Friday, April 30, 2010

Feast of Vasataté



Drink up! Have some beer! Eat your fill! Today is the Holy Day of Vasataté, which means it's party time under the ocean waves.

Hopefully today the Brewmaster of the Deep won't have any fights with His lovely wife, Rénavahalasíhí, because we all want calm seas when we honor Him. But if He does get riled up, just give Him a horse and I'm sure He'll calm down.



17 - Seagull Approaching

Say "hi" to any passing seagulls, for they are Vasataté's eyes upon the shore.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Dinnertime

Two nights in a row now, I've cooked dinner.

Chunlin says she likes my food.

So does this mean I need to make dinner from now on?

I hope not, because I like her cooking better. . .

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

With Posts Like This, I Should Be on Twitter

Work is a lot of work, sometimes.

Monday, April 19, 2010

In Praise of the Dandelion

Why does everyone hate dandelions?

They bring color to a otherwise plain yard, just the same as the daffodils and tulips. And with the white daisies and little bluebell flowers growing wild about town, the yellow dandelions make for a nice mixture.

And then, one day, they suddenly turn into white fuzzballs. Pretty amazing, actually.

They're certainly a far cry better than the blackberry, ivy, and morning glory trying to cover and tear down every fence and house within reach! I spent several hours this weekend fighting these entropic vines. Nasty, nasty, nasty.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Blossoms o' Pink

Weren't the cherry trees supposed to bloom in March? The trees in front of my office building are blossoming now. Good thing it's sunny out so I can photograph them.

6 - Branches of Blossoms

1 - Morning Blossoms


(More on flickr.)

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Tax Day



We sent some more money to our Imperial Overlords this morning, along with a lot of bureaucratic paperwork (electronic).

Yay.

At least we didn't need a refund. We're pretty consistent about that.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Our First Hike in Exactly Six Months

How can we possibly be so busy that we don't go hiking for an entire six months? From October 10, when we went to Headlee Pass, to April 10, yesterday, when we did a short hike on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail (a.k.a. Iron Horse State Park), that's exactly how long it had been.

Ah well. It's time to get cracking again.

We started at Garcia Road (I-90 exit 38) and hiked east under the slopes of McClellan Butte to a little bit past the McClellan Butte trailhead.

14 - Iron Horse West Defiance

Snow covered the ground for most of the trail, the wind howled in places, but we just bundled up and trudged on, enjoying the scenery.

3 - Iron Horse Trail Chunlin

9 - Little McClellan Turn

This is where the trail (an old railroad line) bends tightly around some cliffs under a promontory I'd like to call Little McClellan Butte. Great views up and down the valley, but extremely windy yesterday.

8 - South Fork Snoqualmie Valley

Near the McClellan Butte trail, the state has a walk-in campground for a handful of tents, with picnic tables and an outhouse.

12 - Waiting for Spring

We continued a bit further, but turned back to here to eat lunch.

11 - Mark McClellan Campsite - Ch

If next week is raining, where should we go?

More photos on flickr.

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Spring Hail

How does that song go? "Have you ever seen it hail on a sunny day?"

We've got that now.

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Roads are Great!

Now that the Jingcheng Expressway is complete, getting to Simatai will be much easier!

Monday, April 05, 2010

Duke vs. Butler

I must say I'm quite pleased that the final two teams in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament are two private colleges and not government-owned teams like most of the rest of the Elite Eight.

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Unfortunate Synchronicity



Today is the Holy Day of Rézhíní, Goddess of Plants, for which we can all be thankful.

It is an unfortunate synchronicity, however, that today is also April Fools Day, for as I'm sure you're all aware, the lovely goddess Rézhíní was killed when Zhíanoso tricked Her brother into shooting Her with an arrow. "April fools! You're dead!"

Thankfully, She shall rise again. Just like Her plants.

Cherry Buds Sky