Presidential Twilight Zone?

I found this in some clippings that my dad's mother had saved for what reason I do not know. I've got lots of old stuff saved from years ago that I'm trying to figure out what to do with.

Seems kinda like a wierd thing, this president in 1944 was "told to apologize" for swearing in God's name whereas the president in 2012 is told "he doesn't believe" in God i.e. not Christian?

Yes, the United States has a separation between Church and State or the country is in the Twilight Zone.

Our next door summit

Just like to have the wind whipping around...

MOO!

I had a little fun today fooling around in the Chair 2 lift line.  It was a big powder day with lots of people wanting to rip it up.  The maze up there is non-existent so we were all like cattle headed to a little water trough on a hot summer day.  Luckily I met up with a really nice gal and was able to stand the wait for several thigh-deep powder sessions of quality turns - and while we were negotiating how to best deal with all the people drinking Rainiers and pushing ahead - this developed.  Thanks to Mr. Blue who happily humoured me as I gave a session in how to negotiate the herd.  I hope we can meet up in line to ski together on a day when everyone is at work in their indoor job.

Moo!

PS  This one is for my ski sponsor Tom, who hasn't been skiing with me since he moved to the flats.

I love skiing

Deep today, grateful for lots of new snow. 

Face shots were unexpected but welcome.  Rode up with three interesting doubles - a branding expert, a software developer, and an environmental scientist who helps decontaminate methamphetemine labs for an environmental health department.  They all sounded like they work really hard to ski on the weekend.

People like me who aren't working 9-5 should just stay at home... but Mark and I are working really hard to hit quality snow as well. There's a lot of snow out there today and it's still "pucking".  That's snowing alot slang..  So I'm grateful everyone is sharing today.

In the snow

We finally got snow! There are snow snakes in it though, as Ciel found out.
- mark.

Surrender to the water

It's been a very high river, but just in time the rain stopped so there wouldn't be flooding further in the valley with the town of Snoqualmie and Fall City being particularly susceptible.  I spoke to one woman who had her sand bags out this morning starting to shore up her house when the rain let up with blue breaks in the grey sky.

This is what the river looks like during summertime

If you're interested to see what the river looked like, I played around and made a short video for your viewing and listening pleasure.  Beats skiing in the rain...

Yuck - Pineapple Express

The Seattle Art Museum might be an option? It's an inside activity...

Deadly avalanches - Ski in Peace

It snowed a lot over the past couple days, winter storm warning and all.

Prediction was 1' to 3' of snow and it pretty much held up to true.  Yesterday's skiing was super wet (kindy rain/snow mix) but really fun and today was dry and much more fun to be outside plus a morning ski report of 28" inches.   Way too much snow (heavy too) to create "high" avalanche risk and for the NWAC (Northwest Avalanche Center) to advise to avoid backcountry travel...

View of  Snoqualmie Pass

There was plenty of good skiing in the ski area although it's not always as adventuresome as I might like.
Fun turns tho!

I really appreciate this quote that came out of the Canadian Avalanche Center forecasters just a week or so ago

"Don’t allow your desire to ride the new snow (your fun-meter) over-rule your common sense (your smart-meter). For most of us, as the fun-meter goes up, the smart-meter goes down and we make much poorer risk management decisions in good conditions than in bad. This is the kind of weekend where a fun-meter/smart-meter disconnect is most likely to happen."

It's  so sad that these skiers and riders got caught, the story is told by one of the people involved - see link.  They were killed doing what they loved, but I sure wish they had waited another day for those turns.  I wonder if group dynamics pushed them closer to the edge needing to get that perfect "photo".  It must be really hard for their families and friends. The one that occurred on Denny Mtn near Alpental is talked about here.  I hope comfort comes soon...

A benefit of skiing in the Pacific  NW is that I can garden with tired legs

Dogs don't change

Laps are the place to be. Especially mine with pj's on.

Snowqualmie Gold

Today with winter storm warning we woke up and hit first chair up at the pass.  I thought it was totally worth it for first chair, skiing untracked is my nirvana on earth.  Granted, I'm SO spoiled after living in Alberta, I forget how wet it is here in the Pacific NW.  I keep telling Mark if you can ski this snow snow successfully you can ski anywhere...

It's way good!

The only bummer is that when it snows on I-90, I mean really snow, the car drivers don't follow the rules and drive up without chains, spin out and then the pass gets closed.  Which is exactly what happened 

Pass Report

TEMPERATURE:

31ºF / -1ºC

ELEVATION:

3022 feet / 921 meters

RESTRICTIONS EASTBOUND:

Pass Closed

RESTRICTIONS WESTBOUND:

Pass Closed

CONDITIONS:

Snow and slush on the roadway. I-90 is closed between Denny Creek near milepost 47 and Easton, near milepost 70. The closure is due to adverse weather and multiple collisions over Snoqualmie Pass. Time to reopen the roadway is not known due to the weather related nature of the closure. Updated information will be provided as details become available.

WEATHER:

Snowing, hard at times

GET IT TOGETHER PEOPLE!

Forced to soak

Beautiful pools that are hot

My best friend Becky asked me to come to visit for a weekend of soaking.  Hard to resist, we made a quick trip with Mark holding down the fort with the doxies.

It was tough, but I had to do it...

Thank you to mark for helping us make it happen!

Sauna built on top of a hot thermal

Breakfast time

Great vegetarian food

No more great vegetarian food

Back home and Mark gets to soak!

Living

Mark and I are receiving overwhelming support for planning the luxury of not having a work schedule in our lives.  I have lots of work ahead of me no doubt, but to live daily with no expectation of what will come is truly a priviledge as it gives me (us) an opportunity to reflect on what we want to give and receive in our lives. 

From what I can tell, being with our family and friends, keeping in shape physically and maintaining our health is paramount. 

For me I am adjusting into living still with absolutely nothing profound to say.

I am responsible for my life and I'm really grateful for this opportunity to learn and grow.

What NOT to do

Don't put bananas in the bottom of your pack and then sit on it .

AND DON'T use performance enhancing drugs when you race in the Tour de France - read here.  Andy Schleck now wins 2 years later.

Wanna be ski auntie

Today I spent time with a friend whose 4 year old is learning to ski.

I did the best I could to sell her the idea that could be her ski auntie, I carried her skis!

The four year old was having nothing of it, mama was numero uno and she doesn't ski!

Maybe she was just tired and couldn't make decisions correctly!

Beautiful sunset with moonrise over the Snoqualmie Cascades.

Mark and I went skiing and I couldn't keep pouting for long that I wasn't accepted as her ski auntie.  
Maybe the kid thought I was a poser or gaper or too old for her.  
Maybe she thought I was a snowboarder.

There's always next weekend when she comes up for her next ski lesson!  

Next time I'll show up with my ski bunny suit and skis ready...

Back on the bike with the man in the moon

We visited the rain drums after riding up the Snoqualmie Rail Trail until we could ride no longer.  You see there was eventually some snow that stopped us.  We could have skied with bright sunshine and a cool easterly wind, but instead I went to work in the garden at the "dogs" house until it became dark.  Spring is coming on quick, the sunlight is out until about 5:30 pm or so.

This is North Bend's Mt Si.  Some of you might know it as the scene of Twin Peaks, although I've never known it as such.  And here is the story of Fox and the Moon that the local First Nation Snoqualmie Tribe has.

"Long ago, Snoqualm (Man in the Moon), had a spider make him a rope out of cedar bark and stretch it from the sky to the Earth. One day Fox and Blue Jay found the rope and climbed up to where the rope was fixed to the underside of the sky. Blue Jay pecked a hole in the sky and they climbed through to the sky world. Blue Jay flew to a tree while Fox changed himself into Beaver and swam in a lake. Snoqualm had set a trap in the lake which caught Beaver. Snoqualm skinned him and threw the body in the corner of the smokehouse. That night when Snoqualm was asleep Beaver got up and put his skin back on. He looked around. He took a few of the trees, and the Snoqualm's daylight making tools, some fire, and the Sun which was hidden in Snoqualm's house. He changed back into Fox then he found the hole that Blue Jay had made and took the things to Earth. He planted the trees, made daylight, gave the fire to the people, and put the Sun in it's place. When Snoqualm awoke he was very angry. He found the tracks that led to the hole. He started down but the rope broke and he fell to the Earth in a heap where he became a mountain. One can see the face of Snoqualm on one of the rocky cliffs. Today the mountain is called Mount Si and it is near the cities of Snoqualmie and Northbend in Washington State."

- Retrieved on February 3, 2012 from http://www.wwu.edu/skywise/legends.html

More later...