First Snowboarding of the Season

On Black Friday my friend Chris and I went on our first snowboarding trip of the season to White Pass. We called it "White Friday"! Beats shopping any day. There was a lot of fresh snow and the sun came out in the afternoon. Stoked!

Happy snowboarders!

Mt. Rainier from the ski lift.

Taking a break to enjoy the scenary.

Interesting cloud patterns in the afternoon. They may have been lenticular clouds that drifted off Mt Rainier.

Thanksgiving at the farm

We had our first family thanksgiving at the farm since Grandma and Grandpa Era passed. The farmhouse was cozy and nice. Dad has done such an awesome job remodeling it. G & G would be so proud!

My wild blackberry pie using Grandma's crust recipe.

Dinner time. The Tofurky was yummy.

Carmen got to meet her high-energy but sweet cousin Ben.

Traditional walk to the bluff overlooking the River. Watch out for cow pies!

Fall in the South Puget Sound

Fall in the South Puget Sound is very beautiful, so I'm sharing a few photos we took last fall.

Priest Point Park and Ellis Cove.

Chum salmon spawning in Mclane Creek.

Paddling on a very windy and rainy day out at Boston Harbor with our friend Matt (in red) who had just gotten a board and wanted to go out despite the weather.

Gull Harbor (south of Boston Harbor).

We get out on the Sound even on the coldest days!

Eric's Birthday (39th)

For Eric's 39th birthday we went to Portland. We stayed right downtown at the Hotel Monaco. It was a lot of fun and we got to take in some of Portland's best!

Oysters, of course, and good eats at the famous Oyster Bar.

The Hotel Monaco is more than pet friendly - they welcome your dog like she's a celebrity. See Carmen's name on the sign?

Carmen got her own bed and treat basket.

Carmen enjoying the reception with us and other hotel guests.

This is a picture of the 30+ minute continual line for Voodoo donuts. We did eventually get some donuts and ate way too many.

We went to Ground Kontrol where we played pinball and other arcade games in the wee hours. I think it was the 70's & 80's hit songs they played - it just kept you amped.

Holden Village

In early November I spent several days in Holden Village, a small Lutheran Bible Camp located in the eastern foothills of the Cascades - only accessible by a couple hour ferry ride up Lake Chelan. I was there to tour the Holden Mine Clean-up site as I'm providing technical assistance to the clean-up efforts as they relate to toxicity in the nearby Railroad Creek which is heavily contaminated by metals from the mine. The village was really sweet. I attended all the community events while I was there and even went running with a few villagers on some of the snowy mountain trails. It was a neat experience.

Self portrait at Donkey Falls

Donkey Falls

Snowy trail that we ran on.