2009.10.24. Melakwa Lakes

Melakwa Lake.
9 miles RT, 2300 ft gain. I-90 exit 47. Denny Creek waterslide @1.3 mile, Keekwulee Falls @1.4 mile, Snowshoe Falls at 2 mile. Hemlock Pass @3.5 mile @4600 ft. Trees were shrouded in frozen mist, some ice fell. Lakes are blue green, very clear, yellow grass and some fall color. Many mushrooms in the lower part of the trail.

2009.10.23. Pilchuck Glass School annual auction

Pilchuck Glass School annual auction, with silent and live auctions, a 5 course very slow but expertly crafted dinner. All pieces were donated by artists. The night raised $900k for the school. Very colorful pieces, some elegant, some ugly, some playful, but all interesting to see. Also fun to see attendees' dresses & jewelries. Online catalog, some photos don't do justice to the art work. My favorite piece is a frosty leaf by Mielle Riggie. Another piece I liked is a blue thermometer by Alyssa Oxley, especially the "water drops".

2009.10.21. La Traviata

Verdi's La Traviata at Seattle Opera. Very melodic. Sumptuous costume and stage set from San Francisco Opera. Lighting is exceptional, especially when an introspect is sung in a crowd (the crowd will be dimmed and frozen). Great acting. The baritone father is excellent.

Violetta Valéry:    Nuccia Focile
Alfredo Germont:    Dimitri Pittas
Giorgio Germont:    Charles Taylor
Conductor:          Brian Garman
Set Designer:       John Conklin
Costume Designer:   David Walker
Lighting Designer:  Connie Yun

2009.10.17. Mushroom Show

Annual wild mushroom show at UW's horticulture center. People bring mushroom from their yard to be identified. The guided tour of the 4 long tables by Daniel Winkle is educational, personal and fun. Check here for online mushroom identification.

2009.10.15. Joseph and Dreacoat

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the 5th Ave Theatre. Stupid and childish plot, exaggerating act, card board stage set, tacky colors. Costume design is not bad. Catchy tunes by Andrew Lloyd Webber, easily singalong-able. They had to repeat all the songs at the end in order to stretch to 2 hours.

2009.10.13. Seattle Art Museum preview

SAM: 2 new exhibitions. Members' preview & talk.
Alexander Calder: A Balancing Act. A dozen or so large installations hanging on the ceiling, and some small pieces, plus 2 movie clips. Most of these came from Jon & Mary Shirley's collection. Fun to see, doesn't take much time.
Michelangelo Public and Private. Less than 10 very small drawings, plus woodcut prints of the Sistine Chapel ceiling before it was "modified".

2009.10.10. Lake Ann

Lake Ann at the foot of Mt Shuksan's south face. Road is closed at the ski area, so extra ~1.5 mile to the trail head. The lake itself isn't the prettiest. Small, quite a few camping spots. Walked up the climbing route (left of the fork) for a steep 40 minutes to the glacier. Splendid view from there: Baker Lake shimmering under the sun, Mt Baker completely white, and the glowing red leaves of the huckleberry in the valley. A better part of this trail is in the valley, but pretty enough at this time of the year due to the huckleberry leaves and yellow grass. Plenty of overripen (almost dried yet extremely flavorful) berries and mushrooms. Came back with our hands full, freezing (1°C at the parking lot). Still managed to snap a sunset photo off Highwood Lake. ~5:30 hr drive, ~6 hr hiking.
Direction: Mt Baker Hwy (542) to Austin Pass (1.8 miles beyond the ski area). Trail head on the left side of the road. 4.1 miles one way to the lake.

2009.10.8. Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins speaks at UW's basketball arena, promoting his recent book: The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution. He read about half an hour. It's just like his book, verbose, not captivating. His answers during Q&A session were a lot more interesting. Half of the arena, a good turnout. Some students were here because of extra credit given in their classes.

2009.10.7. Abe Lincoln in Illinois

Abe Lincoln in Illinois by Robert E. Sherwood, at Intiman theatre. The play picks a few episodes of Lincoln's life, depicting his humble beginning as a determined young man studying, his passionate marriage and his reluctant embrace of politics. Simple stage, well acted, very enjoyable.