Confession #1:  I don't really pay much attention to basketball in the summer. Oregon summers are too short and too beautiful to spend a lot of free time inside, tied to the TV and computer. I'll start getting wigged out about the lockout when the air turns nippy and Halloween candy takes over the aisles at Fred Meyer.

Confession #2:  I don't know a damn thing about fly-fishing, but for some reason, I suspect there are people around here who enjoy it. Yeah, the title of this fanpost is misleading, a shameless way of hooking (get it?) people into clicking the link. So, tell me, what about fly-fishing is so alluring? Is it the beautiful rivers? The man versus nature thingy?

Confession #3:  I've been blowing off house projects. Almost all of our spare time this summer has been spent camping, hiking and birding -- and wowzers, we've been to some spectacular spots. My goal for the next couple of summers is to find the birdiest campgrounds in the Pacific Northwest. Anyone else like to go camping? Got any suggestions for the next few weekends?

Confession #4:  I'm curious about what Bedgers do for fun when they're not obsessing about basketball. How do you spend your sunny days? You get outside, don't you? You wear sunscreen, yes? What are your outdoor passions?

Photo: The road to Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge in southeastern Oregon. Not only is it beautiful, but Hart Mountain is home to one of Oregon's strangest birds, the sage grouse. The things they do to impress the babes . . .