Christmas Tree Fun at Loch Lolly Farms

Located off of Highway 26 (click here for directions) is Loch Lolly Christmas Forest, an excellent place to get Christmas trees and much much more. Loch Lolly has a wide array of different sizes and varieties to choose from, we definitely had a very enjoyable experience and ended up with the perfect tree.

Loch Lolly Christmas Forest & Gift Shop opens the weekend of November 22nd & 23rd, then opens daily beginning November 28th for the 2008 Christmas season. Our hours are 9 AM to 5 PM.

This year we will offer u-cut and pre-cut Christmas trees. Customers have said they love to come to Loch Lolly but don’t always want to cut their own tree. So now we have done the job for you. Each day you will be able to choose the perfect tree from our many beautiful pre-cut trees.

If you are in need of a tree or a holiday gift before that time, we would be more than happy to help you. Loch Lolly Christmas Forest & Holiday Gift Shop will be open each day.

I will be posting pictures of our Loch Lolly tree soon, please stay tuned!

Tags: christmas, christmas tree, family fun, family trips, good times, loch lolly, oregon, tree farm, trees, winter

Winter Getaway

Its cold outside and the holidays are just around the corner. No better time to escape to the Oregon coast and get a room, (for winter rates of course). The crowds aren’t there and the storms are great to watch from an oceanfront room. I would recommend a little known secrect of mine in the sleepy old fishing town of Astoria Oregon…. The Hotel Elliot

I love the Hotel Elliot because it offers wonderful ammenities and awesome suites at affordable rates. While its not on the ocean it offers great views of the Columbia River and Astoria offers wonderful cuisine and a budding local music scene. For Luxury suites at an affordable winter rate, Hotel Elliot is well worth the drive to Astoria.

Tags: astoria, get away, hotel, hotel elliot, oregon, oregon coast, romantic, vacation, winter

Visiting Sauvie Island Farms Pumpkin Patch

As you pull up to Sauvie Island Farms you see the field of corn sprawling out and then the patch of pumpkins beyond that. The rock climbing wall towers over the parking lot and the super slide is bright and colorful. To a kid a dream come true, and as it turned out the parents had fun too. The corn field doubles as a maze and there were hay rides to the pumpkin patch and back. They even maintain their own Sauvie Island Farms blog with up to date farm news on whats ripe, going on etc.. cool.  The caramel corn was excellent and the kids had a great time. We spent a couple of hours playing before we set out in search of the perfect pumpkin and believe it or not everyone found their perfect pumpkin!

The drive to Sauvie Island is between 30 and 40 minutes from Portland and is well worth it. I love our city of Portland but it is nice to leave the city. I enjoy driving through the country side and once you are on Sauvie Island I encourage you to explore. There are more than a hand full of small family owned farms and great hideaway beaches. The drive is great and even if you aren’t in search of a pumpkin there is still plenty to see and do on the Island.

The kids got the pumpkins they wanted and complimentary cocoa and cider were a nice added bonus. We got some great photos, the hay bail pyramid was my favorite, and there was no shortage of things to do. The kids were asleep halfway home and a good time was had by all, young and old alike.

Check out the Photos page for all the pics…

Tags: day trips, family, october, oregon, pumpkin, pumpkin patch, sauvie island farms

Welcome to TadTheDad.com!

TadTheDad.com is a concept that started as many things do, with two people just sitting around talking. After hearing my stories of being a new parent my friend jokingly dubbed me ‘Tad the dad.’ We laughed and rolled with it for a bit. A good time was had by all (at my expense), even my girlfriend got involved making fun of the new catch phrase. Though ‘Tad the dad’ stuck with me for a few days and I got to thinking….What could I do as this Tad the dad? There had to be something that ‘Tad the dad’ had to offer. Even though I was lacking in the super hero power department, I still felt like I had something to give, whether a laugh or some helpful advice. I wanted to share my experiences as a parent with the world so I am starting a blog!

Blogging and the idea of being able to do this with my son have really become attractive to me. I ultimately would like to be able to spend as much time with my family as possible, be able to do fun things, write about it and get paid, but life is never that simple. Is it?

Hopefully my experiences as a parent and family man can be helpful or just provide a simple laugh in the daily grind we call life. I do enjoy some free time as well. All the parents and non-parents alike take some time for themselves every so often. If you don’t you should. I’m becoming more of a connoisseur of fine cigars; I also have a strong appreciation for wines of the region, Northwest varietals to be more specific. I enjoy paring cigars and fine wine, also occasionally food and wine as well. I hope my suggestions are flavorful and pleasing to the palate.  Check out the ‘About Me’ section if you are interested in learning a little more, and of course please stay tuned…

Tags: blogging, children, dad, fatherhood, northwest, oregon, parenting, portland, tadthedad, wines