Wild Flowers in Paradise

It is wildflower season in the mountains. Having seen some fabulous photos of wildflowers from Mt. Rainier N.P., I really wanted to go up there during the peak in early August. Having just sprained my ankle a few days before on a trail run, I figured that the paved and relatively flat (for mountains) around Paradise would be a great place to go limp around a bit and photograph flowers. In addition, the weather forecast was for wet - which mean that at 5400 feet in elevation, Paradise would be in the clouds and would provide real nice soft and interesting light.

The paved trail would become a factor in an unexpected way...

As soon I set foot out of the parking lot there were flowers all around. I was tempted to start shooting pictures immediately, but resisted and strolled (fast as I could move) down the trail about a 1/4 mile into a meadow. I have been to this meadow previously, but only when it was under the cover of feet of snow and I had boards fastened to my feet.

To my pleasant surprise there were acres of flowers, most of which I'd seen before, but not in this volume. The meadow was filled with mopheads, which created a kind of 'overstory', with daisies and other flowers beneath.



The clouds were coming in and out, changing the photo possibilities by the minute. I could have spent all day doing this, and planned to at least spend a few hours.


After about an hour in the meadow, I thought I'd see what other areas presented and strolled back to the parking lot and made my way up another trail and discovered a field of paint brushes and daisies.


The 'field' of flowers was filled with the paint brushes and subalpine daisies along the fringes. I planned to work my way around first with the telephoto, doing close-ups and other close compositions, then come back around with the wide angle for a different perspective.

Shortly after taking this photo, was strolling down the trail carrying the camera on the the tripod, when I heard a click, and saw my camera with it's 7 lb lens fall to the paved path and land with a thud. I instantly knew the significance of that moment (broken camera = $$$). The camera landed hard and I saw pieces of plastic laying next to it. I stood there stunned and speechless, didn't say a word, picked up the camera, turned it back on to see what worked and didn't (more than did), and strolled back to the car and went home with a sick feeling in my gut.

All I could think about was how I allowed this to happen. The camera disengaged from the tripod. Did I not flip the safety 'bolt' on the cam-lock? After some examination of tripod head I discovered that in the way I was holding the two together it is possible to trip both the safety and the cam-lock with just a bit of pressure by my hand. I am confident that is how it came off the tripod. Ooff. I am still waiting for the repair estimate. Hopefully I can have it back by the time Ben and I do the Selkirk Traverse, ankle permitting.

Solo

For the second consecutive evening it was just the pups and I at the house. Trina and Molly are in Idaho for cousin Dante's wedding. The first night felt really strange. It is usually non-stop action all night from the time we get home to when we get to chill for a few minutes before bed. Between getting home and going to bed it is a flurry of activity for Trina and I, usually in arrangement close to the following: feed Molly, change diaper, play with Molly, pet the dog, pet the other dog, cook dinner, throw the dog's ball, eat dinner while the other entertains Molly (she's usually getting tired and fussy by now), prepare Molly for bed (new diaper and pajamas), do the dishes, read a book or three to Molly, put her down to sleep for the night and help sooth her for about 15 minutes, play with the dog, take care other chores, watch t.v. from 9-10:00. Go to bed. Although it is crazy, it is enjoyable since 70% of it includes Molly, and she is so damn sweet.

But the last two nights there was little of that. The dogs were really weirded out by the lack of action and just moped around, except when I fed them. I had little motivation and just hung out and didn't accomplish anything. This lack of mojo was enhanced by last week's ankle sprain, which seemed to flair up the last two days (much better today) and the fact that I can't take any photos since the camera is in the shop after suffering blunt-force trauma on the paved trail at Paradise last weekend. But as usual, I can only handle that mode of operation for about a day and a half, I was up and out of bed at 5:00 this morning taking care of business - reimbursement checks for the cycling team, working on some photos, blogging...


I am anxious for Trina and Molly to return. Molly changing very fast and suspect I'll see a difference after just a few days. She is getting more active, trying to move around, and ever more interactive while her personality is coming out. She has been on a growth spurt, indicated first by an exploding appetite. She suddenly started devouring the baby chow, whether it be breast milk, formula, or baby food. She really enjoys the baby food, especially the fruits and has been downing formula like a college freshman at a kegger. Then, one day she was crying, so I went in her room and picked her up out of her crib to sooth her like I had many times before and I was surprised by what I had picked up. She was no longer an infant. She felt not only much bigger, but strong, and able to support her body. The change seemed to occur over night.


The ankle is feeling (and looking) more normal, so tonight Robert is coming over and we are going to replace a GFI outlet, load some branches into his truck, and probably just have a beer and shoot the bull for a while. Anyway, off to work

Summer, for real.

Nothing like 104-degree heat to get the Seattlites to quit squawking about 83 degrees.

For the first time since I moved to the Seattle on the day after Christmas in 2001, I have never felt like I have experienced a proper summer or winter. Growing up in Idaho there was always a week or two in the middle of summer when you would get roasted in temperatures approaching the triple digits, and usually a bit of time with a few feet of snow on the ground. Spring and fall are reasonably similar, but summer and winter pass and something biologically never clicked with me that summer or winter actually happened. This week may have done the trick on the summer problem. We've been above 90 all week and an all-time record was set at 103 degrees measured at the SeaTac airport (the official recording location).

A little further east and inland the temperatures were a few degrees higher yet, reaching 106 degrees in Bellevue where I work. Just to experience it I went out for a mellow ride around a familiar loop at lunch. When I started it was 96 degrees and 65% humidity, but I didn't know the numbers at the time; I just knew it was hot. It was tolerable if you were moving at a steady pace, but going up hill (reduced breeze) the feeling was beyond uncomfortable to "I've got to get out of this". It was still fun and as I often tell myself when the conditions are rough (usually cold and/or windy), you know you are alive when you are out in it.

Today cooled down substantially to a rather comfortable 94 degrees. A week ago everyone around would walk to lunch when it was 85 degrees out and return reporting on how "hot" it was and that it was too much for them. Today the streets were busy w/ people walking around and commenting on the comfortable the 90 degrees felt.

Meanwhile, we've kept cool in our basement, which stayed in the mid-70s. I also heard on the elevator that PSE set a new summer peak load record yesterday. This summer peak is a relatively new phenomenon for the company, due to all the air conditioning that everyone has in their houses. I am curious how many people that cry to conserve for the sake of global warming and point at this event as further evidence for it are making these statements while sitting comfortable at home with their houses cooled by air conditioning units powered by fossil fuel generated electricity...even here in the hydropower dominated Pacific Northwest.

Looking forward

It least I, spend much of our lives 'looking forward' to what comes next and not enough enjoying what is happening at the moment. Since about this very day last year when the Tour de France ended I was anxious for the start of it again in early July, and only a couple of weeks later my sister left our house to begin their school year at an international school in Kazakhstan. With all the anticipation, both came and past with incredible quickness.

Jess and Dan left yesterday for Idaho. For about a year we had been anticipating their return from Kazakhstan to visit. They arrived at our house on July 8 and stayed with us for 2.5 weeks. How quickly it flew. There were so many things to fit in this time that we can't share the rest of the year - farmer's market, Indian food, thai food, watching the Tour de France together, friday night races at the bike track, long bike rides in the sun (largely derailed by a summer time cold for me), and most importantly Molly.


I think that I have come to a time in my life that I have realized that I could climb a mountain, travel to a distant paradise, catch fish in the tropics, or any other magnificent activity; but it is experiencing life with those I love that really makes it wonderful. For this, I spent the time between the snowy February 26th when Molly was born and July 8 anxious for Jess and Dan's arrival to to share what is the biggest thing in my life. In the two and a half weeks they were here we shared watching her grow and change, see her tired and screaming, happy and giggling, trying to shove both fists in her mouth, grabbing her feet, and all the cute things babies do. When they arrived, Molly was just starting to get the hang of eating baby food and starting to show some interest; now she is grabbing the spoon and helping shove it in her mouth and nearly holding a bottle on her own. Her first 'rollover' was shortly before they got here; now rolling over is old hat and she is showing signs that crawling isn't that far away. Those are the measurable achievements, and there were countless other moments throughout.

There isn't anyone that I want to share the joy of Molly with more than my sister. It was wonderful to share these events and milestones the last couple of weeks. I'll continue to do my best to bridge the half-a-world distance between us for the next year with all the media available. It will be fun to watch them experience all this on on our heels. I only wish they were an easily traveled distance away so that we could regularly share these experiences.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

The last 2 months have been the driest in recorded history in Seattle with 0.18 inches of rain. That is essentially nill.

As I sit here at 8:30 it is 83 degrees and 50% humidity. Not over the top, but definitely sticky. However, this week is supposed to be stupid hot as indicated by the NOAA forecast below. Cliff Mass, the weather expert from UW reported on his blog (link provided to the right) that these hot spells are common, but only lasting a day or two. This one is expected to last about a week. Atypical for sure.

I will be curious to see if PSE sets a new summer peak load effort due to all the people turning on their incredibly inefficient air conditioners powered by CO2 emitting power sources. I recall two summers ago that PSE shut down the power in the buildings to help save everything they could to preserve 'the grid' which was on it's limit. That heat wave was about 3 days long and represented a new phenomenon to NW power production - the summer peak - all due to air conditioners.

Perhaps you'll find us down at Juanita Beach one of the next few nights.

NWS Seattle, WA Point Forecast: Kirkland WA 47.68°N 122.22°W (Elev. 16 ft)

Mobile Weather Information | En Español Last Update: 5:02 pm PDT Jul 26, 2009 Forecast Valid: 9pm PDT Jul 26, 2009-6pm PDT Aug 2, 2009

Tonight Mostly Clear Lo 65 °F

Monday Sunny Hi 93 °F

Monday Night Mostly Clear Lo 65 °F

Tuesday Sunny Hi 94 °F

Tuesday Night Clear Lo 67 °F

Wednesday Hot Hi 98 °F

Wednesday Night Clear Lo 66 °F

Thursday Hot Hi 96 °F

Thursday Night Mostly Clear Lo 61 °F

Hazardous weather condition(s):

Heat Advisory
Air Stagnation Advisory

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. North wind between 4 and 7 mph becoming calm.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 93. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 5 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 65. North northeast wind between 3 and 8 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 94. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 6 mph.

Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 67. North wind between 3 and 6 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 98.

Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 66.

Thursday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 96.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 61.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.

Chowin' Down

We've started giving Molly some solid food - rice cereal mixed with baby pears or apple sauce.

She hasn't quite got the hand of it yet.

If in doubt, stick it in your mouth!!!

That's right. If you are not sure what something is, Molly recommends testing it with your mouth.

On Thursday, Molly turned four months old. We have entered the time of counting her age in months rather than weeks. Tell someone that she is 17 weeks and there is a little pause as they are calculating in their heads: "Hmmm, 17 divided by 4 weeks is about 4 months." Much easier to do months.

She is starting to act and feel more like a person or a baby than an infant. Infants have no body control or strength, their heads flop around, and interactions occur sparingly (if you don't count feeding, soothing crying, and diaper changes).


She is ever more aware of her surroundings and it is apparent that every day is a whole new world to her. When we take her for a walk, she is watching everything go by. The television is ever captivating and is now a tool for us to free all four adult hands for a few minutes around the house. Music and sounds are great positive stimuli for her and she loves it when we talk to her and make funny sounds. We can call to her from across the room and she will turn to look at us.


And furthermore, the mobility has begun. This week she rolled over in both directions (back-to-belly and belly-to-back). This was an entertaining event for all three of us. I was in the kitchen grilling up some dinner and I could hear Trina encouraging Molly to roll towards her, as well as Trina requesting me to 'come look' every couple of minutes. Then all the sudden there was great celebration when she did it. I drank another beer to celebrate.

In addition to all this she is gaining much strength. We still swaddle her to put her to sleep, but she busts out of that if she wants. Last night I had swaddled and bounced her on the balance ball until she fell asleep, then laid her in her crib 'for the night'. A half an hour later she was awake and crying. There she was, completely unwrapped and uncovered and turned 90 degrees in her crib. That was a first. Perhaps I'll try the sleeping sack tonight.