This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on August 14, 2007 6:19 AM.
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The Mrs. and I celebrated a warm but subdued wedding anniversary yesterday, and toward the end of the evening we found ourselves hanging out with our daughters watching the tube. First I got to see the second half of the Mariners' ballgame, which ended in storybook fashion. That was kind of cool, as it jacked up the girls' interest in the national pastime from nonexistent to faint.
Then we switched over to the Home & Garden Network, where the national House Hunters show came to Portland! It featured a first-time-homebuying young couple looking to drop around $225K for a slice of heaven. They showed some stock footage of downtown Portland, but that was misleading, because at that price all the action was taking place on the outer west side. The featured couple passed on a beat-up thing in Aloha and an oddly designed house in Hillsboro in favor of a nicer spot in St. Helens.
It was interesting watching them juggle their priorities as the realities of the marketplace set in. They were really keen on staying close to Aloha, where the wife's family lives; and on having a big yard for the dog, a music room for the husband, and a kitchen roomier than the broom closet they were living with in their rental townhouse. In the end, they got what they wanted, except for the location -- it's 45 minutes away from the folks. (The director showed a little Highway 26 traffic, moving not so swiftly, for effect.)
They wound up making a "backup offer" after somebody else snagged the St. Helens house ahead of them. But the other deal fell through, and they got the place.
The Mrs. and I agreed that they made the right choice. We also agreed that we made the right choice 13 years ago last night. All was right in the world, and off to do the weekly recycling chores we could go.
Comments (8)
Congrats on the anniversary Jack!
That yellow house in Aloha that was featured on House Hunters last night is just around the corner from my mom's house. My wife and I always thought it was cute - except for the big drainage ditch in the front. We never saw the inside until the show last night.
Aloha a pricey area? When did that happen? My mom and stepdad moved out there 25 years ago because it was more affordable than Beaverton.
The follow on story...
As the cost of driving a car goes up how will this couple living in St Helens fair? Do they both work in Portland or where? Not only gasoline is going up. Governments are looking for new taxes and ways to make the cost of driving more expensive. Example: Sam Adams has spent our tax dollars on curb bullouts, speed bumps and cross walks in Linnton (do they have pedestrians in Linnton?) Now he's driving through a new tax for drivers to fix the roads he's neglected. (Do bicyclists pay anything for a Gold bicycle system?) You can likely get Sam's view on his website at commissionersam.com
The traffic controls in Linnton were a mostly direct response to the tragic death of a school aged "pedestrian" a few years ago. He was hit by a speeding car after getting off of a school bus.
But by the tenor of your comment, I'm guessing that you must think that is just the price of living in Linnton and that getting through Linnton is far more important than the safety of Linnton "pedestrians."
mple: Sam Adams has spent our tax dollars on...cross walks in Linnton (do they have pedestrians in Linnton?)
The crosswalk/median project in Linnton was an ODOT project, not a COP project. It was in response to a pedestrian killed crossing US30, and was desired by the residents of Linnton.
Hey hilsy, the guy wasn't speeding thru linnton.The boy ran across the highway without looking.As far as the young couple moving to st. helens,I believe that highway 30 is now the best highway in and out of portland.
Does that mean you don't believe it was good to add traffic controls to Highway 30 in Linnton? Just answer yes or no and remember that the traffic controls were overwhelmingly encouraged and welcomed by the Linnton community.
I am half of the couple featured on that "Househunters" episode. Glad it was interesting enough to inspire comments; we also think we made the right choice. Initially, St. Helens wasn't even on our radar screen, but the prices of homes anywhere near Beaverton (yes, Aloha included) were ridiculous. A comparable home anywhere in Columbia County was $20,000 - $30,000 less. As for the commute, HWY 30 is a paradise compared to HWY 26, Canyon Road, etc. Commute time is roughly the same, only you don't spend have your time going 7.3 mph. The only down side to HWY 30? If it gets backed up for any reason (accident, etc.), you're pretty much hosed, unless your car can fly. Even with that, it's still worth it...
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
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Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
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14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
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Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
The Occasional Book
Hope Larson - A Wrinkle in Time, the Graphic Novel
Rudyard Kipling - Kim
Peter Ames Carlin - Bruce
Fran Cannon Slayton - When the Whistle Blows
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 29
At this date last year: 66
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (8)
Congrats on the anniversary Jack!
That yellow house in Aloha that was featured on House Hunters last night is just around the corner from my mom's house. My wife and I always thought it was cute - except for the big drainage ditch in the front. We never saw the inside until the show last night.
Aloha a pricey area? When did that happen? My mom and stepdad moved out there 25 years ago because it was more affordable than Beaverton.
Posted by Troy Wittren | August 14, 2007 6:49 AM
Happy Anniversary! Be thankful that your kids haven't been near these items....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070814/ap_on_bi_ge/toy_recall
Posted by kathe w. | August 14, 2007 8:20 AM
The follow on story...
As the cost of driving a car goes up how will this couple living in St Helens fair? Do they both work in Portland or where? Not only gasoline is going up. Governments are looking for new taxes and ways to make the cost of driving more expensive. Example: Sam Adams has spent our tax dollars on curb bullouts, speed bumps and cross walks in Linnton (do they have pedestrians in Linnton?) Now he's driving through a new tax for drivers to fix the roads he's neglected. (Do bicyclists pay anything for a Gold bicycle system?) You can likely get Sam's view on his website at commissionersam.com
Posted by Don | August 14, 2007 9:10 AM
"do they have pedestrians in Linnton?"
The traffic controls in Linnton were a mostly direct response to the tragic death of a school aged "pedestrian" a few years ago. He was hit by a speeding car after getting off of a school bus.
But by the tenor of your comment, I'm guessing that you must think that is just the price of living in Linnton and that getting through Linnton is far more important than the safety of Linnton "pedestrians."
Posted by hilsy | August 14, 2007 9:46 AM
mple: Sam Adams has spent our tax dollars on...cross walks in Linnton (do they have pedestrians in Linnton?)
The crosswalk/median project in Linnton was an ODOT project, not a COP project. It was in response to a pedestrian killed crossing US30, and was desired by the residents of Linnton.
Posted by PMG | August 14, 2007 11:19 AM
Hey hilsy, the guy wasn't speeding thru linnton.The boy ran across the highway without looking.As far as the young couple moving to st. helens,I believe that highway 30 is now the best highway in and out of portland.
Posted by tmd | August 14, 2007 3:42 PM
tmd,
Does that mean you don't believe it was good to add traffic controls to Highway 30 in Linnton? Just answer yes or no and remember that the traffic controls were overwhelmingly encouraged and welcomed by the Linnton community.
Posted by hilsy | August 14, 2007 7:09 PM
I am half of the couple featured on that "Househunters" episode. Glad it was interesting enough to inspire comments; we also think we made the right choice. Initially, St. Helens wasn't even on our radar screen, but the prices of homes anywhere near Beaverton (yes, Aloha included) were ridiculous. A comparable home anywhere in Columbia County was $20,000 - $30,000 less. As for the commute, HWY 30 is a paradise compared to HWY 26, Canyon Road, etc. Commute time is roughly the same, only you don't spend have your time going 7.3 mph. The only down side to HWY 30? If it gets backed up for any reason (accident, etc.), you're pretty much hosed, unless your car can fly. Even with that, it's still worth it...
Posted by Matt | August 15, 2007 12:54 PM