West Coast Theater

Well, we've had a pretty crazy winter this year. The mountains are currently at about 120-150% of the normal snowpack and Snoqualmie Pass (114 in. of snowpack!!!) was closed today due to to avalanches. On the flip side, when the sun comes out we all get an amazing show!

These are the Cascade Mountains as viewed from the park across the street that I snapped a few weeks ago (a little blurry but very cool) :


















A few days later, I caught up with my buddy Josh:


We made our way to the top of the Columbia Tower and took in the bird's eye view. Downtown Seattle to the north (top left). The Cascade Mountains as a backdrop to Lake Washington to the east (top right). Mt. Rainier and I-5 to the south (bottom left). The Olympic Mountains and the Puget Sound to the west (bottom right):


















We are a little bit off the beaten path and it's very unlikely any of you will be in the neighborhood "just because", so hopefully I've made at least a few of you jealous enough to visit sometime soon.

Home for the Holidays.

Ahhh, back to Montucky. Where driving big trucks, shopping at Wal-mart in pajamas, and wearing cowboy hats is cool. Where backwards is forwards. It's the last best place if you love ZZ Top (thanks KZMT!), rocky mountain oysters, or Everclear (which is still legal). Where bumperstickers read "God Bless Ronald Reagan", "Sierra Club Sucks", and "W". A place where animal heads hang on walls, where the speed limit is suggested, and the 2nd ammendment stands proud. Hey, you never know when Canada is going to invade?!? Yet, like the sparrows of Capistrano, Chrissy and I head east for our great Montana adventure.

Let's put a little perspective on where we were with some aerial shots that we took from the top of the mountain behind my house. Here is the neighborhood (top left). Let's zoom in on our temporary place of residence for the week (top right). Chrissy enjoying some much needed sun with the Missouri River in the background (bottom left). Helena is just a hop, skip, and a jump down the road at the base of the mountains (bottom right)

















Our hosts, my parents, taking five minutes from the X-mas mayhem at the York Bar in York, MT (top left). My parents got a mini-schnauzer this past year and named her Seri. She runs the house now that I'm gone (top right). Chrissy and her new friend in York, MT. They had an instant connection, but alas, distance and the inability to speak a common language proved too much for them to keep in contact (bottom left). Locals. (bottom right)




















Well, we had lots of fun. We are now back in Seattle...where left is right, and right is wrong!

Theres gold in them ther hills!

And it's off to Montana for the holiday break! Despite the scariest and longest ride of my life, it was well worth the trip. Heres why...

This is us enjoying ourselves at Boulder Hotsprings, a geologically heated spa in Boulder, Mt. It is fantastically old...over 100 years for sure. We watched bald eagles from the 90 degree outdoor pool, and then went inside and detoxed in the indoor sauna and hot tubs. Awesome!

















Have you ever been to a ghost town??? No, a real, live, for-serious ghost town? Well, we have! This is Elkhorn, Mt....population: 3 hillbillies and a dog. So this is what it's like when the mine dries up and the town dies?


















Well, there are more to come, but this is just a sample to wet your palate. Enjoy!

Happy Tofurkey Day!

Actually, no tofurkey was actual consumed this year because we prepared some wonderful veggie dishes such as root veggies, pumpkin stuffing, and of course smashed potatoes! Chrissy and I got ambitious and drove a few miles out of town for a great little hike. We raced to the top of Mt. Si, a local favorite, in an effort to prepare for the thanksgiving feast scheduled for later that evening. Here is a few pictures from the top:










Mt. Rainier is standing loud and proud at 14,411' behind Chrissy (top left). The Cascade foothills are alive with color (top right). To the right of Jake's face you can see Seattle (left).



It was soo clear that we could actually see the skyline of our fair, little city!


Click on it to see a larger imagine...it's awesome!

Well, we forgot the camera for thanksgiving dinner but it was fantastic! Umm, umm.