Dave Knows Portland

Archives for July 2007

Rasheed Wallace Vindicated!

by 1 Comment

Rasheed WallaceNBA referee Tim Donaghy is being investigated by the FBI for betting on NBA basketball games that he officiated. I never liked that guy. Donaghy is the referee with whom Rasheed Wallace had the infamous confrontation on the loading dock after a game at the Rose Garden in 2003.

I always thought Rasheed got a raw deal when he was suspended 7 games without pay for allegedly threatening Donaghy. Over his playing years in Portland I got the impression Rasheed wasn’t so much a hot head as he was a man who would not tolerate injustice. In general an admirable quality, but in the realm of pro-sports – not always helpful. Referees, as we well know, aren’t perfect. And NBA referees, in particular, hold obvious grudges and pick favorites, perhaps at the behest of the Head Office, and, apparently, at the behest of the mob.

Slowest weekend of the summer

by Leave a Comment

Slowest weekend might be an exaggeration, but we do find ourselves at a liminal stage of the summer with the Brewfest a week away and festival season not intensifying until late August.

A visit to Hubbard might be warranted, for the annual Hop Festival, and there’s the Portland Highland Games at Mt. Hood Community College (see previous post for details).

Sunday at noon I will be parking myself at Kells to watch the U20 World Cup Final between the Czech Republic and Argentina.

But mainly this might be a good weekend to just go see a band or enjoy a beer.

Timbers beat defending champs Vancouver 2-1

by Leave a Comment

Update: As usual, Allison at SoccerCityUsa has the the best recap, including great photos.

TimbersAre the Portland Timbers as good as their Victory-victory padded record indicates? Defending champ Vancouver might think so now.

The Vancouver Whitecaps and the 1st place Portland Timbers collided this evening at a 7pm, Thirsty Thursday, match at PGE Park. Like the Victory on Sunday, Vancouver drew first blood, going up 1-0 early. But Gregor tied the game for Portland in the 30th minute.

Early in the second half, from about 10 feet out, rookie Lawrence Olum scored his second goal of the season. The Timbers held on to the win the game.

The Timbers (10-2-3) retain 1st place in the USL division 1 with 33 points. They are also the first team to 10 wins this season despite playing a league low 15 games (3-6-6 Minnesota is the only other team with as few games played).

(Thanks to Nick for texting me the details; I’m at home sick with crappy MetroFi internet and no TV!)

The city is your orchard – Part 2

by Leave a Comment

Urban EdiblesUrban Edibles is a community maintained database of wild food sources in Portland. Like Arifilahi’s Fruit and Nut Trees map, mentioned previously, anyone can search or add to the database.

The creators of the site tell us what it’s all about:

This project aims to make more available the natural food sources throughout the city that go undiscovered each year. Nut trees, berry patches, unsprayed fields of dandelion roots are all welcome. We invite you to share the sources you already know of, search for new ones with your friends, and participate in our official scouting days.

They provide a succinct list of ethical considerations (e.g. “Will my harvesting leave an impact?”, and “Does this plant need any care after harvest?”). You can search by location or browse by category.

Spicy chai from the Rose City

by 2 Comments

Dragonfly ChaiI’m a coffee drinker. Black. Maybe once a year I’ll have a not-too-sweet mocha, no whip.

But heading to work the other day, suffering from a summer cold, I craved something hot and sweet and spicy, so I stopped in at the Coffee Crutch (1023 SW Yamhill St.).

Coffee CrutchThe barista gives me a choice: the ubiquitous Oregon Chai or Dragonfly Chai . . .

“What’s the difference?”

“Dragonfly Chai is spicier. “

It tastes as one would expect; of tea and cardamom and cinnamon and ginger. But it’s spicy, much spicier, and less sweet than other chais, and delicious. I won’t wait to catch a cold to try another cup.

Later I found out it’s a small local company, and in general I like to support local companies, so there you go.