taste a rare Proud Mary Coffee celebration. Plus enter to win an Australian exclusive bottle! We're thrilled to announce our next club release: Westward x Fort George Brewery Stout Cask. This bold and distinct release focuses on Fort George Brewery's unique style, showcasing the incredible character of their famously delicious Matryoshka Stout."