2008.12.29. Louvre

2008.12.29. Louvre. First time ever I had to pay admission. Avoided the line at the Pyramid, but couldn't avoid the million noisy tourists marching up and down (those who stood still were either posing for photos or flashing at Mona Lisa). Revisited some of my favorites: the 4 seasons by Arcimboldo, the opulent Apollo Gallery, the charming court yards Marly and Puget. 4 hours only covered about 1/3 of the space. But my legs were giving up.
After lunch, walked to Luxembourg Garden. Too cold to sit for long and watch kids throwing ice in front of the Senate. The lovely Medici Fountain looked quite forlorn.
My one day in Paris ended with a kir at Place St Michel, and a photo at Notre Dame (the line was too long for me to get in before my train to Florence) (€95. Can be €75 or €125 for a bunk in a 6x compartment.)
The holiday/Christmas mood was still in the air.

2008.12.28. Ballet Raymonda at Opéra Garnier.

Music: Alexandre Glazounov Choregraphy: Rudolf Noureev Set & costume design: Nicholas Georgiadis Lights: Serge Peyrat

Sumptuous set. Group dances were not as synced as I expected. One male dancer had a slip when he landed. Still, very enjoyable. Deep stage allows more action to be laid out. New York Times didn't give a very favorable review.

Opéra de Paris claims to have 62 €5 standing tickets for sale 90 minutes before curtain for any performance. In fact, they sell these as well as unclaimed reservation 45 minutes before. For this 3pm sold-out show, ~200 places were available, and not as many waiting in the line.
When the ballet finished, it was already dark. Place de Vendôme was glistening of blue lights, utterly charming. Place de Concorde was noisy and full of cars and people. Champs-Elysee was lined up with white vending stalls, festival in lieu of the usual grandeur.

2008.12.21. Color Purple

2008.12.21. The Color Purple at Paramount Theatre. Nice songs. Too much amplification in the theater. Used a lot of lights to compensate the lack of sets, quite effective. Costume is not bad, however, the jungle people in Africa look more like in South America to me. Overall, enjoyable.
Snow hits Seattle hard these days, and the theatre is half empty.

2008.12.9. Holiday Sing-Along concert with Seattle Symphony Choral at Benaroya Hall, accompanied by organ or piano. The lobby is nicely decorated. Lots of kids, some barely able to walk - quite noisy. A Kiro TV's news man talks to the audience between songs to liven up the atmosphere. Only the last piece - 3 short songs out of Handel's Messiah - is worth Seattle Symphony Choral's caliber.

2008.12.6. Erik Weihenmayer - the first blind person to climb all 7 highest peaks in each continent - gave a talk at the new Mountain Hardware store. Despite of his unprecedented achievements, he appeared to be modest and unpretentious. Quite inspirational.

2008.12.1. You can't take it with you at Seattle Repertory Theatre. Fabulous stage set, however, only one, even though there're 2 intermissions. The rich parents of the new boyfriend come for dinner one day earlier. Quite fun.

2008.11.13. New Century Theatre presents The Adding Machine by Elmer Rice at ACT. Very simple stage. All actors wear a grey clay on their faces. Two acts (no intermission), one real, one after life. Interesting ideas, but too many to be exploited in two hours.

SAF celebrates Seattle's birthday with model exhibits, food and drink. On November 13, 1851, Denny Party landed near Alki Point.

2008.11.12. 7:30pm Seattle Arts and Lecture series presents John Updike at Benaroya Hall. Interviewed by local novelist David Guterson and curator of American art at SAM Patricia Junker. Coincidentally I just went to an overview talk by Junker on the upcoming exhibition of Edward Hopper's Women at SAM. Updike's take on the 3 paintings is interesting to hear. Apparently he had quite a lot of training in painting, and kept up being an art critics. Updike didn't prepare anything. The program was barely one hour, plus about 15 minutes Q&A from the audience. Even though his answers are witty and well versed, it's still far short of an expectation that comes with a $30 admission charge (which only allows a general seating behind row R). More questions were submitted, but the organizer cut it short. Plus the books being on sale in the lobby, the whole experience left an unpleasant money making after-taste.

3:30 Seattle Art Museum annual members meeting, followed by an overview lecture of the new exhibition on Edward Hopper's Women, followed by an inadequate reception.

Another painting study after 2 years' recess. Jean-honoré Fragonard : A Young Girl Reading. I saw the original at SAM's last exhibition on impressionists this summer. 81.1 × 64.8 cm or 31 15/16 × 25½ in. Mine is a bit different, and about a quarter of this size. Took me 3 settings, plus a couple of retouch. Almost done. I'm not satisfied with the hand nor the hair. But I cut the mat yesterday, so ready to be framed.

2008.10.31. Elektra at Seattle Opera. Single act, a little over 100 minutes. Nice stage set (if a little too metallic in appearance in strong light). Big orchestra, too many sopranos. Dramatic ending. I like the music for the orchestra much better than for the voice, even though all 3 leading actresses sang beautifully. Since the performance ends before 9:30, I went to the Q&A session with Speight Jenkins, quite informative. Should go to those more often. Quite a few in the audience came in Halloween costumes, which made the theatre-going more fun.

Elektra: Janice Baird
Chrysothemis: Carolyn Betty
Klytämnestra: Luretta Bybee
Orest: Alfred Walker
Conductor: Lawrence Renes

2008.10.30. The Drowsy Chaperone at The 5th Ave Theatre. A comedy about listening to a silly musical of 1920's. Quite cleverly done. Quick stage sets. No intermission. Just shy of 2 hours. Not many catchy tunes. Still a lot of fun.

Erden Eruç presents his experience of planning and execution of the 312 day trip in sea (from California to Philippine), aided by various gadgets, and practically stayed connected. The new Guinness World Record for the longest time spent at sea for a solo rower. A couple of tips for a long journey in sea are: stay dry and keep out of salt!

2008.10.29. City of Music gathering at the Paramount Theatre. The orchestra level is void of chairs, apart from the back and side, more like a dance hall. Lots of speeches, including Greg Nickels. Some local bands, including Garfield High School, Vince Mira, New Faces. However, the acoustics is very bad. Got a bit bored and deaf. So left early for the preview of Pilchuck's annual glass auction.

2008.10.22. Henry IV at Seattle Shakespeare Company. Both part 1 and 2. Almost no stage set, apart from a couple of simple chairs and a table. 2 intermissions, almost 3.5 hrs long. Some passages are not clearly articulated. Fell asleep.

2008.10.26. Granite Mountain. Fabulous weather, color and view. Terrible wind and precarious close to the top. First mile is the Pratt Lake trail, easy. 2nd mile steeper. The 3rd mile is most enjoyable, where Mt Rainier raises its head with each step, and vibrantly colored huckleberry leaves and maples cover the entire slope. The last mile veers to the north side, muddy then icy, looking more like winter. But soon the northern peaks came into view. Lots of people and dogs. Almost no hiding spots. Highway noise!
Logistics: I-90 north of exit 47. 8 miles R/T. 1800 ft to 5629 ft.

2008.10.18-19. Enchantment Lakes. Aptly named. I'm thoroughly enchanted and almost as thoroughly exhausted. Should have stayed longer in this fairyland, if weather permitted.
The forecast of good weather and the lift of camping permit (required 6/15-10/15) drew a small hardy crowd to this strenuous yet rewarding hike. Quite a few did one-way hike and in a single day (~18 miles)! Here is a trail map of the Enchantment basin.

Day 1. Started at Snow Lake trail head at 8:45am. Lots of maples and half burnt evergreen trees on the slopes flank Icicle Creek. Quite colorful. By noon, reached Nada Lake. Fish in lake. Had lunch. Surrounding peaks become more menacing at Snow Lakes. The grassy lower lake and sandy upper lake is separated by a dam. The trail soon picks up slope and eventually becomes endless scramble towards the next cairn. At ~ mile 9, a waterfall tumbles from the sky - announcing the entrance to the Enchantment Lakes basin. At 4pm, Lake Vivian unveils the splendor of steep cliffs, blue water and golden larches. Set up tent at the southern tip of Leprechaun Lake at 4:30pm. Temperature drops quickly after 5 as the sun disappears soon after. Myriads of stars.

Day 2. Up at 7am. Watching Leprechaun Lake gradually lit up by the morning sun. Perfect reflection over newly formed ice. Headed to the upper basin shortly after 8am. One charming lake after another: Sprite, Perfection, Inspiration. Golden needles surround every rock in the stream and water edges. Strolling in this wonderland without a heavy backpack is an utmost delight. Perfection Lake is probably the largest. Its northern end, grassy and gentle, offers many camp sites, and the start of trails to Gnome Tarn and Prusik Pass.
The middle basin is open and rugged, many camp sites with great view of surrounding jagged peaks, but increasingly hard to find hiding spots. Trees give away to rocks as elevation gains. Cairns mark the trail. Lots of scramble. Tranquil Lake is mostly iced over. Colchuck (or Aasgard) Pass offers expansive views of distant mountains: Mount Baker, Twin Sisters, Eldorado Peak, and the glistening Colchuck Lake 2300 ft below, with half of the moon still hanging high.

Heading back from the pass at 11:15. Cooked lunch, packed tent around 1:40pm, reached Snow Lakes dam at 4:30pm. Colors of maples and fireweeds appeared more vibrant in dusk. Walked the last two hours in flash light. Back in car at ~8pm.

Logistics:

Snow Lake trailhead (1400 ft) -- Hwy2 west of Leavenworth, turn south on Icicle Creek Road for 4 miles. (2.3 hrs drive from Seattle). Nada Lake (4600 ft): ~5 miles, 1st camp site; the dam between the Snow Lakes (5420): ~6.5 miles; Lake Vivian (6785 ft): ~ 9 miles; Leprechaun (6875 ft): ~ 10 miles; Isolation (7700 ft): ~12 miles; Colchuck Pass (7840 ft): ~13 miles.

Colchuck/Aasgard trailhead (3400 ft) -- 8.5 miles on Icicle Creek Road, turn left on road No. 7601 for 4 miles. (2.7 hrs drive from Seattle).

2008.10.16. Seattle Repertory Theatre presents The Three Musketeers. Directed by Kyle Donnelly, playwright Ken Ludwig. Lots of sword fighting, fabulous costume. The stage is way too simple for a king's palace. Quite fun.

2008.10.12. Ingalls Lake #1930. Beautiful alpine lake set in the midst of boulders at the foot of Mt Stuart. Larch turning bright yellow around Ingalls pass.
9 miles RT, elevation gain 2600 feet. Shortly after trail head, take the right fork for Ingalls Way Trail #1930. At mile 2, take the left fork, zigzag for about 1 mile to Ingalls Pass. It stays relatively flat for awhile. Huckleberries, heathers and larch trees surrounded by rocky slopes, which seemingly coated with powder sugar. Great camping sites. Muddy and a bit slippery due to recent snow. In summer, wild flowers (especially shooting stars) are said to cover this area. After a slight descent, and then a short scramble up, reach the rocky shore of the beautiful icy Ingalls Lake.
On the way back, saw two fluffy goats on the wall on the opposite side of the valley (thanks to two fellow hikers' tip), and many deers with white butt in the farm lands along Teenaway Rd. A lot of hunters camped right by this road, one group caught a deer, hanging on a wooden frame.
Logistics: 2.5 hrs' drive from Seattle. I-90 exit 85 - Hwy 970 north. After crossing the Teanaway River, left on Teanaway Road. Veer right as it becomes the North Fork Teanaway Road. It becomes a gravel road (FR 9737) at the 29 Pines Campground. 10 miles to its end. (23 miles from Highway 970). Park at Esmeralda Basin Trail 1394.

2008.10.5. Croat Fest at Center House

2008.10.4. Gathering chanterelle. I only found 3. Terribly windy.

2008.10.5. Croatia Fest at Center House. Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra played some Mozart (Marriage of Figaro), Beethoven (symphony #1), Hayden, and a piece composed by one of their trumpeter with a Southern American favor. It also accompanied Bravo! Vancouver Chorale and Sno-King Chorale. Sno-King performed part of a cantata (sung in Croatian) written by one of the bass player in the orchestra (a very nice piece of work). I also saw some folk dance (boy, one woman can whistle) by Vela Luka Dance Ensemble and klapa singing by Dave and the Dalmatians.

2008.9.28. Snow Lake

Finally some good weather (and in weekend too!)

2008.9.27. Annual Italian Festival at Seattle Center. Grape stomping is fun. Vegan chef Christina Pirello is entertaining. The stage is well set up, a mirror hung above the table, and a side booth with a small army of slaves chopping the ingrediants and distributing the samples. Seattle Opera also performed a few Italian arias. The small photo exhibition is worth browsing through, some dated to 1903.

2008.9.28. Snow Lake. Maybe may be the first time I hike here this late in season. Still some snow licking the lake. An easily accessible beauty (6 miles R/T, I-90 exit 52). No surprise to have such a big crowd (even the overflowing lot had a dozen cars). A few maples are already red, but huckleberries bushes are still green. No berries whatsoever.

2008.9.24. ReBar presents "Tootsie", a new installment of Ian Bell's Brown Derby Series. Starring Andrew Tasakos as Dorothy Michaels (Dustin Hoffman), Nick Garrison as Julie Nichols (Jessica Lange), Brandon Whitehead as Jeff Slater (Bill Murray), Joe Randazzo as Sandy Lester (Teri Garr), Scott Shoemaker as John Van Horn (Goerge Gaynes), Jason Sharp as April Page (Gina Davis). Tasakos is very good. Garrison is too full of himself. The rest of the crew is mediocre at best. Costume is not up to my expectation. Not enough rehearsal. Still quite funny, albeit crass.

2008.9.22. Gutenberg the Musical by Strawberry Theatre Workshop at Erickson Theatre off Broadway. The only stage/costume design is about 20 hats and a couple of packing boxes. Two actors and a piano man. Quite creative. A bit silly and over done, but still fun.

2008.9.18. Swingin' with Marvin Hamlisch and Seattle Symphony. Celebrating the Jazz age. Featuring Nikki Yanofsky, a 14 year-old prodigy, and a local high school talent, Carl Majeau who soloed on clarinet, and a newly founded jazz band Four to the Floor with 4 kids from 4 different high schools, and the Jazz Ambassadors of US Army.
The girl has a fabulous voice, completely at ease in improvising, so was the 17 year-old clarinetist. What I don't like is the girl's outfit, and the blue trousers of the soldiers (an incoherent match with the dark navy blue of their jacket). Hamlisch was funny, talked in between every number. Overall, highly enjoyable.

2008.9.14. Benaroya Hall's 10th birthday celebration. Free performances by various music groups, inside and outside of the concert halls, and Seattle Art Museum also opened for free.
Arriving late, I managed to see Seattle Men's and Women's choir, and Pacific Northwest Community Orchestra playing Mahler symphony no. 1. Captain Smartypants's song that rhymes with e was a lot of fun. Gerard Schwarz conducted (as he announced to be unrehearsed) Mahler's no. 1. Each section has at least one Seattle Symphony's core members, including the concert master Maria Larionoff. All was well and grand.
Time flies. I still remember going to Benaroya Hall's very first open house!

2008.9.7. Eurydice at ACT Theatre. Directed by Allison Narver. Almost no stage design. Set in modern times, an interesting take, but the dialogue could be improved. An extra character, Eurydice's father, who died before her, and happy to be reunited with her in the underworld. Of course, being a tragedy, he died again to be rid of his memory (after Eurydice died a second time).

2008.9.4. Chamber Music America and Early Music America Ensemble Showcase 2008 by Western Arts Alliance which is having its annual conference here.

• Fry Street Quartet
Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 18, no. 6, Allegro con brio, Ludwig van Beethoven.
Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 130, Cavatina, Beethoven.
Quartet in C Minor, Op. 18, no. 4, Allegro, Beethoven.

• La Catrina String Quartet
Metro Chabacano, Javier Alvarez.
Danza, Emmanuel Arias y Luna.
Quartet no. 1, Allegro Giocoso Alla Slovacca, Erwin Schulhoff.

• Music Pacifica - Baroque Ensemble
Sonata sopra L'Aria di Ruggiero, Salamone Rossi.
Sonata in F major, after BWV 529, Allegro, J. S. Bach.
Ground after the Scotch Humour, Nicola Matteis.
Medley of Scottish Tunes: Johnnie Faa, the Gordon, My Lame Leg, Tullymet Hall, Lord Saltoun, arr. Blumenstock.

• The Tudor Choir
Tu Es Petrus, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
Ave Verum Corpus, William Byrd.
Nunc Dimittis (for double choir), Palestrina.

• Euclid Quartet
Quartet no. 4, Prestissimo con sordino, Bartok.
Chrysanthemums, Giaccomo Puccini.
Quartet in D major, Op. 18, no. 3, Presto, Beethoven.

• Borealis String Quartet
Quartet in F minor, Op. 95, Allegro con brio, Beethoven.
Quartet in D major, Op. 83, Allegretto, Dmitri Shostakovich.
Quartet in G minor, Op. 27, Un poco andante - Allegro, Edvard Grieg.

I really liked La Catrina String Quartet w/ interesting compositions, and Euclid Quartet. Mediocre wine and cookies after the performance. Town Hall downstairs isn't good for acoustics, a bit too dry and loud. They should have booked the recital hall at Benaroya. If not, then upstairs, the main hall, would be better. The audience consists of mostly musicians and agents from the conference. They also should advertise this more. A pity that not many people can enjoy this rare treat in summer.

2008.8.30-9.1 High Divide - 7 Lake Loop. 19 miles, 4000 ft gain, 4 hrs from Seattle. Close viewing opportunity of black bears, peaks, lakes, flowers, waterfalls.

Day 1: cloudy. 8:45am ferry to Bainbridge Island. Only waited 20 minutes. Arrived ~12:30 at the trail head, end of Sol Duc Hot Spring Rd, elevation 1900 ft. Flat and pave-like 0.8 mile to the junction for Sol Duck Falls. Lots of people. Keep left, along Sol Duc River. Old growth forest, mossy, cool, MUDDY. Picked some baby chanterelles for dinner. About 1 camp site per mile. Gentle slope, can hear the roar of the river all the way, but cannot see it most of the time. At mile ~5 (3000 ft), passes Appleton Pass trail. Keep right, pass the last open fire camp site, 2 broken bridges. ~1.5 miles later (4 hr after the start), reached a small flat meadow: Sol Duc Park camp sites.

Day 2: cloudy. 1 hr of steep climb, 7.5 mile from start. Heart Lake area is nicer for camping: better view and water more upstream. 1 mile later, the ridge starts, and continue for 2 miles. Also bears started popping up. This is the best stretch of the entire loop. Great view south to Mt Olympus (Blue Glacier, Ice River Glacier), north to the 7-Lake basin dotted with tarns. A short climb to Bogachiel Peak (5474 ft) is worth the effort. Soon is the junction to the Hoh River Trail, and sure can see the river. Turn right and continue for another mile of flower and blue berry laden slopes. The berries are too small for me, but not for bears. At right about here, saw a group of 40+ Roosevelt elks S.W. in the valley below. A steep descent to the right leads to Round Lake and Lunch Lake (0.9 mile). Both are lovely. After setting up the tent, back traced 2 miles to Bogachiel Peak hoping Mt Olympus would be clear. Alas, the clouds stayed, so were the elks. Didn't catch any fish :( yet quite a few mosquito bites. Woke up by the ranger at night, because she wanted to check camping permit!

Day 3: sunny! Back up the ridge, briefly saw Olympus' peak. 3.4 miles' decent on rocky trail to Deer Lake. Saw a guy caught 3 trout. Another 3 miles of monotony along Canyon Creek (not as pretty as Sol Duc River) back to Sol Duc Falls and tourists. Same 0.8 easy miles lead to the huge parking lot. Before I could release my aching feet of the boots, a young dude in an SUV stopped by and checked camping permit. Such a turnoff.

2008.08.23. Cascade Pass - Sahale Arm, my all time favorite day hike.
The trail starts at a huge parking lot (3600 ft) facing the hanging glacier of Johannesburg. Cascade pass is 3.5 miles into the hike at 5400 ft. Gentle yet steadily up slope, mostly in woods with occasional glances of Johannesburg Mt (8200 ft). As the trail approaches the pass, it emerges from the forest, several small streams and a traverse across a talus slope. Crowds gather at the pass, content with the view: absolutely breathtaking, overlooking Stehekin River valley and opens up Trapper Peak and Magic Mountain to the east.
Sahale glacier beckons. In 1 mile and 800 ft, reaches the side trail to the lovely Doubtful Lake. Incredibly green slopes, dotted w/ pink heather, lupine, partridge foot, only 1 patch of paintbrush, many low lying blue berry bushes. Pikas and Marmots abound. Continue up and up, range upon range of ice and spires to the south, finally Rainer and Glacier Peak. To the west, huge glistening glacier on El Dorado, and later Baker pops its head. Greenery now gives away to rocks. Final scramble, and 4.5 hr after the start, I reached the foot of Sahale glacier and some camp sites.
Practicalities: 3+ hr drive from Seattle (23 miles on gravel from Marblemount), 5.7 miles, 4000 ft to the toe of Sahale Glacier. More pictures.

2008.8.17. Skyline Divide at Mt Baker

2008.8.17. Skyline Divide. All the elevation gain was in the first 2 miles. Not steep, but the hot weather makes it hard. Once reach the ridge, it's time to wander and soak in a 360 degree view: to the east Baker and Shuksan are most prominent, Twin Sisters to the south, Cheam Range in Canada and mountains on Vancouver Island. Flowers are in peak, mostly white and blue, some yellow, covering some slopes. Still some small patches of snow. Otherwise, dry. A couple of rain drops menaced an upcoming foul weather, but the rain never developed.
A long drive: 2.7 hrs. Almost 13 miles on gravel, where I had an accident 2 years ago. This time, I forgot my book in the bathroom of a gas station, and had to turn back, which wasted at least 15 minutes.

2008.8.10-11. Grand Valley at Olympic National Park. Immense beauty: profusion of colors, towering peaks, countless deer, grouse, whistler and fat marmot.

8.9. Saturday afternoon, 2 hr wait at Kingston Ferry. Picked up a bear canister at the Visitor Information Center, camped at Heart O'the Hills next to the park entrance.

8.10. Grand Pass Trail: start at Obstruction Point (8 miles scenic gravel road, 6200 ft) off Hurricane Ridge. First mile along the crest of Lillian Ridge is grand, then steep decent to the floor of Grand Valley. At 3.5 mile is the junction (5000 ft) to Grand Lake. Straight 0.5 mile to Moose Lake (5100 ft), secured a perfect spot for the tent, on a little buff by the lake. Some mosquitoes.
After dropping off the load, continue 2.5 miles over flowering fields and napping marmots, then some lingering ice to Grand Pass (6300 ft) and Grand Peak (6701 ft). View from here to Cameron River Vally and beyond is outstanding, albeit the cloudy sky.
Back to the tent, time to relax: loaded the fishing rod (I accidental dropped into the lake, and had to lay my t-shirt and sweater to dry on branches) and entertained the deers by peeing (they just wait next to you impatiently).

8.11. Sunny. Return via Badger Valley Trail in 5.5 miles. Retrace 1 mile to Grand Lake (4750 ft), then descend along Grand Creek to 4000 ft in mundane forest. The trail now picks up through Badger Valley. 2 hrs after the start, a large and beautiful meadow emerges, full of white Cow Parsnip. Couldn't stop long due to the overwhelming mosquitoes. Back to another tiring up stretch (~45 min) of dull forest, finally the most amazing flower display. Elephant Head were at their final glory, but what a glory. Snow melts into waterfalls clinging to the wall, carpets of pink, blue, white and yellow for a mile long. Zigzag up to the grand ridge, and 1 hr later back to the car.
Nothing beats a sweet slice of watermelon and change of saddles, facing the snowy peaks towering the southern horizon. Back to Hurricane ridge for a short stroll, the northern view towards Strait of Juan de Fuca was a sea of cloud. But back down the mountain, all was clear and blue. Monday ferry was such a breeze. Over the blue water, Rainier, Baker and the Olympic Ridges seemed genuinely alluring.

2008.8.8. Verdi's Aida at Seattle Opera.

Aida - Ana Lucrecia García
Radames - Rosario La Spina
Amneris - Margaret Jane Wray
Amonasro - Richard Paul Fink
Conductor - Riccardo Frizza

All great voices (Amonasro is a bit weak in comparison). Chorus is fabulous. A small troupe of dancers did a good job. The trumpet for the grand march was not forceful enough. Dallas Opera's costume is elaborate, San Diego Opera's sets are efficient and elegant except for the floor, which looks like bamboo.

2008.8.2. Company picnic. Was fun. Not as many games as last year.
Vancouver "celebration of lights" fireworks. My bus arrived a little before 9:30pm. By the time I got to English Bay, it was so jam-packed, that squeezing through inflicted many verbal abuses.

2008.7.26-27. Northern Loop at Mt St Helen

2008.7.26-27. Mt St. Helen's northern loop: Goat Creek (#205) - Loowit Trail (#216) - Goat Mountain (#217) - Goat Creek trail. 2 days without a single glimpse of Mt St Helen's.

Half mile into the trail is the beautiful Cathedral Falls (also referred to as Leona Falls). You go behind the waterfalls and get sprayed upon. Water is significantly less than what's in the link. The trail follows Goat Creek, many water crossing, at the junction ~2.5 miles, keep left for #216, following a side creek. Trail goes through many washouts, dead trees, and large sections of forest devoid of undergrowth (strange). Only one segment of ridge that is pretty, with the view of (maybe) Tumwater Mountain, and patches of flowers. At ~9 miles, camp at Deadmans Lake. Lots of mosquitoes. As night falls, mist forms above the lake, eventually so thick that I cannot see the other side. Sitting next to a camp fire, listening to the frogs, has an unmeasurable appeal.

Still raining at 10am. The plan to hike up Goat Mountain is abandoned. This return half of the loop is very enjoyable. Trail was hard to find at time, as the snow remained deep in the valley. Met 2 horses at Vanson Lake. The trail now follows Goat Creek. Old growth forest, cascading falls. Also shorter: 6 miles instead of 9.

Direction: I5 exit 68, east on Hwy 12. Just before milepost 103, turn south on Kosmos Rd, immediately turn left on Champion Head Rd for ~4 miles across a big bridge where people are fishing, keep left at a fork. Now pretty bad gravel until the end. The drive itself is quite scenic.

2008.7.19. Mt Rainier. Sunrise -> Berkeley Park -> Grand Park -> Lake Eleanor. 18 miles (longest I've done in one day). Saw two bears (about 4pm at a small meadow north of Grand Park, and about 8:30pm at Berkeley Park), one elk (about 9:30 on the ridge east of Frozen Lake, less than 10 meters away from us), and 3 deers along Hwy 410 while leaving the park ! Great sunset, and lovely moon (large and orange in color).
From Sunrise, the trail rises slowly to Frozen Lake (1.5 miles), overlaps with Wonderland Trail for 0.7 miles, then descends to Berkley Park. Lush, glacier lily and avalanche lily abound. Rainier disappears behind Skyscraper Mountain (7018ft). Affi Creek drops to a small waterfalls about 1 hr after the fork with Wonderland Trail.
One hour of ups and downs in woods later, we are greeted with the grand meadow. Trail forks (about 3.5 miles after leaving Wonderland Trail), west to Windy Gap, or forward to Lake Eleanor (3.3 miles). 2 miles of non-stop meadow with Rainier in the back! The view is just grand. Carpets of yellow (common lomatium) and silver (cotton weed? pussytoe?). Some shooting star, paintbrush, lupine. Pure heaven. Maybe a bit early for the flower peak, but not many mosquitoes.
After leaving Grand Park, steep descent in snow. A muddy and lovely meadow (a bear a couple of hundred meters away) later, and more descent and ascent over confusing snow. Lake Eleanor is a typical forest lake, nothing notable.
Despite the terrible traffic at Auburn around White River Amphitheater, this is one of my most rewarding days. Saw much more than I can hope for. Even the weather was pleasant.

2008.7.12. 10am - noon: SAF's design detail tour. Trip ends in Smith Tower's Chinese Room. Quite barren, compared to a black and white photo of its old days. The wishing chair is still present, so is the ceiling. Great view.
Afternoon: Fire Festival at Pioneer Square. About 10 groups of fire fighters competed. A silly mascot contest. A few antique fire trucks. A lot of food stalls spread over to International District.

2008.7.13. Bandera Mt. Again, beargrass flowers are covering the entire slope. Summer is late this year. The ridge (where you can see Mason Lake) is still covered with a foot of snow. Check July 2007 archive for last year's glory.

2008.7.6. Waterfalls along Hwy530: Feature Show falls and Asbestos Creek falls. Not much of a hike, but pleasant enough. (photo of Asbestos Falls is courtesy of my K.O.'s fancy camera.)

2008.7.4. A Marvelous Party - The Noel Coward Celebration, at ACT. A collection of more than 34 Coward tunes along with comedic sketches, anecdotes and musings. Devised by David Ira Goldstein, Carl Danielsen, Mark Anders, Patricia Wilcox and Anna Lauris. The Coconut Girl played by Lauris is hilarious. The piano duels were entertaining.
There was a little bit of hors d'œuvre (a veggie tray and some salmon sticks) laid out before the show. A pleasant surprise. I had to leave in the middle of the 2nd act, in order to catch the fireworks at Elliot Bay. Splendid as always.

2008.6.29. Snow Lake. Lots of waterfalls and avalanche lilies. Due to the record high snow fall this past winter and spring, plus the late summer, we couldn't even see the trail for most of the way. Snow everywhere, and I fell a couple of times. Once slipped for maybe a minute, screaming all the way and got quite some scratches on my arm. A bit risky, but fun. I brought along a girl from Hawaii and she was quite scared.

2008.6.27. Seattle Men's Chorus "Comedy Tonight" concert at McCaw Hall. Guest Star Leslie Jordan. Not as funny as I hoped. Too much emphasis on Gay. 5 minutes were dedicated to honoring of this and that organizer of the group, including a reward for a retiring executive. Seattle Women's Chorus joined in for one song, prelude to their participation in some upcoming Gay Lesbian gathering in Florida. The tossing of wood model guns in a song of Selected Service was well choreographed. The sign language interpreter Kevin Gallagher gave a hilarious and maybe too explicit translation of the song Every Sperm is Sacred. The concert ended in a grand and happy finale with ABBA's Dancing Queen.

2008.6.21. Fremont's annual Solstice Parade. My first time to be a spectator, even though I knew about this for many years. Colorful paint or costumes. Two even drenched in chocolate.