Winter Comes for an Unwanted Visit

Last week we enjoyed some terrific weather and started to get outdoors after a tedious winter. Today we woke to an unwanted return of snow and cold. With any luck this will move off to Rexburg where it is wanted.

At least the dafodils have poked their sleepy heads out of the ground to see what the fuss is. You can see that they haven't awaken all the way and are still stretching to find the sun. It's there, be patient a little longer.

In a few weeks these branches will be budding with brilliant green leaves, rain will be misting down, making this winter scene much more colorful, rich and promising. Even though it rains here, the colors are beautiful. Don't any of you Utahans tell me you couldn't tolerate the rain. Look out your window, see the brown grass, the gray trees, the dust kicked up from the sanded streets? Yeah, it's bleak there too, but our air is clean.

Our Nest Is Empty - Again

Now that's a flex I can get used to. Brandon drove out of the driveway a week ago to take a job in Las Vegas. Melanie cried as soon as his taillights could no longer be seen. He drove to Salt Lake City for a few days then on to Vegas. I'm sure he was glad to get away from mom and dad's constant directing. I look at us like coaches - and who can't use a good coach? I have to admit the house was a little less lively at dinner that night. Having Brans around was nice while it lasted.

Brandon had spent a few weeks with us after graduating while he nursed this job along. He left our place without any living arrangements. Melanie and I are more careful to have loose ends tied before embarking on such an adventure, but Brands doesn't worry much. He did have a lead on a place with an appointment to meet with a property manager to look at a condo where two other fellows were living - members of the church going to UNLV. While in SLC the weekend before, he got an email from an LDS fellow who had advertised a room for rent in his house. Brandon called him back and looked at his place the next day. He took the house. It seems Brandon always seems to work things out before he gets stranded. We are happy and looking forward to seeing him get started on his own.
With no kids left in the house, again, Melanie and I decided we need to explore the State again, from an adult perspective instead of with little kids or teenagers being dragged along. We drove to Mount Rainier this morning and enjoyed a beautiful winter day. Here is Melanie in front of Narada Falls. The trail was covered with 6 feet of snow so we scrambled down to an overlook without sliding headlong into the abyss. We weren't really dressed for walking in the snow but Melanie was a trooper about it.
At Paradise (5,400 feet elevation) the weather was clear enough to see the top of the mountain. Even the tall, jagged peaks in the neighborhood are dwarfed by Rainier. For those who have not been up here, it's a must on your next trip.
Here we are after I cropped out all the other people from the shot. I hate it when a bozo takes a picture for me and makes a mess of it. I asked him to make sure he got the mountain in the shot - he got the back side of his fat brother instead. It looked like two rolling hills with a cravasse in between. I crapped it out - I mean, cropped it out.
I forgot my tripod so my waterfall shots fell short, sorry. Here is Christine Falls with the bridge going right over the top of it.
This is Christine Falls from top to bottom.

We finished the day eating at the Copper Creek Inn. Grilled Chicken Sandwich for me and Momma's Meatloaf Sandwich for Melanie. We split a slice of their world famous Blackberry Pie, ala mode of course. As we were driving out of Ashford, the little town at the Park entrance, there were a couple people performing CPR on a large fellow in a convenience store parking lot. We flipped a U-ie to go back and help. Just as we arrived a volunteer EMT from the fire station arrived. As we were getting out, they got his heart working again and rolled him onto his side. Melanie was relieved she didn't have to help with the respiratory part. A few minutes later the ambulance arrived followed by two aid cars a few minutes after that. We hope the fellow made it and that he makes another New Year's resolution to stay alive.

When you come to visit next time, we will take you to the mountain. Be prepared to walk around the meadows and hills. It'll be fun.

Rediscover

Sometimes we feel we live in the most ordinary place, that nothing is new. Our path each day is the same, we follow it in our sleep, only watching out for cars. What could possibly capture our attention when we drive the same route every morning and evening? Then, something makes us rethink - like helping a child with a school project. We see it for the first time. Oh yeah, we've been here before, but this time it's different, we see the beauty, the colors - were they like this before and we didn't notice? How many times have we missed out on something so simple and lovely?

It was vacant on the pier except for the lone fisherman. I had never seen these colors before, so rich and deep, so close to home - without Photoshop. Who knew? A man walking his dog and carrying a cup of cof... hot chocolate strolled by and tipped his hat. He enjoyed the quiet. It was cold and my shutter finger couldn't feel the button, I had to look up to make sure I had it in the right spot but it still made me calm to be here on a Sunday morning before church. It didn't take the place of the chapel, but I still felt close to creation. I should take advantage of this more often.

Thinking About Things

October in the rain allows one to be alone in their own thoughts. Driving to the mountains creates space for private contemplation. It's quiet, peaceful and lonely. Sometimes lonely is good. When all that can be heard is the rain falling on the underbrush and the falls drowning out everything else, one feels small, yet part of the hush. One can be at peace if everything is right. If it's not right, peace is ellusive. Being at peace makes it easy to be alone, especially if one is alone in their own thoughts. If one can find peace in their soul... quiet in their heart, being alone is a comfort.
On the other hand, it is nice to share peace with another. It just didn't happen that way on this trip.

Do you fell it? It's there - slow down a moment, listen. Look at the colors, see the lights coming up, the pulse of the city? When night falls the city awakens to a different rhythm. Daytime is driving, pushing, rushing, making money. It's more rock-and-roll with a beat that you feel in your chest... but don't hear. But at night, it's more reggae, swagger, improvised jazz, even a little acoustic with a snare, bobbing your head as you walk, tapping your finger on the table while sipping a stawberry lemonade - all you can eat, of course. Relaxing as the sun glitters on the highrises then disappears until the morning. People on the street smile at night, not like in the day when they are hurrying to meet with the accountant. At night they giggle and look in the windows. In your mind you are with somebody, right? Peace can come in the city, but it must be shared, you can't be alone in the city and feel peace. If you are alone amist thousands of people, you are lonely and lonely is not peace, it's only alone. That's how it was this night, alone, watching the sun go down, trying to get a good shot of the glitter before it disappeared. I was pleased with the shot, but not at peace... being alone... among so many people. Afterwards, I was happy to be home.

The Interim Period

What do you do in that interim period of time between Christmas and New Years? It's too early to take the lights off the house, and too cold as well. Lots of television - too many reruns though and after eating all the cookies and candy, funeral potatos and hams, laying on a couch makes my stomach look like Jabba the Hut.

Who decided there could be 35 bowl games anyway? Who wants to watch two .500 teams play in the Meineke Muffler Bowl? All the rain outside makes it cumbersome to plan a fun outing. I hate to drive all over the Pacific Northwest with four 20-somethings in the car - it's just not that exciting for them. Me, I'm entertained easily. Them?... they want instantaneous adrenaline or just to be left alone. I'm betwixt.

Melanie let me buy a camera for Christmas to replace my Pentax ME Super. It took a couple weeks to put it together, bartering for the body from B&H in New York and gambling on e-bay for the lens from someone who didn't know what they had. It's a Nikon D90 with a Sigma 17-70 f2.8 macro lens. We stretched our dollar pretty far though, getting this for about half the normal cost by using a little creative purchasing. Melanie gave up a lot of stupid gifts that I normally would have bought for her. She must have figured the camera would be better used than the socks, kitchen gagets and purfume, for which I have no nose nor taste.
Here is the first photo taken with the camera. I know... it's out of focus. You would think I could at least use the auto-focus, but I messed it up on the first 2 shots. However, I'm looking forward to learning how to use it and already have a couple projects in mind.

But here is the 3rd shot from the camera. It's passable and the subject matter was worthy... but keep it clean - there are teenagers around.

We took a walk along the Theler Wetlands near Belfair. While working at US Bank during the 1990's, I help finance this conservation project by selling some of the real estate owned by the Theler Trust. The money went to the North Mason School District which built an outdoor classroom on these wetlands. If you are ever out this way, this is a very interesting walk, easy to get to, perfectly groomed trails - and flat with several interpretive markers to explain the value of this resource.

Maybe I'll do a Happy New Year post as well.

Christmas Time Is Nice

From our home to yours, we hope you all have a Joyful and Merry Christmas.

Tom and Mary Ann came by for a few minutes. They use any excuse to celibrate their affection for one another.

It snowed in Seattle - 2 weeks ago and it's still here. We've never had so much snow for so long as we have this year. Only our 3rd White Christmas we can remember while we've lived in the Seattle area - 20-1/2 years now.

A Merry Christmas to our Family and Friends.

Our hope to for our family and friends is a Merry Christmas and a safe, Happy New Year. 2008 was a good year for us and we pray 2009 will bring us just as much gratification and joy. We hope to remain close to you and continue to pray for your happiness everyday.

The traditional band picture. Brandon wanted to be the front man - whatever that means.

Four angels fell from the heaven and landed in the snow in our yard.

Steve and Melanie with Mr. Snowman in our backyard.

Brandon and Curt graduated form BYU-I in December. They are both trying to tie down their first jobs out of school.