Oh Canada - May 29, 2009

We were in Richmond and Steveston, B.C. "on assignment," at least Jack was. Was just tagging along for the fun of it. Although I've visited Vancouver a number of times, none recently, I'd never seen these suburban communities, both of which have been pretty well absorbed into the greater Vancouver area. Richmond, while pleasant, seems the more absorbed, while Steveston has salvaged a bit of its own identity with a lively waterfront boardwalk, lots of view restaurants and - back from the water's edge - a number of cute little shops. Jack did a cannery tour.



Here's Jack at work, checking out the fishermen selling from their boats. We also enjoyed the fisherman's memorial, the old British boatyard and the Saturday Night Market (a veritable little Hong Kong, complete with every kind of Asian food you might imagine, and then some. One of my favorite spots was the Buddhist temple in Richmond, said to be the largest in North America. It was impressive.

Here's one of my favorite images from the temple.

Crossing Washington - May 7 and 9, 2009

Between Colville and Seattle we saw a little bit of everything, weather-wise. Sherman Pass (top left), the highest mountain pass in the state, had a blizzard - not so surprisingly. Lucky we still had snow tires. Winthrop welcomed us and the wagon train pictured above with bright blue skies and sunshine. The riders had been on the road and sleeping in the outdoors for 4 nights. I believe they got rained on. We stayed at a spot on the river and soaked up some rays.






The North Cascade Pass, seen at right above Ross Lake, had been open less than a week when we crossed. It was sunny and spectacularly beautiful. There was still a lot of snow heaped at the roadside. The restrooms at the top of the pass were still buried to at least butt high. There were camper/hiker/climbers breaking camp in one of the parking lots. Hardy souls. It was a lovely drive.

Jake and Sarah - May 5 and 6

Lovitt is the name of Jake and Sarah's favorite restaurant in Colville. Located in an old farmhouse outside of town, it is the transplanted creation of a young couple who operated a restaurant of the same name in Chicago. They specialize in fresh, local ingredients and adjust the menu to accommodate same. We had an excellent meal during our May, 2009 visit. It was a highlight of our 3-day visit this spring. Jake was recovering from knee replacement surgery, but feeling pretty good. Sarah had a day free of yoga classes and the weather allowed us to enjoy seeing their valley.

I like to call this photo Jack and Jake visit with Eeyore. I was told this guy is a mule, but looks like a donkey to me.

This writing business. Pencils and what-not. Over-rated, if you ask me. Silly stuff. Nothing in it.
EEYORE
Winnie the Pooh

The place below left is the home of a friend of Jake and Sarah who is a geologist by training and a blacksmith by trade. Cool, interesting house and a wonderful "clamshell" barn made of old tires covered with plaster. The land came with heaps and heaps of tires. Hard to get rid of so they are being used in a number of clever ways: not only building materials for the barn, but also feeding troughs for the animals and edging in the garden. The day of our visit was cool, overcast. We shared a cup of tea and the Kilpatricks scored a load of well-composted manure for their garden. The men are shoveling the you-know-what in the photo to the right. I couldn't get a photo, but the field back of the place was full of wild turkeys.

Bloomsday - May 3, 2009

Springtime in Spokane and the Ketchum sisters (Carla, Judy and Julie plus Tracy and Raegan Clark) are feeling spunky. This was Sunday, May 3, 2009 --- before walking the 12 kilometer course. In fact this was before walking down to the Bloomsday starting line for our group. Peggy organized it all, documented the effort on camera and greeted us at the finish line with medals and congratulatory cards. She wanted to join us on the course. Really she did. But recent foot surgery had her on the DA list. Maybe next year? May 2, 2010. Dunno.
This year the eldest Ketchum was in relatively good shape, considering her senior status. The old lady managed to run, er jog, for a whole mile. I mean 1.6 kilometers. But the time to beat is Tracy Clark's. She managed to leave her only daughter to eat mom's dust near the finish line. Raegan wasn't expecting that burst of speed. But next year she will be forewarned and Tracy had better watch out!