Leaving Soon

Just a couple of days left before I take a little trip to Rotterdam and Amsterdam. While I am overly excited about the trip, I am also a little saddened by the fact that upon my arrival back home Sylvie, Ian, and Sarah will all have moved on to a new phase in life and won't be here. In addition to this I will be missing my sister's bday.

I have a lot of little things to figure out before I go, like what clothes to bring and in particular should I bring my running clothes, how should I pack my bags, should I bring a book, yadda yadda yadda.

It will work out in the end, just as life always seems to do but I still can't help but shake these butterflies.

Gayngs

Thanks be to Ross who made my day yesterday. It started with cigars in the park. Then new cocktail samplers at his place. Followed by new music listening and then happy hour food at Matador. It then finished with a great show at Conor Byrne.

Idle Me Part Three

Yet another day of idleness. It is driving me nuts. Nuts!

I spent the afternoon pouring through cookbooks, which is torture because I can't really eat anything, and after finding some unique recipes, spent the rest of the afternoon cooking and baking. I must say that I was successful in finding some great new recipes. My new personal favorite is a new take on a traditional favorite, Banana Bread with Crystallized Ginger and Dark Chocolate Chunks. Heaven. It was so good in fact that I made some loaves for Sarah, Sylvie, and Ian. The recipe is a keeper for sure! Thank you Molly Wizenberg, you goddess of the kitchen you (for those of you who don't know...Molly is my favorite food blogger @ http://orangette.blogspot.com/ She is also the co-owner of Delancey, the best pizza in Seattle).

While I was waiting for things to cook I also re-arranged my living room. I just recently acquired two new Ork posters, Portland and Seattle. If you are not familiar here is the link (http://www.orkposters.com/). I love them and they are perfect in my cute little place.

So I guess today wasn't a complete wash. I did start my day with an amazing breakfast at Wild Mountain with Angie and Jason, Bekar's and Jon (yep 5th wheel). That place alone would make me happy all day long and even though I didn't go on a run or a bike ride...today was kind of nice.

Idle Me Part Two

So I simply could not listen to doctor's orders and so I went on a wonderful bike ride, which ended up with me laying my bike, I mean Jason's bike, on the side of the bike path as I picked blackberries.
Now time for vanilla ice cream and fresh blackberries. Win for me :)

Idle Me Must Go Rock Skipping

You know what doesn't work well for me...doctor's orders to not do anything. As I sit and write this, all hopped up on meds, all I can think about is how I want to be outside running and/or biking. I just want to soak up the sun!!! To make matters worse, I can't have any alcohol which means no wine with dinner.
So what am I to do today? Well, I will catch up on laundry. I will read. I will watch some movies I got from the library. I will read food blogs and find yummy recipes. I will go on a walk, a long long walk down to Carkeek Park (but not run there as I would like to do) and once I am there I will skip rocks into the Sound and dream away.

Rock Slide

Ok one final video clip from our epic day trip to Mt. Rainier. On parts of the trail there was still some ice packs. Because of this, we had to navigate around the ice since we were pole-less and there were sheer cliffs.
Actually, a ranger we met on the trail ask us if we could get his pole for him. He has two fake knees and can't move very well on unsteady ground. So fetch we did, it was the least we could do.

Below us a few thousand feet you could see all the lava flow from the base of Mt. Rainier. Also, there are beautiful blue-green lakes and we were wondering if it was due to the acidic water or just algae. Still need to find that out.

Ranger Station

This was Brian and I on top of the ranger station at Mt Fremont Lookout. We are about 7,200 feet in the thin thin air.

Lunch Spot

This is where Brian and I had lunch after we climbed. We sat facing north, looking at Mt. Baker and Glacier Peak off in the distances. It was glorious. Love Mt. Rainier day trips.

Big Four Ice Caves

This is one of my favorite easy day hikes. It is just off of the Mountain Loop Highway, about 1 1/2 hours from Seattle. To get to where the caves form it is only a 1 mile trek to the base of the mountain, where the waterfall runoff carves into the avalanche fields below, creating humongous caverns. This photo is just one of several ice caves, taken earlier in the year, which is why the cavern looks so small.
The first time I ventured this way it was with Angela and Jason. It was our cool-down hike, after having just tackled Lake 22. It was the perfect place to be because as you approach the caves cool air flows off the ice, chilling your bones.
I was again there last week and the caves where carved out more than my last trip in June, so much in fact that you could venture inside of them, which they advise not to because of its instability.
Sadly, this is what can happen.
(http://heraldnet.com/article/20100803/NEWS01/708039918)

Xxxo

Yet another love affair with a song.



PS. Jealous my friend Marina got to hear this before I did when I put it on hold for her :)