Designer Toast

Kraven found the All American Cow. Was this an ally of Captain America? Kraven was cautious but finally loosened up...

This was a cool race challenge for kids and there was beer on hand for the adults. Nike had a shop set up and there were a lot of vendors.

It was pretty incredible how all of this came together in the time frame it did. There were some impressive displays and a lot of fun to be had.

I took Kraven to check out Nike Village at the Olympic Trials

From out of nowhere, Mighty Oregon flowed in on the air... Oregon, our Alma Mater We will guard thee on and on Let us gather round and cheer her Chant her glory Oregon Roar the praises of her warriors Sing the story Oregon On to victory urge the heroes Of our mighty Oregon! Go Ducks Go! Fight Ducks Fight! Go! Fight! Win Ducks Win! Kraven was overcome by the roar of the song and found renewed strength in it. I never told Kraven I had simply played it loudly on my mobile...and did it matter? Kraven felt great.

Kraven found this amsuing while we made our way up to the stands.

This is an old school basketball arena made of wood and steel. Kraven liked simplicity and he was already much more at ease being inside this historic building.

Famously known as The Pit (not to be confused with the comic) or Mac Court, McArthur Court was home to Ducks basketball for years and was originally built in the late 1920s. The Pit was difficult for some teams to play in due to the incredible acoustics that produced one of the loudest basketball arenas in college sports. Couple that with the way the building would literally shake when fans stomped their feet, it made for a tough environment for visiting teams. 2011 saw Mac Court replaced with the $227mil Matthew Knight Arena.

I decided the best thing to do was to take Kraven to work with me. He seemed to genuinely like the area I worked. I decided to take Kraven out for coffee and then on a tour of McArthur Court.

Kraven's day didn't start out great when my son saw him in the latest Lego Club magazine and decided to share with Kraven Yep. There was Spider-Man, the fiend Kraven had tried so hard to forget about - the fiend that had sent Kraven into a spiral all those years ago. Kraven had gone through years of traveling the world to find his own serenity, to control his anger and to change his ways, to find balance within his own soul. Yet all those years were wrecked in a single panel...

I did promise Kraven to take him to the Olympic trials, so long as he behaved himself. It looks like Kraven and I will be heading over tomorrow to see some of the greatest track and field athletes on the planet compete...

Another great view from the grand stands. Kraven was quickly falling in love with Oregon. Looking to the mountains, Kraven softly spoke of encountering game he had yet to kill...

Kraven taking in Hayward Field from the east grand stands. The field was originally where the Ducks played football many, many years ago. Physical competition, Kraven respected it. While Kraven spoke about competing in the games, he knew his physical prowess was far above any athlete that would be competing here...

Another view of Nike Village and the athlete tents being set up. Kraven was right at home where tents were involved...

Kraven in the east grand stands looking down on Nike Village as it was being set up for the Olympic Trials.

Kraven at the legendary statue of Bill Bowerman found near the northwest track at Hayward Field. For those of you unfamiliar with Bowerman, he changed the track and field running game and was a co-founder of Nike. He coached numerous world and national champions, including running legend Pre Fontaine. Bowerman passed away in his sleep in 1999. Donald Sutherland played Bill Bowerman in the Without Limits movie about Pre Fontaine. I was an extra in the movie and got to meet Donald Sutherland. Sutherland was in front of me in the lunch line and asked what I was doing on the set. I told him I was an extra and that I loved him in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. He told me the line I was in was for the main cast only. He did thank me for my compliment...then pointed me in the right direction. By the way, I'm guy in flannel shirt eating hot dog walking up the stands in the movie...

I took a quick lunch while Kraven rolled around and was impressed to see he had caught Bigfoot! It was apparently not Kraven's first encounter with a Bigfoot...

Kraven reminded me that I still had some pictures from last week when he rolled out with me and I gave him a tour of Hayward Field...

"Ha! Man up, you red headed twerp! That Fonzi guy is a punk. Up his nose with a rubber hose, after I beat him to death with it." Kraven was amused with himself...

Kraven was hanging out with me tonight sorting through some comics... Kraven loved the cover, but I didn't have the heart to tell him how it all ended...

Kraven got a fairly serious burn on his back and I commented he might want to have a doctor look at it. Kraven scoffed and said he had no time for Western medicine. Kraven assured me he had a healing salve he discovered deep in the jungles of the Amazon that would have him good as new by morning. Kraven had a great 4th! "Happy 4th of July, boardies!"

Kraven started getting pretty crazy and I think was set on impressing my kids with his hunter toughness. Kraven took off his mane and let the sparks shower him!

It was finally dark enough for some fireworks and I think Kraven was more excited than my kids!

We plated it up and chowed down! I BBQ all year round be it rain, shine, or snow. Doesn't matter. A lot of cooking doesn't happen in my kitchen.

It was another glorious day of sleeping in. Considering I stayed up until 3AM playing Rainbow 6, the fact that I rolled my azz out of bed before 11AM was miraculous. Kraven and I worked pretty hard in the yards today weed whacking and various other projects. Kraven offered to hunt down dinner, but I told him we had it covered. Kraven helped me cook and impressed us all with his daring walk on the coals in bare feet. "Tony Robbins learned this from me," Kraven declared.