The Symbolic End of Summer

Labor Day weekend. The holiday originated in 1882 as the Central Labor Union (of New York City) sought to create "a day off for the working citizens". Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. For the Cruzes, its the start of football!!

It wasn't all good news this week though. Blazer fans, including us, were saddened this week to hear about Kevin Duckworth's passing. I'll never forget watching him come out onto the court for game 7 vs. the San Antonio Spurs in the 1990 playoffs. I also remember meeting him after a Blazer game when I was a kid. He was very polite and signed the autograph "Big Duck". I've still got that autograph. He seems to be one of the more forgotten of those great Blazer teams of the early 90's but he was a big part of that team and a great role model in the Portland area for a lot of years.

Sunday was Kaden's birthday party. Mason and Siena were very excited. And thank goodness we had a party to go to. Anything to tear Mason away from his new favorite movie - our wedding video. Warning to parents: Do not show your wedding video to your children. You run the risk of them becoming addicted to said movie. We had the best wedding ever. However, that doesn't mean I want to watch it 10 times in one day.

Back to the birthday party. Mason picked out the gift (a semi truck) himself. And the wrapping paper (race cars). Here's Kaden pondering his forthcoming party.

Midway through the party, huge hail started. This wasn't the normal, wussy Oregon hail. This is like Oklahoma hail. The stuff you see on movies like Twister. The party moved under cover, except for Luis checking it out.

The Ladies. Mom and Barb are the two with their faces turned.

Here's Kaden and his little bro Ryder examining the hail firsthand, and barefooted...

Mason and Siena kept fighting over this little car of Kaden and Ryder's. Siena won.

Mason, doing a little dance...it is a party after all. A little rain and hail isn't going to slow anyone down.

Here's all the kids enjoying a slice of the birthday cake. All of the kids there were within a couple years of each other in age. That made it a fun guessing game whenever one would cry or yell "mama"..."is it mine or yours"...

We even got Mason to don a hat for the occasion.

Siena voluntarily wore the hat.

The best gift Kaden got was the bugle - clearly given by a guest with no small children in the house. If he learns to master the instrument, Jon and Gena will never need an alarm clock again!

Labor day itself was another fun day for the kids courtesy of sister-in-law Sara's work-related picnic. We're moochers of the first order and piled the kids in the car for the long, 5 mile drive to Oaks Park.

Oaks Park, despite its modest size, is one of the oldest in the U.S. having been in existance since 1905. For you history buffs, here's a little background on Oaks: In 1905, Fred Morris, president of the Oregon Water Power and Railway Company, invested a hundred thousand dollars to develop a forty-four-acre amusement park on the banks of the Willamette River. It was a time when trolley companies occasionally built amusement parks at the end of their lines to increase ticket sales during evenings and weekends, when the trolleys carried fewer passengers. A trolley line ran from downtown Portland to Canemah by way of Oregon City, and Morris located The Oaks at an intermediate point in order to increase short-haul traffic. He also hoped that the park would attract the crowds that were expected to attend the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition — a world's fair being constructed in Northwest Portland that would attract 1.6 million people during the four and a half months it was open. Its skating rink is probably its most well-known feature but today we were focused on the rides, especially now that Mason is no longer afraid of them. Well, most all of them.

As noted several blogs ago, the car rides are a family favorite...

And the motorcycle ride.

Oaks Park has a very cool, old carousel. There are a lot of different animals in addition to the standard horses. Siena is perched on a donkey.
Mason was able to nab a frog.

There we are! I was around to provide moral support...

And there were airplanes.

This is like the Red Baron in a little green plane with flames...

The Frog Hop was the one ride Mason wasn't quite brave enough for. That didn't stop Siena though. She's up for anything! (She's the second from the left)

Here's Siena dropping her jello on her lap. Thought I'd throw that picture in for good measure.

There were a lot of people at Oaks Park today. Several Union groups were having big to-do's and of course there was the usual group that amusement parks seem to attract. You know, folks with a lot of tattoos and not a lot of teeth and shirt-sleeves.

Anyway, there were also good representation by a couple politicians. Here's us meeting Jeff Merkley who's going head to head with Gordon Smith for the senate seat. We also met David Wu but I didn't get a picture.

I have no intention of using my blog to air my political views. Vote as you all see fit. I will note however that had the above politician been a republican, there wouldn't be a picture of us meeting him on my blog.