Raincharm’s Weblog

We walked to the match today.

The Seattle Sounders have a March to the Match before each game. It is about a 5 block walk with the band and boosters and anyone who shows up. Today we marched 6-7 miles and then joined the march for the last 5 blocks.

On the way to the March we stopped at the Seattle Art Museum and got a membership. A Picasso exhibit is coming in the fall, and I think being a member will work in our favor at that time. I like the museum for other exhibits as well, and this will get us there more frequently.

Before reaching downtown we walked near the east edge of Lake Union for a bit. As we passed an older couple picking up trash along the road, a blue heron soared past in landing formation. Three of the four saw the heron, I did not.  We walked a bit further and spied the heron, on a dock that was attached to some working building (e.g. not a houseboat).

The heron stood for a bit. I tried to take a picture with my very old school cell phone. Found the correct button, only to be told that my memory was full. Now, the fact that I had to find the correct button should alert you to my non-use of the picture taking ability of the cell phone. Memory full?!? Yes, full of 200 pocket pictures.

Back to the heron. He/she started to watch very carefully to one side and took a very slow, ginger, set of steps to the end of the dock where the building was attached. The last steps were very slow, and very gentle. It was much like watching a cat stalk his prey. The neck “coiled” by compressing into a tight s-curve. The heron had been up-right to this point, and I expected to see a strike once the neck was compressed. But instead, the heron pivoted around its hip joint, bringing its head closer to the water. Finally the head sprung forward, beak first, the final foot to the water and nabbed a small frog. (I think it was a frog, but was not close enough to get a true verification.)

It was really something to watch unfold, literally. The time from the landing to the strike was probably less than 5 minutes.

Back to the match. The Sounders lost 1-0 to the San Jose Sharks. It was an exciting game, and sunny. Ashlan and Carl are at the baseball game now, it is raining, but they have a big umbrella called a roof.

I have not been here because most of the time I have been distracted by other things, or too tired (lazy) after being distracted to turn on the computer. Last night I was finally home after being distracted by work all day. However, with the house to myself I found that our internet access was on vacation. So … I tried to do the Soduko (Sudoku?). [Maybe that explains why I always say it wrong too.] I could not even finish that! I did manage to have some dinner (leftover stir-fry), watch Jeopardy and get into bed early.

Carl & Ashlan were at the Mariner’s game. The Ms finally managed to score more than a few runs and won!! Ashlan is very pleased as this will be only her third win of the season (3-8 I think). I generally enjoy the Mariners games, but it was nice to just be home for a change. And, many of my plans were thwarted by the lack of internet, so really a quiet evening.  The others were thwarted by the pouring rain outside.

Up now, a little breakfast, and Carl & I are walking downtown. Our plans are to sign up for an annual pass at the Seattle Art Museum (Picasso later this year), and then on to the Seattle Sounders game at noon.

Later!

You know the mornings where you pour the orange juice on your cereal instead of milk?

Kind of like that.

I noticed that Carl had found a different lid to put on our kitchen compost holder. Instead of the flat lid that had once been the top of a feta cheese container (on top o f the bottom of a feta cheese container), the compost now bore the Sabra humus lid, with its distinctive red edge.

I mentioned my surprise that it matched the size.
Carl responded with an, “Oh, no.” Or something similar, and retrieved the humus from the refrigerator.

Always good to start the day with a little comedy.

Some days I feel full of energy.
Today, about an hour ago, I felt OMG old.

I need to get my butt (and other parts) in better shape to do what I want to do.

Maybe later I will put in a more youthful comment.
Or maybe now – like, even though I felt twice the age of the players on the other team, and probably was, I was out running around. No complaints.

Carl showed up to watch and played goalie for the second half.
He does not like to join in usually, because he can not do it on a regular basis.
But we were really short, and did not have a “real” goalie.
No game on the line, so he stepped in.
It was great fun to watch him do his thing. He has not lost much even though he has not played for several years now.

6.5 miles.
Let’s start with the important news.

We got up at a reasonable time, coffee, paper, and out the door.
The walk was to go through the University Street Fair.
This is the first of the many street fairs throughout the city, and the one closest to our house. It used to be quite large, but has shrunk about 1/2 in size over the past 20 years. Still, it was sunny today and we actually made a few purchases. One vendor had some beach glass jewelry that I found intriguing, but I did not spend at that booth.

Rey – I did get my Elephant Ear, which I shared with Dad. Miss you.

The walk included about 6 miles before the street fair including a brief walk through greek row (bud light was the first beer can we saw), down the 45th Street viaduct – scheduled to be demolished and replaced over the summer, through the UW sport field area to the Montlake Marsh and Cut, into the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), an attempt at the Arboretum Foster Island trail – where we turned back due to high water (wimps), instead went along the south side of the Montlake Cut to its terminus and back up through the neighborhood, across the Montlake Bridge (again), around the hospital, to University Way and up the hill through the Street Fair and home.

Vacation 1 – booked, more or less.
Plans are a bit fluid, but the important first day items are identified.

Mileage = 1 mile at lunch
30 minutes on the bike post work.

Working on vacation stuff seems like a chore.

Perhaps I should not have been so into my walk yesterday that I promised to post mileage.

1 mile

at lunch

Way too much work being done today. Not that I begrudge my 8 or so hours at work. It is those after work I find myself begrudging.

After work I did a little more work.
Then I felt like I needed some exercise and Carl obliged me with a walk.
It is so nice that is stays light until almost 9 around here now.

Sometime in our early days in Seattle we bought a book called Footloose in Seattle.
It is dated 1963, with the third printing in 1973.
We moved here in 1984.

The walk was about 2 miles to reach the rock.
A few Seattle hills, but not too many.

And then we found the rock.
It is an erratic.
Not quite as big as the one off the Birch Point loop road, but pretty good size.

Another 2-1/2 miles and back home again.
This was probably my first true training walk.
That is as in – I have to go out and walk because I must train.
It has to start somewhere – being conscious about making the effort.
I will try to post mileage – if only as an incentive to myself.

First – Happy Mother’s Day to my mother. I did not manage to make the phone call, but it was a busy day.

Started off nicely with breakfast in bed. Omelet, bacon, croissant, melon and blueberries, and coffee.
And the newspaper.
Spent my time enjoying these bits until I had the opportunity to speak with Doris, my mother-in-law. We had a nice chat.

Then roust my own child. A bit later (after the crossword) off to the Mariner’s game.

The Mariners have lost 8 games in a row. Every game of the home stand so far.
But it was sunny today, and warm if you were in the sun. And it was Mother’s Day. And the game was well attended.
And the Mariner’s won. The last game of the home stand, and they won handily. Josh Wilson almost hit for the cycle.

Which would have been amazing because it doesn’t happen very frequently. It did not happen. But on this day the Athletics Dallas Braden  pitched a perfect game against the Rays. Because it was Mother’s Day, many major leaguers were using pink bats, and generally trying to draw attention to the fight against breast cancer. Dallas Braden lost his mother to cancer when he was a high school senior.

I digress. After the baseball game. Immediately after, Ashlan & I dumped Carl by the side of the road (really close to home) and took off for our soccer game. It was a hot game with no substitutes, again. After the game Ashlan helped me stretch, and then one of her toes kept going out of joint. Se we finally left the field – I thought we had tied 1-1. I was corrected – we actually won 2-1. This is how much we care about the final outcome.

Anyway, after the game, dinner time. Carl had been going to get something special – but took a nap instead. Which worked out well because we got to go out to dinner. It was delicious. And Ashlan has enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

But I did not get to call my mother, and it is way to late now. So – HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY – MOM. LOVE JAY