Five Years!

I met Chunlin five years ago this evening, here:







Two days later, we had our first "date," a hike to Yellow Aster Butte.



We headed back to the Mt Baker area last weekend to celebrate our anniversary, but clouds obscured the distant mountains...

This Month's Photo of Chunlin

On my calendar this month is this lovely photo from a long, long time ago (last year), on our Fourth of July tour of eastern Washington (and Highways 22 and 23).

Happy sunny days...

Beijing, part 3: Bird's Nest and Chunlin's Past

After lunch, we went to the Olympic stadium -- the Bird's Nest. Almost two years after the Olympics were held, it still looks shiny new. When are they going to tear it down?



The biggest surprise for me, although I suppose it shouldn't have been, is that it was swarming with tour groups and other visitors. I'm not used to stadiums being visited without an event being held, but this was China and this was the Beijing National Stadium.



Nearby, the puffy Water Cube (Beijing National Aquatics Center).




The Promenade between the two was full of visitors and kite vendors.


Just behind the Water Cube was a small McDonald's with a limited menu: Big Mac, chicken sandwich, McNuggets, fries, drinks, ice cream, apple pie, nothing else. No little burger for sale for five yuan. We settled for coffee and ice cream.

Next door, a new building that I later learned is called Digital Beijing.


Four o'clock. Jason drove around and picked us up. Next we visited Chunlin's past. First, we went to the China University of Mining and Technology, where she used to live and work, teaching English.


Some of the buildings had new stucco and paint, but they were basically unchanged.

Beijing Normal University, Chunlin's alma mater, on the other hand, was radically different. Her dormitory and main classroom building still remained pretty much the same as she remembered, but much else was gone. The old main gate for the campus was gone. It's now a hotel parking lot entrance.


This is the old entrance to the women's dorm, where Chunlin stayed as a student. It's now locked and the guarded entrance is around the other side of the building.


She lived up there, somewhere.


Here's the building where she took most of her classes. Not much has changed inside, not even the small lecture hall where they watched American movies that almost nobody else in China got to see. She were learning English, after all.

The remains of the big square are in front of the rebuilt library, with the new main gate on the library's axis, with a matching skyscraper behind the library.


It's a big campus, or at least it seemed so.


When we got back to the car, Jason said (in his ever-improving English), "Lots of beautiful girls here."

I replied, "I got me a beautiful girl from this school!"

And so I did.


I've posted more photos on flickr, naturally.

Four Years Ago

Today is the four-year anniversary of when Chunlin and I met.

'Twas a Friday evening at the Mountaineers' Mount Baker Lodge. We only spoke briefly, but she certainly caught my eye.

The next day I was talked into leading a hike, but the hike I chose seemed too difficult to Chunlin and the other women. (Chunlin and I took that hike, Ptarmigan Ridge, a year ago, so she certainly could have done it earlier.) So I spent most of that Saturday with four other men.

Saturday afternoon and evening, though, Chunlin and I had plenty of time to get to know each other.

By Sunday morning, we were setting off on a hike, just the two of us, and Chunlin told her carpool's driver that she had arranged other transportation home.







So now it's just about time to head north to Mt Baker once again...

Happy anniversary, Honey!

Happy Birthday, Chunlin!

When I first met you, I guessed you were 28, so you must now be 32 years old, right?

Age 1:


Age 2:


Age 16:


Age 17:


Age 28:


Age 29:


Age 30:


Age 31:


Age 32:


Something like that, right?

Farts in an Igloo

Yesterday we took a dayhike up to Headlee Pass along the Mountain Loop Highway, then stopped for dinner at a popular Mexican restaurant in Granite Falls, from which we took leftovers home. We put the leftovers in the trunk.

Once home, I opened the trunk to get the food, my backpack, boots, etc. and -- I think it was the combination of the cold air and the combined odors -- I was suddenly reminded of winter camping. . .

Sunday Walk

Sunday was a lovely day for a walk in the mountains. . .



Chunlin and I returned to the vicinity of where we met, three years ago this month: Mt. Baker.



We hiked the Ptarmigan Ridge trail, which is the hike I did three years ago on that Mountaineers Lodge weekend, but Chunlin and her friend opted for a less snowy hike, so we didn't really start getting to know each other till later that day.



There was quite a bit less snow this year. We may have had a cold, snowy winter, but we've had a hot, dry spring and summer.



So we were stuck walking on dirt most of the way. So sad. Not to say that we didn't get to cross several snowfields on the way, however.



We had wonderful views of Mt. Shuksan, Mt. Baker, and the rest of creation for almost the entire hike.



The trail gains 1000' over five miles, so you hardly notice the hill at all.



If you keep following the trail past five miles, it will take you all the way to the top of Mt. Baker. We didn't go much further than this meadow.



Sunday was quite a bit hazier than when I hiked the trail three years ago. Numerous forest fires dotted the landscape, apparently, although we didn't spot any. But three years ago, the clouds rolled in before we hiked the first half of the trail, so I never had this view then.



Chunlin learned to enjoy walking on snowfields, especially going down.



On the way up the ridge, I stopped at one point and took a photo of Table Mountain. On the way down the ridge, I stopped at a point just three feet different and took a nearly identical photo of Table Mountain (shown above). The lighting was better in the afternoon.



Soon we were back at the trailhead. Okay, the last mile dragged on a bit. We were hot and tired. But at least we still had glorious scenery!

More photos on flickr.

Flags I Own

Kingdom of Naraka: The flag of my personal kingdom. My mother gave me a custom-made 3'x5' of this flag around 2002.

United States of America: I received a 3'x5' of this flag as a gift upon earning my Eagle Scout rank in 1993. My flag flew over the Capitol Building in Washington City, for what I've always assumed was but a few minutes.

Cascadia: The Pacific Northwest -- independent, not really; independently minded, often. My sister gave me a 3'x5' of this flag for my 40th birthday.

Washington State: My home state, evergreen. Chunlin gave me a 3'x5' of this flag in 2008.

New Mexico: The state of my birth, which thankfully has one of the best state flags in the union. My parents gave me a 3'x5' around 2003.

Texas: Where I went to college and the best state of them all, yee-hah! Chunlin gave me a 3'x5' in 2008.

Hawaii: A nice place to visit and a distinctive flag. Chunlin gave me a 3'x5' in 2009.

Ohio: I'd never been there till a couple months ago, but it's the only non-rectangular state flag, thus worth having. My parents gave me a 3'x5' in 2004.

New York City: I lived and worked there for a year between college senior and fifth years. At the time, I didn't like it very much, but my memory is better at keeping the good bits and forgetting the bad bits, so now I think of it fondly. Chunlin gave me a 3'x5' in 2008.

Bunker Hill Flag: The erroneous historical flag that supposedly was carried by the colonials at the Battle of Bunker Hill. I tried to purchase a flag when I visited Bunker Hill (near Boston) in 1998, but none were for sale. My parents gave me a 3'x5' that Christmas.

Gadsden Flag: Another historical revolutionary flag, but this one actually was flown back then. The "don't tread on me" sentiment was directed at the (British) government; it's a sentiment I feel like telling our (American) government. I bought a 2'x3' in 2008.

Confederate States of America: The first version of the first Confederate flag, from when only seven state had seceded. This is the Stars and Bars. My parents gave me a 3'x5' in 2010 from their trip to South Carolina, with a certificate that my flag flew over Fort Sumter on April 13, 2008, during the 147th anniversary of that first battle.

El Grito de Lares: The flag from the 1868 revolution in Puerto Rico. This is the light blue variant which indicates a desire for independence. Christina and Michael gave me a 3'x5' in 2024 after their trip to the island.

Seattle Sounders: The local soccer team. Chunlin bought me a 3'x5' of this flag for my birthday in 2013. A flag seller had set up shop in a neighborhood parking lot. Chunlin had me choose a flag. I couldn't decided between this Sounders flag and the Cascadia flag, but Chunlin greatly preferred the Sounders flag.

British Columbia: Our neighbor to the north. I've always appreciated this heraldic flag. When Chunlin and I were in Victoria in 2008, I bought a 3'x5' of this flag. At the store, I considered buying a Vancouver Island Colony flag, but it wasn't nearly as good a design -- plus it was twice as expensive.

Nova Scotia: For some reason, I am both intrigued and amused by this province. I can't explain it; I have no connection to there. My parents gave me a 3'x5' of this flag in 2004.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: The very first flag that I bought (discounting little flags on sticks). I got a 2'x3' when I was in London in 1993.

Scotland royal banner: I've never been there, but I'm part Scottish. Clan Logan! Chunlin gave me a 3'x5' in 2009.

Wales: I've never been there, but I like the flag. In fact, this is the first flag I asked for when I wanted a flag just for its look. My parents gave me a 2'x3' in 1993.

Cornwall: My parents bought me a 2'x3' of this flag when they were in Cornwall in 2005 or so. For some reason, they were surprised when I recognized it instantly!

Isle of Man: My sister gave me a 3'x5' of this flag in 2020. She got it at the Highland Games because it looks cool, which it does.

Denmark: My sister has been there, but not I. I wanted this flag as a show of support while Muslims around the world were burning Danish flags in response to the Mohammed cartoons. My parents gave me a 3'x5' in 2006, I believe.

Luxembourg civil ensign: Not the national flag of Luxembourg, which looks suspiciously like the Netherlands flag, but one which is flown by Luxembourg-registered ships, so no one mistakes them for Netherlands ships. The stripes and lion are from the grand duke's coat of arms. Apparently the Luxembourgers are using this flag more and more at sporting events, too, for the same reason. My parents gave me a 3'x5' in 2003 or so.

East Germany: I bought a 2'x3' of this flag at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin in 1993, over three years after reunification. It's retro-chic!

Bavaria: Only state authorities are supposed to use the flag with the coat of arms, but apparently there's quite a few common variants like this, used by Bavarian citizens. The size of the lozenges is not proscribed, by the way, so my flag has fewer than this one. My parents gave me a 3'x5' of this lovely flag in 2004.

Venice: This old city has a vast variety of flags similar to this. The ones I saw flying in Venice were like this one, but the red stripes on the right were cut separate, with more red overall than yellow, and the lion's square is a horizontal rectangle. The 3'x5' I bought there in 2005 is like the one in the photo, which wasn't flown quite so much.

Slovenia: I visited Slovenia in 2005 and searched Ljubljana for a store that sold flags, but to no avail. Chunlin bought me a 3'x5' in 2009.

Montenegro: When they separated from Serbia, disolving the final remnants of Yugoslavia, Montenegro ditched their Serbian look-alike tricolor for this lovely flag. I wanted to go there in 2005, but I messed up on the ferry schedule in Greece, thus I didn't have enough time. My parents gave me a 3'x5' in 2006, I think.

Greece: In Athens in 2005, I bought a 3'x5' of this flag, careful to choose the one that was manufactured the best. I think I annoyed the saleswoman.

Belarus old flag: This was the new flag of Belarus when I was in Minsk in 1993, just after the Soviet Union disintegrated. I bought a 2'x3'. My, weren't those optimistic days! A few years later, Belarus reverted to their soviet-era flag, minus the hammer and sickle. It's no longer an optimistic place.

Zheleznogorsk: It's a town in Russia that was founded by the Soviet Union for plutonium production, hence the atom. My sister gave me this flag in 2023.

Kazakhstan: This was one of the pretty flags brought forth by the dissolution of the Soviet Union. So pretty, in fact, that I had my parents buy me a 2'x3' of this flag in 1997 or so. I like turquoise.

Bhutan: An eastern dragon to counterpoint Wales's western dragon. My parents gave me a 2'x3' of this flag in 1996 or so.

Sri Lanka: I've never been there and have no intentions of visiting, but . . . cool flag! Chunlin bought me a 2'x3' in 2009.

China: Chunlin's native land. She gave me a 2'x3' flag in 2006, our first Christmas together.

China's imperial dragon: The flag of the emperors of China, before that whole republic thing. In 2011, my brother-in-law got a 2'x3' flag for me in China, then shipped it to Chunlin's ex-husband (who lives in China now), who brought it to us in his luggage when he next visted Seattle. It is an unusual flag since it's only printed on one side and the edges aren't stitched. Chinese craftsmanship at its finest...

Papua New Guinea: A well-designed flag for this (half-)island nation. I bought a 2'x3' of this flag in 2008.

Fiji: Not the most unique flag around, but we were there. I bought a 2'x3' flag in the Nadi airport in 2007, while we waited for our flight to New Zealand.

New Zealand silver fern: It's not the national flag, but it sure gets waved a lot at sporting events. The silver fern is a national emblem of New Zealand, right alongside the kiwi. I bought a 2'x3' in 2007 while there -- at the Auckland airport, I believe.

And that's the lot of them!