Raincharm’s Weblog

Tired evening.
This is because we had a good long walk, actually a hike.

We drove up to Mammoth Hot Springs, and embarked on the Beaver Pond Loop Trail. It was a little more than 5 miles, but at altitude felt more like 7. It went up, through forests, fields, by several beaver ponds and then across a scrub shrub field that went on forever. We saw prairie dogs, ducks, coots a glimpse of a deerish thing, but no beavers. Then it ended very suddenly in Mammoth.

We rested with water and lunch on a picnic table.
The next stage was in the car – on the look-out for wildlife, hopefully large.
We went to the Lamar Valley and found buffalo by the hundreds, and finally a bear. We found the bear all by ourselves, with no other stopped cars to point the way. The drive back led us through elk country as well.

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Back at the ranch we had dinner and are relaxing on our last day together.
Tomorrow we split for St. Louis and Dillon, to see other family members.

Yellowstone today, the southern loop.
Into the park and beautiful scenery.

Started out at the paint pots, a nice start with a walk around some bubbling basins of varying colors.

We hiked down to the lower falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
Many switchbacks, down (and up later), but well worth it.
So much power in that water.

Then on to lunch.
We found a picnic spot on the Yellowstone and settled in for luch.
Three buffalo were on the hill across from our lunch spot, and ravens and an osprey provided some additional action.

Lunch on the Yellowstone - with buffalo

We finally rousted ourselves off the riverbank and back on the road.
Got to see an elk butt somewhere along this stretch as well.

At that point we found our way to Old Faithful.
We didn’t have to wait too long for the geyser’s eruption.
After that we walked all around the geyser basins.
We got to see the beehive geyser erupt as well.
It only goes off every 10 hours to 5 days, so we were really lucky.

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We took so much time we were able to see Old Faithful again.

Then it was back to West Yellowstone.
Spaghetti, meatballs and garlic bread.
Sleepy time tonight.

We managed to get out of town at noon on Wednesday.
This had been the appointed time, so we stayed on our plan.
I was ready about 30 minutes before hand, having passed off the mailing to my able work-mates.
This would have probably been finished if the mailing machine had not been out of service.
Nothing like having to stuff a few hundred envelopes by hand.

So our first day was mostly driving.
10 hours.
Then we got to Helena, and a friend’s new apartment.

A couple of hours to catch-up and time for sleep.
Just not enough time, so we continued chatting in the AM, and off to yet another friend’s “cabin” in the nearby hills.

A delicious breakfast and chatting more.
Friend #1 off to work.
Finally we are off to Yellowstone, West Yellowstone that is.

After we arrived and settled in to our digs, Carl & Ashlan went out to play.
I finally succumbed to the need to check out for a while, and checked out the couch.

Pooh & Mark have now joined us – yeah – and it is time to go to dinner.

[Dennis – the house is ready for your arrival.]

Watch out.
It is T-minus not much time before a vacation.

I love going on vacation.
I usually have a good time on vacation.
I like planning vacations.
Well, most of the parts.

I usually end up packing until the middle of the night before we leave.
I am the family packer.
[The kids pretty much pack themselves, for several years now, but I do the community stuff.]

I snarl, and get on edge because I am usually not finished with everything that needs to be done at work before I go.

So, when the computer can’t find the printer …. snarl.
When the kid won’t just do the chore you request … snarl.

Carl knows this happens, and has made himself scarce.
Of course, he did get all of the laundry done today, and is usually not fussy about what he takes.

This time I think I have avoided the middle of the night packing by doing it when I arrived home from work.
Now I am going to try and get those last minute things done. (I will feel better if I succeed.)
Time to get to work.

Saturday was a work day.
Sunday started with work, but by 11:00 AM it switched to play.

Carl & I took off on the bus for Qwest field and the Seattle Sounders playing Celtic.
Probably a 1/2 mile walk, but we did not walk the entire 6-1/2 miles that we usually do for weekend games.
The weather was cool, in the low 60’s until the sun peaked out near the end of the game.

Post game we walked up town to the Seattle Center.
2-1/2 to 3 miles. Not really sure, but all up-hill. An incline really, not a hill.
[As with the many distinct terms for different types of rain, Seattle walkers have many terms for the different grades of hills.]
This weekend is the Bite of Seattle, where restaurants from around the area all set up booths and sell tastes of their wares. It is a huge festival, at least in the years where it does not rain.

We chose to go to The Alley.
The Alley is a collection of 7 restaurants with top chefs (different groups for each of the 3 days of the festival).
You get a portion from each of the restaurants for a total tab of $10.
A portion of your $10 goes to Food Lifeline which provides food to families struggling with purchasing groceries.

We had a 5-Spice Duck Humbow with Hoisin sauce and pickled green peach,
A cold soup of oven-roasted beets, balsamic vinegar, orange juice, scented with thyme and a dollop of creme fraiche,
A salad that I can’t quite remember the ingredients (and don’t have it written down) – but it was good,
Hand carved bar-b-que steak sandwich,
Green and yellow curry combined with chicken mango and Thai basil, served over jasmine rice (my favorite),
Potato, spinach and goat cheese crostata, with smoked tomato vinaegrette,
And for dessert, a mini-chocolate tower with raspberry-white chocolate mousse and pound cake.

Small portions, but taken together a great meal.

We had planned to bus home, but decided we both needed new walking shoes, so called for a ride (Ashlan) as the shoe store was not necessarily going to wait for us. We were dropped at the store, made our purchases, and wore said purchases on the 1 mile walk home.

The day should be finished with a bit more work.
Assuming I can focus.
As I write, Carl has a ball game on the TV, but is more focused on the inside of his eyelids.

Saturday, almost noon.
I am at work.
I am taking a short break between tasks.
Actually in the middle of a task.
There is one other person here, although these are his regular hours.
I need to go into a closed room.
I need him to not think I have gone home.
If he leaves and sets the alarm, then I will need to run.
The question is whether to wait until I can find him and tell him where I will be, chance it, or wait until he is gone and I can roam without worrying what others know.

OK – so I just needed a break.

I am going to chance it.

Just a quick post to keep my avid readers with me.
The All-Star game was a bit boring for my taste. It featured an opening inning great catch by Ichiro, and a later great catch for the National League (can’t recall the player’s name off hand). And there were a few other moments, but mostly I was working while watching.

Yesterday I took a night off from work.
Carl accompanied me on a 6-1/2 mile walk.
We walked from home to the Twin Ponds field where Ashlan’s summer soccer team, The Librarians of Time and Space (thank you Rey), were playing.

This field has been around since we have been in the area.
All of us in the family have played here at one time or another.
The first game Carl saw me play in after moving to Seattle was at this field.
It was called South Central by some at that time, but we are not sure why. It was in North Seattle.
Some extremely cold and rainy tournament games were played by Ashlan.
And it’s the field where Rey dislocated his shoulder by throwing the ball (he was the goalie). No other players were involved, just Rey and the ball.

But now the field is Field Turf!
All of those earlier games were played on a dirt, and occasionally wet dirt, field.
It was wet dirt/sand, not mud.
The ponds, on one side of the field, are still there waiting to grab the errant balls that are not retrieved quickly enough. But it is much improved.

Ashlan’s team lost the game, but they were playing with one less man and, in the end, one less woman than the other team. No problem for Ashlan, just good exercise.

The All Star game is tonight, let’s hope it is entertaining.

We found the Home Run Derby, last night, much more entertaining when you watch it late, and can fast-forward through the commercials and most of the talking heads.

When the voting and choosing of All-Star representatives was taking place, the Mariners had two chosen. Ichiro and Cliff Lee. Since then Cliff Lee has become a Texas Ranger, so we are down to one. At least we didn’t have to have MLB choose someone, anyone, so we would have a representative. Then again, our record reflects the lack of stand-out all-stars on the team this year.

I am off to try and be an all star at work today.

As soon as my all star co-worker makes an appearance.

But we know her appearance will be stunning.

[My morning is focused more on quick than stunning.]

It is over – after 3 weeks (really 4 years) of soccer futbol the World Cup goes to SPAIN.
[I must confess – I wrote this 1/2 hour before the world cup started, intending to keep it draft until after the game, and then publish with the correct country as the winner. Turns out I can’t remember my ideas in the few minutes it took to write it – so I posted it right away. It also turns out that I am prescient.]

What a ride. It is fun and we are committed. Maybe it seems more heightened because this is the time we get cable TV, just so we can watch the games. We generally get rid of cable at the end of the summer. So it makes it that much more special.

So what do we do now?

Well there is the Baseball All-Star Game on Tuesday.

And we have cable TV this year so we can also watch the other bits that accompany the game itself – especially the Home Run Derby. I think the appreciation for this comes from sitting in the outfield. If you are in the outfield for the derby – it is a blast. Just a party with possible prizes flying at you through the air.

It is well into July now, and I have signed up to do the Susan G. Komen 60-mile walk in September. So it is definitely time to get a little more serious and focused about training.

So yesterday I walked 9.5 miles with a group of women. Most of them walked 12, but I had another time commitment and had to leave before the end. This morning I got up again and walked 7.5 miles. I think I need to just put in two good length walks each weekend and one of two 3-5 mile walks during the week.

The other part of this venture is of course, raising money.
I am doing OK, but still have about $1000 to go.
So – if you are planning to donate, now would be an excellent time to do so – link to the right.

Weather today was perfect for walking. Maybe as high as 70 degrees, with the marine overcast in play. If you were not walking or doing some activity you might want to have a coat. The sun may break out yet today.

Hope you are having a good day – and a great weekend.