Kristin, Jeri, Karen, Dan, and Scott cross-country skiing around the northern base of Mt. St. Helens. Lots of good snow, winter quiet, and pretty forests to glide through. (Washington; January 2000)
Karen, Dan, and Kristin on the suspension bridge above Driftwood Falls. It’s a pleasant hike through a tall forest that eventually ends up here. We hiked down into the gorge to hang out by the gentle river that flows from the waterfall. (Oregon coast; January 29, 2000)
Dan, Kristin, Karen, and Scott at the yurt we slept in during our weekend exploring the Oregon coast. We bopped around beaches and trails, and even checked out the world’s largest wooden structure, a World War II blimp hangar that can be best described as “seriously gosh darn huge”. (Oregon coast; January 30, 2000)
Scott snowshoeing with Karen during a complete white-out. I’m actually standing on Mirror Lake near the base of Mt. Hood. The lake usually reflects the massive mountain beside it, but not that day! It was kind of eerie and peaceful at the same time: everything was covered in white, the air was filled with snow, and we were in the swirling clouds… (Oregon; April 2000)
Karen in the front of our double seater kayak, paddling on Lake Union north of downtown Seattle (the skyscrapers are just visible in the distance). This is where Seattle’s Center for Wooden Boats is located, complete with boats and workshops. Lake Union is surrounded by marinas and floating home communities, and is also the upcoming new home of Tangis. (Washington; May 2000)
Josh, Jim, Paul, and Jeff’s hand: all providing both literal and moral support to Josh’s potato gun contraption. Dan had a fun picnic (complete with the marshmallow stuffing Chubby Bunny contest) at his place on Lake Washington, and we hurled potatoes way out into the lake between passing boats… at least until the marine police showed up looking for us, at which time the gun mysteriously disappeared and everyone was very innocent. The cops probably get a little nervous when they get reports of “bazookas” and flying projectiles, especially since Dan lives just a few docks down from Bill Gates. (Medina, Washington; July 16, 2000)
Ken, Sam, Scott, Holly, Karen, Rochelle, and Josh onboard the boat for Paul and Marie’s wedding reception. Good vittles, good company, good scenery along Puget Sound, and I even smoked my first cigar (well, OK, about a tenth of a cigar). Afterwards, Paul and Marie went for their honeymoon up north, and we went for an obligatory game of miniature golf, followed by grub and drinks in Belltown. (Everett, Washington; September 16, 2000)
Kathy, Karen, and Garwood enjoying the rain in Boulder River Valley. We had decided to go hiking this day, so after it started raining we adapted our plans to a hike that had up-close views instead of distant views. This area fit the criteria, and there was hardly anyone out in the forest with us. It was a plush hike through dripping forests by a river constantly fed by multiple waterfalls. Just remember to wipe your boots before coming back into the house… (Boulder River Valley, Washington; September 2000)
Part of the spectacle at the Port Townsend Kinetic Sculpture Race. The dude in white is this race’s version of an “official”, the unicyclist is a minimalist participant, and The Rex-Files is about to enter the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The race consists of human-powered contraptions that are more feature than function, except that they all have to race through town streets, over water, and eventually make their way through a mud bog to the finish line. For these “race” participants, nobody was really in a hurry except for the top finishers. Everyone else enjoyed the journey instead of the destination (although the finish line did include the nice touch of launching teddy bears into the air with a trebuchet…) (Port Townsend, October 2000)
Dan and Kristin at Lincoln Park on the shores of Puget Sound. We took a short hike with them and Jeri to skip stones and watch the pretty sunset ripple over the water. Earlier, we took a boat tour of Elliot Bay and later we went to Kathy’s Salida de Summer party at her place on Lake Washington. Nice relaxing spot… (West Seattle, October 2000)
Kathy and Greg on the summit of Silver Peak in the mountains an hour east of Seattle. A few weeks before, Greg and Karen and I had hiked in the area looking for the poorly marked trail leading to the summit. We didn’t find it then, so Greg and I vowed to return and find it. Glad that we did, since it was a pretty hike to the top with a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains. (Silver Peak, Washington; October 2000)
Part of the Tangis gang at Rochelle’s Halloween party: Nick the Militant, Josh the Doofy Tourist, Dorothy the Biker Chick, Rox the Cop, Rochelle “Harry Poopenshoots” the Butt-Crack Plumber, Alan the Phantom, Sam the Vixen, Ken the Surfer Dude, and Scott the Banana Slug (complete with slime trail on the ground behind). The party even had a haunted Port-a-potty outside! (Lynnwood, Washington; October 27, 2000)
Greg and Scott above The Summit at Snoqualmie Pass ski area, with Kathy. We took the ski lift up to the top, and then went to the backside of the mountain for snowshoeing. The off-trail excursions were fun exploring, and the end of the day roll-end-over-end-like-a-bouncing-barrel down the empty ski slopes was especially – uh – dizzying. (December 2000)