8.2 miles

Yesterday, my friend from work, Jennifer, her dog, Sydney, and I took a "little" day-hike to Lake Ann. The season up in this area of the mountains is very short. In fact, the road was not open to the top of the Mount Baker Highway until August 10th, and by October, snow will likely begin to fall again. So, with a good forecast, we arranged to drive up there to take a hike. While the skies were a bit cloudier than we had hoped for, the trail conditions were great and the temperatures felt good for hiking. Over-packed, and somewhat mentally prepared for a long afternoon, we set out for the lake.

I had been there about 20 years ago with my family for a camping trip and remember Lake Ann as a crystal clear alpine pool with a magnificent view of Mount Shuksan. Matt and I made boats out of sticks and leaves and floated them on the stream that trickled from the lake. I cautiously played on the rocks and grass around the lake hoping I wouldn't fall in the icy water. Even though we could see the bottom, Dad insisted it was quite deep.

This time around, the lake wasn't so big as I thought as a little kid, but the clarity was still intact and I could still see the deep bottom. Had we thought to stay overnight, we would have spent a spectacular evening taking in the cloud-spotted views in every direction! Instead, we enjoyed our late lunch and fresh, quiet air.

Mount Shuksan virtually swallowed us as we looked up at it. The mountain displays a few low-hanging glaciers that were spitting out ribbons of water. I call this mountain "God's Cathedral." It is the most photographed mountain in North America and looks like the very definition of a mountain. While at the lake, a steady stream of clouds shrouded the higher pinnacles; adding a surreal feeling to it's powerful presence.

The trip to the lake was much more difficult than we had thought. About a quarter of the trail is rocky and not entirely pleasant to climb up. Neither was it particularly easy to walk down as every step has to be placed deliberately to avoid a twisted ankle. But, we were rewarded with a glimpse of the snowfields and glaciers of Mount Baker. We almost missed our view as the mountain melted into the clouds, but, rather stopped a few seconds to take in the sun rays through the clouds.

Arriving at the car, 8.2 miles later, we were pretty beat; but glad we accomplished something! I am impressed by so much: The glaciers carving out mountains and valleys, the variety of colors, shapes, and sizes of mushrooms we encountered, our ability to eat huckleberries and wild blueberries as we hiked, and the forest ecosystem life cycle thrives so brilliantly! And, of course, I found a fun hiking friend in Jennifer, too. I had a fantastic long day getting to know her better and finding out that we can both admire the outdoors together!

On our drive back down from the trail head, Shuksan showed us it's crown. The clouds cleared and we saw it's grandeur right in front of us! That view was an exceptional way to end our exhausting day!

We stopped in Maple Falls for hot chocolate and a stretch of our achy muscles before driving back to Bellingham. My sore muscles and a couple of oddly swollen, painful mosquito bites were a small price paid for the gorgeous hike and an amazing night of sleep!

10 things i will miss in a month

I like lists! Again, in no particular order, 10 things I will miss next month when I get to Antarctica:

1. Fresh, soft Washington peaches, pears, and nectarines (or an abundance of fresh fruit availability in general).

2. The plush carpet at Uncle Jerry and Aunt Faye's house.

3. Rain.

4. My cell phone, wireless internet, and free online phone calls to mom and dad.

5. Vegetated hills and mountains.

6. Christmas with any family (not even Laura will be with me this year)!

7. My car.

8. Starbucks and real milk in my mochas (as opposed to dry milk).

9. Cooking for myself.

10. Night sky.

10 things i learned this summer

Based on my friend, Emily's great (and creative) list, I have endeavored to list 10 things I've learned this summer. So, in no particular order:

1. Patience. Not something ever completely achieved, but something worth attempting to acquire.

2. Coffee. Who knew it could be so much fun?

3. People: Some are not forthcoming, thinking it will help you; others are entirely honest, thinking it will hurt you. Some take advantage, some give generously, some teach you, some learn from you, some stick close, others come and go. Everyone serves a deliberate God-given purpose on this earth and is important to me.

4. I can think of something creative to do with at least 10% of my paper trash (cards, cups, boxes, designs, magazines, unusual packing material). More often than not, I need to remember that it's trash.

5. There are certain places and people who make me feel at "home" no matter how long it's been or how far across the globe I've traveled.

6. I love being in Western Washington.

7. Where I am is exactly where God wants me to be.

8. I want to explode out of my own odd-shaped box; not conform to the even dimensions made by other people's assumptions, popular-culture, or general opinion.

9. I often try to avoid talking about Antarctica; but I often use it as a stalling tool if I screw up some one's drink at Starbucks!

10. I am usually a better talker than listener. I'd rather be a better listener than talker.

odds and ends

How does it work, that we can put a computer in a cell phone, but we can't shrink the printer down to a more reasonable 8.5"x11" petite size? I recently bought a new printer with the gift card I won for entering a photo contest a few months back (thank you for your votes). I was required to spend it before January of 2008. I did not think this would be much of an issue, as the picture online made the printer appear quite slim and space-saving. Upon picking up the box, I realized that was an incorrect assumption. The behemoth machine is roughly 5 times the size of my 17" laptop!

My barista skills have steadily improved all summer. I think it was a compliment to be sent over to a couple other stores this week to help out. They were much busier, but that makes for excellent practice! It's nice to have a touch of confidence during a rush of customers.

My Sunday was a restful day today. I went for a walk, finished some art projects, cooked two yummy meals, and learned how to crochet squares all by myself (well, mom explained it while she was here a couple weeks ago). I'm well on my way to completing a dishcloth!

My second Antarctic adventure story will begin in 24 days. I am expecting to receive my airline and ticket information this week. I've made it through my clothes and picked out the ones to bring with me for The Ice and traveling. The rest (minus the Starbucks dress code) have been buried in my boxes! I am enjoying most everything living right now; although, the mouse I saw while I journaled in the woods this afternoon was a bit much! Sometimes it's difficult to be mindful of things, like rain, that won't be around me in a month, but feeling the wet on my skin come from the sky keeps me thinking deliberately about enjoying this "lively" world for the next few weeks!

eclipsing

Sometimes at 4:25am, when I'm opening at Starbucks, my eyes and mind are eclipsed; I'm just not shining at my full capacity due to the sleep that still covers half my brain. This morning was no exception. I reluctantly took an opening, four hour shift this morning to help out a woman with a sore back. So, groggily, I made my way to work on a clear, very cool morning.

This, morning, however, more than my mind was shining at a fraction of it's brightness. Cristi, and I were walking into the store when we looked up and couldn't miss the best lunar eclipse I have ever seen. The moon was so peculiar looking that we just stood and gawked for a couple minutes at how cool it was that we were able to see it before we opened the store. This was definitely the highlight of my day!

(photo from AP, via the KOMO TV website)

running with stick

Within the first 10 meters up the arboretum hill this evening, I took two spiderwebs to the face. Now, running up this hill is not easy in itself (a mile all uphill), but after gagging on a bug and taking two webs to the cheeks, the task becomes nearly impossible. So, I picked up a stick, and I ran with it pointed to the sky about 8 inches in front of my face so that it would catch the webs. I made 3/4 of the hill and walked the rest.

I love walking through the woods like that. So many free thoughts run through my head and I feel childlike. Sometimes I feel like a business professional, sometimes like an older sister, sometimes like a barista, and sometimes like a child. It's my time to swing a stick around and hear it slice through the air, to hum a tune, dance down the road, walk like a princess, pick a flower, think, pray, or just simply smile.

When I was in Sydney, walking down the sidewalk to explore the city, I stopped a a deli to pick up a sandwich for lunch. I chatted with the folks working at this shop when the woman behind the counter said, "you just have a presence of peace about you." It was true; I was so light-hearted, confident with where I was and who I was that I found a small bit of life's pleasure; a joy of simply "being." I have that when I'm out on my runs and walks, too. I just exist as a child of God.

Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

- unknown -

a tribute to the common cow

I was thinking yesterday, while I was making my famous (to me) cheese and tomato sandwich that I eat a lot of cheese. I do love cheese quite a lot, and in my estimation, I've had at least 12 pounds of the stuff since arriving in Washington; not that I eat a terrible amount, but I usually have a few slices a day. Can you imagine that put in front of you? Twelve pounds of cheese. That is utterly terrifying.

So, this is my tribute to cows for the work they do. I can't begin to think of a life as a female cow; getting shoved in line looking at Nanny's fanny twice a day for an hour, or more, waiting to get hooked up to a pump that sucks the milk right out of her so that a typical grocery shopper will take it for granted that milk, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, hundreds of varieties of cheese products, and other unassuming milk-fortified goods are at arms length on any given food store shelf. Not only does she give up her milk, but she is a surrogate mother to future milk-production and our beef cattle industry. (Incidentally, the cow pictured is named Andrea).

So, "thank you" to the common cow.

In blackberry picking news, I had my first casualties; a few thorns to the fingers while I was pulling out a branch that was prohibiting my reach to the very best berries. Was it worth it? Absolutely; there is nothing like going where no other blackberry picker has gone this summer!

I will soon be black-berried out, though. In addition to the 12 pounds of cheese, I estimate I've eaten three pounds of free blackberries so far this summer (and that has been in the last five days). They are great fresh, over vanilla yogurt, or in the cobbler that I'm still grazing off of. Today I made blackberry pancakes for lunch.

life's fair

I went to the Northwest Washington State Fair today. I used to go as a kid and had a fabulous time seeing the animals, eating fair food, and trying to ride the rides. This time I observed more, and watched my cousin's children excitedly stray towards the bright colors and fanciful rides.

We had a nice evening watching the scenes, smelling fair food, walking around a few barns and weaving between people. I enjoyed seeing the goats, sheep, pigs, cows, and horses

It's certainly a different level of involvement now than when I was younger. Back then I was scared to walk through the animal barns in case a cow or horse bucked their legs up, or I stepped in any sort of animal-doo. Then the fair was about the rides and the social drama that transpired there. Now, I look at the rides and think I must have been very taken by the colors and novelty of such attractions, or they weren't nearly so rustic and decrepit as they looked to me today (not to say they are not still a lot of fun). I took a ride on the classic ferris wheel. I had a fantastic evening out.

blackberry bushes

The great part of blackberry season is that all sorts of berries are in various stages of ripening, so there are always some fruity morsels to pick off the vines. The unfortunate part of blackberry season are the thorny vines and when I finally spot the juiciest plumpest morsel, it is inevitably just barely out of reach!

I feel as though I am doing a service to the community in two ways by picking these tasty treats: First, blackberries are a non-native Washington plant, so by picking their fruit, I am preventing those seeds from spreading, and second, I am saving a few cars from ending up with juicy purple bird poop all over their windshields and rooftops. So, today, after running some errands, I took a small bag up the hill to the trail behind the apartment complex and found some ripe blackberries begging to be picked.

Aunt Faye made some tremendous blackberry cobbler the other day, so I thought I'd try my hand at it. Hers turned out much better, but mine was quite delightful as well; and it always feels good to indulge in something I worked to make, even if I have scratches on my legs and arms and a potential stomach ache from eating more fresh berries than I should!

saturday afternoon roadtrip

On Saturday, relatives who remained in Washington after the reunion took a trip up to Artist Point; a scenic point at the end of the Mount Baker Highway. Mom, Dad, Uncles Bob, Denny, and Aunt Marilyn (pictured in front of Mount Shuksan) drove the hour to the last parking lot and took a short hike while we enjoyed the amazing day.

This point is sandwiched between two mountains; Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan. The view of Baker came in and out between the clouds, but Shuksan was out in all it's glory the entire time we visited. This is a mountain's mountain. Actually, it is one of the most photographed peak around. With binoculars, we even saw a party of four people descending one of the mountain's glaciers.

The area we were ascended through on our drive is appropriately named Heather Meadows. The road to this area just opened last week and will be accessible until the snow starts falling again in a month, or maybe two, but the short-season wildflowers are small and beautiful. This mountain heather was in many places along our path; adding brilliant pinks to white patches of snow and the green grasses and trees. As we walked, we also took a look at a few mountain goats climbing down a ravine across from our perch. With the naked eye we would have never found these creatures, but other people had binoculars out and were more than happy to point out their discovery.

If you want to feel small, spend some time up at Artist Point. It's a good place to remember that the world is much bigger than one person. God's got amazing creative power to let his human audience view up there. We saw the towering powerful mountains, and tiny flower detailing the edges of our trail. It's also a place to remind us what we are protecting by taking care of the earth! There are still many pristine places that escape the skyscrapers, the congestion, and most of the smog.

rip roaring reunion

Last week, our extended Rip family had a reunion at a family camp south of Seattle. I always enjoy spending time with my relatives, catching up on their lives and finding out what issues of the day affect each individual and family represented. God has blessed this family with a great deal of faith and hope for the future. In fact, there were plenty of future family representatives between the ages of 0-12 at this reunion.

The memorable moments of this reunion included water skiing (or watching), rock climbing (I climbed so fast, the picture is blurry and when I got down, Caden was waiting for his turn to put the helmet on), short walks, lots of cards, and many kids. The weather was slightly disappointing for August around a dismal 65-70 degrees, but did not prevent us from doing any activities.

One of the things I will remember most is when the sun briefly broke through in the afternoon as I was reaching for a handful of juicy blackberries. I couldn't help but find some joy in the warm, juicy, tasty, sweet moment that will seem a world away in 6 weeks when I'm back on the south side of the world.

Ice update: If you've been asking, I have a more definite date of when I'll be leaving for Antarctica. My deployment date to the Cold Continent right now is on October 3 as a Passenger Services Representative. I'll be in Denver on September 26.

saturday of re-uniting

In addition to my class reunion, I also spent some additional time with my friend Jenny, and her boyfriend, Donovan for breakfast. They are from Montana and Colorado, but were in town for the weekend and I was thrilled that we worked out some details to meet on Seattle's Capitol Hill for breakfast. We ate at Coastal Kitchen for a wonderful late breakfast and lovely conversation. Jen was one of my good friends in Antarctica. We tended to talk about our fun(ny) Ice relationships together. I am glad to see that she and Donovan were having such a nice time together on this Washington trip! My breakfast was amazing: Coconut-Mango Griddle Cakes with Vanilla Butter and Caramel Sauce!

After spending some time with them, I had in mind to take the rest of the day quite leisurely until my cocktail party reunion that evening. I went to the Metropolitan Market by Seattle Center and the Space Needle to pick up a grocery lunch, wandered around the park, listened to the light notes coming from the musical fountain there.

Then I headed to Bellevue to reacquaint myself with the city I frequented during my junior and senior high school years. While I felt like I recognized the area, I lost myself in the remodeling and new buildings around the area. I wandered through the mall, and the huge art fair going on reminding myself all the while that it was ok not to rush. This was the first day I had to relax and not accomplish anything in a long time! My city exploration took me also to the newer Lincoln Center in Bellevue, they have this beautiful Chihuly Glass Chandelier hanging in the entrance. I am enchanted by Dale Chihuly's work!

I wandered some more and found myself at my favorite and my first Starbucks at NE 8th in Bellevue. I sat, read, and wrote a bit there while the world went by.

Eventually, I picked up and settle in at the park to read and people-watch before heading over to the class reunion. It was a fun day to explore and roam as I pleased!

party like it's...

I had my 10 year class of 1997 reunion last night. Despite my apprehension over seeing a select crew from 76 of us graduates from my high school, I had a great time. In fact, I didn't leave the party until 1:30am (arriving home shortly after 3am)! I'm definitely not used to be doing that sort of late-night carousing, but it was worth it to see the familiar, albeit, slightly more grown-up faces. (At left: Andrea and Nathanael).

It was a nice surprise to see the guy who almost didn't graduate as successful in the real estate industry, and to find that a few folks found spouses in our class. I also caught up with the three other people who went to college with me. I was pleasantly surprised to talk to a few people who I did not know well in high school and also disappointed that a couple of those who I did spend time with were not able to make it. (At left: Andrea A. and Jens).

True to what I've heard about 10 year reunions, it seems like many of us are still not settled and find ourselves wandering, or not quite in the place we want to spend our lives in. There were a good number of people who have moved back to Washington in the past year, or two, and a small contingency of those who have stuck around, or moved between Seattle and Portland. Some kept in close contact with each others and others, like myself, hadn't seen classmates in years! (At left: Brian, Tracy, and Mike).

The reunion turned out fun and interesting. I'm glad I went.

fruit of the trail

For quite some time now I have been picking thimble berries (what I formerly classified as salmon berries). They are a very sweet, soft berry that grow wild around this area of Northwest Washington. The last two days, I have also had the pleasure of picking wild blackberries which are beyond plentiful here; particularly in my neighborhood!

Besides nature's berries, I have been taking advantage of the trails around my apartment for my running and leisurely hikes. It is great to run up and down the hills here with nothing in my path but wispy overgrown branches, a couple of toppled tree trunks, and the occasional little-robin-redbreast. The air is much quieter and I can hear my lungs working as I chug up the forest hills. Today, I found, on my favorite track, that if I push to the top of one particularly difficult section and head around the next turn, there is a nice gentle downward straight-stretch beyond! I had a quiet sense of accomplishment when I finally reach the top of the hill. On my walk back down, I saw the white top of Mount Baker in the sun. I smiled because I'm in Washington again. I like it.

Next week, I'll be hitting the trails for some serious mountain climbing fun. I, with my dad, brother, and uncle, will be attempting to summit Mt. Hood in Oregon. It's the first mountain I'll be climbing since Mt. Pugh in high school and I'm looking forward to the challenging climb up the volcano.

missed connections

I missed a phone call this morning in my post-nap stupor after an opening 4:30am shift at work. I located my phone by the third ring, pulled it out of my bag in a rush, hit a button expecting my doctor's office to offer some information regarding my appointment yesterday. Instead, I heard a fine friendly and familiar "hello," and promptly, accidentally, hit another button that terminated the call.

Do you ever have a sinking feeling like you've missed something that could have been important? If it was you, I apologize and I'll be more diligent about picking up the next "Unavailable ID."

Something is telling me I need to slow down again. This summer is supposed to be "restful" for me and here I am, in the midst of a week of bumping into things, late arrivals, dropping, flipping, squirting, and losing all sorts of items to the floor, or my clothes! I hope it ends today!

Many of you have asked about my Antarctic update, so periodically I may add a note on the bottom of my posts: I'm working on PQ'ing (that's "physically qualifying") for the program now. Yesterday I took a trip down to visit my former physician, who was kind enough to take me back as a patient, for the medical appointment. I've got a September 25th departure date to Denver for orientation and a deployment date from New Zealand on October 3 for a position as Passenger Services Representative at McMurdo Station.

It's hard living in the "hinge" of life right now; knowing I'm here for such a short amount of time and moving on afterward. I'm enjoying life in Washington, loving my Starbucks job, and looking forward to some late summer activities with family and friends; but I also know that right around the corner, I'll be off seeking some sort of adventure again! It's a strange part of life to be a part of.

foggy morning

This morning, I woke up and read a friend's posting on the wet weather in Chicago. I was wishing we had an overcast day opened my window to find that, indeed, there was low fog over the hill next door. There is something quite cozy about being inside on such a day.

So, I started my coffee press with some Sumatra coffee and grabbed my blueberry scone. Coffee, like wine, is best paired with the right foods. I was a bit of a skeptic until I started tasting the different flavors and sampling some foods as well. Sumatra, a typically very bold, earthy coffee, becomes a little spicy after the blueberry scone. If you frequent Starbucks, or have a bit of time, ask the barista about the coffees brewing and what foods they would recommend with each. Try the coffee with a clean pallet and then see how the flavor changes. If you want to experience the difference between a coffees, ask for a sample of the coffees being brewed (usually one is bold and one is milder). That's the extent of my coffee drivel for the day.

m is for mitzels

On Saturday, I was headed down to a Mariner's game. They were playing Detroit, and my aunt and uncle invited me along with their church group of 7 others to watch the game. The picture is at game time. You'll notice we're not sitting in stadium seats! If it looks more like the parking lot of, let's say, a Dairy Queen, you might be on the right track!

On the way down (within 25 miles of Safeco Field), the van we were driving decided to give up the ghost. We petered out, safely, on an exit ramp and began making alternate plans. In the end, we never made it to the game and ended up having a couple of nice folks come down and pick us up. We spent the interim time at Mitzels restaurant (I had some Ivar's Clam Chowder; yum)!

The game turned out to be a great one and the M's won. For us, it certainly made for a somewhat adventurous evening even though we didn't get to the ballpark!.

daisy picking

In Antarctica, "daisy picking" is the task we did when we ran out of pertinent work to do for our department or found responsibility to clean up an area; picking up any non-native material to the continent wherever we saw it laying around. It's not too difficult to find since pretty much anything (wood, glass, plastic, fabric, metal, etc) but the snow, rock, and ash on the island is "non-native." Once, I discovered and recovered a 1/2 buried 3 foot fake Christmas tree (I actually had to wait until the ground thawed a bit in January before I could chip it out of the icy permafrost).

A week ago, I did some daisy picking of my own. These white flowers have been beautiful for a full week; long after my purple and white sweet peas and other petaled plants wilted. I think I'll have to enjoy some more daisy picking before I head super-south again!

working on the tan

Today was my second day outside in the beautiful Western Washington sunshine. The day was absolutely perfect for a lovely lunchtime outing at Birch Bay. So, Uncle Jerry, Aunt Faye, Jen, Aaron, and the boys all packed up coolers, toys, and towels, and headed for the beach.

Those old memories of setting foot in sinking muddy sand came back quite quickly as we walked over the flat mud at low tide. I remember being quite scared of the seaweed and what might be hiding underneath those green feathery ribbons of sea grass. I found it still a bit disconcerting to have it wrapped around my toes and ankles.

My favorite line of the day came when I told Jorren his boat was floating away. His answer over his shoulder, as he ran towards the (apparently much more exciting) rising tide and waves was, "Don't worry! You'll be able to catch it!"

After slopping through the tide flat back towards the cars, we drove into the State Park at Birch Bay and set up sandwiches and such for lunch. Though, crab may have sounded somewhat enticing, we did not catch and cook this guy.

I've had great excuses to get out and enjoy the beautiful forest and ocean the last couple days. Tomorrow, I'm back to work.

talk of ice on a warm summer's day

Who knew four people could talk about so many things "McMurdo" in one afternoon! My friend, Elizabeth, who lives in Bellingham and also spent time in Antarctica last fall called me up to tell me that our mutual friends, Ben and Krista, were in town (from Massachusetts and Wisconsin, respectfully).

Within a few minutes, I was packed and ready for a big bike ride with them down to Larabee State Park. We took our picnic lunches and chatted nearly all the way. Much information was exchanged and stories were told about our 4 months down there.

I had a fantastic time catching up with the three under beautiful skies and kind temperatures. It was wonderful to chat with them and learn about what they intend to do next in life. I'm so glad I was able to spend the afternoon out with them!

To cap off our day, we had a picnic/potluck outside. We talked and talked until I knew I really had to get home to put away some of the 1/2 completed projects I abandoned to join them on the bike ride earlier! I love being around beautiful people accented by an amazing outdoor kind of day!