Random Thoughts

I continue to be busy and as I would like to spend a bit more time with America's Finest Blog, I simply cannot. I can say that watching Ken Burns's new addendum to the Baseball Documentary was delightful and really the highlight of a rather long and terrible month. Not that the whole month was bad, it had many nice moments. And now October is upon us and the end of the year draws nigh, baseball will finally come to an end in Seattle, the leafs will turn, corn mazes will be wandered thru, the election will come and go and then the holidays. All the while the crap and the stress will still be around. But in it all the hope that there will be the occasional laugh shared with my wife, wrestling with my boy, his spontaneous smile, corn mazes, orange and yellow leaves, the first snow and moments of peace and stillness.

Anyhow tonight's photo is of Barry Bonds striking out.

More Hours

This weekend has been an example of needing more hours to get the things in life done, that you would like. In fact the last 6 weeks to 3 months have been a prime example of this. I'd like more time to do a lot of things in general and tonight I'd like more time to blog. But them is the breaks. Right?

I'm going to try blog this week about the old gas filling stations of the world and a photo recap of the summer. We'll see if that actually happens.

Tonight's photo an old lady.

Remember to look into the measures and candidates on the November ballot, and then vote early and often, if the Afghan's can get 625% vote turnout, then so can we!

4 Fingers and 10 Years

There are photos that are taken that you wish were not. Even though this photo sits on my desk in my office, I actually don't much like this photo, and never have really. It is crass. However, I do like the girl in the photo and I do fondly remember the night. You see this is of course, myself and my wife on our first date, or first time we hung out or whatever you call it. I wish somebody had be trailing us with a camera so we could have a photo of us holding hands, as we walked down to the QFC. Instead Cicely's sister came out on the porch and told us to flip off the camera. Photos are suppose to capture a moment in time. But this photo really is everything but that to me, sure it does remind me of that moment, but its more, it is sitting on her porch talking and watching the rats on the telephone lines, it is marrying her, it is all the love we have shared, it is our son, it is the promise of many more years together, it is youth and it is the wisdom that comes with age, that says you shouldn't take photos like this.

See Ya, Now It Is If You Didn't Even Come

Summer has ended, and what a down summer it was. Not very warm and not very long. The worst June since the last ice age and a September that thus far has been 3 times wetter than normal. But still when the sun is out and it's warm this is the most beautiful place on earth. As the sun now has set on Summer 2010, here's to an even better summer in 2011.

From Where the Sun Now Stands

Today marks the 106th year since Chief Joseph's death. The good Chief died in 1904 at Nespelem, while exiled from his Oregon home. His was a sad story, forced by circumstances into a battle with the U.S. Army that he didn't want to be a part of and then forced on to a land that he did not know. Chief is remembered as a champion of peace. His surrender speech is one of the greatest in Native American lore.

I've visited Nespelem three times in my life, first visit is still the most vivid, a rainy summer day driving from Omak to the Grand Coulee. I was probably 12 years old, I was with my grandparents and it probably was the first time I'd ever been on a reservation. I remember the poverty to be absolute, it didn't seem there is an open business on the Reservation. I also remember driving to the Catholic cemetery in Nespelem and getting out walking to the grave. I remember being struck once again by the poverty. I took the trip again with my mom some dozen years later. A very interesting day. A story for another entry. But tonight's photo comes from the third trip to Nespelem, one I took shortly after my mom died.

When the Tough Times Get too Tough, Its Time to Find your Trout

There are times that things seem to always go from bad to worse and from worse to something ever less enjoyable, times when the Book of Job looks like a significant improvement on your current predicament. When it is easy to give up hope and decide all is lost and to wallow in self pity, 15 years ago today the voters of King County decided not to fund a baseball stadium. It seemed so very likely our team would sold by Thanksgiving and baseball in Seattle would be done. I remember being very bummed, but deciding to continue to hope and if baseball was leaving town to enjoy every last bit of it. You see during times of hardship and despair you are faced with two paths, the first to give in and be buried, the second is to make the best of it. Option one tends to leave you like the fellows in tonight's photo. Option two allows for enjoyment, things may not be getting better, but why should you not enjoy Luis Sojo's swinging bunt home run, why not stop and enjoy the fog lingering on a pond at sunrise, or the goldfinch in your front yard. The good stuff in the world is still around, sometimes we just need to look a bit harder for it, or in some cases to remember to recognize it when it manifests itself.

We the People

Today is the 223rd birthday of our Constitution. A fine yet flawed document, it has withstood the test of time. It is the single most important entity in the nation, greater than any of the personalities or branches of government it creates. Everything we are as a nation and largely as individuals is shaped by this document. It is so great a document, that boys and men will and have die for it and what it stands for. But its mere existence has help create a false sense of freedom and entitlement. It's existence fosters political malaise, by creating a sense of protection from those who would wrong us. I must admit, I haven't read the thing in years, but I probably should again and so should you.

The Best Thing Ever

Let me be blunt, without my son, I would living in a world of crap. I cannot express how profoundly blessed I am. The boy has a natural ease in his disposition. He is absolutely real and his smile is one of pure joy and of eternal hope, unaffected by life or the weather or Bush era tax cuts. His is a life of joy and I watch and I learn and I enjoy and I give thanks.

A Day Late

Funny thing happened yesterday, I was going to blog about my dad's birthday, but I forgot. Instead I researched insurance information and purchased tabs for his truck. I knew it was his birthday, but then it got lost in the shuffle. Growing up it was like too, we didn't really do much for my Dad's birthday. We would make a big deal about everyone's birthdays except my dad's. Dad always seemed to be working on his birthday, so we would celebrate a few days later on his day off. It wasn't until I was in college did I even realize that his birthday was 9/14, all I knew was it happened to be in September. It's not something I'm proud of, but it is what it is and so we move on. Dad celebrated his most recent birthday with a burger, while he continues to recover. All things considered it is wonderful to be celebrating these milestones. Not too long ago it didn't seem likely to occur. So raise a trout for a virtual toast to my dad, for another birthday and may he become well enough to fish with his grandson. Tonight's photo, my Dad virtually reeling in the big one with Quincy.

Finding the Johnson Sea Horse

Awhile back, June 22, 2008, to be exact, I posted a photo I found in an antique store in Fremont. I call it the Johnson Sea Horse for the outboard motor on boat in the picture. It is a fabulously bad photo, but still I enjoy it, mostly I guess because the photographer actually tried to create a nice shot.

Anyway this last trip to San Diego we went to Maritime Museum there and checked out ships and subs and what not. On one of the docks were some outboard motors and among them a Johnson Sea Horse. The excitement was overwhelming, for me at least, the famous outboard from the photo there within touch.

Have I mentioned lately that I am a dork, if I have, then good. I have learned lately that you need to find joy in the things at make you smile and to take the time to enjoy those moments. All the crap in our lives can always wait on these moments.

Dan

9/10/2001

9/10/2001

I remember that as a really nice warm September day. I had worked at spent the evening with my girlfriend down at Green Lake. On the way home I listened to the Mariners' game against the Angels. Around midnight or so I went to bed, not knowing that the world would fundamentally change by the time I got out of bed the next morning. I look back now and remember just how surreal the days after 9/11 were, but also how innocent were prior to 9/11. Airports were easy, the lines were at the baggage check, not the TSA checkpoint. You could wear shoes through the metal detectors. You could meet your party at the gate. And other things, gas was cheap, but housing wasn't and when you said, "George Bush," it really didn't mean anything, other than the 2000 election. Prior to 9/11, Americans were free and had freedom. Since then a great deal of freedom has been sacrificed to remain free. It will never be the same, but at least I know what it was to live in that old world, my boy won't.

That's sad.

Dan

The Vantage Bridge

Today is the 83rd birthday of the Vantage Bridge over the Columbia River. It wasn't the first or the longest or highest bridge over the river, but still probably the most important next to the Interstate Bridge between Portland and Vancouver. It allowed for a relatively straight route to Spokane from Seattle. The previously routes required travellers to either head south from Ellensburg into the vast Yakima Valley and cross the river at the Tri-Cities and then head east to Colfax and north to Spokane from there. Or later from Ellensburg over old Blewett Pass and its 248 some odd curves to Wenatchee and then east to Spokane. But with the opening of the Vantage Bridge a straight shot as it where, was created from Seattle to Spokane. Straight once you got to North Bend that is, it wasn't a true straight shot until the completion of the first floating bridge. The town of Vantage would grow up around the base of the bridge, until the creation of Wanapum Dam, when the old bridge and town had to be moved. Vantage was moved up the hillside and the Vantage Bridge was moved to Lyons Ferry on the Snake River. Tonight's photo is old US 10, running west toward Ellensburg from the old Vantage town site.

Stompin' Puddles

You know my dear ol' mom would announce at some point in August that fall was in the air, but that is story for next August I guess. That way I can tell it the way it should be told. Well, after a perfect day on Friday the weather seems to have skipped ahead to late October on us. This is especially difficult for us here in our part of the world, for two reasons, first Memorial Day was a total washout and as was July 4th, so a soggy Labor Day is depressing, the other reason is 90% of the time September is the most beautiful month of the year, in fact it is the reason that many people stick around for the 9 months of rain. If there is an upside, it is the boy could test his new boots in the puddles.

A Perfect Evening

After yet another trip over the hill today, I stopped in to see a friend in Ellensburg. We stopped at a favorite bar in town and had a burger. Delicious! Anyway it was one of those perfect days, still and warm, late summer at it's best. I have experienced days like this a hundred times and mostly, probably didn't pay much attention to any of them. It's since it had been awhile, oh did it seem nice. It's sad tomorrow won't be like it and considering were we are on the calendar it could be a year before it occurs again.

Being Drawn Back

The Swauk Prairie seems to draw me back in again and again. It's a place that I have visited since I was a kid. By visited I mean, driven through. It is an altogether peaceful place and someplace that I am always happy to pass through. On any drive there are portions that are not enjoyable or there is something that you will not look forward to, but a funny thing about the prairie, I don't really think about it until I am there and then I see it and consider the seemingly unchanged timelessness of it. It's much different from my youth, much different from even ten years ago. Its like looking at an old friend or your wife, they seem to be locked in a place where they aren't young like when you met, but not old like you remember your parent's friends when they were your current age.