Impulse Hike

This hike, as the title would suggest, wasn't planned. It was a spur of the moment decision to go in search of the great Mt. Baker viewpoints Tony Young had so eloquently described to me once upon a time. He had the advantage of a dirt bike, I instead had the advantage of 5 year old discounted REI "hiking" shoes, a couple water bottles, a free pair of ironman brand sunglasses and an Erin Bakers breakfast cookie. In the early afternoon of a beautifully clear and pleasantly warm April Saturday, I stormed up the North Shore access roads and ended up embarking on a 5 hour trek. For the majority of the time, I meandered all throughout the maze of roads and trails created by the wonderful logging community. After a few wrong turns and numerous water breaks on my way up, I happened upon a very nice view of Mt Baker and her Twin Sisters to the south. But they weren't good enough, I somehow knew the views could somehow get better, so I hiked on. After each bend in the trail, the views proceeded to become enhanced in little ways. That is until I crested a mini peak and found myself with a 360 degree view of the logged acreage i had summited, the town of Acme, Highway 9, the Nooksack river and the beautiful Mt Baker. Unbelievable. Pictures will never describe the full experience, but it's all I've got. So take it in.

Wedding Tip: Hire a DJ, not Uncle Phil w/ an Ipod

When you were young your parents most likely forced you into eating all your fruits and vegetables with a very popular and easy to pull off ploy. They politely yet sternly threatened you by saying you could only have dessert, or seconds of the good stuff (meat, noodles, bread, etc...) if you finish the gross (healthy) stuff. It was brutal. Everyone at the table knows the kids only want one thing; to enjoy their meal by being allowed to eat what they want and how much of what they want whenever they want. Oreo's and double chocolate milk appetizer? Yes please. Two servings of t-bone steak, buttered up corn on the cob and a side dish of bbq sauce basted pork ribs? That sounds lovely. Sour patch kids and sour apple O's to go with your salad? I'd love a handful. Though science has tried to prove for years that veggies and fruits and all things healthfully gross are good for you and a necessary part of a balanced diet, there is no proof. None. It can't be done. It's a wives tale no more true than the belief you'll drown a slow, embarrassing death if you even think about putting one foot in the shallow end of a pool within one hour of eating. You hear everyday the story of the man that ate McDonalds breakfast sandwiches everyday of his life and lived to be 95. What's more? At age 94 he could still take you off the dribble in one on one and throw down a wicked tomahawk dunk to finish it off. But somehow, many years ago, mom's won. They said "we know we can't get kids to eat veggies and fruits with facts, those just don't hold up. But we can withhold the delicious parts of meals until they consume the part of the meal we deem necessary for no purpose other than to watch them wine, throw a tantrum and eventually suffer through." The point I'm trying to make is that mom's witholding dessert until you eat the grossness is like couples having the dance party at the end of a wedding to make sure the 18 to 31 year old "sort of" friends stay throughout the duration of the wedding. This usually includes the people you work with who are of same age and you kind of like so felt obligated to invite, the friend from college who you were fairly good friends with but don't really know or keep in contact with anymore or the distant family members who you've never talked to but Mom made you invite for some reason having to do with making sure Christmas next year was enjoyable. These last on the list invitees aren't too excited about the wedding, but they came to be nice, to eat good food and to dance. Ceremony and vows? Seen it. Cutting the cake and throwing the bouquet? Happens at every wedding. Toasts by the best man and maid of honor? Never as creative or entertaining as you see in movies. Weddings are long, drawn out and usually contain the same old things. It's all beautiful and meaningful for sure, but unless you are really close family or a good friend, it's just another wedding. The dance party is why you go. It's the saving grace at the end of a long day. But you have to wade through the rest of the wedding to get to it. The bride and groom know this, just like mom's with those darn veggies...

Here is a dance shot I like. I don't really have any other good ones. I'm not good at taking them. But this one worked out.

Blast from the Past

Queen Anne: Someone's House

March 2009

Wedding:

Nate + Rachel

University of Washington & Mars Hill U-District

Chandelier

Fraser River Fishing Lodge & Resort

For obvious reasons, I don't usually take pictures of chandeliers. I guess the reasons aren't obvious, but you get the point. Or maybe you don't get the point. Not sure if I do either. But this chandelier exists and I took a picture of it. Creative, crafty, unique, fun, fresh, big time awesome and crazy cool are all ways I heard people describe this light source. I agree with most of those descriptors. It was the center piece in the reception hall of a fishing resort deep in the heart of the Fraser River valley in BC, Canada. In case you're wondering, no I was not staying at the resort nor fishing. I was celebrating the wedding of two people I didn't know.

Study Buddy

University of Washington - Suzzallo Library

In honor of finals week next week, something with which I do not have to take part in, I present a picture of a library. A very nice library. The famous Suzzallo Library on Red Square at the UW. Study hard kids, but know this; in the end it doesn't matter. There are no jobs out there for you anyway. At least not after gas hits $5.00 a gallon this summer and re-cripples the economy. So I guess this post serves two purposes, to show off a picture I took and to provide you w/ a pessimistic thought of the day.

Personal: It's About Time

Reminder: Mariners Opening Day is 1 month from today.

It's been a long cold winter. La Nina has tried to kill my will to enjoy being outdoors and doing outdoorsy things. I played tennis in January outdoors in subfreezing temperatures to try to outdo La Nina. But in a sign of hope, the Super Bowl has come and gone, which can only mean one thing... Baseball. And Baseball can only mean one thing, spring (and eventually summer) is finally on its way. The days are getting longer and the weather will someday start to get warmer. The grass is growing, playing catch is almost an afternoon activity option and the Mariners are meere weeks away from beginning their assault on the 2011 World Series Championship. Don't believe me? Your loss. Mariners MLB champs in 2011. You heard it here first.

Sunsets: One for the Road

There are a lot of differences between college kids and those who graduate college and begin their lives in the real world. But none are bigger than the group paycheck scenario at the local bar or restaurant.

Scenario #1: College. You go out to dinner with a group of friends. The waiter/waitress brings the check, a single check. The collection of undergrad students bust out their wallets and leaf around for some bills. They estimate what they believe their portion of the bill is to the exact penny, often not taking into account tax, and then round down. They throw that amount of money in the pile and immediately thrust their wallets deep into the nether-regions of their pockets, to a place where it shall not be retrieved for upwards to seven days. Someone, usually the type-A personality or the business finance major, gathers the bills on the table and proceeds to count. Now again, this is the college age kids scenario, so naturally, the total money thrown out by the scholarly participants is going to be about $5 short, not including tip. The fact they are $5 short is announced to the group and the group responds with inattentive gazes around the room, quizzical looks at the receipt, random mumbling to defray the awkward silence and a collective hope that someone will just bite the bullett and throw down a crisp $5 bill to cover the shortage. Eventually a few people begrudgingly take out single doller bills and throw them onto the current stack of money. They act as though it's no big deal when really they are seething at the thought of having to pay full value for what they ordered. The money is stacked nicely, a generous 6.5% tip is left neatly on the table, and the college crowd begins the 20 minute walk back to campus.

Scenario #2: Post grad/Newly worker crowd. Same idea, single check comes. The participants pull out their wallets, flip through about 4 or 5 plastic forms of banking cards but decide to just cash this one. They wade through their stacks of greenbacks, pull out enough to pay for their share, then pull out some more for the tip, then throw a little more out there just for the heck of it. However, then they proceed to gather it all up, put it back in their wallet and pull out a single larger bill that eclipses what they had initially put in. Someone casually counts the money (more of a rough estimate), realizes it's well over the bill+tax+tip and places the money back on the table. When the waiter/waitress comes back, at least two people make direct eye contact and say "keep the change". Sometimes I'm glad the college years are behind me.

Here is one last boulevard sunset pic for the road. Same night as the previous post. Just figured it needed a little notoriety as well.

Sunset: Boulevard

Boulevard Park

February 8 . 2010

I didn't plan on going to Boulevard this night to take pictures. I planned on going to the fashionably located Woods coffee, sipping on some drank and finishing some things I needed to finish. Simple as that. Then as I was driving down South State St, the sky started to light up, as it sometimes does during the evening hour. The closer I got to the park, the more the colors told me to pull over and take out the Rebel XT fastened with a Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 lens from the backseat. So I obliged. I'm glad I did. You may or may not know it, but you're glad I did to. You're welcome.

It's Morphin Time!

When I was young I hated waking up. Waking up didn't make any sense to me. The thought of rolling out of a perfectly comfortable and warm situation wasn't appealing in the least. In my life, things didn't always go my way. So when things were going my way, for example when I was enjoying being in bed sleeping, why would I voluntarily want to end that. My parents tried to instill in me a passion for waking up. They said "the early bird gets the worm". They sang "Good morning, good morning, good morning, it's time to rise and shine" repetitively in a high pitchy note. They threw things at me from a far to try and ruin the beautiful state of hibernation my body had realized. But I resisted. My will to sleep and be happy was found to be stronger than my parents could have ever imagined. Nothing could pull me free from the loving embrace of my comforter cover and twin size plush mattress. Nothing ... except, for the Power Rangers. Oh those Power Rangers. The most gloriously gifted and talented fighting squadron this side of the A-Team. These teen-ish aged special people, with help from their gack faced, tube dwelling leader Zordon, united to form a uniquely entertaining product ripe for viewership from young kids whose minds were still maturing and developing. Yet for reasons beyond me, the people who chose to air the greatest show ever decided 7am was a desirable time slot. 7am! That was 2 and a half hours before Carl Cozier Elementary School began each day. Who engages in child friendly ninja warrior combat prior to the lunch hour? The Power Rangers, that's who. So on those frightfully dark and chilly winter mornings when new episodes of the Power Rangers were set to air on Fox Kids, somehow my brother was able to do what my parents could only dream of. He summoned the inner strength necessary to coerce me to remove myself from my cocoon of peace and happiness and stumble down to the living room couch. With crusted shut eyes, sloppy morning breath and hair that resembled the underbelly of a wet dog, I watched the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers save the town of Angel Grove day after day, week after week. The putty patrol, Lord Zed and Rita Repulsa were no match for Zordon and his squadron of colorful spandex laden teens. Spandex laden teens who to this day remain one of the few reasons I ever voluntarily woke up hours before I had too.

On an unrelated note, here is a picture I took that I've thought about taking for a while now. I finally made it up to the Alabama Hill overpass before the sun officially went down. I don't love this picture. It's alright. There is much room for improvement. Hopefully I will be able to make those improvements soon.

Long Overdue Nuptials

This wedding was from back in the Summer. The ceremony took place at Sacred Heart, a well lived little church overlooking Fairhaven. Not sure why I never put these up, but I am now. Just five, that's all. But these five were specifically chosen because of the narrative they tell. 1. They gathered, she entered 2. He officiated and blessed 3. She smiled (all day) 4. They kissed 5. & danced the night away.

Another Snow

I did a terrible thing a week ago, I posted beautiful snow pictures from a beautiful snowy place. All snow pictures i take and post from here on out will look as if a spastic child tripped and while falling, accidentally took a 5 megapixel photo from his less than quality iphone camera. I'm not in love with this picture. But I still like it. I like it in it's simplicity. And so should you. But if you don't, please disagree respectfully.

The North Cascades

As the great Paul Harvey used to say over the airwaves on my way to school, "And now ... the rest of the story." So as i said in the previous post, I was up at baker all weekend, ringing in the new year and snowshoeing my life away. Now, the brief details. We ventured up the old artist point road, found out we were badly out of shape (all the while blaming it on the high altitude), then struck off away from the worn path and blazed through the rugged baker terrain. We crossed ski runs, scaled steep hills, wove in and around mountain forests, reached a plateau summit and ate our breakfast cookies. Then, we meandered a bit. Finally, in a time saving and adventure seeking decision, forged our way down a cliff. A literal cliff. What started as a slow cautious descent turned into a wild, out of control slide. it took about an hour to get up ... and about 3.5 minutes to get back down. In between, we saw these views. These views made it all worthwhile.

Baker

Mt Baker

I spent the New Years weekend up at Mt. Baker, staying in the Firs Chalet. We took an adventurous snow shoe trek on New Years Eve. This photo was produced during that trek. I have plenty more pictures to put up, but this picture stood out as my favorite and thus deserved it's own post.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

No. But I am ready for basketball. NBA? I tried, but sadly, not yet. Maybe once the playoffs start. Maybe once the Hornets migrate to the Great Northwest. Maybe once Kevin Durant walks out on the city of Oklahoma and says he won't shoot another basketball until he can do so in a Seattle Supersonics Green and Gold Jersey. No football, no NBA, that leaves college basketball. Now that's something I can get behind. And I did. Last week. A nice little game of basketball played between the University of Washington Husky pups and the Nevada something or other not very good team. UW rolled. Good times had by all. This is the Home Court advantage, Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Home of Romarville and UW Hoops.

It's That Time of Year.

This .jpeg you see below was originally a Christmas Card I made back for the 2007 Yuletide season. This was the second in a yearly series that was becoming rather popular amongst the masses. Then ... my creativity died. A sad, slow, lonely death. Ever since college ended, I've made as many christmas cards as the Seattle Supersonics have played NBA basketball games. It's a sad state of affairs and it continues on. Maybe next year the old magic will strike again. Until then, you get a nice, recycled Christmas greeting that instead of printing and sending to everyone I just posted on the internet. Yay!

Merry Christmas, From everyone here at the Blog!

That's When it hit me, Love is a Verb.

South Lake Union Park

Seattle, WA

She's not the one that got away. Lets not forget, I was the one that left her. However, she is the one that, when I hang out with her, I wonder, did I make a mistake? You're looking good Seattle, stop making me fall in love all over again.

Pick Your View

"I never trashed a hotel room or did drugs" - Sean Connery

As it turns out, Sean and I have a lot more in common than the average man gave us credit for.

Over the past two months I have gone to three different athletic events to sell and promote product for my company. I could sit here and describe what each location was like, but that would be very taxing on me. A lot of writing. I don't need the added stress in my life. Instead of describing, I will let you see. As the old saying goes, tis better to show a view from a hotel room than explain what that view may be. (unless of course the hotel in question is located off of Aurora in Seattle. In that case, no description, whether verbal or visible, is appropriate) Therefore, I present the views from my hotel room in each unique location. The Three locations and hotels are The Westin: Seattle, WA, The Holiday Inn: Clearwater, FL and The Hilton: Long Beach, CA. Take your pick. The City? The Beach? The Industrial power plant looking harbor smog factory?

We are the Champions

Ironman Championships 70.3

Clearwater, FL

As i've said in previous posts, this was the reason I went to Clearwater. I went to sell and promote product for Erin Bakers (as seen in our race course advertisement above) at the Ironman 70.3 championships expo. On the day I left, I got to watch the race and see all six of our competing Erin Bakers athletes (second photo from last) compete and complete the race. A 70.3 Ironman consists of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run, or basically a half Ironman. Since it was the world championships, there were athletes from all over the world. I don't know who the guy was, but the winner was the German fellow in the third picture down. And as you can see from the first photo, it would be hard to find a more picturesque location than they have in Clearwater.

The rest of Clearwater

I put up the sunset reflection pool picture a week ago. Now it's time for a few more from my trip to Clearwater. This is the Clearwater beach that gives Clearwater Beach, FL it's name. The Ironman expo and event, the reason why I was in Clearwater, was held on this beach. It had some of the softest sand I had ever walked on. It was almost like walking on warm powdered snow that wasn't wet... if that makes sense. Clearwater was great, but maybe not great enough to warrant a trip back. Other than the beach and the less than interesting touristy stuff, not a lot going on.