Just to fill my place, until I can get more down, I am filling this space. I was in Utah this past week helping some prospective Disabled Nordic Ski Team athletes learn how to use their mountain boards. The week prior, I was at Flowing Lake in Snohomish WA, at a camp for disabled kids.
Now, those are two good signs that summer is on the way out. Exciting and depressing at the same time.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Truth and reconciliation
Our so called leaders speak.
Too hot lately. We took an opportunity to head to the West Side, for a short excursion. North Bend, and all the shops there, was our first stop. I guess the kids needed clothes. Cardboard boxes and burlap sacks were not holding up, or something. Clothes! I'm gonna be real popular when they are in Jr High- till they are out of the house.
Stopped off at a friend of Sarah's, Heidi and Darren Dishneau, who live in Snoqualmie Ridge. The place is amazing to us, because this was all forest until 10yrs ago. And it has only grown since. There is a lot of "planned community" going on. That is good in many ways, still, it creates a cookie cutter atmosphere, and a forced small town feel. It is more nice than Gig Harbor -where they have been fighting development, yet sell to developers all the time. Who doesn't know about this type of scenario? -Get with me afterward and we can talk. The Dishneau's have a 3mo old boy, Mattias, and it was nice to visit with the twins. Plus Darren loves/plays hockey, so where is the question?
We stayed in Bellevue, just off lake Samamish, with Rebekah and Johanna. HOT HOT HOT! Good thing the west side doesn't usually get hot or they would have had air conditioning. The kids enjoy visiting their aunties, even though the kids like to play wild, and their aunties are adults who live in an "adult" apartment. In the middle of the night, we were launched from our beds by a loud CRACK! The only thing it could have been was lightning, but thunder usually booms, not crack. It is always nice to be with a spouse in those moments, as the one is supposed to have all the answers, energy to investigate, while performing "human shield" role. awesome. The kids seemed to sleep through it, as we heard nothing of the loud noise from them. Thunderstorm brought no apparent cooling affects by the way.
A brunch of sorts at PF Chang's in Belle Square was in order. Downtown Bellevue is not what it was. All I can say is wow, and a little above my pay grade (or have I grown too "Ephrata"?)
On the way home, North Bend is on the way, so we had to stop again for anything we might have missed on Saturday.
I could not help but feel sorry for the people west bound I-90. It seems every weekend is a reason to head over the pass. Even the Army, in their Strikers, were on the road (I'm sure they helped things run smooth). From Ellensburg to Keechelus, it was stop and go for them.
I marveled at the windmills that have been erected near Vantage. We have dams, windmills, nuclear power plants.....
And by the time we were off I-90 and on hwy 283, the kids were bouncing off the walls.
Too hot lately. We took an opportunity to head to the West Side, for a short excursion. North Bend, and all the shops there, was our first stop. I guess the kids needed clothes. Cardboard boxes and burlap sacks were not holding up, or something. Clothes! I'm gonna be real popular when they are in Jr High- till they are out of the house.
Stopped off at a friend of Sarah's, Heidi and Darren Dishneau, who live in Snoqualmie Ridge. The place is amazing to us, because this was all forest until 10yrs ago. And it has only grown since. There is a lot of "planned community" going on. That is good in many ways, still, it creates a cookie cutter atmosphere, and a forced small town feel. It is more nice than Gig Harbor -where they have been fighting development, yet sell to developers all the time. Who doesn't know about this type of scenario? -Get with me afterward and we can talk. The Dishneau's have a 3mo old boy, Mattias, and it was nice to visit with the twins. Plus Darren loves/plays hockey, so where is the question?
We stayed in Bellevue, just off lake Samamish, with Rebekah and Johanna. HOT HOT HOT! Good thing the west side doesn't usually get hot or they would have had air conditioning. The kids enjoy visiting their aunties, even though the kids like to play wild, and their aunties are adults who live in an "adult" apartment. In the middle of the night, we were launched from our beds by a loud CRACK! The only thing it could have been was lightning, but thunder usually booms, not crack. It is always nice to be with a spouse in those moments, as the one is supposed to have all the answers, energy to investigate, while performing "human shield" role. awesome. The kids seemed to sleep through it, as we heard nothing of the loud noise from them. Thunderstorm brought no apparent cooling affects by the way.
A brunch of sorts at PF Chang's in Belle Square was in order. Downtown Bellevue is not what it was. All I can say is wow, and a little above my pay grade (or have I grown too "Ephrata"?)
On the way home, North Bend is on the way, so we had to stop again for anything we might have missed on Saturday.
I could not help but feel sorry for the people west bound I-90. It seems every weekend is a reason to head over the pass. Even the Army, in their Strikers, were on the road (I'm sure they helped things run smooth). From Ellensburg to Keechelus, it was stop and go for them.
I marveled at the windmills that have been erected near Vantage. We have dams, windmills, nuclear power plants.....
And by the time we were off I-90 and on hwy 283, the kids were bouncing off the walls.
Friday, August 15, 2008
In Amber Clad
Well, whatever Rileigh had, we all shared. Sarah fared the best out of all of us, but she did share her time with Riles. Motivation to do much beyond exist, did not happen for them from Sunday till Monday evening. Tuesday Morning, besting Riles time by an hour, Ethan went into the purge mode. So Tuesday was a wash as well. Wednesday morning, almost Tues night, it hit me. I thought I was going to make it through the woods with only minor scratches.
This was not the worst scenario we have ever had. This little "set back"/ bug/whatever it was, really just sapped motivation. The gross stuff was rather minimal. During our turn, we each simply sipped water all day, and lay around the house. The others played support role, and recovered as the case may be.
This was not the worst scenario we have ever had. This little "set back"/ bug/whatever it was, really just sapped motivation. The gross stuff was rather minimal. During our turn, we each simply sipped water all day, and lay around the house. The others played support role, and recovered as the case may be.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Come on Parkie!
I think I will take advantage of the fact that we live so close to the Grand Coulee Dam. Lets be honest, the Washington's deserve a little kick back from the dam building deal. AND, since I married into the family, I think I have certain privileges. In particular, I am thinking about plugging directly into the power that is generated. I only need one of the generators I think. My biggest issue, I think, is how do I get the full unadulterated power 70 miles. I understand there would be some energy loss if I were to use an extension cord from Home Depot. Plus, they might love me for buying 70 miles of cord, but I think there is a better way. Maybe I could just splice line off one of these high tension wires, but again, I don't want diluted energy. So, however I get it here, what I need to do then is construct some sort of snare/trip wire around the kitchen garbage can, and outdoor garbage lid, the table top, and counter top. This should rid me of the nuisance, in a clean and effective manner. So far nothing else has worked. I would imagine there would not even be any thing to clean up afterward. OK, so some may start pointing the finger in my direction, asking what is wrong with me. But I simply cannot understand how she has the audacity to think getting away with getting in the garbage is OK.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Pillar of Autumn
The week started with a trip to Twin Lakes. Actually, Sarah had some stuff to do in Spokane, so the kids and I were in Twin Lakes. And it was not a formal "vacation", just a trip there for a few days. We did bring the tandem kayak though. The kids and I played in the kayak one day, and we all went for a little cruise on another day. The kids really want to paddle now, but they also want to go faster than what their arm strength allows. It was nice to put the new life jackets to good use -not to say that riding your glider rider in a life jacket is not "good use", just not what it was designed for. We are all getting antsy to live over there permanent like.
On Saturday, Sarah put on a baby shower for a Friend. The kids enjoyed themselves a lot. Though, they need to understand that not all presents are for them. Dad took the opportunity to do some mountain boarding/skiing. Who needs to be around all that estrogen anyway? They don't need me muckin things up. The kids may have overdosed some on chocolate cake. Proof is in the pictures. What is not seen is the fascination with balloons. That is still going strong. Amazing that they are not all popped.
This morning, was not so fun. Ethan slept in -which was pretty cool. But Riles did not like something in her belly, and made that known at 0500. The rest of the day has been a wash, as I have been doing a bit of washing trying to keep up with Riles' digestive tract issues.
Daddy my breath is too lose (what does that mean!?)
the latest game for Ethan: "play rocket with the balloons" He has also found that he can rub them on his head, so when he tosses them up, they stick to the ceiling. Hey, just found out he "won" the rocket game. And that the popped balloon fits better on my arm.
On Saturday, Sarah put on a baby shower for a Friend. The kids enjoyed themselves a lot. Though, they need to understand that not all presents are for them. Dad took the opportunity to do some mountain boarding/skiing. Who needs to be around all that estrogen anyway? They don't need me muckin things up. The kids may have overdosed some on chocolate cake. Proof is in the pictures. What is not seen is the fascination with balloons. That is still going strong. Amazing that they are not all popped.
This morning, was not so fun. Ethan slept in -which was pretty cool. But Riles did not like something in her belly, and made that known at 0500. The rest of the day has been a wash, as I have been doing a bit of washing trying to keep up with Riles' digestive tract issues.
Daddy my breath is too lose (what does that mean!?)
the latest game for Ethan: "play rocket with the balloons" He has also found that he can rub them on his head, so when he tosses them up, they stick to the ceiling. Hey, just found out he "won" the rocket game. And that the popped balloon fits better on my arm.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Mendicant Bias
As I was blundering through the HALO game recently, I was pleasantly surprised by some familiar voices. I thought I had heard them before, but now that I blunder through a little less stressed, I find that I can interpret more of what is raining in on my senses. There is just a warm fuzzy feeling when you hear from trustworthy voices, like Mal Reynolds. That definitely gives one a sense of ease, when you know that you are with someone who has been through so much. It is also nice to hear Jayne, because then you know there is someone who will entice chaos that will only benefit you in the end. And that he adds some humor to the fight, invoking the name of his pistol. Where would we be without a little levity once in a while? And that is also why it is refreshing to know that Wash is still around. We have missed him so. I am glad that he was resurrected somehow.
I keep missing the opportunity to catch Rileigh holding Sammy. I guess it is a lot like Aunt Cindee holding their cat when Mom and she were little. And it does not matter how many times he bites, or scratches, or how many times we plead and punish, she still nearly strangles him every time she holds him. With all this holding, it is hard for me to understand why there is no photo.
Rileigh: "that (bike) helmet does not match my sunglasses."
Ethan: "these are my favorite pancakes."
Rileigh: "I want you to come after me at the gate because I need to get my helmet (from the car)."
Rileigh: "the mosquitoes tooked all the good water out of the camping kitchen and put yucky water back in." -this last one comes with a little more info. A couple days ago, we went for a little ride to kill some time. I took them to Banks lake, which is essentially one big park. ...or "wilderness area", ....officially it is a National Park. At any rate, it has many camp grounds, boat launches and the like. We stopped off at a boat launch that had running water/bathroom, and -we came to find out- an "outdoor kitchen" (basically a sink, under a roof. maybe for scaling fish, or prepping food for a large picnic, I don't know). So, I parked the van, and we strolled to the outdoor kitchen to fill the water bottles with water, noticing the squirrel (aka rabbit), quail and robin along the way. To my surprise, once at the sink I was beginning to be swarmed by mosquitoes -the like of which I had not experienced since Alaska, or one of my mountain trips. A sense of urgency was developing. The kids were noticing the increase in mosquito population as well, and I had to explain to them what a mosquito was (while being swarmed). Riles was kinda like Pleakley in Lilo and Stitch. At first calm and eager to experience something new, soon degrading to nervousness. She started saying "hey! get off!" -to the insects with no attempts at swatting them whatsoever. We got in the car as soon as possible. And in the car I had to explain that mosquitoes do not understand English, that they have a different language than we do. OK. Well, to add to it all, the water tasted funny. I think it is the minerals in the rocks, but to Riles, it was the mosquitoes fault.
I keep missing the opportunity to catch Rileigh holding Sammy. I guess it is a lot like Aunt Cindee holding their cat when Mom and she were little. And it does not matter how many times he bites, or scratches, or how many times we plead and punish, she still nearly strangles him every time she holds him. With all this holding, it is hard for me to understand why there is no photo.
Some independant quotes from the kids
Rileigh: "that (bike) helmet does not match my sunglasses."
Ethan: "these are my favorite pancakes."
Rileigh: "I want you to come after me at the gate because I need to get my helmet (from the car)."
Rileigh: "the mosquitoes tooked all the good water out of the camping kitchen and put yucky water back in." -this last one comes with a little more info. A couple days ago, we went for a little ride to kill some time. I took them to Banks lake, which is essentially one big park. ...or "wilderness area", ....officially it is a National Park. At any rate, it has many camp grounds, boat launches and the like. We stopped off at a boat launch that had running water/bathroom, and -we came to find out- an "outdoor kitchen" (basically a sink, under a roof. maybe for scaling fish, or prepping food for a large picnic, I don't know). So, I parked the van, and we strolled to the outdoor kitchen to fill the water bottles with water, noticing the squirrel (aka rabbit), quail and robin along the way. To my surprise, once at the sink I was beginning to be swarmed by mosquitoes -the like of which I had not experienced since Alaska, or one of my mountain trips. A sense of urgency was developing. The kids were noticing the increase in mosquito population as well, and I had to explain to them what a mosquito was (while being swarmed). Riles was kinda like Pleakley in Lilo and Stitch. At first calm and eager to experience something new, soon degrading to nervousness. She started saying "hey! get off!" -to the insects with no attempts at swatting them whatsoever. We got in the car as soon as possible. And in the car I had to explain that mosquitoes do not understand English, that they have a different language than we do. OK. Well, to add to it all, the water tasted funny. I think it is the minerals in the rocks, but to Riles, it was the mosquitoes fault.
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