What? A new post? Get outta here...

Call it a lame excuse, but really I've been too busy for the past, um, few months to post anything. So, here's a recap of that time.... Silvie has been working long hours, as have I. Between our jobs and my ever-ongoing skoolwork, we seem to have only one day a week (Saturday) to do anything even remotely fun. That usually involves thrifting and eating out. We found (as if it were missing or hiding) a new vegan restaurant a short drive from our 'hood. It's called Squid & Ink (no, I'm not sure why) and it's located at the north end of Boeing Field, about a 10 minute drive from our house. It's an offshoot, of sorts, of Wayward Cafe, a place on the other end of the city from us, which we haven't visited lately and has some of the best grub in town. Squid & Ink hasn't quite lived up to it's big sister, but it's pretty darned good, and we'll keep going back, at least until we've tried everything on the menu. Here's their logo:

Besides finding a new eatery, the other big news is that I got a new job within my company. I'm now pushing papers around in Accounts Payable, which represents not only an entry into the world 'o finance, but also an escape, hopefully forever, from jobs that require repetitive heavy lifting. Hurrah! (No pictures here, but I may post a shot of my cubicle, once I've decked it out.


My mom and brother were out here this summer for a few days this summer. We were glad that they could make it out again for the second summer in a row, and we may take a trip to PA in 2008, to return the favor. Here are some pics from when they were here:

Me 'n' Ma on the observation deck of the Needle

Sil lookin' good at Seattle Center





Sil and I had tons of fun tryin' on wacky glasses in the gift shop




Sexy!




We took a yummy tour of the Columbia Winery

Brian chillaxin' at Kubota Gardens




A real boss Japanese Maple at Kubota Gardens




Brian and me in a spirited game of Citrusball!




Mom really liked all the arty pigs around town.

And, that's a pretty darn good segue to the annual Walk for the Animals at lovely Greenlake in August, benefitting the Pigs Peace Sanctuary, a wonderful animal refuge in nearby Stanwood Washington. Here is a pic from that event of one of the piggies who was on hand for the day:

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A little more recently, Sil and I went to the Vegan Holiday Festival in Portland. Lots of yummy free samples and a perfect day for the long drive. We again went to Pirate's Tavern restaurant following the festival. This place is a pirate-themed vegan restaurant. I kid you not. Just about the strangest thing I've seen. But the food is pretty yummers.

A trip to the Kwik-E-Mart

As part of the uberhype for the long-awaited Simpsons movie, a few 7 Elevens around the country have been temporarily converted into Kwik-E-Marts, complete with many Simpsons tie-in products like Squishees, Krusty-Os and Buzz Cola; even pink, frosted donuts just the way Homey likes 'em.

Anyhoo, one of these Kwik-E-Marts is located just blocks away from the Space Needle in Seattle Center. Silvie and I stopped by there a few weekends ago to check it out. The outside of the building was given a faux Kwik-E-Mart look, and "life-sized" cut-outs of various characters adorned the place, inside and out. There were also funny little signs throughout. Here are a few pics:

Kwik-E-Mart exterior

Convenient for tourists!

Those crazy kids!

Silvie and Margie

Yes, that was me before the surgery

Gluttony... pure gluttony

Chief Clancy, on the job

Frostilicus!!!

Hey, how'd she get up there?

I want this for the house!

Funny sign :-)

I love this one!

Propaganda in aisle 5

I actually heard this guy telling a customer "Thank you. Come again."

Hey there, Squishee Girl!

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Cherry Pickin' Time

The beginning of July is the time to harvest the cherries from the two trees in our backyard. This year was a bit of a disappointment in that the cherries were few, and not as healthy looking, overall. This was a contrast from last year, when the trees limbs were positively groaning with dark red, plump beauties. We got a mere fraction of what we got in '06, but we did gather enough for some tasty jam. Also, it was a fun time! Here are a few picks from Sunday afternoon.

Flaming Geyser State Park

On Saturday, Silvie and I went to Flaming Geyser State Park to do a little hiking. There's a story behind the name of the park; something about miners back in the day finding water and a pocket of methane while doing test digging, and a "flaming geyser" was the result. Whatever. These days, it's a sprawling park with rolling lawns and easy hiking paths along the banks of the gentle Green River, where folks float lazily downstream on innertubes and inflatable lounge chairs. The weather was great, and the paths only a bit muddy in spots, and a fun time was had. The only wildlife we saw were a couple of slugs, but the birds were singing and there was a lot of typically nice greenery about.

The wild rapids of the Green River

Silvie creekside

Somebody alert River Rescue!

Only the foolish stray into the Dang P Area....

Foxglove along the trail.

Lake 22

On Wednesday, June 20, I took a solo hike to Lake 22, located in the Glacier Peak area of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. It was a beautiful, clear day and I arrived at the trailhead bright and early, at 8:00 (on absolutely zero sleep, I kid you not). The trail climbs 1300 feet in 2.5 miles, through protected old-growth forest and its switchbacks bring you quite close to the cascading Creek 22, whose waterfalls and rushing sound make good company. After about 40 minutes of moderate hiking, you come to an open patch of talus which offers great views of a few Cascade peaks and hills. Then, back into the forest. After an hour and 10 minutes of hiking, I spotted a huge mountain face through the trees, and... there was Lake 22! It lies beneath a half-mile high portion of the eastern face of Mt. Pilchuck. Very impressive. I honestly expected to see mountain goats bounding around in all that vast rocky grandeur.

I had passed two hikers on the way up, and was to have the lake all to myself for an hour! A notice posted at the trailhead stated that as of June 15 (only 5 days before) half of the loop path around the lake was under snow, and from my vantage point, looking across at the snowfields on the mountain, I had no idea how far around I'd be able to make it. A nice wooden pathway was constructed, including a bridge over the spillway creating the cascading creek, and this pathway started me off on my trip, clockwise, around the lake. As I got closer to the "back end" of the lake, I came upon a bit of snow, but I soon realized that I'd probably be able to make the entire loop! (Indeed, only about 5% of the trail was snow-covered; a lot must have changed in only 5 days!)

The lake itself is pristine! Perfectly still on this sunny day, and wonderful reflections of the mountain and trees. The water was a deep blue-green, and besides the faint buzzing of a few bugs, the croaking of unseen frogs and the quiet rush of melt-water running under the snowfields into the lake, peace and stillness abounded. The plank walkway had ended halfway down the side of the lake, but the path wound through dirt, mud and clay, and then huge rocks and boulders on the far end. Plant shoots and tiny flowers poked up in the marshy melt-water area amoung the boulders. I climbed upon the largest boulder of them all and ate my lunch (thanks for the great sandwich, honey!). Then, I completed my stroll around the lake and back down the trail. I passed a few couples and a single hiker on the way down, and was glad to have gotten there early enough to have some "alone time" with pretty Lake 22.

View of Cascades from trail

Dig that greenery!

Someday, I'll climb that one!

Mt. Pilchuck and Lake 22 visible through the trees.

Lake 22 reflecting snowfield on Mt. Pilchuck

The mirror of Lake 22 reflecting more fine green scenery

The wooden pathway toward the far side of the lake

Mt. Pilchuck

Okay, where are those mountain goats?

This is how I look when I'm enjoying nature.

Lake 22 from the "far side," looking back to the footbridge over the spillway

Skunk cabbage. Mmm, that's good eatin'!

Marsh Marigolds, growing (where else?) in the marsh

Canadian Dogwood

MORRISSEY!

We caught Morrissey at the Paramount downtown on Sunday night, May 6th. It was that Charming Man's first show in Seattle since 2002, when I was living "back east" and had only a dimly vague idea of who Morrissey was ("he's the guy who sang How Soon is Now?, right?"). I have since been introduced, and how, to the music of the man and his former Manchester mates. And, although I may still be unclear on which tunes are Smiths, and which are solo, I have developed a true (albeit not quite fanatical) appreciation of Moz, who really is just amazingly talented and cooler than most earthly things. He (along with his collaborators) has compiled a stunning body of work, including dark, moody anthems, arty rockers, and countless pop gems.

Sunday at the Paramount, the sweaty, slightly graying icon held court in front of a couple thousand intensely adoring fans, only a few of whom made their way onstage to try to touch the hem of His garment. Morrissey seemed a bit rough of voice and had to fight monitor problems, but he and his rocking band offered up a varied batch of well-played tunes, including a few Smiths numbers and some nice selections from his latest release, Ringleader of the Tormentors. He also played some lesser-known (by me, anyway) tunes from his solo catalog. There were several highlights, including two recent songs, I Will See You in Far Off Places and Life is a Pigsty which, after a lengthy outro including a nice bit of Auld Lang Syne from the keyboardist, segued dramatically into the aforementioned How Soon Is Now? And I can tell you that even after seeing that song performed live (on video, and right in front of me), I still don't know how they get that guitar-vibrato thing going. But, it's surely one of the 10 coolest things on earth, n'est-ce pas?

Another highlight was the sweetly-sung encore of Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want, one of only two songs I felt comfortable singing along with. The other was (YES!) the greatest pop song of the past 20 years, Everyday is Like Sunday. How great is that? Answer: Pretty God Damn Great.

Kirsten Gallery

Bird Singing Flowers While Awaiting Spring

Silvie and I recently paid a visit to the Kirsten Gallery in the University District. Richard Kirsten-Daiensai is the main artist featured at the gallery, and his current showing is entitled "Eternal Dreams & Rapture Born from the Heart: New painting from Japan, and 60 years of rare treasures from his personal collection." I think this quote from the gallery's website sums him and his work up better than I could:

"Richard Kirsten Daiensai: Seattle artist, painter, printmaker, sculptor, and Zen Buddhist priest. Daiensai has spent several months each year for the past 49 years wandering through Japan and Korea. All his paintings and prints are done in the quiet and solitude of these retreats, thus creating art that reflects the divine energy that exists in all things. Often, the spiritual quality of his work is tempered with a sense of cosmic joy and warm humor."

His artwork makes me smile, which is exactly what I told him when I met him -- a kind-looking old man, nursing a cold, sitting serenely behind a cluttered desk in the corner of the gallery sorting through the day's mail. I was introduced to his work when I happened upon a used copy of his 2004 book (very appropriately called "Smile"), which is a beautiful collection of short meditations and images from his art. We saw some of these same works at the show, along with many other paintings, mixed-media pieces and sculptures (one of which he invited me to heft in order to feel its weight). Here are a few images, along with their wonderfully expressive titles, all taken from the gallery's website (www.kirstengallery.com/index.htm):

It's Never Too Late to Celebrate, said the Dancing Rabbits, So Let's do it Now

Sage Listening to a Conversation Between a Flower and a Stone

Every Time I See You Flowers Bloom in My Heart

Your Happiness, is My Happiness

Peace,
Joe