Summer Yard Pictures

Eric took some really nice photos of our yard last summer. I wanted to post some of them (a little late than never). He worked hard on the yard and it showed.

The Kiwi vines grew a lot. Maybe we'll get some flowers/fruit in 2012.

The wildflowers that Eric planted in the large cracks of our shared driveway actually became a neighborhood hit. People would stop by and smile or take pictures. Good job Eric!

Olympia Traverse

Over the weekend, we participated in the Olympia Traverse adventure race. We had a team of four that did mountain biking, road cycling, paddling, and running legs. We also had a lot of mishaps and set-backs (broken paddle!) but had even more determination and finished strong while raising money for Friends of Mia, an organization our friend started to support families who are dealing with childhood cancer. Fortunately, we finished at Fishtale Brewing for some refreshment and recovery after the grueling 80 degree day.

Brandee looking strong at the end of her long, hot run

Our team, all smiles

Gift

This past Sunday we went for a morning paddle to Tolmie State Park. On our return, we stopped to take a photo of Brandee with the mountains in the background. While getting set for another photo, I heard a strange sound coming from the back of my board and turned to see this...

Seal pup!

He(?) spent minutes swimming around and checking us out, even trying to haul out on my board. When we decided we should leave him, he just kept following us, probably for more than a mile. Eventually, he did turn back toward an adult seal. After having already paddled with very rare common dolphins earlier this summer, this has been truly special.

Crabs?

Seemed so small when compared to Brandee's board

Crabbing

Eric's been crabbing from his stand-up board. He's mostly been catching red rock crabs with a line and net but they've been great and compared to the size of Maryland blue crabs, they've been huge! Eric learned it all from crabbing with his family on the Chesapeake Bay years ago.

The Set-up

Lions Mane Jellyfish

Sunflower Sea Star

They refuse to let go

More than 7 inches across

In the Nisqually Reach

Betsy and Colin come to Oly-town

In early July Betsy and Colin (her boyfriend) came to visit us in Olytown. They came during the one good week of summer (warm sunny days) we've had so far. Good timing! We had a lot of fun and luckily our camera got fixed just in time. We spent one day sight-seeing in Seattle (Pike Place Market, Blue C Sushi and Theo chocolate in Fremont, coffee shops, etc.). We went to Mt St. Helens, the Little Creek Casino where Eric and Betsy won in Black Jack and Roulette, and paddle boarded/kayaked to Hope Island. There was also a lot time just hangin' in some of our favorite spots in Olytown.

Testing out the underwater camera. It works!

On our way to Hope Island with Betsy and Colin in the tandem kayak.

We made it!

Looking up at the canopy. The north side of Hope Island has an amazing old growth forest.

Wildlife at Hope Island.

We enjoyed beer and snacks at Boston Harbor after our adventure to Hope Island.

Mt St Helens on a perfect day.

Colin showing his love for the Northwest in front of the mountain.

Oysters and Eric's famous fish tacos on the back deck.

More Snowboarding and Late Spring Update

Eric, Carmen, and I have been up to a lot of great stuff this spring, but unfortunately our camera stopped working so we don't have any pictures of what we've been up to. Here's a list of some stuff:

1. Eric's been working on the yard and it looks beautiful. He took out some of the front lawn and put in flower and vegetable beds. The backyard is full of color and looks like it could be featured in Sunset Magazine. Great job Eric!
2. Two weeks ago we went to the Oregon Coast for a short vacation. We spent 2 nights near Newport and went to a dog-friendly beer festival at the Rogue Brewery. We went to Cape Perpetua for amazing views, Waldport for fresh local fish and chips, and went agate hunting at several beaches. The highlight though was that we got Carmen to swim several times in a deep tidepool! We were so proud of her. We then headed north to our favorite spot at Seaside/Cannon Beach (thanks Aunt Barb and Uncle Jerry for letting stay at your condo).
3. Eric and I have had some really nice long paddles in the Puget Sound this spring. Last weekend we went 7 miles round trip from Boston Harbor north to Dickinson Point. It was exciting because we got caught in some tidal currents as the tide flooded in on our way back.
4. I haven't been bicycling much, but have taken up running. I really like running now since I read the book "Born to Run" and "Chi Running". Who knew you could run without injury. I'm up to 6 or 7 miles at a time and have even been running to work in the mornings 1 day a week. It takes only 40 minutes to run to work.
5. We are starting to plan for a much needed kitchen remodel that will happen later in the summer. Stay tuned on that one...
6. We'll get a new camera soon, so that we can start posting again.

On the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend I went snowboarding again at Crystal Mountain. Yes, 5 inches of fresh powder on May 28th. The conditions were awesome...stoked! Apparently our snowpack is twice the normal depth. Here are some snowboarding pics that my friend Mark took last weekend at Crystal Mountian:

Mark, me and our ski-instructor friend Tom. Even though Tom doesn't know how to snowboard, he's given me a lot of good pointers that have helped my snowboarding.

Stoked for fresh powder at the end of May!

Snowboarding in May?!

Yesterday I went snowboarding at Crystal Mountain with friends. They were all skiers, but let the lone boarder tag along. Yes, boarding in May! It was awesome. Stoked! Great snow and it was snowing! Getting into boarding has definitely gotten me through this cold spring.