Sunshine in Seattle

That summer we did too much

2011-09-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

It was a banner summer for us. To recap:

We went to the Oregon Coast twice (with dogs)

Traveled to New Oreans.

Drove the Cascade Loop Scenic Highway and spent the night in Winthrop (with dogs).

Camped on Orcas Island (with dogs).

Hiked to a waterfall and sprained an ankle.

Walked to two other waterfalls and did not sprain anything.

Grew an awesome garden.

Kayaked in a river (and saw an otter).

Hosted my best friend from high school and went on a chocolate tour.

Celebrated Mr. Snowgoose's birthday with a big barbque.

Dined al fresco, a lot.

Visted Rogue and Snoquamie breweries.

Spent 10 minutes inside a casino where we lost 10 dollars.

That time we ate a lot of cheese in Oregon

2011-09-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

This year we opted to bookend our summer with trips down to the Oregon Coast. I'm happy to say, the weather for Labor Day was much more favorable than Memorial Day weekend. There was much to celebrate: mine and Mr. Snowgoose's 3rd anniversary, Papa Snowgoose's birthday, and family.

The girls were estatic to go back to the beach. So much so Mae West found a dead seagull and rolled all over it and then drank a bunch of saltwater and threw it up. Lola chased a flock a birds about a quarter-mile away and we wondered if she had dissapeared into the surf.

There was plenty of time to relax:

Go on cheese outings to Tillamok and Blue Heron

Go for a long drive and take in Arch Cape:

And visit a waterfall:

It was a wonderful trip filled with hourlong walks along the beach (where I found a whole sand dollar!), massages at the spa, family dinners, and a girl's afternoon out to see The Help, which was very enjoyable.

The best part of coming home? Seeing how much James Dean and Josie missed us (and the dogs).

That time we thought we'd go camping

2011-08-29T19:39:00.001-07:00

In July Mr. Snowgoose had a birthday. His one birthday wish: go camping. I don't camp, in fact I hadn't camped in 20 years, but I am not one to ignore birthday wishes, so we packed up Otto Von Jetta, tossed in the puppies, and headed north to Orcas Island. Because we don't camp we borrowed nearly all of our gear from Papa Snowgoose and our neighbor.

We made a stop at the top of Mt. Constitution before heading down to set up camp. We also exhausted Lola and Mae West with a 6 mile hike to some pathetic cold springs and around a gorgeous lake.

Because we booked late our campsite was fortunate enough to be next to the bathroom which seemed like a good idea up until we realized how close we were. Whoops. The campsite next to us was vacant so at 10 p.m. we moved the tent. The girls were unsure about the tent but were so tired they gave up and fell asleep on the sleeping bags. Unfortunately the rest of our campsite didn't have our bedtime and the sun rises at like 5 a.m. in the summer, so sleep was miminal at best.

But, we did see deer and the dogs didn't bark at them and we consumed way too many marshmallows and hot dogs and played scrabble by the campfire.

It wasn't a terrible trip, but you can bet we won't be camping anytime soon.

That time I sprained my ankle hiking

2011-08-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy busy summer, which is good and exhausting what with all of our mini-trips. In July we went hiking to see some falls. The best part? I had my own fall!

I've sprained ankles hiking (and walking, running, dancing) but never like this. I seriously thought it was broken at first. But alas, it was just a bad sprain. Fortunately we were on our way down from the falls and I only had to hobble two miles downhill. Mr. Snowgoose, Lola and Mae West hiked on ahead of me, but I'm happy to say they were worried.

Despite my injury it was a gorgeous hike

And we still got to stop at our favorite post-hike dining establishment near Mt. Si.

My how your garden grows.

2011-07-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer I teamed up with the neighbor and her hot farmer to create an epic garden (which the dogs couldn't destroy). This is the result:

snap peas

kale and chard (my faves)

bush beans

zucchini

the view of her yard

summer squash

Not pictured: the tomatoes and lettuce and arugula. Because it is still winter in Seattle (I kid, we just had our first 80 degree day) the tomatoe plants are acting like sullen teenagers.

This of course isn't the end of our bounty. In our yard we have lots of berries, 6 tomatoe plants, onions, a tomatillo plant, and herbs. But more about that later.

So far we've eaten a lot of salads, snap peas, kale chips, and cooked greens. I'm planning on making a vegetable explosion lasagna this week.

That time we spent Memorial Day Weekend at the Beach with the Dogs

2011-06-01T17:12:00.001-07:00

We had a 3 1/2 day weekend and opted to drive to Manzanita to visit with Uncle Dash and Mama Snowgoose. The girls had never been to Oregon and we wanted to find out if they were beach dogs.

They were. Note how I'm wearing Ian's fleece and a pair of rainboots on the beach.

They spent hours running up and down the beach, chasing birds and each other, making dog friends, and dodging waves.

We ate lots of home-cooked meals and read by the fire and fought off killer chest colds.

Lola and Mae running on the beach:

Not to brag, but...

2011-04-27T11:03:00.001-07:00

Last month my parents finally sent us a belated housewarming gift (we've been inthe house nearly two years!), but it was worth it!

Currently it is residing in Mr. Snowgoose's office. Once we create a library downstairs we'll move it there. Now we have to decide what to put in it.

That time we ran a 1/2 marathon and nearly got hypothermia

2011-04-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

I will spare you all the gory details, but last weekend Mr. Snoogoose, the graphic designers and I all drove north to the island I did my travel writing piece on to run a 1/2 marathon. It was the graphic designer's 1st. Mr. Snowgoose hadn't run one in 5 years and I hadn't in 3 1/2 (tho the Boston Marathon was nearly 3 years ago today).

The course was tough and uneven, the wind brutal (30 mph at least), and don't get me started on the hills.

But we all finished it. Some, faster than others. Mr. Snowgoose beat his previous time at the Tampa 1/2/. I did not.

But we did get to eat at Olive Garden, so that makes everything better. And I'll run another 1/2 marathon later this summer.

Polar Bears Don't Run

2011-01-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to run a 5k a month. I got a head start on it on January 1st for the Resolution Run/ Polar Bear Plunge. I did the race last year and liked that I started the year off healthy and this year conned KT and a couple of coworkers to run it with me despite the fact it was 29 degrees at the start of the race. Lola and Mae West had been training for it but since it was so cold out they got to stay home.

Prerace:

The race has an optional Polar Bear Plunge, meaning fools who want to ring in the new year with pneumonia take a detour at the end of the race and run into Lake Washington. Mind you this is a lake I refused to go into when it was 105 degrees out two summers ago. If you think I'd jump into the lake at 29 degrees, then I'd advise you to take off your crazy hat/ cut back your drinking. I may occasionally do stupid stuff, but I'm no idiot.

Check out these poor fools:

Mind you it was so cold out that when these idiots got out of the lake and started dripping on the asphalt, the water TURNED TO ICE. Throw in the beer garden and you have a lawsuit waiting to happen. People were running with their dogs into the lake, or at least trying to by the dogs would stop dead in their tracks as they neared it. At least the dogs were smart enough to try and not get into the freezing lake.

But it was fun. Despite my tight hamstrings I managed to run it in 32:32. KT beat me by a few seconds but I was thrilled that we ran so fast considering a) it was 29 degrees b) the course was crowded and we had to walk in several areas c) there was ice on the course (wtf?) and we had to walk in several areas and d) it was New Year's Day and some of us had celebrated the night before .

Now we just have to pick our February 5k. I think I'm ready for the 1/2 marathon in Florida.

2010 wrap up

2010-12-31T13:41:00.000-08:00

As 2010 winds down, here's a quick recap of the last 12 months:
We adopted a couple of bitches
Traveled to Mexico, France, Belguim, and Holland

Spent a weekend with Hill People in Georgia
Did a road trip to Port Townsend
Visited Portland twice
Seeded a lawn
Attended two weddings
Jumped on trampolines
Got Snowed in
Wrecked a car, bought a new oneSunshine wrote a teen novel

On tap for 2011:
The goal to race a 5k a month

Travels to Florida, New Orleans, Chicago

Sunshine turning 30

Hiking Mt. Si

That time it snowed in Seattle before Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T16:39:00.001-08:00

The title of this post pretty much says it all. Last Monday we had a little snow. Scratch that. In Boston it would be a little snow, in Seattle it turned into Snowmaggedon 2010. We got hit with about 5 inches in the city proper and the storm got bad during rush hour which meant it took some people 12 hours to get home.

Mr. Snowgoose and I both left work early and made it home safely. This is Otto von Jetta's first snowstorm and he handled it well.

Our yard early in the storm, before the dogs were let loose:

Things we learned from this storm:

1). Our dogs our snow dogs.

In fact their thing is to run around outside like idiots and grab mouthfuls of snow and ice and bring it inside to eat, preferribly on our bed.

2). Our front door has not weather stripping and snow actually BLEW INSIDE the house through the cracks before we inserted cardboard around the door.

3). In a pinch, kosher salt will melt ice.

4). Cute hats make everything better.

The snow stopped early Tuesday but we had two days of 20 degree weather and the roads were one goiant ice rink, so I got a snow day out of it. The snow returned briefly on Thanksgiving before changing over to rain. I forgot how nice running in the snow was.

Happy Birthday, Bitches!

2010-11-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

I promise this is not turning into a puppy blog!

Last Wednesday marked Lola and Mae West's 1st birthday. Can you believe that these cute puppies:

are now these cute puppies?

And that Lola used to do this?

Now they're all grown up. And still not fully house trained or come when called. But they still deserve kisses! And party hats!

And puppy cupcakes

And new babies (one was promptly gutted and destroyed).

You can't forget Josie. She knows how to throw it down.

Too much cake?

Those lazy dogs

2010-10-29T15:46:00.001-07:00

I probably shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth (what does that even mean?) but I may quite possibly have the world's laziest dogs, and this is coming from the girl who's favorite pastime is napping.

I don't know if it's the fact that fall has set in here in the Pacific NorthWET oand that the sun doesn't rise until nearly 8 a.m. or the dogs are cold or we have the most comfortable bed, but my dogs do not get up before 8 a.m.

I'm not kidding. Perhaps they take after me. Mr.Snowgoose is a morning person (most days) and rises super early. You can hear him sing in the shower. When he flips on the light Mae West covers her eyes and Lola will groan and snuggle deeper under the covers. Me? You know I'm still passed out with purring cats on my pillows.

It's gotten to the point that I can get up and start getting ready for work and the dogs are still dead to the world. I actually have to pick them up and lock them out of the bedroom to tempt them to do business outside and eat breakfast. More often than not Lola will just go to the couch and fall back asleep.

Now I know a sleepy dog is a happy dog, but Lola is taking it to the extreme. For a dog that is so athletic and playful she sure sleeps like the dead. If I let her she'd probably sleep until noon, but Mae won't have it. If Lola isn't awake when she wants to get up, she will bark at Lola and bite her (gentle kisses really) until Lola stirs.

Mae West is the one that could use the beauty sleep. She can be a real Witch sometimes. Just don't touch/ move/ disturb her at night as she will growl. Lola on the other hand can be picked up and rearranged and she doesn't mind.

All the furry friends sleeping in:

The bright side of having these lazy canines? The bed is nice and toasty. Who needs an electric blanket when you have Lola radiating enough body heat to power a small country?

Not to be outdone: James Dean and Josie claim a dog kennel as their own.

That time we drove to the Olympic Peninsula with the dogs

2010-09-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

Last weekend warrented a fairly impromtu road trip to the Olympic Peninsula. Given that it was Labor Day weekend and we had no plans and had talked about going to Port Townsend all summer, we finally did it. We loaded the dogs in Otto von Jetta (our new car) and took an early ferry to Kingston and then onto Port Gamble and Port Townsend.

We didn't have set plans, just that we wanted to visit port towns and taste beer and see how Lola and Mae handled being in a car for hours (they were in crates and didn't seem to mind. There was no way we were letting them climb on our new faux leather seats. Mostly they just ate their bones and napped).

Lola's jail cell/ car seat:

Given that it was rainy and cold, Lola wore her raincoat when we went hiking around an old fort on the beach in Port Townsend. Mae West is hardcore and went naked. They really enjoyed old lighthouses and forts. According to Mr. Snowgoose, they are the best traveling dogs given that they love history.

After the hike, Mr. Snowgoose and I went in search of food and beer. We hit the Port Townsend Brewery which only serves beer.

But it was good and cheap! Cheap enough that Mr. Snowgoose would take the ferry just to stock up.

Fortunately there was a very good taco place across the street.

On our way to Port Townsend we had passed signs for a farm/ cidery. Intrigued by it, we stopped at one on our way back to the ferry. Apparently the Olympic Peninsula is booming with cideries. Some of them better than others. We hit two.

The first was a little too dry for us.

But we saw them actually making it!

The second place was a little sweeter and I bought a bottle.

We hopped on a ferry and went home. This short road trip proved that the dogs can behave. I imagine traveling with puppies is quite like traveling with small childen, only we get to kennel the dogs.

That time I killed Gunther

2010-07-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, on my way home from work (and on the way to pick up the dogs from dog daycare), I wrecked Gunther.

It wasn't my fault and the intersection was without yield or stop signs or even a roundabout. Fortunately I was going slowish and wasn't hurt.

Unfortunately, Gunther was 9 years old and the insurance company decided he shouldn't be fixed.

RIP Gunther the Jetta.

Weekend adventure in which we go to the country and eat a lot of peaches

2010-07-15T18:13:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July Mr. Snowgoose and I headed south to the North Georgia mountains to stay at my family's cabin for a few days. I hadn't been there in 7 years and Mr. Snowgoose wanted to see hill people. The dogs did not make the trip with us, instead they went to puppy summer camp.

We arrived in Hotlanta on Friday afternoon. MAD and RangerK picked up up at the airport (RangerK was a surprise. We thought she wasn't coming) and we drove the two hours to the cabin, stopping along the way for beer (as there isn't a beer store in a 30 miles radius).

We spent the next few days hiking (but no death marches)

visiting waterfalls,

eating lots of barbecue (made by MAD complete with Carolina mopping sauce), and tubing down the creek.

Mr. Snowgoose even went for a run one morning where he encountered a pack of redneck (nonbitin') dogs. We also took a nice long, tube ride down river to the Tennessee state line which resulted in a nice tan.

We even stopped in at a Mennonite farm.

The weekend was too short and I fell in love with the South all over again. I even managed to bring 10 pounds of peaches on the plane, which we consumed within the week.

Oh how they've grown

2010-04-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

Back in January, I convinced Mr, Snowgoose that we needed a dog.

So one Saturday morning we drove to a pet store holding a shelter adoption fair. We'd seen a dog we liked (an alleged toy Australian Shepherd/ dachshund mix) and went to investigate.

You know how the story ends. We come home with not one, but two puppies: Lola (the blonde) and Mae West(black and tan).

We were happy with the pups. James, not so much. Josie, on the other hand, immediately took on the roll of dog nanny.

Josie, 12 pounds, puppies 3.5 pounds (7 weeks).

Immediately, Lola and Mae began growing like weeds and destroying things. My office was moved to the basement. We pulled up the rugs. The dogs ate a windowsill. Still, we love them.

They catch kennel cough and we spend a month going back and forth to the vet getting antibiotics. They decide they are too shy around people and other dogs and bark like crazy.

Here they are at about 11 weeks. They are bleeding us dry. But so worth it.

We start puppy preschool in hopes the socialization will do them good. They don't like the other dogs, but they discover they like cheese and panchetta (used as bait in training).

At about 12 weeks.

In late February we go to Mexico, leaving the dogs and cats in the care of my MIL and her dog Dash. Dash, Lola, and Mae West eventually become friends; however, Josie remains their bff.

15 weeks.

Note: Josie and Mae are almost the same length. Mae still weighs 6 pound less than Josie.

Around this time we realize that the dogs are not toy Australian Shepherds. We spend weeks debating what they might be and if they had two dads. Eventually we agree on Doxi-pins (dachshund and mini pinscher).

At about 19/ 20 weeks. Mae weighs 8.5 pounds, Lola nearly 12.

Lola now outweighs Josie.

The puppies turn 5 months old on Saturday. We've started Puppy Kindergarten where they remain unpotty trained and stubborn. They still don't like the dogs in the class, but they do enjoy long walks, urban hikes, and car rides, making them the perfect road trip/ death march companions later this summer.

It's been interesting to watch their personalities emerge. Mae West is every bit as fiesty and piss and vinegar her name implies. She's crafty. Her nickname is MaeGuyver as she can unlock her crate and squeeze through tiny openings. She refuses to potty outdoors and will only go on a potty mat (or occasionally rug). She's the ultimate cuddler and wants to snuggle in the bed under the covers. She does "pee dances" when she's happy. When Josie is around she has to be near her.

Lola is aloof and leggy like a showgirl. She's also wicked smart and tends to obey commands and will pee/ poop anywhere (and everywhere). She can jump like no one's business. At 12 weeks she was scaling the baby gate. I bought a 3 foot one and she leapt over that like a hurdle. She's uber athletic and the alpha of the two dogs. She is less likely to cuddle than Mae, but will snuggle up when it suits her.

James Dean still is not happy with the puppies after 3 months, so we doubt he'll ever warm to them. Mostly he watches them from a high place and bats at them when they get too close. He will tolerate them if they're sleeping. Occasionally, all six of us will share the same bed.

For a person who claims not to be a dog person, I'm amazed at how much I fell in love with Lola and Mae and how much joy they bring us. Even when they are barking like crazy and tearing up the house, our hearts still melt with love.

Weekend adventure in which we go to PDX

2010-04-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

Cougar came to the Pacific NorthWet last week for a library conference in Portland. Since she was on my side of the country I opted to hop a train and meet her in the Rose City for a weekend of Grilled Cheese and books and lots of catching up.

Our first real destination on Saturday as the Grilled Cheese Grill, a converted school bus/ airstream trailer/ slice of heaven.

The bacon, apple, bleu cheese sandwich was spectacular.

Post grilled cheese, we spent several hours walking around Powells and browsing. Then we needed more sustenance: donuts. We made a short hike to the famed Voodoo Donuts, where we waited in this line for forty minutes:

The result was unimpressive. I've had better donuts.

You'd think by that point we'd had enough food. Nope. (Remember we are professional eaters). Later that night we met up with M. Snowgoose and Co. for dinner a charcutterie. Then Cougar flew back to the East Coast. The next morning I needed something to counteract all that grease from the day before. I needed vegetables and protein. My solution:

The $10 bloody Mary/ salad in a drink from Nells. Yes, that's olives, pepperchini, shrimp, cheese, cocktail onion, and green beans. Believe me, it was delicious.

I hate to say it but Portland offers a better feast than Seattle.

Weekend adventure in which we seed a lawn and repair a fence

2010-03-25T20:37:00.001-07:00

I am not the handiest person around. Neither is Mr. Snowgoose, but lord knows we try. We didn't do any home improvement projects to our new home really until my parents came to visit 5 months after we moved in.

Recently I've been struck with the spring cleaning/project bug, partially due to disasters the puppies have created and partially to prevent future disasters. Last weekend I decided it would be a great idea to reseed the back lawn. Mind you, our backyard is really a patio full of containers growing vegetables and 125 square feet of mulch. So we removed the mulch and put down seed so that later this summer the puppies can roll in the grass instead of eating mulch and digging in the dirt.

Before:

After:

This is coming from the girl who once said, "I don't do yardwork."

So after spending Saturday night and Sunday morning on the lawn, I decided it was time to tackle project #2: repair my fil's fence. We had taken the puppies to Mr. Snowgoose's house a few weeks earlier and Lovely Lola and Little May West (also known as MayGuyver) managed to squeeze through holes in the fence and run around neighbor yards.

I thought the project would last one day. Nope. It took me three days (one of which had Mr. Snowgoose assiting) to puppy-proof the yard. Who knew I was so handy? (Insert joke about who wears the toolbelt here). Despite the fact it took longer and cost more than I anticipated, it was far easier than I imagined hauling all those boards in Guther and carrying them around. I guess all those bootcamp sessions paid off.

Mr. Snowgooses's idea of repairing the fence:

My idea:

The end result: Happy puppies

Weekend adventure in which we eat street food

2010-03-25T20:25:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, Mr. Snowgoose and I met up with a few friends to sample food from vendors in airstream trailers and trucks. It was a "Mobile Chowdown" event near the ballfields downtown. It was a competition between Seattle and Portland food vendors. Really, it was an excuse to eat poutine and tacos at 10:30 on a Saturday morning.

Mostly we stood in line and sampled these fine foods:

I waited ten minutes for those delicious fries.

and 45 minutes for poutine:

We sampled tacos that were nearly as good as the ones in Mexico and some Korean fusion foods (except we ate those before photos were taken).

Of course we ended with crepes!

And then went home and fell into a food coma.

Weekend adventure in which we jump for joy

2010-02-11T20:16:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, Mr. Snowgoose and I and the Graphic Designers jumped into the car and drove to the Eastside to a gym to "work out." Last fall a trampoline gym opened up and we'd been dying to try it. What's not to love about a gym with nothing but trampolines?

We didn't think anything of the fact that we were all 30-something (or 29 year-old) adults going to jump on trampolines.

Well, it wasn't what we expected.

First, there was the fact that we were the only adults jumping. All the other adults (most of whom were our age or younger) were watching thier kids.

Second, despite the fact it was Super Bowl Sunday, the place was hoppping (literally) with kids, most of whom did not obey the double bounce rule.

We jumped for about 15 minutes before we were wiped out. Perhaps it would have been more enjoyable if we weren't so old and our knees so week or if there were fewer kids. I was under the impression we'd get our own trampolines. We didn't.

I did have fun. I discovered I rememembered my trampoline tricks from gymnastics and impressed everyone with my crazy high cheerleader jumps. Plus, flipping into a foam pit was fantastic.

I took photos but accidentally deleted them. You'll just have to picture us jumping up and down.

That time I locked myself out

2010-01-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

When Mr. Snowgoose and I first moved into our house, it took about 3 days before he locked himself out. It was a Saturday and I was working way north of the city. Mr. S. had gone for a run and was going to paint outside when the mishap happened, so he ran to his dad's house (where he was locked out as well) and waited for him to come home so that they could drive north to get my key. I made fun of him for weeks and made spare copies of the key so that it would not happen again.

Flashforward six months and you find us adopting puppies (details later). I was going to be gone last weekend and my friend Mr. Dave was going to stop by and check on the puppies while Mr. S was at work, so I gave him the spare key. Of course, the day after I gave him the key I managed to lock myself out while taking the trash out. I called Mr. Snowgoose from the local coffee shop and made him wake up Mr. Dave (who lives about 2 miles away) to come let me in. I knew it would take him awhile, so I went for a short run, took my Christmas lights down, and mailed some letters at the post office. An hour later Mr. Dave shows up and lets me in with enough time to change clothes and jump into the car to drive to work. Of course I made a third spare key the next day.

That brings us to today. I stopped by a grocery store to pick up fruit on my to work this afternoon. Somewhere between locking the car and checking out, I lost my car key. Whoops. I called work to say I'd be late and walked the mile and a half from the store to the library. Mr. Snowgoose is borrowed his dad's car to drive up the spare key so I could drive the car home. Needless to say, I'll be making some spare copies of the car keys.

I really don't know what has made me so forgetful in the last week. Puppy brain? Being sleep-deprived?

I've more than evened up the playing field and can no longer poke fun at my dear husband for locking himself out.

2009 in review

2009-12-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

2009 was a busy year. This is a brief recap of what happened:

I started a new job.
I continued blogging.
I trained for a triathalon and then wimped out.
I sprained my ankle.
I drove in the snow.
We went on a lot of death hikes.
We bought a house.
We went to Maui, Florida, and Vancouver.
I went to Denver.
I nearly cut off my fingertip making pesto.
We started a fairly successful vegetable garden.
I tried Bikram yoga.
I attended two weddings.
I wrote/finished a romance novel in one month.

Ahead for 2010:

1/2 marathon or two
more death hikes
Mexico!
a dog (maybe)
two wedddings
a bigger garden

What did I miss?

Weekend adventure in which we redefine the term "death hike."

2009-10-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

Back when we had actual sunshine in Seattle and the air was crisp with the promise of Fall, Mr. Snowgoose and I went on some hikes in the foothills (or in the footmountians) of the Cascades. I'm glad that we live in the city yet can still drive 45 minutes (past the state prison and a lot of farms) and wind up in the mountains.

Mr. Snowgoose choose the hike on weekend #1. We went to Bridal Falls/ Lake Serene:

Neither Mr. Snowgoose nor I paid any attention to the details of the hike except for the fact it had a waterfall and was fairly long. I was under the impression that we would hike to the falls and then walk a bit more before turning back. Mr. Snowgoose thought we'd hike up to the falls (500+ft in 1/2 mile) and then back down and the hike to an alpine lake.

Guess what we did?

The hike to the falls alone was brutal.

I got vertigo and nearly passed out. (This is after the panic attack I had on a crooked footbridge with no railings eight feet over a creek, which I wound up crawling across).

Then we started hiking up to the lake.

After an hour I started asking everyone I saw how much further we had to go (I was starting to get altitude sickness and close to crying from pain). I got answers like "you're almost there! 45 more minutes" and "1000 more feet in elevation!" I was ready to kill Mr. S.

It took us 3 hours to climb up 4 miles and 2 hours to climb down. With the detour to the waterfall it was close to 9.5 miles.

I've never been so happy to go to Arby's after a hike

(a tradition we have as all the Arby's are located outside city limits).

While the hike was pretty, it was not enjoyable. I was also sans bobby pin, headband, or hat, and had hair flapping in my face the whole time. Not fun.

This did not qualify as a death hike because a) we knew how long the trail was and b) we had ample food and water and m&m's.

Weekend hike #2

This was my pick. We had passed signs for it on our way to hike #1. Since it was my choice, we also stopped at a farm and bought pumpkins and squash.

This hike, at Wallace Falls State Park, was far friendlier. It was only about 5 miles round trip (2 1/2 hours), had 9 waterfalls (or so it seems) and the elevation was kind. Because it was a "short" hike I neglected to pack anything to eat and only brought water, which was a mistake because when I hit the top of the trail I was starved.

This hike felt a lot more like hiking through a rain forest than when we were at the Hoh. It was far more lush and damp and mossy. I rather enjoyed the hike and imagine we'll take Ranger K. here next time she visits.

And of course we hit Arby's on the way home.

Fall colo has arrived in the PNW.

Weekend adventure in which we celebrate our first wedding anniversary

2009-09-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend (well Monday) marked mine and Mr. Snowgoose's first year of marriage. Can't believe it's been a year. It seems like only yesterday we were dancing to the Spice Girls in a townie bar in Boston in our wedding clothes.

The first anniversary is paper, so I got Mr. Snowgoose a book and an annual pass to the zoo. He got me this:

and this:

Actually, he didn't get me the ferryboat. Instead he surprised me with a romantic weekend on Whidbey Island where we stayed and ate at the Inn at Langley, the place I did my first travel writing assignment at (and my favorite place in the world).

We spent a lot of time reading on our private deck

and picking blackberries

and watching the M's lose 10-0 against the Angels

I hope this next year is as fun as the first.

Rain/Deer

2009-08-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month my sister, Ranger K., came to visit. This meant that Mr. Snowgoose and I could take a break from our boring house duties and pawn them off on her. Kidding! This meant that we had an excuse to go on some adventures.

Adventure #1 In Which We Hike a Mountain in the Rain and Run into Some Deer
Ranger K. had expressed a desire to see Mount Rainier so we packed up Gunther at the crack of dawn and headed south. Of course we have to have pouring rain on the only day we could hike Rainier so we threw on our rain jackets and stomped around the mountain. The trails were unsurprisingly empty since the weather was so crappy. Even though we probably wouldn't be able to see it, we hiked to the glacier. On our way we ran into some elk.

The glacier is in there somewhere.

After the glaciers we drove down the mountain to a lake that promised level trails through alpine meadows. It didn't disappoint. Halfway through the hike, the sun came out and we were able to dry off. The best part of the hike? This:

Despite the appearance of the sun, Mount Rainier never actually came to view, at least not until Ranger K's last night here.

Last weekend we packed up Gunther once again and drove down to the Olympic Peninsula. I'd never been and Ranger K. had never stood in the Pacific. We opted for the long way which had us start in Olympia and wind our way west and north. Along the route we stopped at Ruby Beach to take in the sights:

After Ruby Beach we drove to the Hoh rainforest. Both Ranger K. and Mr. Snowgoose wanted to hike in it and I agreed. Unfortunately, it's been a dry year in the Pacific Northwest and the Hoh was 20 inches below normal and a little thirsty. It didn' look like how I imagined a rainforest would look. It wasn't quite as lush (though there were moss and ferns). It just looked like a forest.

Mr. Snowgoose found time to stop and answer the call of nature.

One week in the PNW and Ranger K. is a tree-hugger.

We did a couple of short hikes through moss-covered trees and through an old growth forest before deciding to hike to a waterfall. The ranger said the waterfall was about 3 miles in and would take us 90 minutes. We did it in 60. This included the five minutes we had to stop because a yellow jacket or something flew in my sock and bit me.

By the time we started back from the waterfall,we were getting tired. Suddenly the trek didn't seem like such a good idea, especially because by the time we were through we would have hiked 9 miles. So we ended up doing a Death Hike. After we left the Hoh, we drove two hours to Port Angeles to spend the night.

On Sunday we took a quick day trip to Victoria, B.C., which was relatively uneventful except for the awesome fish and chips we ate in a pub (instead of high tea) while watching the Rays play the Blue Jays. On the way back we were lucky enough to encounter a couple of Orcas who would only show us their fins (so no photos). This meant our high speed ferry was not so fast since it turned around so we could gawk at the whales.

The trip might have been long, but it was worth it.

Too bad Ranger K. had to go home. I'm sure we could have found another Death Hike to do.

Weekend Adventure in Which We Stop and Smell the Tulips

2009-04-21T18:12:00.000-07:00

Western Wahington is the new Holland.

Little known fact: Skagit County is famous for it's tulips.

On Sunday, Mr. Snowgoose and I decided to drive an hour North to LaConner, a small town that holds a tulip festival every April. Since the winter had been rather wet and cold, we knew the tulips had delayed their blooming, so we decided to go mid-month. We should have waited another week, as the tulips had only half bloomed.

The area where the tulips grow s fairly rural. Lots of delapidated barns and horses. It's fairly senic and marshy, which makes it a good location for tulips I suppose.

On our way to LaConner, we stopped at a farmstand. Now I had scouted out things to do besides look at tulips to make the trip worthwhile. I found the best farmstand ever:

How awesome is that? You didn't realize Mr. Snowgoose was so famous, did you? The farmstand was lovely. We bought garlic stuffed olives and berry jam and scoffed at the $6 scones that were bigger than my head. The most exciting part of the pitstop took place in a port-a-potty with a bullfrog. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

Eventually we made it to the tulips which were lovely. There were lots of Japanese tourists and families with small children.

Note: I'm wearing rainboots because the fields were muddy.

We stopped for a picnic and a beer at a local brewery before we made the trekk back. While this isn't something I'd do every year, I would go back and maybe combine looking at tulips with some hiking or a trip up to Vancover.

Extreme Sports Sunshine: In which I try hot yoga

2009-04-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to try hot yoga, or Bikram, for awhile. My friend and former coworker, DB, had been trying to get me to tag along with her and try it for years but I resisted. The truth is it kind of scared me.

It wasn't just the heat (105 degree room, yikes!) that put me off, it was also the 90 of poses that I didn't want to do. Occasionally I suffer through a 75 minute power yoga class. There was something about those extra 15 minutes that had me nervous.

So I've been putting it off for a long time. It made my "to do" list for 2009. I probably would have continued to put it off longer had one of my triathlon training buddies suggested we do it. We had planned on a run today, but considering how it hasn't stopped raining (or snowing as the case was yesterday) in a week we decided to stay inside.

I got to hot yoga about 20 minutes early with my towel, smartwater, and yoga mat. I was the first one there and the instructor gave me the run through and took my $20 (yes, I paid money to nearly sweat to death) for a one week trial (drop in classes cost $17 each. It seemed like a deal). My tri buddy came and we scored spots in the back of the room, mostly so I wouldn't have to watch myself in the mirror. (This proved to be the best idea ever as I didn't see how bad I looked until the end. I might have been discouraged).

I've been practicing yoga off and on for ten years and I feel pretty comfortable with the poses. There are plenty I can do and several I refuse (headstands are a no-go), but the poses in hot yoga weren't what I was used to. In fact I hadn't heard of most (turtle? rabbit?).

The class begins with some breathing exercises and with 6 heaters on in the small room I started to sweat immediately. Then we moved into a series of 26 poses. Some poses lasted 4 minutes, others 10 seconds. It's like yoga for people with ADD. The instructor stood in the front and spit out rapid-fire directions (lock your knees! palms up! bend backwards!) and I struggled to keep up. Let me tell you, standing in poses and trying to balance on one leg is hard when you're a river of sweat. It's impossible to keep your foot from sliding off of your leg.

I felt fine and up to speed during the first 30 minutes of class. I drank water when we took breaks and kept the pace. By the second half hour I was slowing down and wiping my sweat off with my towel every other minute. By the last thirty minutes I was close to throwing up, and resting in "corpse" every second pose. My face had turned beat red like I had run the marathon all over again. I wanted to quit but didn't want to look like a wimp.

So I barely survived. By the end of class I looked like I had been beaten and drowned. Hot yoga is not for the squeamish or those who can't stand to see other people's sweat drip off of them. The room smells like feet and sweat.

I don't know how I managed to drive home. I had daydreamed in class of leaving and going to the pool but I knew I didn't have the energy. I drove home with the windows open (it was 43 and raining) to try and cool off.

I have 6 days left on my pass. I don't know if I'll make it back. Part of me wants to because I'm a glutton for punishment and I don't want to waste my $3. The sane part of my body and brain is warning me to stay away. Normal yoga is enough. Besides, I didn't really feel that relaxed or extra flexible.

We'll see.

Honeymoon in Hawai'i

2009-03-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

Our honeymoon in Maui was a lot like the TV Show The Amazing Race: Honeymoon Adventure Edition.

It was a fun week filled with a ton snorkeling, water sports, animals, and hiking. Granted, we did have time to read by the pool or on the beach and soak up sun and drink frozen drinks like this:

and this:

But mostly we were crazy active. We went running three days, tried beach yoga, snorkeled four days (not Sunshine's favorite thing), hiked in the Upcountry, learned to paddle board (well I did, not Mr. Snowgoose), went horseback riding, and sea kayaking (again not Sunshine's favorite).

When we booked the trip I promised Mr. Snowgoose I'd try everything at least once even if it scared me. So we did a lot of things that scared me especially snorkeling and kayaking. Turns out I'm not a big fan of open water (aside from the Gulf). I won't lie, it was beautiful, like swimming in an aquarium. But we did see a sea turtle. Unfortunately, the weather was bad the last few days and the seas were too rough to snorkel in.

The horseback riding turned out to be an adventure in itself. I hadn't been on a horse since I was 11. Because I was nervous about getting on a horse, I was given a horse that they usually reserve for children. My horse hated me. She kept trying to bite me, especially when I wouldn't let her stop and eat (which was every three minutes of the 2 hour ride).

But Hawaii was fun and warm and sunny. I kind of wish we were still there. At least it was no longer snowing when we came back.

There's no business like snow business

2009-02-25T11:07:00.000-08:00

I know this post is two weeks overdue, but this is the first time I've had a chance to tell this story.

I've been busy with the new job which requires me to commute about a half hour each way (mostly on the interstate) about four or five days a week. I've been working just under a month and I've gotten more comfortable driving around. So comfortable that I've adopted Gunther as my own car.

My second week of commuting was a crazy one. We had a random snowstorm on a Tuesday afternoon that I was due in for work. On our hill it was likr a raging blizzard, only nothing was sticking to the street (just the grass). I was a little nervous (okay, a lot nervous) about driving in near blizzard conditions. Since it wasn't sticking I figured it was safe enough to drive to work. Plus since most of my drive is highway, I knew the roads would be in decent shape.

I left for work earlier than necessary and filled up my gas tank because I heard that a full tank would keep the tank from freezing over if you got stuck. I also packed blankets, snowboots, an extra coat, and snacks in case I got stranded.

I inched my way around our neighborhood on my way to the highway. By the time I reached the interstate the snow had lightened up and was a rain/ snow mix so I was able to cruise along. My commute only took a few minutes longer than normal.

When I got to work I called my mom and Mr. Snowgoose to tell them I was safe. I told my mom "I drove in snow" which she translated to "I drive into a snowbank." I think she was more than happy to hear I didn't crash.

The snow stopped before my drive home and turned to rain in the night. Can you guess what happens next?

Since it rained and then froze overnight, the roads turned into ice skating rinks. I woke up early the next morning to reports about massive pileups on the highway and dangerous conditions. I decided to wait until the last possible minute to drive to work so that the sun could do it's magic and melt the ice. I had no problem driving on my hill or on the highway. In fact I didn't encounter any ice until I pulled into the parking lot at work. The car slid a bit but fortunately no one was around.

I know I did not reinvent the wheel or really drive in severe conditions, but I am pleased with myself for keeping my cool and not wrecking Gunther. Hopefully this will be the extent of my winter driving. Perhaps Gunther should get some snow tires/ chains for his birthday,

East Coast vs. West Coast: Snowshoeing

2009-02-09T09:44:00.000-08:00

Since my last post I have become gainfully employed (with benefits) at a small library about 20 miles north of the Emerald City. So far it's been good. The reverse commute is actually easier than I thought it would be and is only about 30 minutes (25 during non rush hour). So I've pretty much hit the ground running.

To celebrate my new job/ last day of (f)unemployment, the Friday before my new job I drove to the Summit at Snoquamie in the Cascades with four girlfriends to go snowshoeing. I've owned my own pair of snowshoes since I lived in Somerville and I thought I might have to snowshoe to work during epic snowstorms. Oddly enough, it never snowed more than 6 or 7 inches at a time (after I bought said snowshoes) so my snowshoeing consisted of snowshoeing around the river in a half foot of snow. I didn't even need poles.

Flash forward three or more years and you'll find me in the Cascades with my gear and without a clue. Since we were a good hour East of the city in the mountains there was a considerable amount of snow. About 2 1/2 feet to be exact. I of course hadn't checked my equipment before leaving and when I opened my bag I discovered I was missing one of the "feet" to my poles. I figured I'd be able to walk alright without it.

Yeah, not so much.

For starters, snowshoeing in 2 1/2 feet of snow is hard. It is even harder when one of your collapsible poles keeps collapsing and you're missing a foot to keep the pole from sinking into the snow. Add to the mix a very hilly course (I was dumb enough to think we'd have a flat trail even though we were in the mountains) and the fact I didn't eat a large enough breakfast. So needless to say I was pretty grumpy.

The face says it all.

We snowshoed for about an hour before deciding to leave. On the way home we stopped at an Arbys for lunch where I inhaled two beef and cheddars and some potato cakes.

Katie has since made me promise to eat a bigger breakfast (and has promised to pack spare beef and cheddars) before we snowshoe again.

I did have fun and I think next time I'll be better prepared. When it comes to snowshoeing, West Coast totally wins.

Road Rage

2009-01-20T09:36:00.000-08:00

The triathlon I want to do won't happen until August but I want to train for something this spring. I've settled on a half marathon on a local island in late March that is relatively cheap. While my weekly mileage hasn't been a lot, my long runs have been about six miles for the last few weeks and I've been pretty dedicated with pilates, yoga, spinning, and my hula hoop class (more on that later).

Sunday wound up being the sunniest and most beautiful day we've had all month. Mr. Snowgoose was battling a head cold but I was due for a long run so I set out by myself. It was relatively warm (mid 40's) and I quickly warmed up to the extent I wanted to shed my long sleeve shirt after the first mile. Because I wanted to do a 7 mile run but wasn't going to the lake alone (which turned out to be good because I heard it was so crowded people couldn't run). I set off towards the big bike/ running trail that cuts through most of the county. Last spring when I was training for the marathon I did a 14 mile run on it which was nice. The closest the trail passes by us is about two miles away near the University, down a fairly steep hill. I've run part of the hill before down to a coffee shop about a mile from home. Because the hill is so steep, my quads got an intense workout and I was sore for several days.

So I set off on my run down the hill. I was halfway between the coffee shop and the trail when I started to get really warm. I tried to tug up my sleeves on my shirt while flying down the hill. Of course I lost my footing and pitched forward. Normally when I start to trip I can catch myself before I fall and straighten out, but the momentum of going downhill caused me to actually fall forward. I wound up skidding on my bare hands and nothing else. I stood up, slightly stiff and discovered my right palm had a serious gash on it and was bleeding. For half a minute I contemplated turning back and going home, but the road warrior in me decided to rinse out the wound with water from my water bottle and pull my sleeve down to compress the wound and stop the bleeding and continue on my run.

I went about two miles each way on the trail before heading back home. My cooldown consisted of stopping for a large hot chocolate at the coffee shop I mentioned before and walking a mile up the steepest part of the hill home. Even two days later my hand still hurts and my quads are sore, I'm glad I continued on my run.

On a related note, I've been doing a lot of driving these past few weeks for job related things. The worst was a few weeks ago when I found myself crossing a bridge on Lake Washington during high winds and the poor car was shaking (I was shaking too). For the most part I've been good about finding my way around town; however, my directional sense failed me yesterday.

I had planned to watch movies with a friend at her apartment in a town across the lake from me. It was only supposed to be a 15 minute drive on a highway I hadn't driven on before but I was confident I could find her place. I was doing great until I missed her exit (which was not clearly marked). Turning around was not an option and there was not a matching exit on the road going the other way. If I were to turn around I'd have to go all the way back over the lake to where I originally got on the freeway. I recognized the name of a street that I was supposed to be on at an upcoming exit so I took that exit. I drove along on this road along the lake for a good 10 minutes but didn't see any of the streets I was supposed to be on. I wound up taking a few right turns looking for a good place to pull over and call my friend to get directions. I finally found a subdivision where I could pull into a driveway and call. As it would turn out, I was in the next town. The road I took that I thought was correct was just a different road with the same name (which explains why none of the street names were familiar). I was actually about 8 miles away. She got me turned around and I was able to locate her apartment and only show up 45 minutes late. I managed not to get too flustered driving, which was nice. I'm gradually getting more confident each time I drive. I suppose I learned it's better to take an earlier exit than a later one or even just call for directions immediately. But I did discover a really cute downtown shopping area on the Eastside that I'll have to go and check out again.

Recap

2008-12-30T13:05:00.000-08:00

In 2008 I:

ran a marathon
got engaged
got married
left my job
drove cross country (well, rode in the passenger seat)
went to London
went to (or drove through) states: Florida, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho
hiked Mount Rainer
re-learned how to ride a bike and drive a car
became a blogger for a national website
got a job as a substitute reference librarian
was in 3 focus groups
was a travel writer for a weekend and had my first adult journalism experience
sprained my ankle
got tendinitis
learned how to knit
tried pilates
hosted my first Thanksgiving
watched 1 game of the ALDS in person
wateched 2 games of the World Series in person

2009 will likely be as full with:
four weddings (CT, MI, FL, and CA)
a honeymoon to Hawaii
my 10 year high school reunion
a triathlon in August
a half marathon (or two)
more blogging

East Coast vs. West Coast: snow

2008-12-21T22:18:00.000-08:00

I wanted to title this post "The First Snow," but in order to do that I would have had to post it a week ago when we got out first snowfall (two inches) followed by a deep freeze.

Flash forward to Wednesday night/ Thursday morning when storm #2 hit.

I woke up early Thursday morning to "thundersnow" (a thunderstorm with snow). I was grateful that my current job commute consists of walking from kitchen to my couch as Mr. Snowgoose bundled up and walked two miles in a raging snowstorm to work (before 7 am!) as there were no buses. On the East Coast, winter snowstorms are a given, and there are ample snow plows and sand trucks (and the subway). On the West Coast, snowstorms are a little more rare, and the city owns only a handful of plows. This means the hills and roads become impassable after a few inches (even with chains). The roads turned into a parking lot full of jackknifed and broken down buses.

The only drawback to the snow and lack of transportation was that our dinner plans with friends had to be rescheduled. But Mr. Snowgoose and I did get to do a little bit of sledding (through afterwards we learned it was illegal to sled down Seattle city street). During the sledding I lost my cell phone in the snow but it was later returned to me buy a couple who found it walking.

I don't think we'll we driving Gunther anytime soon!

On Friday the sun came out and the snow melted into sheets of ice. We were able to hitch a ride to a holiday party North of the city with Mr. Snowgoose's dad (who has 4 wheel drive).

Snowstorm #3 hit Saturday afternoon. The buses immediately went out of service and the local restaurants closed for the night. By the time we woke up today we had about 6 inches. It stopped snowing for a few hours but by lunchtime it started snowing heavily again. Mr. Snowgoose and I trekked two miles downtown in the storm to meet friends for a movie and dinner and some last minute shopping. It looks like it will continue snowing until tomorrow morning. My estimation is that from last night's and today's storm we have about 9 inches of snow on Capitol Hill (at least).

I'm not complaining. I love the snow. I might break out the snowshoes tomorrow and trek around the neighborhood. I have had to bring my runs to a treadmill at the gym since I learned last year that running in the snow is not a good idea.

All of this snow has made me a little less homesick for Boston winters. Though in a contest between East Coast and West Coast snowstorms, the East Coast wins. hands down.

The first Thanksgiving

2008-12-08T17:19:00.000-08:00

I know this post is a few weeks late. I've been busy, but I'm also a bit of a slacker.

Thanksgiving went fairly smoothly. The weather was overcast and cool and Mr. Snowgoose and I started our Thanksgiving morning tradition with a six mile run around Greenlake. I ran faster than I have in awhile and it felt really good. I would have rather run in a local Turkey Trot, but the Emerald City lacks them as the weekend after Thanksgiving is the Seattle marathon/ half marathon/ 5k.

Dinner wasn't until 4 pm (we were hosting his parents) so we goofed off and watched movies while the turkey breast was cooking. A few weeks prior to Thanksgiving we tried cooking the hindquarters of a turkey for a soup and sandwiches to test out our turkey making skills. Our oven is too tiny for a full turkey, so I bought a breast that feeds 6-8 people. The directions claimed the turkey would cook in two hours. This was not the case.

The turkey took forever to cook. We couldn't get the thermometer to read 165. Dinner got pushed back half a hour. Finally we realized that the turkey was indeed done, but the thermometer was broken. The rest of our food turned out okay. We planned ahead and made the pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce (Mr. Snowgoose's specialties) and sour cream and garlic mashed potatoes on Wednesday. The only things we had to make on Thanksgiving were the turkey and green bean casserole and stuffing. The only non homemade dinner items were stuffing (Mr. Snowgoose claimed he didn't care about stuffing but after dinner he changed his mind) and bread. Maybe next year we'll be more ambitious and make our own bread and stuffing.

After we did the dinner dishes (We used our new China and silver) we went for an hour walk with Mom Snowgoose and her dog Dash.

My aunt and uncle joined us for dessert. I tried out a new recipe for a cranberry cream pie. Unfortunately it started to melt as I was serving much to my embarrassment. Everyone still ate it and said it was good (I didn't really believe them).

Thanksgiving turned out to be a lovely affair. We had some great wine from our weekend travels to Whidbey Island and Portland. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) we opened more bottles wine than we could drink and had to invite our friends over to play board games and drink all of our wine two days later. I think some new traditions have been born.

Vetted

2008-12-05T17:36:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, Mr. Snowgoose and I shoved (and I mean shoved) the cats into their carriers for a trip to the Cat Clinic. I had not been looking forward to the vet. The cats hate the carriers and car rides and strange places. They were lucky when we lived in Boston because they had a hot vet who made housecalls. It was more expensive than going to a vet, but when you factor in taxi fares and how I could squeeze a vet visit on my lunch break from work, it actually worked out. The last time they went to a vet was before we moved to Boston. But James had recently developed bumps on his rump and tail and Josie had what we though were bite wounds (from James) on her chin and they were due for shots, so they didn't have a choice.

The cats cried the entire time to the vet. At first it was funny, then it got annoying. The trip was fifteen minutes max. Mr. Snowgoose drove while I balanced 30 pounds of cats in carriers on my lap. I probably could have taken them myself, but I would not have been able to drive without being distracted by cats unzipping their carriers (yes, they know how to do it) and climbing around Gunther.

We got into a room immediately at the vet and let the cats out. They were a little freaked out, but Josie was far worse than James. It was quite embarrassing. I've never heard her yowl so loud or have I ever seen her attack a door and try to get it open. She's supposed to be the well behaved one.

The vet was super nice and gushed about how cute the cats were. Turns out they've both gained at least a pound each in the last year. The bumps on James are likely an allergy and he was prescribed an antihistamine. Josie did not have bite marks on her chin, but rather cat acne. I didn't know cats could get zits, but apparently some are prone to it and vets don't know why. Josie was give acne medicine for cats and I was given instructions to give her a facial twice a day by steaming her chin with a hot washcloth and then applying the acne medicine to her chin. The bet assured me that cats love the warm washcloth. Guess what? She HATES it. Not as much as James hates his allergy pills (it must taste vile because he spits when you're trying to force the pill down his throat). Both cats were given antibiotics because they had runny noses. I tried to explain to the vet that the cats have allergies and always have runny noses or sneeze, but she was convinced they had colds. Guess what? Almost a week after starting the antibiotics they still have runny noses because antibiotics don't cure allergies.

Needless to say, it's been real fun at out house all week with me trying to chase cats down for medicine twice a day and James hiding pills under his tongue and pretending to swallow them before running into a corner or under the bed and spitting them out. But his bumps are disappearing and Josie has a much better looking chin.

Training and raining

2008-11-26T09:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I did something I hadn't done yet in my three plus months living in the Emerald City: I went running in the rain. Actually haven't been running in the rain since I trained for a half marathon in 2007. After I ran nine miles in the rain I caught bronchitis. I've been fortunate in my time out West that I've had reasonably good weather (though that will change soon) for running. Since I've had such good luck and I was itching to run yesterday, I opted to go for it in the rain.

For the first five minutes it seemed like a good idea. It was raining lightly and I was covered in my marathon rain jacket and a wool hat and gloves, the farther I got from home the harder it began to rain. It actually reminded me of when I was training for the marathon last February and I tried to run 10 miles in a snow storm. That was a 9.5 on the idiot scale. I made it a mile before I slid on some ice and fell on my butt. That was enough to send me home.

So I ran about two miles in the rain before ducking into a Trader Joes to dry off. I think that before I try that again I should invest in some waterproof shoes.

Side note: Mr. Snowgoose and I have made it to three pilates classes so far. They are getting a bit easier, though it helps that the teacher is a little goofy and we spend half the class laughing at her randomness.

Driving Mrs. Sunshine

2008-11-20T09:38:00.000-08:00

I know I've been MIA lately. Between my new book blog and my new substitute librarian job that has me doing massive amounts of training and prepping for my first Thanksgiving I've been a little bit frazzled. I have barely even touched my Christmas shopping. At least I ordered my holiday cards. I had no idea that November would be such a busy month. I was going to do Nanowrimo, the thing where you right a novel in a month, but that didn't happen. I made it 2000 words. Perhaps I'll try again in January when things slow down.

I guess my only adventures as of late have been driving. I've had to drive myself about 20 miles east of the city for job training. Fortunately the job isn't out there, though I might not mind working that far out. The commute isn't bad considering it's all highway and opposite the flow of traffic. I had only drive once since my last job interview south of the city. I'll admit it was a little terrifying driving out there and back. Fortunately I've had good weather and West Coast drivers are a lot more patient than East Coast drivers. I kind of feel like I am back in high school again learning to drive and calling my parents every time I got to work or practice safely. Now I call Mr. Snowgoose to tell him I haven't wrecked Gunther and made it back safely. Eventually I'll grow more comfortable behind the wheel (though I don't think I'll drive if I don't have to).

Working the polls part 2

2008-11-07T10:02:00.001-08:00

Last Tuesday (Election Day) I did my stint as an AVU Judge. I was super nervous about running the voting machine and had several nightmares about oversleeping and missing my job. I didn't sleep the night before the election. I slept with my alarm clock on my pillow and woke up every 45 minutes to check the time. I was awake before the alarm went off at 5:19.

It was pouring rain when Mr. Snowgoose drove me across town to my polling place. I felt bad he had to get up early and drive me since the buses weren't running yet. I suppose I could have driven myself to the place but the thought never really occurred to me until after. Plus this gave Mr. Snowgoose the chance to get to his voting place early and vote before work. He wound up getting there 15 minutes early but was already 50th in line and had to wait 45 minutes to vote.

Across town at my polling place (an elementary school) we had people line up before we opened at 7. I had two people use my AVU machine before it broke at 7:30. When a third person went to use it we got an error message saying we were out of paper. I had been assured during training that this never happens. Of course it had to happen to me. The machine was out of service for 45 minutes while I waited for the troubleshooter to come. He opened it up and we discovered it was only a paper jam. I was back in business.

By 10 am we had more people come in and vote than they'd ever had before. The neighborhood is a big absentee voting neighborhood as well and by midmorning we had over 100 absentee ballots.

The rest of the day went smoothly. We were steady with voters all day and had a brief after work rush. No more machine malfunctions. During my lunch I walked around the neighborhood which was nicer than I'd anticipated and stopped by one of the libraries to check it out.

After 7 we only had a handful of people come in and vote. We knew something was happening but we weren't allowed to use phones or check email or talk politics. It was really awesome to see first time voters (mostly high school and college kids, but we had a few voters in their 70's who'd never cast a ballot before).

We closed the polls at 8, and found out who won shortly after. It took us a little over an hour to pack up. I had 49 people use my machine, none of whom actually needed the machine to listen to the choices or have the print enlarged.

Mr. Snowgoose picked me up and as we drove home we could see people lining up in the streets with signs and cheering. I ate a bowl of pasta before falling into bed exhausted at 10pm. I didn't watch an election coverage and I missed all the speeches.

The most exciting part of the day was the fact I got to work the polls for the last time. The county is moving toward mail in ballots only, so this was the final opportunity to participate in it, which is a shame because I had so much fun I'd totally do it again.

Pilates or bust

2008-10-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

The Emerald City is not a big city but rather a small town. I say this because I run into people I know everywhere. Week before last I was walking home from the grocery store when I ran into one of my Yoga instructors. I'd been delinquent with yoga the past few weeks on the account I was traveling between time zones every other day (slight exaggeration on my part). She totally called me out on not being in class. She's also been hounding me to try her Thursday night Pilates class which I have resisted because it scares the crap out of me. I confessed to her my fear and she promised to go easy on me and I promised to come to a class once baseball season was over. She also wanted me to bring my husband. I didn't think he'd go but I said I'd ask.

Well baseball season ended with a whimper on Wednesday night. Tampa lost and I was so devastated I went into the bathroom and cried for five minutes. It was time to try Pilates.

When Mr. Snowgoose came home from work yesterday I told him I was trying the class and invited him to come thinking he'd decline and just drive me to the gym. Oh no, he totally accepted my invitation saying he was "curious to try it and do some core work." Seriously.

I'm not a very good athlete. Before you argue with me let me explain: I'm diligent with cardio, especially running. I'm much better at stretching now. And while my arms and legs are fairly toned, I ignore my core. This is bad on so many levels. Runners really need a strong core, especially in long races. Needless to say I have weak abs.

We went to class last night. I expected the worst, but it really wasn't that bad. Sure there were things my body refused to do, but I'm not nearly as sore as I thought I would be. Granted, I am sore. I had hoped Mr. Snowgoose would hate the class so I wouldn't have to go back, but afterwards he told the teacher he would be back next week. And as we were leaving he said, "There's a class Sunday morning." I might have created a monster. A very flexible, strong monster.

So I'll go back for more torture. Maybe it'll improve my running. My dance card was pretty full with running and biking and yoga and swimming, but I suppose I can squeeze a night of pilates in once a week.

And because I forgot to post it in my last blog, here is another photo of me from the baseball game last week. Yes, I'm wearing earplugs.

Weekend Adventure #3 in which I try my hand at travel writing

2008-10-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy few weeks for Sunshine in Seattle. There's been a lot of yoga (even Mr. Snowgoose is coming to class on Monday nights with me!), running, and my new blog job. There was also the small part where I was jetting to Florida every few weeks for baseball.

Needless to say I needed a vacation. Awhile back I met an editor for Trip Magazine. She was looking for travel writers and since that is a topic I've covered extensively on the blog (San Juan's, Road Trip, ect) I passed on my blog and the next thing I new I had a story.

My photographer (husband) and I got to spend last weekend exploring Whidbey Island, a long island north of Seattle. We did a lot of hiking around Deception Pass, ate seafood, and stayed in an awesome Inn that featured a private deck overlooking the bay and Camano Island, fireplace, and a giant jacuzzi tub that had views of the water and of our large flat screen TV. You can bet that I took a bubble bath and watched the ALCS at the same time. The only thing missing was champagne. I also made Mr. Snowgoose promise that if we ever built a house that I'd be able to see the TV from the tub. Mostly we goofed off on the island, walking along beaches, looking at bookstores, and taking photos of me in tree trunks.

We did have an incredible 6 course tasting menu that featured mostly local (meaning Whidbey Island) cuisine and lasted 3 hours. The chef was amazing and took time to talk about the food and where it came from before the meal and answer questions after the meal. The best part was the goat milk butter which I am now hooked on. The funniest part of the weekend had to be when we were getting dressed for dinner and I realized I packed two different shoes (same style, different colors). I don't think anyone noticed.

World Serious

2008-10-27T19:02:00.000-07:00

I apologize for my hiatus, but I promise that I have a valid excuse: I was at the World Series.

Yes, that's right. It should come as no surprise that I would make it to not one but two World Series Games in St. Petersburg. It helped that my dad got the ticket magic again and was able to buy seats (Merry Christmas). I should probably change the name of this blog to "Sunshine in Florida" considering how often I've been back to the Sunshine State: 3 times in the last month. I didn't go home that often when I went to college four hours away.

The games were wonderful. Philly fans are just as obnoxious as Red Sox fans. I can't tell you how many people got thrown out of the ballpark for fights.

But I had a blast with my family.

I've never seen my dad happier than he's been these last few weeks. It didn't matter that I had middle seats on most of my flights or that it took me 3 legs to get to Florida or that the sun wasn't out and I didn't get a tan. It was surreal (but nice) to watch the games live. I can't even begin to describe what I felt sitting there. But I can share some photos.

The view from my sister's porch:

Even Rod Stewart was there:

(not really, but Rob Schneider was)

Raymond for President!

They sell bloomin' onions at the stadium!

We had standing room only seats and got in trouble for sitting down between innings.

The Wait is Over

2008-10-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

It took 7 games but we finally did it.

Of course I missed the game due to my first travel assignment, though I can't complain since I did get to watch Game 6 in my own private jacuzzi in my sweet hotel room on the Island. Last night we had a 6 course tasting dinner at the Inn we stayed at (details later), so I had my sister text me the score at the beginning at the beginning of each inning. When I found out we won I cried in the restaurant.

I am so ecstatic I can barely say it.

Working the Polls, Part 1

2008-10-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

As you know I've spent the past 12 weeks dabbling in (f)unemployment, doing some freelance writing, and watching a lot of TV. As part of my quest to work random jobs until I found a real one (which I sort of have) I signed up to be a Poll Worker on Election Day. King County was all too happy to have my help and assigned me to a location south city in a neighborhood called Beacon Hill (though not to be confused with the BH in Boston, as this is the opposite) and I agreed to be an AVU Judge without even asking what that meant.

What it meant was I was on a bus to Renton yesterday morning before it was light out. The trip took about an hour in 15 minutes, though most of the time was spent walking or waiting for the bus. The bus that actually took me from downtown to Renton actually dropped me off in Tukawilla which is a giant strip of golf courses and casinos. My directions told me to walk 15 minutes to an office park where my AVY training was held. It was seriously no mans land (though there were sidewalks) with car rental agencies and a handful of office parks.

The training itself was kind of boring. I'm in charge of the Electronic Voting Machine at my polling place on Election Day. The training was really simple and we learned to basically call the help desk for everything.

But the most interesting and random part of the training were the people there. I didn't pay much attention to everyone there, but was a woman there who looked vaguely familiar in that "I've probably seen you on the bus" kind of way. At the end of class all of our names were called for roll. The woman with the familiar face had an unusual name and then it clicked in my head: I knew her.

After class I stopped her in the hall and asked her, "Are you from Seattle?"

She looked at me blankly and said, "No."

Then I asked, "Are you from Clearwater?"

She looked a little hesitant and said, "Yes."

I responded with, "You were on my softball team and Jeopardy! Your dad was our coach!"

Then it hit her and she double checked my name tag and said, "I remember you now." We made some small talk, discovered we both moved here from Boston, and exchanged emails. Who knows if we'll actually keep in touch, but it was funny. I had to call my mom immediately after that.

Softball sidebar: Our team was really bad. I was really bad. I used to fall asleep in right field. But I had fun. I liked running the bases and occasionally stealing them. Then I stopped playing softball and started running cross country and track.

The encounter yesterday ranks up in my top 3 random encounter with people I knew from other places. The other two being:

1. Running into my college R.A. on the subway at Harvard Square
2. Running into a girl from Writer's Camp at a Waffle House in North Georgia.

Warning: My blog posts might be a little slower on the account I'm now the Books Blogger for the Seattle Examiner: and blogging 3-4 times a week. I'll also start a library job in mid-November.

Just call me Mrs. October

2008-10-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

The cat's out of the bag: I went to Florida last week to see the Rays play in their first playoff game ever. Spud helped fly me down for game 1 to surprise MAD. We actually didn't surprise them the way we intended as we had to tell them I was coming at the last minute.

I left the Emerald City on Tuesday night on a red eye. It was strange to leave the city solo and fly to a city other than Boston. I landed at DFW early Wednesday morning and upgraded myself to first class since the flight to Tampa was empty. I've never flown first class and I figured I might as well try it. It wasn't that much different than flying Jet Blue except that I had a hot breakfast. I felt a little like a fraud flying first class considering I'm merely a freelancer/ consultant (fancy way to say unemployed) in jeans and a fleece. I also flew first class back from Tampa to Dallas on Friday morning but by that time it had lost it's luster. It was nice to enjoy a few hours of spacious seating considering I spent my connecting flight sandwiched between two seat hogs.

But back to the game.

It was a truly unique experience watching a playoff game. When my dad and I arrived at Tropicana Field an hour before the game it was a madhouse. There was the frenzied energy of a Red Sox Yankee game in the air. Everyone was delirious excitement and $7 beer. It was evident I was at least four drinks behind everyone else (though I will confess I never caught up. I can't fathom spending $30 on beer. But I did have one so I could get an ALDS souvenir cup).

It's been well over a year since I went to a game in Tampa with my whole family, so it was nice to see them. We even wore matching shirts.

My sister and dad taught us an awesome game to play while watching baseball live: Ball Change. At the start of every inning everyone in the group throws a buck into the pot. Every time a new ball is put in play (by the Umpire, after a homerun, foul ball, dirty ball, ect) you yell Ball Change! and pass the cash to the person on your right. The next time the ball changes you do the same. Whomever has the ball at the end of the inning gets to keep the cash. We only played a few innings but I did win $4.

It was a pretty exciting game, lots of homeruns, some close fights, and Raymond our awesome mascot had his ATV stolen by a White Sox pitcher. Raymond, one of the most lewd and crude mascots in MLB, is actually a 27 year-old female.

Tropicana Field is a loud place, but when you factor is 35,041 cowbells, it becomes deafening. I learned the hard way that there is such thing as too much cowbell.

And of course the Rays won.

There's no crying in baseball

2008-09-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

Except when I watch it.

After 11 seasons, they did it. They finally did it. From worst to first.

Last Saturday I watched the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays clinch a playoff ticket. And I cried like a baby.

Despite a loss to the Tigers Friday night, the Rays managed to clinch the AL East while Boston had their butts kicked by the Yankees. As my sister put it in her celebratory email about the Rays, "For one night and one night only I was a Yankees fan." I did a celebratory dance in my Rays pajamas.

Of course Tampa is going crazy with the win. What I wouldn't give to be there right now in the middle of the excitement.

My sister, Spud, should be nominated for fan of the year. She probably attended 50 home games. Of course it helps that she knows people inside the organization and that she lives across the street from the Trop. So I'm a bit jealous, especially since my family has playoff tickets for Thursday and Friday. Thankfully I won't miss out on a single game: I have front row seats from my couch. But Spud also went above and beyond SOB (Sister of the Bride) duties and got Carl Crawford to autograph me his cover of Sports Illustrated as my wedding gift.

Let's hope the Rays can survive the first round of the playoffs.

Needless to say I'm happy my team defied the odds. It almost makes up for the fact I didn't get the job Far Away. Almost. There will be other job opportunities, but there might not be another magical baseball season like 2008.

Spud and I at a Rays Game in 2007

Weekend adventure #2 in which we watch roller derby, run a 5k and I drive on I-5

2008-09-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

Saturday night found us at a makeshift Roller Derby rink with our friends the Graphic Designers to watch several "bouts." New friends of ours are referees for the Derby, and since neither Mr. Snowgoose and I have never seen Roller Derby, we were curious to see it in action. It was pretty loud and chaotic. The first bout was kind of boring, but the second bout featured an undefeated team and some serious rivalry. We left at halftime because I felt ill and we needed to get a good night's rest for our impending 5k and my return to the racing circuit.

Sunday morning was the Fremont Brew Ha-Ha, a 5k race with a beer garden at the end. We met the Graphic Designers and some of their friends around 9:30 to pick up our race bibs and chip timers. The race officials lost Mr. Snowgoose's race entry so we had to wait around so long to get that settled we didn't have time to drop off our warm-up gear and wallets and race shirts in the car, so we were forced to run with our gear. Mr. Snowgoose carried the keys and our wallets and cell phones in his pants pockets which were heavy enough to make his pants fall down (well, not all the way). I had a fleece and a warm up shirt wrapped around my waist which was bulky and reminded me of my marathon training with my fuel belt and other gear. I'd like to think the extra weight slowed us down a bit.

Despite the overcast weather, the rain held off for the race. The course was pretty moderate: a giant hill in the beginning of the course and a flat path along the lake. Even though I forgot my inhaler at home, I was feeling pretty good and strong during the race. My ankle held up and my hip only felt slightly wonky. There were no mile markers along the route so I had no idea what my pace was. My goal for the course was under 33 minutes, I figured that would be an acceptable pace considering I've just resumed my running and haven't yet run more than 3 miles. My final time was 32:17 (10:25 pace). Out of 458 women I placed 271. The average time was 31:09, so I wasn't that far off. Mr. Snowgoose was Mr. Speed Racer. I had urged him to enter the beer belly division since he just meets the weight requirement, but he wanted to start with his friends. He finished 50th overall (44th out of men) with a time of 21:05, or a pace of 6:45. Had he entered the beer belly division, he'd have placed second.

Unfortunately we skipped the beer garden because we refused to pay an additional $15 on top of our race registration fees. In any East Coast road race I've run (usually sponsored by Harpoon and Sam Adams), beer was always free. Not on the West Coast, or at least in Fremont. You'd think with all the microbreweries the West is famous for (Red Hook, cough cough) we'd at least get a drink and some bagels post run. Instead we got a couple of luna bars and a banana.

The real adventure of the weekend was Sunday afternoon when I drove Gunther the Jetta (along with Mr. Snowgoose as my co-pilot) on the interstate to practice my driving. I had an interview Far Away yesterday, a place that would take three hours by bus or 45 minutes via I-5.

5 years ago when I moved to Boston I hung up my keys and sold my car Mr. T to my parents hoping I wouldn't have to drive again, at least not for a long time. 2 1/2 years ago on a Spring Break Road Trip with Mr. Snowgoose in the South I drove again, which was scary for both Mr. Snowgoose and I. But my driving wasn't horrid and we survived as did the rental car. Since then I haven't driven at all. I was supposed to share driving responsibilities with Cougar when we drove cross country in August, but I let her take the wheel the entire trip. I'm kicking myself for that. Mr. Snowgoose and I had agreed that once we were married I could drive Gunther, but in the three weeks since our ceremony I've been content to continue to play my role as passenger.

In strange twist of luck (or fate) I got a phone call for a job interview Far Away while in line at the DMV getting my new license and establishing my Emerald City residency. It wasn't until Saturday when I looked up bus routes that we discovered I'd need to drive to the interview. Immediately Mr. Snowgoose and I began practicing me driving his car around town to his parent's house, the grocery store, the race, ect. Sunday afternoon we decided to test my freeway driving and check out my potential new job. I won't lie, merging on the freeway was terrifying. I spent 45 minutes tensed up and silently freaking out. Mr. Snowgoose was incredibly patient and reassuring. It actually reminded me of when I first learned to drive with my dad 10 years ago. He also was incredibly patient and never yelled when I drove. The ride back from Far Away was much easier even though I missed the exit to our apartment.

The ride to and from Far Away yesterday went fine. Both Gunther and I survived. I was nervous being alone in the car, but eventually my confidence returned and I felt much better behind the wheel. I won't say I enjoyed driving, nor will I be using my new found driving ability as an excuse to get behind the wheel and tool around town. But in the event I do get a job somewhere that requires me to drive to work, it won't be an deal breaker.

Roller coasters, rabbits, and bar-b-que: or our time at the Puyallup Fair

2008-09-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Mr. Snowgoose and I and our friends The Graphic Designers drove down to Puyallup (pronounced pew-al-up) for the fair. I can't remember the last time I went to a fair, but I was eager to ride some roller coasters, see gross fried foods, and maybe eat turkey on a stick.

Well, I got to ride a roller coaster at least.

On the ride down we tried to come up with grossest deep fried foods possible (deep fried tacos, deep friend bacon, deep fried lettuce) but sadly we couldn't even find a deep fried snickers.

Nor could we find turkey on a stick.

I've always loved roller coasters. Rarely do I scream. Usually I laugh. I love the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach: a cross between wanting to throw up experiencing pure joy.

We got to ride some of these:

The last ride Mr. Snowgoose and I did was called "El Nino," an octopus looking ride that leaves one hanging upside down. I actually let out a little squeak of fear as I was upside down. But it was fun and I made $.11 after I walked of the ride.

In between rides we looked at animals, which was probably my least favorite thing. The rabbits were cute, and there were some nice looking horses, I admit. But for the most part looking at the pigs and cows made me hungry for bar-b-que.

This was perhaps my favorite thing at the fair:

Despite the fact it is September, we've been having a glorious stretch of warm, sunny weather (which means the ragweed is killing me). It's been near 80 all week and I'm trying hard to get into the Fall Spirit.

But this might help:

Fair admittance fee: $10
Cost of rides $15
Lunch: $9.75
Ice Cream: $3.50
Hearing Mr. Snowgoose scream on a roller coaster: priceless

Why I should not be allowed to do laundry:

2008-09-15T18:40:00.001-07:00

I was lazy yesterday and in my vain attempt to only do one load of laundry I mixed my mostly whites with a couple of red place mats (that had been washed at least once before) from Crate& Barrel and did a load on COLD.

Whoops. Looks like we had a bleeder.

Casualties included:
4 white under shirts
1 white high school cross country shirt
3 pillowcases
2 dish towels
3 pairs of men's white tube socks
3 pairs of ladies white ankle socks
1 pair of men's boxers
1 khaki colored polo shirt

It should be noted that prior to my move West I sent my laundry out to a little Vietnamese laundromat around the corner from my apartment. For about the same cost as doing my own laundry in a dirty laundromat filled with people who hog the dryers (at $2.50 for a wash load and $0.25 for 7 minutes drying time), someone would wash, dry, iron, and fold my clothes (even my skivvies!).

Man, I miss that.

At least I married a man who doesn't mind doing laundry. He even irons! Whereas I haven't touched an iron in probably 5 years.

Bringing Home the Bacon

2008-09-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

By some stoke of luck I had the chance to participate in a focus group today for a local grocery store chain. Basically I got paid to walk around the grocery store for two hours and analyze the placement of things like the sushi stand and dairy aisle and the like with five other random people. It was really fun. I probably spend more time in grocery stores than anyone I know, they're my happy place. I'm fortunate to live within a half mile radius of at least 6 grocery stores. This also means that I'm in a grocery store at least 3-4 times of a week.

The only thing I've had trouble adjusting to in terms of being married and living with Mr. Snowgoose is grocery shopping for two. I've spent the last 9 years shopping for one and have an idea in my head how much I should spend on my meals. Of course I rarely bought meat because it was expensive and lived off of a lot of rice and beans and pasta in between my cooking experiments. But boys eat a lot! Not to mention the fact I'm spending more time in the kitchen testing new recipes to occupy my downtime. Plus I am walking to and from the stores on the account I haven't practiced driving Gunther yet and I can only carry so much. But I digress.

So my afternoon was spent wandering around a grocery store and getting paid to do what I love: give my opinion and ogle gourmet cheeses. And for my trouble I walked away $125 richer. So today I got to bring home the bacon (for once). I would totally do one of these focus groups again or at least until I can start getting paid for the other thing I love: libraries.

Mini-moon #1 in which we bike our butts off

2008-09-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Mr. Snowgoose and I took our backpacks and bikes on a ferry to San Juan Island for the first of many mini-moons.

We hitched our bikes to Mr. Snowgoose's car at 6:15 Sunday morning (but not before I grabbed my coffee from Fuel, one of the perks of living above a coffeehouse that opens at 6 o'clock am 365 days a year) and drove to his office downtown so that we could park all weekend for free and get on the ferry by 6:45. I got readjusted with my bike The Black Stallion (his temporary name since I vetoed Spider) on our way from the office and along Alaskan Way to the ferry terminal which was a really beautiful and easy ride. It gave me time to fool myself into thinking I was a biker.

For the most part our 3 hour ride out to San Juan Island was easy, probably because of this:

But once we passed Deception Pass I started to feel a little nauseous. It didn't help that the onboard naturalist had these fun tidbits to share:

1. Dolphins are the only other mammal that commits suicide. They do so by holding their breaths under the water.
2. Kieko (Free Willy) was rejected by his adopted pod and he died.
3. Sea World has had 19 Orcas all named Shamu because they can't seem to keep Shamu alive.

But the ride was full of gorgeous views and I got to squeeze a nap in.

We arrived early enough and checked into our motel before we set off on our first bike ride out to the American Camp National Park. We wound up taking a detour along a bay

and then through farms and a forest where we saw such wildlife like horses and birds and cows and snakes.

We finally reached the American Camp where Mr. Snowgoos took lots of lovely photos and I took a lovely nap on a log on the beach. I was befriended by some elderly volunteer Park Rangers who took pity on me and wimpiness and sore butt and mapped us the quickest route back to our motel and an "easy bike ride for the novice rider" to the English Camp National Park for our ride on Sunday.

Well, they lied.

The "easy ride" was 10 miles each way up some steep "hills." The ride actually reminded me of my first bike ride with Sharona on Martha's Vineyard a few years back and of the epic ride Mr. Snowgoose and I had last year on Nantucket during a tropical depression (except that ride was flat).

This is what happened the minute I got off my bike after the first 10 miles

I proceeded to sleep in the sun for a half hour while Mr. Snowgoose wandered around and took photos. Fortunately the ride back to our motel was mostly downhill and Mr. Snowgoose got to see Mona the camel.

After that ride I was pretty much done for the day in terms of biking. I was able to nap (for real) before we caught our ferry back to the Emerald City.

Note to self: for future mini-moons that involve biking and ferries and remote islands it might be a good idea to bring a car along. That way when we're tired (or I'm too tired) to continue biking I have another mode of transport. But perhaps the next time we do one of these adventures I'll be in better biking shape and able to do more than 35 miles in one weekend.

And no, we did not see any Orcas or any other kind of whale on the trip.

Zen and the art of spider maintenance

2008-09-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

I joined the local YMCAs (one membership gets you into like 10 local ones) pretty much the minute I moved to the Emerald City. I've become somewhat of a gym rat and needed someplace to go to when I got bored of hanging around our apartment. Plus it gives me something to do in between my cooking and writing Thank You notes.

I've been doing Yoga off and on for the last 10 years. Really I'm more off than on, which is sad because yoga and proper stretching probably would have prevented the hip injury, but I've always had a problem turning off my brain in yoga (well in life in general). I'm also ultra competitive which is not all yoga-like, so sometimes I'd try to out-do the other people in class. Or I'd just admire my hair instead of my form.

In the weeks leading up to the wedding I wasn't sleeping so great from the stress (not so much the wedding part but the lack of job part) and I discovered that on the days I did yoga I actually slept through the night. So I started to go to three, or four, or five classes a week between my two closest YMCAs. I also discovered exactly how week my abs are and how good it feels to stretch out my hips. I hadn't run since July on the account of my sprained ankle from my Boston Bachelorette night, but my ankle was strong enough to do most of the poses. My hip gradually began to feel better and I now have enough ankle strength to run again (I did a 30 minute run on my wedding day and another 30 minutes (about 2.8) on Tuesday.

So I guess you could say yoga has helped. I've even made a few friends in class. Including this guy:

I met him yesterday in my 11am Intermediate Yoga Class. I was in triangle pose 3/4th of the way through class when he crawled between my legs, touched my right foot and headed toward the girl next to me. I quickly stood up tapped her on the shoulder and grabbed the nearest yoga block and smashed him. Then I resumed my pose. It was quite unnerving, especially because spiders scare me.

Look at the size of him! He must be poisonous. I probably just narrowly escaped my own death. He would have taken out a chunk of my bare ankle and would never have waken up from corpse pose. I don't even want to know where he came from. I think my yoga teacher was a little mad that I killed him, but really what was I supposed to do?

Speaking of spiders, Mr. Snowgoose got me a hybrid bike (cross between a racing and mountain bike that is light enough to carry upstairs) as a wedding present. It's black and we were considering calling it Spider, but not anymore. We broke him in Tuesday after buying him from a shop near Green Lake after our run. We took him to his dad's neighborhood so that Mr. Snowgoose could get his bike and I could practice riding up and down hills and using gears since it's been over a year since I rode a bike for real and we're going on a mini-moon this weekend to San Juan and biking all over creation, so I needed to get comfortable.

I must be turning into a real Nortwesterner: yoga and biking. I'm practically a hippie. I just need to start a vegetable garden in a community plot and stop washing my hair.

And as of Sunday, August 31st I am officially Mrs. Snowgoose (well Mrs. Sunshine-Snowgoose).

Weekend Adventure #1: In which we climb a mountain

2008-08-26T16:57:00.000-07:00

When I first moved out to the Emerald City I made Mr. Snowgoose promise that we'd go on at least three "adventures" a month. I didn't want to wind up with the same routine weekend after weekend: Greenlake-Mighty O-Brunch-Movie. Not that I mind that routine, but I want to be out exploring my new home.

So last Saturday Mr. Snowgoose and I hopped in Gunther the Jetta and drove down to Mt. Rainier. I had been there once before, about 16 years ago with my parents. The only thing I recall from our visit was that my dad wore a knee brace and it squeaked. It made the same noise chipmunks make and we became a magnet for chipmunks. My dad was like the pied piper of chipmunks.

Mr. Snowgoose, despite growing up in the Pacific Northwest, had never been. Both of us underestimated exactly how far away the mountain was. On paper it is 85 miles away, yet it took us almost two hours just to get to the National Park, and another 45 minutes to get to the start of our hiking trail once we got there. But we did see a deer along the way, and a town (Alpine) with a population of 2.

I picked out our hike: a moderate 5.2 mile loop that claimed to have the best views of the mountain. Our guidebook told us to hike clockwise to get the full impact of the mountain for the longest time. What is didn't tell us was that we'd climb over 2000 feet in elevation or that despite the fact it was 75 degrees and the end of August, there was snow on the ground.

And not just a little bit of snow:

We had to climb up and down through a lot of snow packs during the hike.

A first it was fun. But then climbing down, it wasn't so much fun, especially when you have no sense of balance and no gloves and wind up crawling in the snow to avoid falling.

Mr. Snowgoose found a better way to get down the mountain:

I thought I'd copy him because it seemed easier, only problem was he was wearing Goretex pants and I was wearing Old Navy cargo shorts and my butt was wet and numb for another mile down the trail.

The hike wound up taking longer than I thought it would. I was hungry and grumpy but we saw chipmunks and marmots, and had some glorious views.

And at one point we had views of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St. Helens (the volcano. Well actually all of these big mountains are volcanoes, but Mt. St. Helens actually erupted like 28 years ago.)

My original plan was for us to do the 5.2 trail and then a 3 mile lake trail that was easy, but by the time we got down the mountain it was 4pm and we were starved and had a long drive home, so we skipped it. It's likely we'll be back to the mountain in a few weeks and do a bunch of shorter trails and leave the house a good two hours earlier.

For those of you curious, this doesn't qualify as a "death march/hike" because:
a) I knew how long the trail would be and had an estimate on the time it would take us to climb it.

b) I suggested it, so any misery was my fault.

c) We had snacks and sunscreen, though not nearly enough water (I went through two large bottles in the first half).

If you are unfamiliar with the term "death march/hike" it means a hike or walk that exceeds what the person who did not suggest it expected. Other symptoms of a "death march/ hike" include grumpiness, hunger, fatigue, unexpected sunburns, and extreme annoyance. Sometimes there are tears (on my part). The term was coined after my first visit to the Emerald City with Mr. Snowgoose and he was taking me on all of these walking tours of neighborhoods and I was grumpy and hungry and sunburned.

East Coast vs. West Coast: Beaches

2008-08-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

Since I spent the first 22 years of my life in Florida, I'd like to think I'm somewhat of an expert on beaches. Or a beach snob. You can decide.

The West Coast Beaches of Florida (or Gulf Coast) are what I think of when I hear the word beach: greenish, flat water and white sandy beaches. Porpoises and sea turtles and sting rays. And gorgeous shells: conch, sand dollars, and the occasional starfish.

The East Coast Beaches of Florida are slightly different: the sand is grittier and the waves much larger. All the surfing seems to be on the Atlantic side (unless of course there is a storm in the Gulf and then you may get some real wave action). Also, I'm going to say there are more sharks on the Atlantic side. This may or may not be true, but really, how often do you hear of a shark biting someone on Clearwater Beach? Besides, that's the coast where all the shark teeth wash up on. So there must be more sharks.

Side note: I've never surfed or seen a shark in the water.

After college I traveled north up the Atlantic and wound up in Boston. The first time I saw a New England beach was in New Hampshire. My great aunt took me to Hampton Beach, the prime beach spot (and I believe where my maternal grandparents honeymooned). Then she made me stick my feet in the water, not telling me how cold it would be.

Now I have a few rules when it comes to beaches and water:
1. If it's not 80, I don't get in.
2. If I can't see the bottom I don't get in.
3. I am terrified of being eaten alive by sharks who think I'm a sea lion so I don't scuba dive, snorkel, or surf.

The second time I saw a New England beach, Mr. Snowgoose and I were visiting a friend who had a house on Cape Cod, in Wellfleet. Even though it was June, it was cold out. I discovered that the sand was far rockier than East Coast Florida Beaches and the water was still cold. The sand always seemed to stay wet. I was totally put off by the Cape. You could say I despised it. The same thing happened a year later and I vowed to myself I'd never go back.

A few years ago on Memorial Day weekend, my friend Sharona invited me to Martha's Vineyard for the weekend with her family. The water was still cold but the beaches were much prettier. But they were also scarier. Are you familiar with the film "Jaws?" Because there are totally Great White sharks swimming around that island and near the Cape. In fact, right before I moved to the West Coast, there were Great White sightings.

Last year, Mr. Snowgoose and I went to Nantucket for a few days. Nantucket is seriously the size of my apartment, yet had far superior beaches than the Cape or the Vineyard. There were a few rocky beaches, but there were also a few beaches that resembled the Gulf Beaches with powdered sand.

The first time I saw a West Coast beach was in Oregon last spring. Of course it was 40 degrees and raining. The picture in the header of the blog is of that time. Note I'm wearing rainboots at the beach.

The Oregon Coastline resembled the Cape Beaches, only there were more cliffs and far less people in the water. The Pacific was so cold, only dogs ventured in. I don't mean any disrespect to the Pacific, but it's not my version of a "real" beach.

Last Saturday I found a beach that is even less of a beach than the Oregon Coastline:

Madison Park Beach. It's not even on the ocean (I mean Puget Sound)! It's a Lake (Washington)! There was no real sand, just a grassy knoll. There were rocks leading into the water and in the swimming area. The water was about 70 degrees. It wasn't hot enough for me to even consider getting in.

And the place was packed. It's only about 2 miles from our apartment and it seemed like our entire neighborhood was there.

It really wasn't that bad. We sat in the shade which meant Mr. Snowgoose didn't get burned to a crisp. Had we been at a Florida beach our shade would have been an umbrella and there was no way he'd willingly spend 4 hours under it. But there were lifeguards and a diving board way out in the middle of the lake for those who were daring:

There are some "real" beaches on the Sound in West Seattle. Those are more likely to match my criteria, we except for the temperature. The Sound is like 55 degrees. And it's doubtful I'll ever swim in it. There may not be sharks but there are Killer Whales.

So East Coast (note this is Fort Desoto Beach, voted most beautiful beach a few years ago)

vs

West Coast

By the numbers

2008-08-16T05:50:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to do this since the road trip ended.

It took us 3,299.5 miles from my old front door to my new front door.

From the receipts I saved, I spent:

$33.10 on tolls

$435.93 on gas

Used 112.27 gallons of gas

The average price of gas was $3.87

The number of "Breaking Dawn" CDs we listened to before giving up: 10

Anything else you want to know?

East Coast vs West Coast: Baseball

2008-08-14T10:40:00.001-07:00

I know I've been in the Emerald City for a week now and haven't posted. I swear I've had this post (among future ones) swimming in my head for days.

Before I break into the baseball portion of this post, let me assure you I am settling in fine here. I've had sunshine every day. Seriously. I heard a rumor it hasn't stopped raining in Boston since I left.

I've been spending my days running errands and getting organized and cleaning while exploring my new neighborhood (the CH). It's no Beacon Hill (though there is a Beacon Hill here), but again that's another post. But I have a library card now (so I feel armed and dangerous) and have joined the local YMCA so I can go to spinning and yoga and occasionally swim.

But back to the baseball part of this post:

As Cougar alluded to last week after the M's played my Rays, M's fans really didn't care that a members of Red Sox Nation, an Ichiro fan, and a Tampa Bay Ray were sitting together.

Sure, Cougar got teased at the soup shop and at the library for wearing a Sox shirt, but it was only from Yankee fans. Meanwhile I was sporting a TB hat and Carl Crawford shirt all day and was basically ignored even though the Rays are three games ahead of the Sox for the AL East lead. Perhaps it was because the M's are in the stink tank and are in last place overall (though in their defense they did beat the Rays in the first game of the series and nearly beat them in the third game which went into extra innings) or because M fans are generally more passive than the rabid Sox fanatics, but I was disappointed. The closest I got to fight was with a 8 year old that yelled "Mariners rule" or something to that affect, to which I yelled, "You're going down!" After that I was ready for my next comeback, just in case someone gave me a hard time for being a TB fan. Then I would point at my shirt and say, "This is what a first place team looks like, Fool!"

Mr. Snowgoose and I attended another game on Sunday, this time instead of right field we were 13 rows behind home plate. I was almost close enough to reach out and pat BJ Upton on the butt.

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I was severely disappointed that in the one game I had truly awesome seats, C.C. was not playing. Then I received word from the only other TB fan in Boston that he was on the DL and may miss the rest of the season due to hand surgery which mad me cry silent tears.

But despite that, I still managed to enjoy myself while sitting in my awesome seats and watching the Rays totally kill the M's. I even ignored the garlic fries in favor of staying glued to my prime seat. It was weird to see actually how big (or small) they players actually are.

There were a few other TB fans in our section. We did the whole head nod thing in passing, but they were quiet except for the occasional cheer (I was not quiet. I was kind of surprised now one gave me nasty looks when I stood up and yelled, "Let's go Tampa!" Had I been at a Red Sox game I'd have been mocked. Or I imagine when the Sox are in town, the Sox fans are not as nice as TB fans. Maybe because there are more members of Red Sox Nation than Rays Nation? Mr. Snowgoose told me once when he saw the Sox play the M's the "Let's go Red Sox" cheers were louder than the M's cheers.

You can bet that next year when the World Champion Rays visit the M's I will buy the whole series and represent. Maybe I'll have a few more fans on my side.

In other baseball news- Mr. Snowgoose has offered to let me put a Rays license plate holder on his car Gunther (maybe because it's likely I'll have to drive to a job if I ever get employed). I was surprised by this gesture and asked if he was sure- I mean we are in Mariner's Country. Won't the car get egged? Or worse? He just laughed and said, "We're not in Boston, anymore." I'll let you know if we get hassled.

The most random Tampa Bay thing of all- on Monday when I was at the bank setting up new accounts, I got to pick out the design on my checkcard and checkbook and they totally had the TB logo option.

AL East Represent!

Welcome to Seattle

2008-08-09T17:47:00.000-07:00

The adventures continued after we arrived in Seattle. Thursday we said goodbye to The Count. It was such a good car, and we were sad to return it. Cougar was especially sad since she doesn't own her own car, and this was the last time she would have regular access to wheels when she needed them.
Sunshine has been a great host and tour guide in Seattle, showing me all the great sights. Friday we displayed our baseball loyalties, wearing our Red Sox and Rays shirts all around the city. I almost got denied service at the world's best soup place for my Sox shirt because the cashier was a Yankee fan. I forgave him because the baked potato soup was the best thing I've eaten in my entire life. Sunshine showed mad love for her team at the Rays vs. Mariners game, and even shared a special moment with Carl Crawford. They totally made eyes at each other during throwing practice. Despite my prayers and pleading, the Rays still won and gained a game on the Sox in the AL East. I sought comfort in chocolate covered strawberries.

Saturday we explored nature at Snoqualmie Falls and Cougar Mountain. I survived my first Death March on the trail to the falls, but the view was worth it.

I've had a great time through our whole journey. I'm glad Sunshine let me come along for the drive. And I'm even more glad we're still friends :)
-Cougar

Day 6: The Arrival

2008-08-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

The last day of our trip started at a much more leisurly pace than the previous days. With the shortest mileage/ driving day so far, we decided to take it easy this morning and sleep in a bit. We had an amazing free breakfast at the hotel that had just about everything we could want. We both made two trips for food. We were on the road by 11am traveling through the rest of Montana. Guess what--there's absolutely nothing to see in the rest of Montana. We were so bored, we even tried listening to Breaking Dawn again. But we quickly realized that was an exercise in futility, the stupid book was more boring than the never-ending Montana country side.
The day started picking up when we drove through Idaho. Cougar enjoyed driving through the twists and turns of the Idaho mountains. Sunshine only had to close her eyes a few hundred times and grip the armrests, and Cougar was very proud of how outwardly calm she seemed.

By the way, Eastern Washington is even more desolate and boring than Montana and South Dakota combined!

Probably the most exciting part of the day was when we realized we kept passing the same mail truck on it's way to Seattle from Chicago.

We figured the truck driver must not be stopping, since every time we got back on the highway from one of our stops (including an hour long one for lunch in Idaho), we soon passed it again. Since this went on for several hours, we started to wonder if the driver was stopping at all, or was just taking care of his business while driving. Apparently this is a big problem in Washington.

As we were driving toward the Cascades, we passed a very large caravan of army men. They were really friendly, about half of them waved as we drove past. Add that to the truck drivers that honked at us and the toll booth operators that were convinced we were up to no good, and we were feeling like hot stuff. You saw the cheesehead photos--pretty sexy, huh?
We arrived at Sunshine's new home around 7:30--safe, sound, and happy to be out of the car. Tomorrow we'll post more pictures from our trip.
-Cougar

Day 5: We've become Lewis and Clark

2008-08-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

The goal for today was to be on the road by 8am to catch a glimpse of Mount Rushmore. I figured it would take an hour max, obviously not taking into account that it is Bike Week in Sturgis, SD (right near Mt. Rush) and there are MILLIONS of bikers on the road. Oh, and they all want to see the Presidents.

At 8:16 We leave Wall, SD, (after filling up the tank) which by the way is a waste. If I haven't told you to avoid Wall Drug, please do. The most exciting thing there is the option to climb aboard a jackalope and make out with one.

You'd expect to find real drug store stuff there, which you can in one small room. The rest of the rooms are filled with Prairie dresses and swords for sale. But you can make new friends like we did:

At 9:07 we take the Mt. Rushmore exit and arrive at the site exactly 30 minutes later (after paying $10 to park). We shot a few photos, didn't see Nick Cage or the City of Gold and left disappointed. But apparently you can drink at Mt. Rushmore and the presidents can be found on everything, including Coke machines.

We leave Mt. Rushmore by 10:07 yet don't make it back to I-90 until nearly 11.

At 12:07 we actually cross into Wyoming, which looks EXACTLY like South Dakota.

At 1:09 we stop for some snacks.

Less than two hours later, the Count needs his lunch and we refuel. Cougar finds a key chain for her collection.

At 3:26 we arrive in Montana and Sunshine foolishly assumes we are practically there. Only after reconsulting the map (since we took a different route through SD and WY, we had been winging it) we discover we are still nearly 300 miles from Butte, Montana, our place of rest or the night (and exactly halfway between Seattle and Wall, SD).

We stop at an Olive Garden in Billings at 4:52 to decompress and get our fill of garlic. An hour later we were on the road singing along to mid 90's alt-rock.

6:45 we cross Yellowstone River, which is the longest (or biggest) undammed river in the States (according to Mr. Snowgoose). For awhile we drive parallel to the river and I swear I spot a deer or an antelope. It was far away, but aren't we on the range? Where the deer and the antelope play? We have yet to see buffalo or bison (are they one and the same?) or a jackalope.

At 8:00 we stop for gas again despite the fact we had enough to get us to Butte, but we wanted to play it safe.

We finally arrive in Butte around 9:30. This is by far the nicest hotel we've stayed at, even though they combine the shampoo with conditioner. We decompress some more in the hotel pool and hot tub. We actually get a late checkout tomorrow to rest up and use the hotel gym and steam room before driving another nine hours to Seattle.

By this time tomorrow we'll be in the Emerald City. I'll be sad to see the road trip end, but not so sad to not have to spend 14 hours a day in a car.

Day 4: What is this? The Oregon Trail?

2008-08-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

Before departing Bloomington/ Minneapolis for South Dakota today we did a mileage check: 1439.2. We're not even halfway (well now we are).

Here's how our day went:

9:14 leave hotel- Sunshine makes her own iced coffee from the "free" hotel breakfast
10:04 stop for cheapest gas of the trip thus far ($3.66/ gal) and fill up The Count
12:00 decide to take a "short" detour off I-90 in MN to go see Laura Ingles Wilder's house in Walnut Grove, aka "On the Banks of Plum Creek."

12:52 we arrive at the Laura Ingles Wilder Museum and House and take a ton of photos. Cougar and Sunshine argue about who played the character of "Nelly" in the TV show. Sunshine is wrong

Please note the look on my face in the schoolhouse: I'm not pissed off at Cougar for taking a photo, but the fact I can't solve a math problem from 1890. Apparently I am not smarter than a 5th grader, even in the late 19th Century.

We take a zillion photos. After sitting in the Covered Wagon I decided that there was no way I could have been Laura Ingles Wilder or done the Oregon Trail, at least not in one filled with five members of my family and all of our stuff. I'm barely surviving being in a car for 6 days with everything I own in the large trunk and half the backseat, let alone six months in a buggy. I'd be praying for dysentery or to be mistaken for a bison or to be traded for extra ammunition (speaking of bullets, apparently at the 7-11 you can buy bullets).

1:34 Leave the museum and find actual Plum Creek
2:36 lunch
2:59 finally back on I-90
3:36 cross into South Dakota
4:45 stop in Mitchell to see the great Corn Palace (http://www.cornpalace.org/). It's name does not do it Justice. I can't even begin to describe the place. These photos are worth a thousand ears of corn.

5:13 leave Corn Palace and get gas
6:30 cross Missouri River
7:34 cross into Mountain Time- there's actually a sign!
7:43 (6:43) cell phones finally register we are in MT zone
7:30 arrive in Wall, SD to check into out hotel. Discover it is Biker Week which explains why the hotels were so expensive.
7:43 walk to Wall Drug and take random photos and buy presents. Wall Drug does not live up to it's reputation. It actually kind of sucked.
8:15 discover that the only dinner option is Subway.

It's been four days since we left Boston. It has finally sunk in. Maybe it started to sink in last night. We'll arrive in Seattle late Wednesday and Cougar will fly back to Boston Saturday night. We'll spend tomorrow night in Butte, Montana, but leave super early so we can see Mount Rushmore.

Today was the first day of the drive that I got to sneak in a doze. It was a really boring part in Breaking Dawn and I was trying to do the whole not napping fake out but I think Cougar was on to me.

Day 3, The Perfect Day: Libraries, Baseball, and Shopping

2008-08-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

We made the most of our day off from driving here in Minneapolis. First up was a visit to the Central branch of the Minneapolis Public Library. It was a good thing we left our weapons back home.
The library got a new building about 3 years ago, and it is lovely. The inside is so new and clean and shiny--Sunshine and I were instantly jealous.

We were taking pictures of all the things we liked about the library (signage, book displays, shelving...you know--the sexy parts of the library). We quickly became suspicious to the librarians and the security guard. I guess they don't get a lot of people fascinated by the way they clearly label their Library of Congress call numbers. A reference librarian very kindly asked if we needed help, and after learning we were fellow librarians we became fast friends. She shooed the security guard away and told us more about their new building, and showed off their fancy compact shelving system. We also visited the Teen Room and were impressed by the vending machines and music collection.

After the library we walked a few blocks to the Metrodome for the Twins game. Downtown Minneapolis is pretty dead on Sundays, there was nobody around until we got to the ball park. We stopped for snacks inside the park and learned that bottles of water with caps on them are considered dangerous weapons. When Sunshine asked why they took her cap off the water bottle before selling it to her, she was told it was an MLB safety regulation. Learn something new every day. The lesson in this is to bring your own bottle caps! I wonder if the library also considers bottle caps dangerous weapons. Our seats were in the nosebleeds, as you can see here.

It felt weird and wrong to be indoors for a baseball game. It was fun to have a new baseball experience, but it made me appreciate Fenway all the more. We picked up additions to our stadium collections (a hat for Sunshine and a stuffed bear for me) and left the park.

Sunshine "hearts" the Twins (but only in Twin Country. The rest of the time her heart belongs to Carl Craford).

Next stop, the Mall of America. Our main goal here was to ride a roller coaster. I was looking forward to the coaster when we talked about it. But once I got inside and looked up at all the twists and loops and straight drops, I remembered I'm a big chicken and coasters scare the crap out of me. But our mission was to ride this thing, and so my only choice was to send a message to my loved ones and pray I lived through it.

I screamed through pretty much the whole ride. Sunshine laughed her head off and had a grand ole time. After surviving the terror, I think we would have liked to go on a few more. Too bad there were a billion people all over the theme park driving us crazy. We escaped to the traditional mall part and went shopping for a while. The mall had about every store we could want, which I guess I should have figured out by the name. After shopping we went to dinner at TGI Fridays, where I was very proud of myself for choosing broccoli over french fries. We're now relaxing at the hotel and are going to check out the pool soon. On tomorrow's agenda: all the excitement South Dakota has to offer. Here we come Corn Palace!

Day 2 post #2

2008-08-02T21:30:00.001-07:00

We finally arrived at our fabulous hotel in Bloomington, Minnasota, home of the Mall of America. Actually, our hotel is directly across the street from the Mall. I really can't complain about the hotel. It's wicked cheap. There's a free breakfast, a pool, free wi-fi, and light rail service from the mall to downtown Minneapolis where we'll spend most of tomorrow. But you don't want to hear about tomorrow- you want to know about how the last two days have gone. Right?

Day 1 (Friday)

We actually leave 44 minutes ahead of schedule. I manage to beat Cougar to the rental car place at the airport (a rare event). I had time to stop at my local Starbucks for an iced coffee to get me going considering how little sleep I had Thursday night since I was up late cleaning and packing and sleeping in my empty apartment was kind of creepy. I realized after getting my Starbucks, that I really ought to be paying homeage to Dunken Donuts one last time, so I stopped for another iced coffee at the airport.

Here I am representing the Boston traditions:

We actually leave the airport with our Silver Chevy Impala (named The Count) by 8:30 and arrive back at my old apartment long enough to fill the trunk and part of the backseat.

Here I am one last time hanging out in front of 76 Myrtle. And yes, that is an ankle brace- I sprained my ankle last week.

We leave my place at 9:22 and actually are on the Mass Pike by 9:30. We don't make it to the New York State line until around 11:40 and cross the Hudson at 12:04.

We don't stop for lunch or gas until 2:15 (we did have an earlier pit stop) and at this point have already paid $9 in tolls. We've only managaged to go 292 miles but fill up half a tank (slightly undr $44. I haven't bought gas since 2005 and I about wet myself). The New York thruway is busy and slow and full of State Troopers. We actually hit the Buffallo Toll at 5:00 and spend a good half hour waiting to pay $13.85. At this point we are making making terrible time but we're having fun singing along to the radio. At our stop just before the Pennsylvania border I get a call about a job interview south of the Emerald City for late Thursday. They know I'm driving cross country, so our hope is to make it to the West Coast in time. This call lifts our spirits and we start to make better time through PA and Ohio.

Sidenote- did you know PA, along Lake Erie has some lovely reststops right next to wineries? Had we had time and weren't trying to get to Toledo to stay the night with Cougar's dad, we might have visited one or two.

It was nice to drive through Cleaveland and see the stadium. We'll actually get to see the Indians play the Twins on Sunday afternoon. We do find cheap gas in Ohio and wind up in Toledo at 11:13, nearly 14 hours after starting.

Our total mileage for Friday: 765.5.

Day 2: Saturday

Despite our late start (at 10), we left Toledo armed and dangerous (with iced coffees and Breaking Dawn). Immediately we started listening to the audio book. I think we made it through 6 discs today. I honestly don't ever listen to audio books, partly because I don't drive and partly because I like the sound of my own voice in my head when I read and not some actor. But the book is actually pretty good.

We arrived in Indiana around 11:20 and stopped in at a DQ. We decide to ignore AAA's advice about the route thru Chicago and proceed to spend 90 minutes and $5.85 in tolls (on top of the $6.75 to leave Indiana). At this point I feel like I'm spending more money on tolls than gas. The reason for the traffic in Chicago: Lollapalooza. But I did get to drive by the White Sox Stadium which was okay (it's no Fenway or even Wrigley Field).

After we get out of Chicago, we start to make much better time and seem to fly through the state. We stopped for a super late lunch and gas at a Subway where we saw two real cowboys (complete with gun holsters and hats) along with slot machines. We don't bother stopping again until Wisconsin when we spot a giant sign for cheese.

If you know Cougar or if you know me, you know we never say no to cheese. Of course we had to stop.

Here is Cougar and her cheesehead outside of the Cheese Chalet

And me (I'm actually pointing to where we are on the map)

And the shots of the cheese place (every kind of cheese imaginable: blueberry chedder, garlic cheddar, bacon cheddar...)

I guess the best story of the day was when we were getting gas and eating lunch in IL. and it occured to me that we were in a different time zone. We were thrilled to have an "extra" hour, though now I am beginning to feel the effects of another 12+ hours in the car. But I've been a great co-pilot: no naps! This is a first! Of course the oceans of diet coke and iced coffees I've consumed may have helped a bit.

Night!

xoxxo
sunshine

Day 2 post 1

2008-08-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

I know it's is technically day 2 and there is no day 1 post. We've stopped at a Borders in Toledo to pick up our Breaking Dawn book on CD to listen to for the next 12 hours to Bloomington, MN.

Will give updates from yesterday's 14 hour drive and today's epic adventure later tonight.

Don't worry- we're still alive and still friends. And having a blast.

Photos to follow late tonight. I promise.

We are off. Can't wait to find oout who Bella picks. Team Jacob all the way!!!!

xoxoxox

Sunshine and Cougar.