The Great Loop

I know many of you like to travel and LOVE a good adventure!  Well, I want to introduce you to my brother and his wife, Pete and Patty, and their blog “Our Great Loop.”   They put a lot of planning into this and are on their way in their tug!  Check it out and wish them well!

Here in the mountains the snow has finally cleared on most trails, but there was still enough to ride in May.

Mae always loves a good skin up the mountain and a fast run down!  she really has some adventures herself!

More news soon, we are heading out to go to the Pug Gala…..(yes, there will be photos)

 

March, 2014…repost

I was digging around in the blog here for an Irish Soda Bread recipe that I couldn’t locate in my recipe booklet and was able to find it HERE.  I also found another  post from March 2014 that I really liked and am re-posting.  I noticed that I certainly posted a lot more back then, and the content was varied but more about being outside, running, the mountains and less about Mae!  She has taken over my life!  The other thing I like about this particular post is the terrific shot of my husband up on the ridge (taken by his friend J. Leeper).

First, Mae this week…it’s been very gloomy, but we are getting out on the hill!

Read on for a look back at March, 2014….

AS I WALK THROUGH, THIS WICKED WORLD….

I have been listening to Elvis Costello today.  Actually JUST one song.  And I have to say that there’s nothing funny about peace, love and understanding.  Yet, they can all be quite elusive. The tiny frustrations of every day life that build up, world events that are terrible and confusing , distance between you and your loved ones, both  physical and emotional, everything seems to work against us finding peace, love and understanding.   I like to think that maybe they are easier to find in the mountains.  Carving turns in deep powder under a blue sky is peace.  It’s the FLOW that Mihaly Csikzentmihaly speaks about in his book.  Running down a mountain trail through the springtime mud, jumping over puddles and laughing like a ten year old…feels like love!  To be in the mountains, seems to bring an understanding of our place in the world, seems to put everything in perspective.  If nothing else, it sure makes for some fabulous days, light in the darkness of insanity?   

 

Mountain Life, A Snow Day

You would think, living in the mountains with an average annual snowfall of over 400 inches of snow, that we would get a lot of “snow days”, stuck at home, roads closed, no place to go.  Actually, it’s fairly rare! But yesterday we had freezing rain in the forecast so I, mentally checked out, spent the day in the house doing laundry, binged watched some Nicholas Cage movies on Netflix (don’t judge me man), baked brownies, played with Mae.

Unfortunately, today is a REAL “snow day”.  The freezing rain, which came down like a sand, accumulated to about 8 inches or more, and I-90 is closed in both directions for today AND tonight.   Slides and debris have covered parts of the highway and conditions are too dangerous for crews to be out clearing. Trees are across the road and more are falling. It’s going to be a long time before they get the highway cleaned up and open!  Locals are saying it’s the worst ice storm they can remember in over 40 years of pass living.

What to do?? Well, Netflix is out right?  I mean how many bad movies can you stand?  (A lot actually).  I’m not making any more brownies, cakes or pie.  Maybe I will make an apple crisp though.  I’ve already done yoga and a weight work out….I’ve been out walking Mae twice .  I think we should venture up the mountain, do a little skinning, take a few turns.

What does Mae think?  She might have the right idea….

2017, The Universe, Yoga I Can Stand

Hello and Happy New Year!  It’s 2017!  Can you believe it?  When I was a kid I used to calculate how old I would be in THE FUTURE…Well, I don’t think I ever went past the year 2000.  And here I am, in 2017.  No hover car, no personal robot, no trips to Mars….But it’s close, right?  I have the mars curiosity rover on instagram and that just blows me away!!  Pictures of Mars, the red planet, on my phone?  Way cool!

Ok enough of my ramblings….here’s the photo of Mae you’ve all been waiting for, waiting in the snow for snowballs.

I have a couple of things to share with you….remember the Altras?  The shoe to end all mountain running shoes?  Well sadly, I ended up returning them after about 3 months.  They were perfect, great shoe, scrambling around the mountain, running , hiking.  they kept me comfy and dry through October, the wettest October on record in Seattle.  They were warm and great into November.  And then, one day, my feet were WET!  They were leaking at the seams and also had really broken down after only about 100 miles of use. No cushion, dead shoes.   I spoke to a rep at Altra and he confirmed that because they are new shoes/boots for them they didn’t really know what to expect.  The “neoshell” is not actually neoprene but a gortex like material.  Anyway, they went back….I couldn’t justify the $160 retail price (I paid $140 thru Road Runner Sports and they have an excellent return policy).  I got a really ugly pair of Asics that are doing the job well enough for half the price.

Ok, The Universe….so I don’t mean this in a Carl Sagan way, though I LOVE Mr. Sagan.  I am talking about all that Karmic stuff, you know, things working out in the end?  squaring up the score. settling accounts…. My daughter was complaining about how she didn’t get a discount on her rent after a friend said she referred her AND a manager called and told her she would get $300 off rent….a different manager told her NO.  Because the friend didn’t fill out the referall form correctly.  What??  As my daughter was telling me the story, the Boston Irish in me came out and I wanted to call said manager and tell her what a *#@! she is, but then….and this is pretty amazing for me….but then I thought “no, the UNIVERSE can handle this”.  You know why?  Because the Universe can dole out some really nasty shit!  What can I do?  Swear into the phone?  Use my wit and language to come up with some mean, but to the point, derogatory insults?  sure…But the Universe….the Universe takes care of revenge and getting even in a BIG way. I have seen this first hand .  I have seen some terrible things happen to people that have not been very nice to me.  Really awful, life changing things.  And that’s sad.  So, I am letting go of anger (yeah right, at least this month ok?) letting go of righting wrongs.  I’m not using my life energy on that pursuit.  I’m gonna just let Good ol’ buddy Universe do it’s stuff.  I will stand up for my rights, take matters into my own hands when it’s logical.  Ask me how this is going in a few months though!

Yoga.  So I have always tried to do yoga and have literally hated it!  Hated the often false, mumbo jumbo breathing crap (all that breathing!) and the little outfits and mats and the stupidly presented calm.  Plus, physically it kills me!  And I am no slump when it comes to athletics.   But….I have this friend.  He is a really awesome person, the 70 side of 60.  I met him in grad school more than 25 years ago and, well, he’s one of my favorite people on the planet.  He’s an antsy one.  Always on the move, he runs, works out with weights, swims and DOES YOGA.  So, if your friend, a friend whom you love and trust, tells you something is good?  That’s right,  You gotta check it out.  I managed to find YOGA I CAN STAND!!  Yoga, I will admit, I actually LOVE!  It’s Yoga With Adriene, and I am 10 days into the 30 day yoga challenge.  She’s real!!  She’s like “yo, dude, we are gonna DO YOGA”.  Well, maybe not quite like that, but the presentation fits me, fits what I look for in any fitness instruction, honest, straight forward, no nonsense guidance.  Fabulous personality,Yoga with Adriene works for me.  If you are thinking of adding yoga to your life, check out her youtube channel .  There are a lot of sessions to choose from and they are short and so do-able!

Happy 2017!  Hope the year is filled with all good things for you!  We will be out playing in the snow, enjoying this beautiful mountain day~ ciao!

 

October

October was a busy month!  We bought a new car.  My husband’s ’04 WRX had over 370,000 miles on it and had to be put out to pasture.  It was on it’s second engine, but everything else was worn out!  Within the next year, he will reach the point of having logged a million miles in Subarus!  LOVE them!

our new Subaru Crosstrek

I also went to Las Vegas for a weekend with my daughter to celebrate her 21st birthday.  She turned 21 back in September.  We have been through a lot together, especially over the last decade.  She is a type 1 diabetic; life is not always easy.  It’s a very challenging disease to live with 24/7.  So, we thought it was a great occasion to get a little over the top and celebrate her birthday!

We have both tired of telling this story, but….so we got tickets to see Billy Idol.  She has always been a fan since she was a kid.  No idea why….she also bought a Meet and Greet ticket!    Let’s just say that didn’t go as planned.  Some nit wit (this is the G rated version) a couple of people ahead of my daughter (who was about 6th in line out of 100) decided to try to KISS BILLY!!  That ended with him freaking out, swearing and storming off, cancelling the M&G and threatening to cancel the show!  Some people just can’t follow the rules!!  After a lot of waiting and chaos over a couple of hours, we arrived at our table.  The offending fan was eventually taken away by security.  The concert was GREAT.  Excellent venue, super staff and a great show.  It wasn’t exactly the experience she had dreamed of, but not many of us get to see a rock star freak out from five feet away!  Now that is a memory!!

October has been rainy…very rainy.  I thought I was being premature complaining about it until I read that this October has been the RAINIEST on record in the Seattle area. (about 10 inches)  We tend to get a bit more rain here in the mountains, so no wonder it’s been getting to me!!!  Every day is wet and dark.  Every day is wet and dark.  Did you hear me?  Every day is WET and DARK!!  Gotta think snow….there is some up high.  Hopefully, November will be white!

Mae and I wish you all a very happy month ahead.  Hope your days are dry and bright!

Fall Color

We’ve had some GORGEOUS fall weather up to this last weekend, then we got slammed with lots of rain.  I think we had a couple of inches on Saturday!  But precipitation is good….that rain will soon be snow!

 

And then there’s fall color of another kind….these new Asics trail shoes!

I finally found a shoe I can run in and that fits relatively well!  Is it a perfect match?  No. But it’s close.  It’s the Asics 2000-4 Trail running shoe.  I had the road version last year and liked it well enough.  When I  first put this shoe on the big thing I noticed is the lack of toe room.  I think this runs small, as did the road shoe, so I sized up half a size.  However, I have gotten used to shoes like the Altra with great space in the toe box, and while this is long enough, and wide enough, there isn’t a lot of space up and down in the toe area and the top of my toe actually rubs on the fabric!  SO annoying.  I think it will loosen up, as will the entire shoe, as it feels a bit stiff all over.  Great heel cushioning, if that’s your thing.  I think it could use more forefront cushion.  Though when I started downhill I immediately appreciated the extra cushion in the heels. Awesome tread!  Pretty much bomb proof, no slipping whatsoever.  I ran on everything from grass and forest duff to recently dug up gravel and loose dirt roads.  This however was under dry conditions.  And THAT, is one thing that hurts this pair…when the rain came and the conditions were wet (Hey it’s THE NORTHWEST),  my feet were soaked instantly! The fabric has no water resistance at all and in fact seems to soak up water like a sponge.  Not very enjoyable.  The tongue also is a bit short for me….I am one of those weirdos who hates to tie and untie shoes.  I like to get them just right and then put them on with a shoe horn?  So when you go to put these on, the tongue is rather small and doesn’t open up enough for me to slide my foot in….again, one of my strange peeves but if you get what I’m saying?  Then you have strange peeves too!

Overall, this shoe is adequate.  I gave it an 8 when I first put it on but by run’s end it had crept up to an 8.75.  They cost me $95 on Road Runner Sports.  meh.  not super thrilled as far as cost to worth for me personally but these days it seems anything under $100 is a score.

Next up….that pair of neoprene shell Altra Lone Peaks….They are sitting right here awaiting a run up the mountain.   Should I say that I wish it was a rainy day??

Tuesday Afternoon Fun

You know lately, all I want to do is wander around in the mountains with my dog.  Is that so wrong?   Here are a few shots from our Tuesday afternoon at the “lake”….

Someone pulled the plug….

 

It’s okay, there’s still MUD!

 

There’s not much of summer left.  How are you spending your final days of the season?  Heading back to school?  Sending off the kids?  Sneaking in some last vacation days?  I hope it’s all great!

What’s Happening?

Lake Days are back, and no one is happier about that than Mae!  Summer has certainly arrived with a heat wave this past weekend.  It’s been nice to go to the lake for a short game of fetch and cool off in the very cold water!

I’ve been enjoying experimenting with the “shrubs” I purchased at the farmer’s market.  I added them to beer and oh my!  that was very tasty.  Give it a try!  But my absolute favorite new summer drink is made with Bourbon, a shrub and JAM….Sweet Caroline’s Jams and Jellies had a facebook post  awhile back that I had to follow up on:

“I don’t know what to call this drink, but it’s all about the smell of the woods in the middle of summer, and the bite of stinging nettles and thorns when picking wild blackberries. 1 shot of bourbon, 1 tablespoon of marionberry lime vanilla jam, a splash of blackberry vanilla cardamom shrub, a healthy dose of woodland bitters by Portland Bitters, and a splash of soda water.”

It is delicious!!  I was able to find Portland Bitters in Whole Foods….of course it was the WF in Portland.  But they had a good variety of Portland Bitters and other brands as well.  More experimentation will be needed.  Anyway, if you can not get your hands on the shrub, you might try a berry cider in place of the shrub and soda water. (Try the blackberry cider from Atlas!)   A nice, rich berry jam will do if you can’t get Caroline’s.  But, if you live anywhere near where their products are available it is well worth the effort to pick up the jams and shrubs.  I promise you will not be disappointed!  (see more on their facebook page for details on where to find them!)

Hope your summer has gotten off to a good start!  Do you have a favorite water spot to cool off in?  A good summer drink you’d like to share?  Would love to hear about it!

Mae’s Day

Will ya look at this lucky dog?  Will ya look at this gorgeous weather?!  Today we are celebrating Mae’s first birthday.  She’s 1!  And she’s out doing her favorite thing, running around on the mountain!

 

 

 

We’ve been blessed by absolutely perfect weather this week and still have enough snow on the mountain to skin up with our split boards. It’s been great.  Mae is learning to just run ahead of us, which is terrific, because her herding instinct, trying to keep us together, doesn’t make for very good snowboarding.

I think this is a great way to spend a birthday, don’t you?

Signs of Spring

Dirty snow, broken sleds, holes opening up everyhere and soft, wet snow…these are our local signs of spring.  I’m excited that it’s March 1st!  February was rainy with two weeks straight of rain that really melted our snow pack.  But then we had some great sunny days and my husband and  I were able to get out and take a few runs together one day last week. It was gorgeous!    I can always count on him to get some great action shots.  Like this one:

 

That’s right, I’m tightening my boot!  But look at all that sunshine and nice snow!  Then there’s this one…..I’m actually SIDE SLIPPING.  Is it my first day on a snowboard?  NO.  Ha ha ha, but maybe he was looking at the view, and not at me.  In my defense (yes, I feel like I need to defend myself)  just out of view to the right was a group lesson of tiny skiers!  They were so adorable!  They make huge turns and I was trying to let them get ahead of me.  Well, that didn’t take long for most of them. Gosh they are fast!

It was a beautiful day out there.  Since then we have had more rain and are losing more snow.  There are holes like this one opening up all over the place.

But it’s all good.  We can ride around them!

Happy March!  In just a few weeks it will officially be SPRING!  Hooray for that!  I’m certainly looking forward to it.  Aren’t you??