2007.12.28. Pacific Northwest Ballet performs Nutcracker at McCaw Hall. Wonderful stage design, and quite nice costumes and orchestra. An fun evening. First time for me to see Nutcracker on stage, even though it plays here every December. Surprised to see the house being quite full, .

2007.12.24. St. James Cathedral's Vigil of the Mass at Midnight. Arrived at 11pm for the carol service. All seats were taken. Stood for an hour. Left at midnight after the midnight mass started. Beautiful singing (better than yesterday's musical).

2007.12.23. Jesus Christ Superstar at Paramount Theatre. A rock musical by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber about the last week of Jesus' life. All conventional. Nothing interesting. Single stage. Loud sound. Title role was played by Ted Neeley, whose voice is close to broken.

2007.12.21. Seattle Men's Chorus's "Home For The Holidays" concert at Benaroya Hall. Fabulous. 200 voices, interestingly arranged into 3 parts, especially the Jumble Bell which is Jingle Bell disguised in a dozen ways (lyric and arrangement by Barnes). Funny verses in in Americana Carols and Teddy Bears' Holiday. Small comical ensembles interleaves with the whole chorus. Remember and Light a Candle was sung in such a grace. There was even a "reproduction" of the painting American Gothic. The entire concert was sign language interpreted. One verse of Silent Night was performed with no sound. The encore piece was most energetic, no instrument, but with some dance movements.
Black outfit with hidden decorations, red AIDS ribbon in the suit pin-hole.
One on piano, one drum, one percussion, one guitar, sometimes one clarinet. One guest saw player, who also played a tiny toy-harpsichord. Sign language interpreted.
Overall, beautiful and highly enjoyable.

2007.12.16. Mount Zion Mass Choir at Benaroya Hall. Over 60 voices. A couple of outstanding soloist. One on drum, one a guitar, one on other percussion, two on keyboards. After intermission, the UW Gospel Choir joined (close to 100 kids with less than 10 black). All under the direction of Phyllis Byrdwell and her keyboard. Male voices in the middle. No complicated arrangement.
I originally thought that this was a children's choir from Israel. Well, still it was fun. The audience was enthusiastic.

2007.12.10. Moor's 100 year birthday

Open house celebration of Moore Theatre's 100 year's birthday. Presented by Seattle Theater Group. Short performances on stage started at 5pm. In the balcony, this man has attracted many kids (alike). Hors-d'oeuvre in the lobby, Starbucks' coffee and hot chocolate at the door. Short guided tours (lasted maybe 5 minutes) every half an hour. Historic photos and ticket stubs lined walls of balcony level, one of which advertised the new hotel offering rooms without bath for $1.25, and rooms with bath for $1.5. Opening on December 28, 1907, The Moore Theatre was one of the grandest theatres at the time. The historic Moore Hotel, once boasted the city’s only Olympics-sanctioned indoor swimming pool.

2007.12.8. Another Microsoft holiday party. My first time at Meydenbauer Center. Quite convenient. Only a block away from the transit center (30 min by bus from downtown Seattle). Two divisions were hosting parties then, on different floors. The one I went with didn't bother to check badges. Practically anyone can come in and gorge himself. About 500+ gourmands were present in this large exhibition hall that seats 2000. Food and desert buffet, plenty and in good quality. Free wine and beer. Gambling tables aligned the walls.

2007.11.7. A John Denver Holiday Concert at Seattle Repertory Theatre, featuring Dan Wheetman, a former member of the Denver band. 6 in all: 1 base, 1 keyboard, 3 guitars (and other strings), 1 vocalist. They all sang. A large screen showed some nice photographs of Denver or by Denver. An happy event, but nothing spectacular.

2007.12.5. Laser opera at Laser Dome. Another Bravo Club event. Quite elaborate patterns, however, some resemble screen-savers. Fun show. Sound quality has much to improve. Program:

Vagner - Das Rheingold, overture - Georg Solti conducts the Vienna Philharmonic

Rossini - The Barber of Seville, Largo al factotum - Samuel Ramey, bariton; Riccardo Chailly conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala, Milan

Puccini - Gianni Schicci, O mio babbino caro - Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano; John Pritchard conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Borodin - Price Igor, Polovtsian Dances (V) - Charles Mackerras conducts the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir

Donizetti - Lucia de Lammermoor, chi mi frena in tai momento (sextet)? - Maria Callas, soprano; Ferruccio Tagliavini, tenor; Piero Capuccilli, baritone; Bernard Ladysz, bass; Leonard del Ferro, tenor; Margreta Elkins, mezzo-soprano; Tullio Serafin conducts the Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus

Offenbach - The Tales of Hoffmann, Belle nuit, o nuit d'amour - Joan Sutherland, soprano; Huguette Tourangeau, mezzo-soprano; Richard Bonynge conducts the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

Berdi - Aida, Gloria all'Egitto, ad Iside - Placido Domingo, tenor; Aprile Millo, soprano; James Morris, bass; Samuel Ramey, baritone; Dolora Zajick, mezzo-soprano; James Levine conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

Mascagni - Cavalleria Rusticana, Intermezzo - Renata Scotto, soprano; Placido Domingo, tenor; Pablo Elvira, Baritone; James Levine conducts the National Philharmonic Orchestra

Korngold - The Dead City, Mariettas lied - Renee Fleming, soprano; Jeffrey Tate conducts the English Chamber Orchestra

Verdi - Rigoletto, Bella figlia dell'amore (quartet) - Cheryl Studer, soprano; Denyce Graves, contralto; Luciano Pavarotti, tenor; Vladamir Chernov, Baritone; James Levine conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

Tchaikovsky - The Guardsman, Pochudilis mne budto golosa - Renee Fleming, soprano; Valery Gergiev conducts the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre

Mozart - The Marriage of Figaro, Cinque.. dieci.. venti.. trenta - Cecilia Bartoli, mezzo-soprano; Bryn Terfel, baritone; Myung-Whun Chung conducts the Roma Orchestra Dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

Bizet - The Pearl Fishers, Au fond du temple sait - Marcelo Alvarez, lyric tenor; Salvatore Licitra, tenor; Daniel May conducts the City of Prague Philharmonic

Puccini - Turandot, Nessun dorma! - Luciano Pavarotti, tenor; Zubin Mehta conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra

2007.12.1. Microsoft Windows group Christmas party at Benaroya - nicely decorated for the holidays. Buffet dinner on the 1st and 2nd tier at 7pm, desert buffet at the atrium afterwards. Each person receives one ticket for alcoholic drinks. Seattle Symphony holiday concert 8-10pm.

Rossen Milanov, conductor
Joshua Roman, cello
Julian Schwarz, cello

Corelli: "Christmas" Concerto
Barber: Die natali, Choral Preludes for Christmas
Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Cellos in G minor, RV 531
Grainger: Molly on the Shore
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Greensleeves
Tchaikovsky: Selections from The Nutcracker

Food wasn't very good. The conductor was too much into acting. Gerard Schwarz's 16 year old son was better than I expected. Audience was a bit "uneducated" than usual. People walked in and out between pieces and applauded at wrong times. Some whispered during their entire time at the concert. They should have been in the atrium where a band was playing and people were dancing and socializing.
The reception for the security group at Fairmont was much better, in terms of food. Plus drink was free. It was a very small room. So, had to make small talks with people I don't (care to) know. Did return here with my host after the concert for another (and better) round of desert.
Well, working for Microsoft seems to have some merit.

2007.11.20. St. Petersburg Philharmonic.

Yuri Temirkanov, conductor
Nelson Freire, piano

Schubert: Entr'acte III from Rosamunde
Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
Prokofiev: Selections from Romeo and Juliet

Two encores.

2007.11.15. Whistle Down the Wind at The 5th Ave. Theatre. Nice melodies. Simple and efficient stage.

2007.11.10. I Feel Fine at Annex Theatre. A new collaborative performance collage by local amateurs, using found objects, dance, music, and food to knit together four New Year's Eve parties, at the end of each one person is picked to die, and each condemned plays a song before execution.
It's interesting, the stage is through a back door, up on a narrow & dilapidated staircase, lit by actor-pedaled bicycle generators. However, I don't understand what's the gist of this play, nor do I appreciate the changing of costume on stage. Most importantly, I don't think I want to sit in another audience-engaging play. At one point, one actor wearing just underpants and socks stood facing me, with one leg popped up on the armrest of the seat in front of me. I was praying all that minute while he stood there, doing whatever I didn't dare to look at.

2007.11.8. Billy Joel at Key Arena. Started with "entertainer" ended with "Piano Man". Still the same voice. Simple rhythm in today's standard. Nice arrangements and lighting. Very loud (I had my ear buds on throughout the concert).
Billy Joel mostly on piano which sat on a rotating platform. Took up guitar for a couple of songs. Talked in front of almost every piece. Referred to his songs as old shit and older shit. One electrical guitar, one base guitar, one on trumpet (and on sunglasses in the dark arena), one on drums, one on saxophone, one on electric keyboard, and one woman who took up percussion, saxophone, or microphone whenever she likes.
Most of the audience is older than me: teenagers in the 70s.

2007.11.7. Bravo Club event at Columbia Tower Club. Great performance: five young artists sang and acted Trouble in Tahiti, a 1-act opera by Bernstein. A present to his new wife, about a troubled young married couple, named after his parents.
My invitation pronounced food and performance, just as last year. But no food. After half an hour of back and forth between the Seattle Opera organizers and the club staff, 5~6 small trays were sent out. My guests and I waited by the kitchen door, and managed to snatch some bits before they were brought out. Still my promise of dinner came terribly short and we went out to eat afterwards.

2007.11.6. In to the woods at The 5th Ave Theatre. Another musical by Sondheim. Chaotic plots, involving a witch, a giant, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella and their princes. One set of stage. Good acting, so-so music. Hard to believe it won 1988's Tony Award for Best Original Score (over Phantom of the Opera).

2007.11.5. The Cook at Seattle Repertory Theatre by Eduardo Machado. One stage setting: the kitchen in a wealthy Cuban house. Three acts: New Year's Eve 1958-9 -- the owner of the house fled; 1972 -- the cook fights with her husband and a gay cousin, trying to keep the house intact as she promised to her mistress; lunch time 1997 -- the daughter of the owner visits from US, and the house has turned into a restaurant.
The main actress for the cook is wonderful. The character of the owner's daughter is harsh and cold, too much of a stereotype. This is surprising, as the author is about her generation. The program notes lists 3 lengthy pages of Cuban history outlines starting with the revolution, very helpful to ignorant audience like me.
This very evening, the playwright was giving a talk at Elliot Bay Book Company about his new memoir: Tastes Like Cuba: An Exile's Hunger for Home.

2007.11.1. SAM

2007.11.1. First Thursday. Free admission to Seattle Art Museum. Currently a special exhibition titled "Japan Envisions the West": 16th–19th Century Japanese Art from Kobe City Museum, is $3/2 for the day. It explores how the Japanese saw Westerners and how Japanese artists responded to and interpreted Western art and culture. So quite a few Dutch works, as for the longest time, only Chinese and Dutch were allowed to trade, and only in Nagasaki. Total 140 pieces. Part is displayed in November, and part in December. Not a whole lot interesting. Quite some objects were crude exports that Dutch merchants foresaw that would sell well in the west.

2007.10.31. The Women at ACT. Highly enjoyable. Fabulous costumes, witty dialogs. A group of women surrounding the event of a wife discovered that her faithful husband was cheating on her.

2007.10.28. Bandera Mountain. Dead beargrasses, withered leaves. Not much color on the once beautiful slope. However, a good workout, and a pleasant drive, now that the trees are quite colorful all along the way. Mt Rainier was wearing a cloudy hat all day long. Good weather, maybe the last before next May.
On the way back, stop by North Bend's Twede Cafe (named after its new owner), heavily featured in the TV series Twin Peaks. Tried their "famous" pie (was ok). Next stop was Snoqualmie Falls. Still a lot of water and people.

2007.10.26. Iphigenia in Tauris, by Gluck, in French. Seattle Opera's first time co-production with Metropolitan Opera. First opera I saw that there're acting and dancing before the music starts. Also one of the shortest (less than 2 hours). Good voices, nice chorus. I like one dual the most: "death is even a bliss if the tomb unites us" by Orestes and Pylades.
Simple plot but very bloody: the father sacrificed the daughter in order to proceed in the war, the mother murders the father, the son avenges the father by killing the mother. Now the daughter (which was saved by the goddess who requested the sacrifice) is about the sacrifice her brother.
Only one set of stage, but cut into three parts. Even though all three parts are nicely done, but each looks much smaller than it should be. Diana looks more like a motorcycle sci-fi gangster than a Greek goddess.
The pre-performance lecture is by this new education associate. He's a bit dull.

2007.10.25. REI. Slide presentation by ski mountaineer Chris Davenport, who skied all the 54 summit over 14000ft in Colorado in one year. He skied down Denali a couple of times this past spring, after completing the project. Most of his venture was completed with a group of friends, some have made to the top of Everest. His next quests will be the Alps (Matterhorn, Eiger's northern face), and Alpamayo in Peru. During the Q&A, he talked about gears and trip planning. Great photographs and maps, scary terrains. However, he needs to read more, in order to make his discourse less redundant.

2007.10.13. Artist Point at Mt Baker. Road was already closed at the ski area. The parking lot at the end of 542 was 90% covered in snow. Weather has been perfect. Color was awesome. Even though it was a late start (arrived at the lake after 4:30), still managed to catch the sunset at the end of the road. All tranquility, with no other people around. An easy walk. A little slippery at times.
On the way up, did encounter about a dozen people walking down carrying skis. Most people and all cameras and tripods stayed at the lake, waiting for the sunset.

2007.10.12. Seattle Symphony.

Mozart: The Magic Flute Overture
Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622
Mozart & Süssmayr: Requiem
Carolyn Kuan, conductor

Jon Manasse, clarinet
Harolyn Blackwell, soprano
Sally Burgess, mezzo-soprano
Karl Dent, tenor
Clayton Brainerd, bass-baritone
Seattle Symphony Chorale

The 2nd movement of the Clarinet Concerto was incredibly tender and sweet. I am thinking of using it for my funeral!

2007.10.3. REI presents Pasquale Scaturro, who gave a 1.5hr personal slide show of his river rafting expeditions around the world: the Colorado through the Grand Canyon, the Bio Bio in Chile, the Zambezi, Omo, Tekeze, and Blue Nile in Ethiopia. The stories of the armed militias, untainted tribal peoples, hippos and crocodiles are fascinating.

2007.9.30. Manhattan Transfer at Jazz Alley. 4 singers, 1 on piano (also the artistic director), 1 electrical guitar, 1 base, 1 drums. Fabulous arrangement of the voices.
The venue is too small for this vocal group. Too loud with all the speakers turned up. Seating along the railing of the 2nd floor turns out to be the best. 9:30pm show also turns out to be better: less people eating, so less interference from them and the servers.

2007.9.29. Seattle Symphony.

Bright Sheng: Tibetan Love Songs
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4

I arrived late. Luckily they started with National Anthem (why?), so I didn't miss anything on the program.
The Tibetan songs are very loud. Large presence of wind instrument. I don't like it, but I appreciate Gerard Schwarz's willingness of staging new composition. At least it's short.
Cecile Licad is wonderful: tremendous power yet delicate at places. I almost forgot how I love this piece.
Tchaikovsky composed 4th symphony after a brief and disastrous marriage. However it sounds more upbeat to me than his own description (in a letter to Nadezhda von Meck, copied from the program notes):

The introduction is the germ of the entire symphony. This is Fate, which prevents our hopes of happiness from being realized, which ... hangs over us like the Sword of Damocles, a constant, relentless spiritual torment. It is invincible, inescapable. There is no recourse but submission to suffering... Would it not be better to turn from reality and lull oneself with dreams? Little by little, dreams capture the soul. Despair and sadness vanish. There is happiness! But no, it is only a dream, which Fate dispels once more. So life swings constantly between cruel reality and ephemeral dreams of happiness.
The second movement expresses another aspect of suffering. It is the melancholy of evening, ... [when] memories flood the mind... How bitter yet sweet it is to sink into the past.
The third movement expresses nothing to definite. Rather, it is a succession of capricious arabesques that pass through the mind when one has had a little wine and feels the first glow of intoxication.
Fourth movement: If there is no joy within you, turn to others. Go to the people. They know how to lose themselves in revelry and pleasure... But no sooner do you abandon yourself to merriment than Fate reappears, reminding you of your suffering. The others pay no attention to your sorrow... They still enjoy simple, primitive pleasures; join them, and life will yet be bearable.

2007.9.23. Rachel Lake. 8 miles RT / 1900 ft gain. Took us 3 hrs up and 2 hrs down. Pretty slow for this. Only the 3rd quarter is a bit steep. Huckleberry leaves are turning red. Some minor creek crossing. Small waterfalls due to the season. Saw one cute woodpecker with a red highlight in his hair, many mushrooms (either wormy or poisonous). Very pleasant lake. Windy and chilly. Next to the lake provides a good view of the valley. More trails from here, lead to Rampart Lakes (snowed last night!), Lila Lake, or Alta Mountain.
Direction: I-90 exit 62, 4 miles to Kachess Lake Campground, then left 4 miles to a junction, then left 0.2 miles.
Another good link.

2007.9.20. Seattle Symphony and Vocalpoint! Seattle (a high school branch of Northwest Choirs) performs Sci-Fi movie favorites (Star Wars, Superman, E.T., Star Trek, Once upon a time)

Jack Everly, conductor
George Takei, narrator
Kristen Plumley, soprano
Mike Eldred, tenor

The soprano has a true opera voice, the tenor's is more for musical, Captain Sulu's is magnetic. The conductor wears white costume, black bow tie and black trousers, a bit too rush. He speaks before each piece. His baton turns to a green little laser stick at the end. Strong green laser beams synchronize with some numbers, but rather silly. Entertaining, nonetheless.

2007.9.18. Lone Star Love at The 5th Ave Theatre. Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor, set in Texas. Good music and dance, costume and stage design. Messy story. Some of the chorus pieces were fabulous, for example, the very first song: "cattlemen of Texas". Great violin playing, for example, the solo song by the doctor "the fatal dose".

2007.9.17. Twelfe Night at Seattle Repertory Theatre. Excellent acting and costumes. Simple yet well designed stage (didn't change during intermission). Clear articulation, witty and rhymed verses. S Very funny, even though I could only understand half of what's been voiced. Well, maybe some day I'll read Shakespeare.

2007.9.15. Keith Urban in his world tour, promoting his latest album Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing. Key Arena 8pm. Two young girls sang the first 30 minutes, then a 30 min pause. Urban showed up at 9:05, with his ugly consort (4 other guitars + 1 drum). A local group Cascade Drum Corp was featured. A large screen was put up with sophisticated lighting switches and camera & projectors, so you can see the singer's sweat.
The songs are fine, especially the one he sang alone on a piano (at least the volume was manageable). I had my Ipod ear buds in through out the concert, and it was still too loud. The accompaniments were rhythmical, repetitive, yet not too boring. The crowd was in love with the guy, they can sing every single song, and kept standing for most of the time. While I had never heard of his name until this day. I still don't know why I went. Maybe because I was told that he was married to Nicole Kidman, who, in my opinion, the embodiment of western beauty. Some teenage girl at the door sold me a $60 ticket for $20.

2007.9.14. Tony Bennett at Paramount Theatre (8pm - 9:20). A sold-out event, but were able to buy tickets from the box office, when some reserved seats were released. (Had to line up at the ticket office 90 minutes before the show. But worth it: good seats!)
Tony sang one song without microphone. His gang includes a keyboard, a base, a guitar, and drums. The guy at keyboard is incredible.

2007.9.9. Celebrated my first climb at Herb Farm. An delightful experience, but not plentiful. Menu changes twice a month. Extensive wine list. Crowded tables with 5 wine glasses and a water cup for each guest, and most guests have to share the table with others. Even though this is a 9 course meal paired with 5-6 courses of wine (possible to order other selective pairings), I ended the evening with my neighbor's desert. Slow but reasonably attentive service. Arrived at the restaurant at 4pm, left at 9:20, content and sleepy.
Before dining, Angela lead a brief yet wonderful tour of the kitchen garden, handing out a few herbs / flowers for the guest to taste (my favorite was day lily, fennel flower and cinnamon basil come the second), and visited two cute pigs.
Both chef Jerry Traunfeld and sommelier Tysan Pierce gave a quick run-over of what we would be tasting during the first course, introduced the staff and walked among the guests throughout the evening. The reservation confirmation email stated that the wine will be poured freely. That's not my experience. Only one of the wines I asked for a bit more (what everyone was given was very little to begin with), but I didn't get any.

1st course: Behold the Tomato
Sungold tomato and goat chease tart
Albacore tuna on fried green tomato
Herbed tomato and melon cocktail
2002 Argyle Oregon Brut
(The tart and tuna were wonderful. I had half of a pineapple basil leaf in the wine: one of the three to choose from.)

2nd: Essence of Corn Soup
with Grilled Matsutake, purslane, and tiny ears of corns
2006 Nefarious Cellars Rieslings, Stones Throw Vineyard
(The soup was exceptional, just too little: maybe just one table spoon. Mushroom was a bit too salty.)

3rd: Lummi Island Reef Net Salmon
Gently roasted in a squash blossom with fine herbes sauce
2003 McCrea Cellars Roussanne, Red Mountain
2002 Seven Hills Windery Viognier, Columbia Valley

4th: King Boletes & Chanterelles
with Hebed Gnuddi, red pepper sauce, and globe basil
2004 L'herbe Sauvage Pinot Noir, Etzel Grapes of Wrath Cuvee or
1994 Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir.
(They wouldn't pour me more wine!)

5th: Lavender-Crusted Muscovy Duck
3 colors of beets, onion pudding, fillet beans, Huckleberry sauce.
2002 Buty Winery Rediviva of The Stone.
(The best course of the evening. Both magret and confit were delicious.)

6th: Estrella Creamery Farmstead Cheese
with Apple-sage Strudel.
(Strudel was better than the cheese.)

7th: Watermelon and Blueberries
with Cinnamon Basil Ice.
(The sorbet was fabulous. Just too little: smaller than my thumbnail.)

8th: Stone Fruits and Herbs
Balckberry-rose Geranium Ice Cream Cone;
Plum, Lavender, and Walnut Tart;
Caramelized Pear, and Almond Cake;
with Anise Hyssop Ice Cream.
(The tart was the best.)

Last course: coffee, or tea and Small Treats
Raspberry Gel;
Chocolate Mint Macaroon;
Vanilla Palmier;
Lemon Verbena & carrot White chocolate;
Candied Fennel Dark chocolate Truffle.
(My favorites were the raspberry and the dark chocolate. About 10 different tea to choose from. I picked something familiar: jasmine dragon pearl.)

2007.9.8. Tiger again. This time, added a 15 minute hike to West Tiger 2. Saw 4 para gliders. There's an unnerving ticking sound at the cable station.

2007.09.01-02. Climb Mt Adams

Climbing Mt Adams (12276 ft)'s southern (non-technical) route: trail 183. My first (maybe only) time ever attempt to climb a real mountain. Accommodating weather, incredible view (Mt Rainier appeared to be lower!), fabulous sunsets, dry trails, extremely windy slopes, and seemingly endless steps. I'm still digesting the fact that I have made it, and a sense that as long as I try hard, and not give up, I can do anything I want.

Day 1: Depart from Seattle at 8:30am. Took 84 in Oregon and crossed Columbia River over the toll bridge (c75) Hood River <-> White Salmon. Arrived at Trout Lake around 1pm. Lunch next to the White Salmon River (a raft launch spot). Registered at the ranger station ($15), and picked up the plastic "Human Waste Pack-out System". Drove to Cold Creek Campground: the trail head (5600 ft). Started walking shortly after 3pm. Trees soon gave away to dust and rubbles. Reached Lunch Counter (9000 ft) around 5:30. Picked a camping spot 20 min higher up, with view of Mt Hood and Mt Jefferson to the south, and a clear view of tomorrow's destination. Melt snow to cook dinner. Temperature dropped fast, I huddled into my down sleeping bag without cleaning my pot. However desolate and windy, few grass actually made their home here. Sunset (~8pm) and the night sky took on a different splendor.

Day 2: The sun rose ~6:30am, casting Mt Adams' shadow over St. Helens. ~7:15, armed with plastic boots, crampons and ice axe, the real climb started. Two ice fields, one terrible rocky slope with loose stones, and countless little pauses later, stopped for lunch ~11:40am behind a pile of rocks, watching clouds zooming by. Quite a number of climbers wore no crampons, nonetheless they marched past me like rockets. I even saw one guy in shorts! Half an hour later, I was on all fours, trying to scale the last steep slope towards Piker's Peak (11600 ft). Once here, when the true summit came into view, I began to entertain the idea that I might be able to reach the goal. A small dip and the final yet gentler ascent put me on the summit ~1:15pm. Boy, what a feeling, and what a hut! I signed in the log book in a lead box next to the ruined hut. Now, picture time!
Coming down was no easy matter. Sliding at places, which was fun, but got my butt all wet. Again, seemingly endless trek. When I spotted the tent, my heart almost sang. 3 hrs later, had some hot soup, washed up a bit. I couldn't keep my eyes open to wait for the sunset.

Day 3: Up early, packed everything and started descent ~7:30am. 2.5 hr later, back to the car. ~3pm home, and laundry! It's a long way.

2007.8.25. Company picnic at Country Village at Bothell. Didn't know this place exists until this day. Lots of boutique shops including a glass blowing studio. Activities including water balloon toss, sack race, tug of war and hopping horse race. Both kids and adults participated. Was fun watching. Missed the pie eating contest (when I was struggling with broken colored glass, along with some kids). Took home two pots of flowers and some food.

2007.8.26. Cloudy, a bit rain. Heather Lake. Pretty as always. Test of my newly acquired mountaineering boots. Was too hard to walk in these. Lots of mushrooms (probably not edible).

2007.8.23. Guest to a reception at South Lake Union Discovery Center organized by Wolfgang Club and Arts Fund. The discovery center is just a showcase of model homes of those condos being built in the area. Sales men on-site. Good food (shrimp avocado salad, mango artichoke salad, sweet potato salad with curry, rice and beans, meatballs, chicken). Much better than Bravo Club. Maybe I'll join this one instead next year.

2007.8.17. Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner at Seattle Opera. Good stage design, voice, and costume (modern). Great chorus. Asher Fisch conducts (an Israeli), Greer Grimsley as the Dutchman, Jane Eaglen as Senta. Even though her voice is outstanding, her presence on stage suffers from her largeness. 1st act was too sombre, both in color and music. Pre-performance lecture was fun and informative.

2007.8.12. Grand Park of Mt. Rainier

2007.8.12. Mt Rainier. Berkeley Park (3 miles from Sunrise) & Grand Park (3 miles from Berkeley Park campground). Mostly flat. Abundant flowers and marmot. Frozen Lake was still a quarter frozen. A week or two too late for flowers in the Grand Park, but grand it is. Even though it was drizzling by the time we reach there, and no view of Rainier for the whole day, the massive expanse of this meadow is so enticing that I immediately started planning my next visit. Flowers along the road and at Berkeley Park were at their last glory. Fog made the hills and lake prettier and moody. Here is a review of the trail.

2007.8.9. Seattle Opera General Director Speight Jenkins discussed The Flying Dutchman at the rehearsal studio. Food and wine provided by Costco. A Bravo Club event. Lecture (6:30 - 7:20) was informative, followed by an Q&A session (these people know a lot about opera).

2007.8.4-5. Annual Fireworks Competition

2007.8.4. Finale of the annual fireworks competition at English Bay, Vancouver. Canada is the winner this year, accompanied by music from "Star War" and "Unforgettable". Even though I was exhausted due to my move (half of my junk is still in boxes), the show is worth the traveling.

2006.8.5. Grand finale fireworks at English Bay Vancouver. Last show this year, Mexico, and they win. I still like the show by China last Saturday better.

2007.8.2. Took a break from work, our group went to Seward Park to see Blue Angels' practice. Not many people, one big heron and some ducks.

2007.7.28 Johnson Ridge

2007.7.28. Johnson Ridge. Originally planned to go to Blanca, but the trail head was not accessible due to the wind storm last winter. Suggested by the ranger in Skykomish. Started hiking at 4pm! Ended at the Sunrise Mt (5,056 ft), where a small clearing offers a better view, and more mosquitoes. Mount Fernow and maybe Captain Point to the south, Glacier Peak and some interesting peaks to the north. Otherwise, except for the beginning of the trail (see the top image), no view to speak of: obstructed by the trees. Sunscreen is not useful, at least not till this point.
This is only half of the trail. Too bad, had to turn back due to the late start. The last mile of the trail (close to Scorpion Mt) should provide flowering meadows at this time of the year. Back to the car at 7pm.

2007.7.21. Trail's Fest at Rattlesnake Lake 3 miles south of I-90 exit 32. First time I went to this event, don't know why. Went to a talk about Olympics Peninsular shortly after 10am. The sun broke out during lunch break at Rattlesnake Ledge. Lots of booths of environmental organizations, outdoor groups and equipment / food maker. Saw two "wheel chairs" used on trails: one wheel, reclining, hauled by one person in the front, and one pushing in the back. Looks very comfy for the one who sits in there. One the way back, the rain started dropping. Perfect timing.

2007.7.18. Bravo Club's kickoff party for the 2007/08 Season at Olympic Sculpture Park, PACCAR Pavilion. Selected arias by a tenor, baritone and a mezzo soprano from Seattle Opera's Young Artists program, catered hors d’oeuvres, a DJ and dancing. I mostly went for the food: salmon and chicken on skewers. Fine but not plenty. The performance was identical to the previous days' season preview at Town Hall for general public.

2007.7.14-15. High Camp at Mt Adams

2007.7.14-15. Mt Adams wilderness. Gorgeous views. Few people. Aggressive mosquitoes. Flowers are out! Sandy (dusty) trails.
Direction: From Randle, take FR 23 (largely paved) -> FR 2329. About 3.5 - 4 hours from Seattle.
Day 1.
Lunch at Takhlakh Lake (4600 ft). Pretty. I got about 20 mosquito bites in less than 5 minutes. 4 miles further, Killen Creek trail (#113, 3.1 miles, 6100 ft.), which ends at PCT.
Heading further up along High Camp trail (#10, 1 miles, 6900 ft) to set up the tent in the high alpine meadow. Lots of dwarf lupines with silvery leaves, phlox covering a few slope. I wanted to touch the glacier before calling it a day, which seemed so close. Well, that's another hour, if not more (~ 8000 ft) of rock scrambling and ice trekking. Tied and COLD, but worthwhile. Saw some interesting miniature rock plants (e.g. mountain sorrell, pussypaws, and the very fluffy pale mountain dandelion). Peeked into a couple of deep blue crevasses. Expansive views 360 degrees. Majestic South Cascade mountain range extends to the horizon. Down below is vast green forest shrouded in the sunset. Awe inspiring.
It was already past 8pm back at camp site. A streak of orange cloud broke through many dark menacing ones. Mt St. Helens almost seemed to be lit within, as one little bright cloud lingered there.
Day 2.
Woke up to see some cougar prints next to a creek, steps away from the camp site.
Down along High Camp trail, turned right to join PCT (#2000) for about a mile. There we encountered the sweetest of all meadows: wide, seemingly tended grass land, tarns alive with tadpoles, fields of lupines dotted with paintbrushes, two waterfalls. Idyllic if not for the mosquitoes.
Soon after, followed High Line trail (#114) for a number of ups and downs, until reached Muddy Meadows trail (#13, 4 miles). No view of Mt Adams, soon lost Mt Rainier to the woods. Many beargrass, bunchberries and mariposa lilies. Muddy Meadow at the trail head is simply grand, plus a fabulous view of Mt Adams. Picked some mushrooms here! That's 2 miles away to the car.
Start heading back to Seattle around 3:30. Terrible traffic near Tacoma.

2007.7.12. Seattle Symphony, conducted by Carolyn Kuan.

• Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major
  Joan Kwuon, violin
• Orff: Carmina burana
  Maureen McKay, soprano
  Stanford Olsen, tenor
  Lucas Meachem, baritone
  Northwest Boychoir
  Seattle Symphony Chorale

Fabulous.

2007.7.4 Bandera Mt

2007.7.4. Bandera Mountain and Mason Lake by I-90 exit 45. The slope was entirely covered with beargrass flowers. Standing close to the top of Bandera, the tip of Mt. Adams loomed into view. Bandera's north side still had two patches of snow, where I refilled my water bottle. Two half-liter bottles of water is not enough when the temperature went above 80.
After coming down the steep slope on all fours, the short trail to Mason Lake appeared to be a breeze (literally too). The lake itself is uninteresting.

2007.6.30. Strawberry & raspberry picking at Driediger Farm. Perfect weather for this. Afterwards, 18 of us strolled around the little town of Fort Langley, the first city in B.C.

2007.6.28. Mahler's Third Symphony

Gerard Schwarz, conductor
Ewa Podleś, contralto
Northwest Boychoir
Women of the Seattle Symphony Chorale

My favorite is the adagio of the last movement (stolen from Beethoven?). Sublime. Podles' voice is rich, the boys' are sweet. The stage got very crowded when the voice started, and half of the choir had to stand in the first tier boxes.

2007.6.17. Henry Art Gallery is free for 80 days in celebration of its 80th birthday (until Sept 2nd). Two main installations: UW's MFA student exhibition and General Idea Editions 1967-1995. Here, the definition of art is up to interpretation. Some are plain gross, others are interesting, but nothing can be called beauty.

2007.6.14. Chekhov's Uncle Vanya at Intiman Theatre, adapted by Craig Lucas. Sad story (thesis: life is an endurance of unhappiness), funny & sophisticated dialogs, superbly acted, simple yet smooth stage sets.

2007.6.8. Seattle Symphony.

Gerard Schwarz, conductor
Joshua Roman, cello

Krystof Maratka: Trois mouvements concertants
Enescu: Chamber Symphony
Panufnik: Autumn Music
Lutoslawski: Funeral Music
Bacewicz: Concerto for String Orchestra

The recital hall is a bit too small for the sound. Enescu's piece is rather chaotic. Only Panufnik's Autumn Music is a beautiful piece.

2007.6.7. Seattle Symphony

Gerard Schwarz, conductor
Christine Goerke, soprano
Sarah Heltzel, mezzo-soprano
Gary Lakes, tenor
Patrick Carfizzi, bass

Levente Gyöngyösi: Verküdigung
Karel Husa: Music for Prague
Leos Janácek: Glagolitic Mass

The first piece was composed in 2001 by a young compose born in 1975. Very nice piece. I didn't like the second one. Janacek's mass sounds more down to earth than holy. All the lead singers except the tenor have beautiful voices.

2007.6.5. The 5th Ave. Theatre presents West Side Story.

Music by Leonard Bernstein
Choreography by Jerome Robbins
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Energetic, lots of dancing, well matched the music.

2007.6.2. Seattle Asian Art Museum. Temporary exhibition: Of Nature and Friendship: Modern Chinese Paintings from the Khoan and Michael Sullivan Collection. An impressive collection of the 20th century Chinese painting and calligraphy, including works from Zhang Daqian (张大千), Lin Fengmian (林风眠), and Wu Zuoren (吳作人), and some very nice modern paintings.
A free day (first Saturday). A symposium about 20th century Chinese paintings was held in the auditorium. I listened to one talk by a Chinese art historian about the formation and development of Chinese art school in 1920s till 40s, and another talk by a Japanese woman about the Japanese influences to the Chinese artist in the 1930s and 40s. A few groups staged tents outside in the park, including a Korean stall making lotus lamps for kids.

2007.5.31. Seattle Symphony.

Gerard Schwarz, conductor
Sally Burgess, mezzo-soprano
Charles Robert Austin, bass-baritone
Charles Simonyi, narrator

Martinu: Double Concerto with Piano and Timpani
Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle download audio sample

Chihuly designed 6 large pieces glass work for Bartók's opera. 6 doors reveiling weapons, armors, jewels, garden, territory, and a lake of tears. Brilliant colors.

2007.5.26, Water Children by Wendy MacLeod. UW school of drama. The battle of reproductive rights from a view of an actress. Entertaining, well acted.

2007.5.11. Seattle Opera "La Boheme"

Fabulous stage and lighting design. Sweet music. New singers.

Australia trip summary (2007/4/16-5/3)

Australia:

Could be a pleasant country to live in. Peaceful, far away from everyone. Mixed cultures. No interesting food. People are humorous and very friendly. The lady at the rental car booth at Melbourne airport called me "love"!

Vast territory: from desert to reef, tropic north to ski in Victoria. Distances are dauntingly large. Had to pay $80 for extra miles once.

Unique fauna and flora. However most exotic places are either hard to reach or armed with harsh climate.

Best country to see the reefs, especially in 20 years, where everywhere else corals are killed off by bad environmental practices.

Too far to visit: 20+ hrs flight from Seattle.

No history, except for the Aboriginals. But they are pretty much in oblivion of the mainstream society.

Lessons learned:

Stuff as much as allowed into carry-on luggage.

Take only half of the clothes you think you need.

A better time to visit may be spring, for the flowers.

Part 4 of 4: 2007.4.28-5.3 southern Great Barrier Reef - highlight of the trip. Warm, high in mid-upper 20C's.

4/28. 10:30, 2hr boat ride from Gladstone marina to Heron Island (1hr ahead of mainland), a natural coral cay. First explored by the turtle soup industry in 1920s, now a resort, plus a marine life research center. Zoned in the national marine park, nothing can be collected, all garbage has to be taken out to mainland. No running water on the island. Reverse osmosis is used to desalinate water. Solar panels on every roof. friendly and knowledgeable staff. No camping allowed on the island. No vehicles. No stores except for one small souvenir boutique. Beach and coral practically right out of your door. Idyllic. All guest rooms are unlocked. Birds walk into your room.

Took a guided bird walk at 3pm. Saw a Lesser Crested Tern with a cute hairdo, a Ruddy Turnstone turning a stone, a female Lesser Frigatebird with threatening beak, lots of Eastern Reef Egrets (both white and gray), many Black Noddy who shit everywhere, a baby Wedge-tailed Shearwater (or a mutton bird) fluffy in the borrow, countless Buff Banded Rail who steal your food.
Afterwards, snorkeled in Shark Bay. Watched the beautiful sunset, saw some Stingrays and Whiprays. On the way home, met a small group of women and kids watching over a turtle hatchling struggling his way over the beach, walking along him to protect from the harm of the gulls. Was sad to see him engulfed by some fish, only a few seconds after he reached the sea.

4/29. Huge breakfast. Snorkeling at Gantry. Got many scratches on the knees because the tide was too low. Dived at 3pm. Put on a shorty wet suit to keep me warm. I was very nervous for the first half. Kept close distance to the dive master. Saw a big head Tasselled Wobbegong shark, a Whitetip Reef Shark, two huge Rays, and countless colorful fish. Ran out of air faster than my peers. Got a bit seasick waiting on the boat, but was exiting.
Snorkeled in the afternoon in Shark Bay. Float with a large school of big Sweetlips, saw a school of yellow Unicorn fish. On the way back, 5-6 rays, and many turtle hatchlings walking towards the ocean, adorable. Alas, most of them snatched by the gulls.

4/30. 9am dive. On the way out, saw a dolphin swim with her calf! On the way back, a group of about 20 rays hanging out at the harbor. Didn't see anything exiting underwater, so I erased my name from the sign-up sheet for the two subsequent dives. Walked around the island. While waiting for sunset at Shark Bay, saw a ray flying for a split of a second, some sharks and a big turtle. No hatchlings tonight.

5/1. Snorkeling in the morning at Shark Bay. Swam after a shark for a bit. Guided Reef Walk at 3pm. Saw lots of aliens. A kind of conch that sticks his two eyes out when you have him shell-side down on your palm. Three and half slimy green Sea Hares. Learned quite a bit about the countless ugly Sea Cucumbers.
Walked to Shark Bay at sunset, saw 2 turtles twice, some White-breasted Sea Eagles, Bar-shouldered Doves.

5/2. Walked to North Beach through Pisonia forest after breakfast. Bird dropping drapes everywhere. Snorkeled at Shark Bay. Saw two sharks and my favorite school of big fish. Felt cold after about an hour in the water. Dried myself under the sun and took a nap. On the way back, rescued a baby turtle.
3pm, while my diving buddy went for the 5th dive, I checked out a book titled "Reef Fish Identification Tropical Pacific". We've seen: a couple species of Butterflyfish, some kinds of Grouper, of Wrasse, of sandperch, many yellow Longfin Bannerfish, black-white Bi-color Angelfish with yellow tail, and Bluespine Unicornfish who looks like having a 3rd eye.
Waiting for sunset at Shark Bay has become my favorite moment.
Dinner has only two options: $45 or $50 (with desert or cheese). Well prepared, beautifully presented, portion is on the small side.

5/3. Check-out. Swam to Shark Bay with snorkel. Proper shower facilities for departing guests. 2pm Boat transfer back to mainland. Gladstone marina is reasonably pretty: big lawn at waterfront. Downtown is a short ride away across a bridge, but is plain and depressingly boring. Half an hour is sufficient to check out every store front. Retired to the room with 2 bottles of beer. A few dozens of green lorikees gathered up on the palm trees outside the hotel after night fell.

5/4. 6:45am flight to Brisbane. Huge airport requires a train ride to the international terminal. Took almost an hour in queue for check-in again. 12hrs later arrived at LA exhausted. Had to go through customs with all the luggage and re-check-in everything for Seattle. Nothing is lost this time.

Australia. part 3/4. North End

Australia trip, part 3 of 4: 2007.4.23-27. North End (hot and humid).

4/23. Arrive at Darwin ~2pm. Felt like an oven. Headed east on Arnhem Hwy to Mary River Park with A/C in full blast. Saw many cathedral termite mounds along the road. Overnight in the park with a couple of small geckos. Walked a bit towards the river. Trail overgrown, partly flooded. A few Rainbow Lorikeet sang from the trees on the lawn. In the evening, saw two giant spiders in the laundry room.

4/24. Witnessed two wallabies fighting while having breakfast. 9am river cruise along Mary River. Almost no other tourists. The season hadn't started yet. Just end of the Wet. The water level was still high and many roads remained closed. Only saw 3 Freshwater Crocodiles on the river bank and one salty of over 2.5m long. Saw a black bittern, a White-breasted Sea-eagle, a few of Rainbow Bee-eaters, some Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, hundreds of Flying Foxes.

Continue east to Kakadu National Park. Checked into Aurora Kakadu an hour later. 10km east, Mamukala observation deck overlooks a lovely large swamp partly filled with water lilies. Saw two Double-barred Finch, a Sulfur-crested Cockatoo.
~30+ km further east is the township of Jaribu (a better choice for accommodation location than I had picked), center of the park road system. A mile or so south on Kakadu Hwy, is Bowali Visitor Center. Was showing an interesting movie about the park. No AC. There was smoke and fire by the road close to the visitor center. Part of the fire management program the park has adopted from the old aboriginal practices.
Headed north for 43km to East Alligator area, the spot for Barramundi fishing. Didn't see any crocodile along a riverfront trail (closed due to floods).
Ubirr, 3km further north, is a wonderful area with a concentration of aboriginal rock art. A short climb to the top of a rocky outcrop leads to an inspirational view of Nardab floodplain: white cockatoos flying above, wallabies jumping about, reflection of the sunset on the swamp.
Twilight doesn't linger here. Little frogs climbed on the pavement, especially on the bridge over South Alligator River. Probably have run over hundreds of them on the way home.
Barramundi for dinner. Tasted like trout.

4/25. Awoken with 10+ Little Corellas in front of the window, trying to catch the water condensation from the tip of the air condition pipe. Two wallabies were munching on the lawn. Birding at the river crossing 2km east of hotel: a lot of Glossy Ibis, Great Egrets, Pied Herons, Radjah Shelducks, 2 Magpie Geese, a Black Bittern, a Bush Stone-curlew.
Tried fishing at the muddy shore of the South Alligator River. No luck. Even lost the hook. Tried my luck around sunset over a little creek before the bridge. A little unnamed fish caught my hook by so much surprise that I lost the reel in the process. Didn't even put any bait on. The next half an hour, nothing happened. After putting some entrails of this fish on the hook, finally caught 2 even smaller catfish. Saw many white egrets resting on top of trees. Dinner: BBQ-ed fish.

4/26. Heading out the park along Kakadu Hwy. Most of the hikes were closed due to the high water level. Stopped at Nourlangie Rock. Fascinating rock art dated to possibly 5000 years ago. Elaborate paintings of naked match-stick people, and fat gods. A short walk up a large rock formation provides a fine view of the woodlands and AnBangBang billabong. However, less interesting than Ubirr, and too hot to linger.
2nd stop: Mardugal at Yellow River area. A pleasant 2 km walk in the woodland. Saw Red-winged Parrots, and Australian King Parrots.
An hour and half later on Kakadu Hwy is the boring town Pine Creek. Here, we turn north on Stuart Hwy (a main throughfare traverses the country: 1400Km south would reach the middle: Alice Spring). A few pink head Major Mitchell's Cockatoos here.

2 hours later is Litchfield National Park. Magnetic Termite mounds is the first stop. Around a hundred of these
tall, thin, flat mounds, oriented north-south. 2nd stop: Tolmer Falls. A short walk leads to an overview platform. Camped a minute walk from Wangi Falls, which was closed for swimming due to some minute probability of crocodile presence. Had dinner with my legs soaked in the water while the sun turned the rocks and water to crimson.

4/27. Woke up with 4 bloody mosquitoes in the tent and maybe 50 bites on my limbs. On the way out of the park, dipped into the "swimming pool" at Florence Falls. Perfect spot with no one else around. Walked up to the car along a creek, felt the temperature rising with each step. Breakfast at Buley Rockhole (not nearly as nice as Florence Falls). Then, non-stop to Darwin. Totally driven about 1080Km.

Arrived at Gladstone airport with one bag missing. Needed to turn the clock half an hour ahead.