Music Joke

C, E-flat and G go into a bar. The bartender says, "sorry, but we don't serve minors." So E-flat leaves, and C and G have a fifth between them. After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished and G is out flat. F comes in and tries to augment the situation, but is not sharp enough.

D comes in and heads for the bathroom saying, "Excuse me. l'll just be a second." Then A comes in, but the bartender is not convinced that this relative of C is not a minor. Then the bartender notices B-flat hiding at the end of the bar and says, "Get out! You're the seventh minor I've found in this bar tonight."

E-Flat comes back the next night in a three-piece suit with nicely shined shoes. The bartender says, "you're looking sharp tonight. Come on in, this could be a major development." Sure enough, E-flat soon takes off his suit and everything else, and is au natural.

Eventually C sobers up and realizes in horror that he's under a rest. C is brought to trial, found guilty of contributing to the diminution of a minor, and is sentenced to 10 years of D.S. without Coda at an upscale correctional facility.

Seattle Sites 10/11/09

It was a clear, crisp, fall day, a perfect day to visit the Japanese Garden, and then take on the views of the city from the Space Needle.

Iron Goat Trail 10/4/09

The Iron Goat Trail is a historic hiking trail out off Hwy 2 at milepost 58.3 (before you get to Leavenworth). If you like seeing funky old rail tunnels, and a flat trail that's more of a walk than a hike, then this hike is for you. Each historical spot is well marked with informative plaques telling the story of how the original Cascade Tunnel for the Great Northern Railway was built at the end of the 19th century. Some markers are anecdotal, such as the "Boyish Dreams" in the picture above.

We started the hike by ascending the switchbacks up to Windy Point, where we had awesome views of the Cascades. We then headed west along the upper ridge, turning around at Martin Creek and down to the trailhead on the lower part of the loop. The switchbacks were a nice little workout, and it was pretty much flat or all downhill after that. The perfect Sunday hike! (Link to map pdf)

Letters from my childhood

I came upon some letters I wrote to my grandmother when I was a kid. Turns out I was a pretty happy kid. Here's one that you might enjoy.

May 16, 1981

Dear Grandma,
I got Grandpa's present today. I wonder what it is? Earrings??? I also got your card yesterday, and Great Grandma W.'s too. Tell her thank-you for the smack of money.

For my Birthday, we're going to: Anthony's Homeport. It's the best seafood in the world! First, you get clam chowder, then you get your order, then, you HAVE to get mud pie. Wooo, it's not mud, chocolate!!!!! But anyway its good food, if you like crab. How are you? I'm perfect for being 4 days away from 9. Outside, I'm growing sweet peas. (Thats what you are, Punkin!) But the bad thing is that slugs are eating my plants. Sambo (our cat) got a mangled foot one night, (adding on-to a yukky blatter infection.); took her to the vet, 100,000,00 times. But now shes getting better. Sambo really is a nice cat. (excpencive, though) I'm teaching myself how to write Calligraphy. Somes good, some bad, some O.K.. We're trying to sell our condominium. Today we had an open house. It's not selling very good, though.
I hope you have a good month of May,
Love, Libby

P.S. Tell me what the present IS!!!!!

Toronto, ON, 9/15/09

I had the pleasure of traveling to Toronto for work recently. The city impressed me with towering buildings, streetcars, and Canadian civility. I loved it!

Spray Park Trail, MRNP, 9/12/09

We hiked the Spray Park Trail, which begins at Mowich Lake in Mount Rainier National Park, on September 12, 2009. The weather was beautiful and the trail is well-maintained and well worth the 2-hour drive from Seattle and the 17-mile dirt road to the trailhead. We ate wild blueberries and wild tomatoes at the start of the hike, enjoyed lunch at the falls, and rested in the meadow of Spray Park with amazing views of Mount Rainier. The 6.2-mile round trip distance is the perfect workout!

Cape Alava, Ozette Trail, Olympic National Park

Pat and I had a great time backpacking to Cape Alava last weekend. We weren't sure if the weather would be tolerable, but it was fine. It rained all night Saturday night, but our Mountain Hardwear tent kept us dry. We arrived at the trailhead Saturday morning, and left Monday afternoon. The slide show and video below are best viewed full-screen with your favorite music playing. I have been bitten by the backpacking bug and I can't wait to go back out into the woods!

North Cascades day trip

Last Saturday Pat and I decided to drive up to the North Cascades for the first time. We got a late start by leaving home at noon, but since our days are long this time of year, and the weather was perfect, it all worked out.

I loved being up in the mountains again. We stopped above Diablo Lake for a picture, then drove past Ross Dam over to hike the Blue Lake trail. The trail was well-groomed, easy on the feet, and took us up to an alpine lake after only 2.2 miles. I thought I was back in Colorado when I was on this trail, and I started getting nostalgic for all the great hiking I did in Rocky Mountain National Park, and all the great trails in CO. Then I realized, hey, this is Washington! I live here! And then I began to really enjoy the scenery. The trail is decorated with wild flowers, old growth hemlocks and firs, mighty rocks, and even a few patches of snow. The lake was quiet and cool, and we spotted a small school of little trout swimming in the shallow water.

Boulder River Wilderness

We hiked the Boulder River Trail on Friday, July 3. The trail is out off of Hwy 530 near Darrington, WA. The weather was perfect and we had a great time resting at the first falls on the way back. This was Buttercup's first hike!

The Music Instinct

The documentary "The Music Instinct" aired on PBS recently and I found it fascinating. Did you know that musicians' brains look different from non-musician brains? Check your listings or buy the DVD.