Lori and John at Ross Lake

Lori and John took a three day mini-vacation up to Ross Lake last week.

Here's what she says about it:


"It was amazing! The waterfalls were huge as were the trout! Even got within 15 feet of a bear! He just sat at the waters edge eating berries and digging through rocks for bugs.  Started the trip with boat trouble the first day. dang sensor on the e-tec motor went off so it dumped lots of oil to it  and shut down. We were almost to the Canadian border when it went and made it almost back on the kicker when they came with another boat to tow.  Our friend Tom was with us showing us the lake and we had plenty of snacks and beer so we were not real worried! Made it back for dinner about 10, worked on the motor and the next day we were good to go! Caught several brook trout and rainbows. The lake is amazing it is so clear. Love that you can only get there by boat. Now we have to some how get back up there! best part was no contact with the outside world!  Loved it. Didnt want to come home. Caught some 18 inch trout but didn't get the illusive 20 + incher.  oh well just have to go back and try again some time.  We didn;t have to take  the ferry.  wed Tom got us in his own boat and Fri his friend that works for SSL came and got us in their 30' jet boat.  It was really cool.  Well now back to reality!"

"We ate one of the brook trout and and a small rainbow to compare taste.  They were sooooo good.  John wasn't sure about keeping any.  He never has really eaten trout.  I told him I used to love it out of good lakes that is. So glad we kept some, now jsut wish we had kept our limits! Oh well have to go get more later! No, no pictures of us.  To busy taking pictures of other stuff.  The brook trout I guess aren 't native so they want them out.  Tom said they usually see one each year and he was impressed when John go tone the very first day.  then we went out and caught four more! We found some pools by the falls and actually cast right into the white water and I guess thats what they like.  no one up there could believe we got so many of them.  they said they were better to eat too so lucky for us and it ate fabulous last night! They were all 16-18 "  Nice fish.  All vacuum packed up nice now."

Up the Chewuch, At the Falls

Santa Fe - Canyon Rd. - 4/23/12

A Typical Office Christmas Party Conversation??

2011 Office Party
by: jhurd

The God Particle

Well, as you know, CERN today announced "tantalizing hints" of the Higgs Boson -- the "god particle" that gives things -- other particles -- mass. Physicists need to find this particle to confirm the Standard Theory of sub-atomic particle interaction. They believe they should be able to confirm it, or rule it out, in the next few months. If ruled out, this would force a radical rethink of 'the way things are.' The video above explains the Higgs field and Higgs boson.

Chillin' in Winthrop

Julia and Olivia cross-country above Winthrop.

John, in denim and sage . . .

Looking up the Methow Valley . . .

Go ahead, ask him anything . . .

 . . . anything at all! 

Check out Spencer's great "design-and-friends-and-neat-stuff" blog.
http://designhurd.tumblr.com

Barrel Racing in Granite Falls

Lori and Allie at Granite Falls

 Julia and I went to see Lori barrel race in Granite Falls last Sunday.  Lots and lots of people at a small arena and horse farm there.   It was a chilly day and Lori was just getting over the flu.   I'm not sure how many contestants there were but I know it was more than 50.  Lori placed 4th.  It was kinda funny . . . there were 13 riders before Lori rode.  They all did ok, but when Lori came out, wow. . .  she was in a totally different class.  There was no comparison between her and the riders before her.  Even I  - knowing nothing about riding and racing -could see that plainly.  They all had sorta muddled through, riding just fine, but Lori was precise, serious, professional, smooth and fast.  It was pretty amazing to watch!

UPDATED: All Buttoned Up

View of new arrangement and painting of Brianna in work

Underneath studio:  R-19 covered by plastic and lath

The ceiling:  Functional, not so charming

Entry:  still charming despite R-13 in walls!

Got the studio wrapped tight in insulation . . . buttoned up, rearranged, and ready to paint.....

Slavko Laughs: Stolen Picasso

Ha- ha, looks like Serbs have two stolen Picasso's from Swiss!

Olivia's 75th Birthday at Our House

The Magician delighted children, teens, adults . . .

Sadie's painting: tulips, sunflower, pine and hearts . . .

The Bonfire

Long time friends:  Leona, Olivia, Judy Baker

The Dock Workers at the Lake

Chaz and John bring it up to spec for another year.

From Eason, July 31st

I Shout "Thalassa! Thalassa!"

. . . after driving for 5 long hours, then stumbling around the corner of the little house to this stunning view of the sea . . .

Big man, but the BIGGEST cedar!

At old homestead in Quinault rainforest

Worker guy lighting his barbeque

Fabulous breeze and Eliot gets his kite to do some acrobatics into the sunset.

A few days vacation with Eliot, Kyra, Eason and July at the Pacific Ocean.  Splashing in waves, kite flying, hiking in the rain forest, uke playing . . .

For more photos go here . . .

Blake, Tate, Tim

Before heading home, Tim makes it to the Tate Gallery to see some Blake originals.

Tim writes:  Beneath the small painting (bottom) 
Blake wrote in easy to decipher script  
"everything is an attempt to be human"   

Unkie Calls Home

Tim  was out quite late, they had martinis at the Duke's, where James Bond drank them in the movies, Tim didn't but everyone else did, then they went to the Ritz in Mayfair but decided it was a bit too posh and settled on dinner at the Dorchester, waited on by 5 waiters, he had Chateaubriand. He got back to his room around 1 am, he is going to try to get up and go to the Tate tomorrow before he flies back. He is happily enjoying this trip which seems to be a bit of reward for all his hard work.

that is the latest.

Lynne

Photos (from top):

Old Oxford main street
Oxford University (Harry Potter?)
Fish n chips in pub at same location since 1484

Fun in MI

Charles says, 'It isn't all work out here in Ann Arbor.'

Solstice at Cain's Lake

Eason says:  I want to swim 'way over there!

Canoeing, swimming, sunning . . .

Thank you, charles and Melanie

Eliot Says: Running the River

 Eliot says:  A 3 day river trip on the Wynoochee with 7 guys (1 professional chef), lots of beers and a herd of 80ish elk was just what the doctor ordered!  Didn't get the memo on the proper hat to bring, but I still got "not bad" navigating the MANY rapids.

Sam and Sally: Leaving Patmos

Today Sam and Sally leave Patmos for a trip through Europe -- Italy, Spain, France . . . here are excerpts from the last week . . .

Sally wrote:

It's early Sat morning; roosters are still crowing away. Got a few more sunrise shots to add to the hundreds we need to weed through and keep our favorites. Sam's back up on the upper patio with notebook, pen, and coffee. I'll go up later when the sun has heated up the cozy little nook with a bench (mostly protected from the wind which seems a constant here) where I can let the sun soak in to store up to take with me. . .  As Sam keeps plastering pics of me in his emails, here's some of him . . .   

Sam wrote:    

There's a rock in the bay of Petra, where we hiked on Wednesday, that is  rumored to have been the abode of hermits in the 4th century. There are  steps carved into the rock, and you can see where they enhanced the  scooped out "caves" to live in, cut water gathering channels, etc. That  eremitic life has had an appeal to me for a long time. Reminds me of  some of the more remote island hermitages in Ireland, though this is  much older. . .