Another Summit

 Shortly after I met my logger friend, Wayne Ratcliff, I convinced him to come with me to see another pair of friends, Carol and Joe, in the Bellingham area.

I loved the message on this trailer:"I go where I'm towed."

We had a lovely drive over there, July 27, catching the early ferry in Port Townsend, and arrived in time for lunch; a feast that Carol prepared. We still had daylight and Carol knew that Wayne would like going up on Mt. Baker. And further, it was an item on his bucket list, so off we went.

No one thought anything about footwear, and when we arrived at Artist's Point with me in my sandals and Wayne in his dancing sneakers, we were not daunted by over 10 feet of snow.

Here are the photos of that day including a stop at the Nooksack River Falls, which was just as impressive as the first time only I think it was a little bit warmer.

A man and his dawg... at Artist's Point, Mt. Baker, WA.

Wayne at the 'summit' of Artist's Point.

When I first moved to the Sequim area, there was an expectation that perhaps Carol was going to live there, too. Only she ended up in Bellingham instead.

Carol, right, pokes fun at Joe, left.

So we end up going back and forth visiting each other. Only now what was just two good friends has evolved into four good friends.

So first, there was Carol at the top of Mt. Baker. Then she invited me over to go up there (See earlier blog entries about that trip.) Then she got together with Joe and they made the trip up there. And now we've all introduced Wayne to this wonderful experience.

Joe and Carol at Artist's Point, Mt. Baker, WA.

Wayne practices the 'scissors' and 'vine' steps from dance class.

First on the Point is Carol.

Next, it's Carol and me on the Point.

Then it was me with Joe and Carol at the Point.

Now, it's the Four Communeros at the Point!

So what was the point? It's that through the remarkable process of thought and manifestation, dreams are being realized and it's all good!

Mt. Shuksan as we departed Artist's Point, Mt. Baker, WA.

Wayne at Nooksack Falls trail entry.

Peaches and I at the Nooksack Falls overlook.

This is the view from the bridge over the river,
looking down at the head of the falls.

Great meal to end the day in a roadside eatery.

Heading to the Coupevdlle Ferry Landing, the Olympics are
calling us home.

A long, but glorious day ends with a quarter moon over the
Strait of Juan de Fuca near Port Townsend, WA.

Hurricane Ridge Trip

Standing on the porch at the lodge at Hurricane Ridge in the
Olympic National Park, Port Angeles, WA.

I think I smell snow in that leaden sky.

   The last trip to Hurricane Ridge was on Beloved's Harley under sunny skies and of course the road up there was dry and clear.

Mt.Olympus is off to the right, past the snow-made polar bear.

   Today it was snow-covered and, in at least two places, had tree debris from trees dislodged with by snow or wind.
 
   And this time it required chains on tires, so I wasn't about to put myself through that experience again. (I think the last time was from my house in East Fork heading toward Ketchum in Idaho.)

Looking eastward, sort of toward Seattle, WA.

 
   So I rode up with a shuttle service and a trip that should have taken about an hour was almost twice that with a faulty chain install on a rear tire that went "whap-whap-whap" for 18 miles up and 18 miles back.

    It was impressive at the top, though.
   Over a week of steady snow and wind with periodic mild warmings had created some very long icicles and snow statues from trees that were totally covered.

   I stepped off a path for cross-country skiers and sunk down to my waist... and the snow was really blue even a short distance down.

I love this color blue under these circumstances. I think it
might be less appealing if it was much deeper and I was in it.

   The most fun was enjoying the smell of snow, the crunch under my feet, and my body was remembering the guarded expectation of putting on skis, heading off for a powdery run, the wonderful exhilaration of feeling the weight shift back and forth while whooshing downhill.

The lodge to the left has an overlook spot below,
but it is covered in snow up to about six feet.

   When my kids try to encourage me to take up skiing again I explain that it's not a sport for seniors who have stopped it for a decade, and besides, it's significantly more expensive to rent all that gear now that it was 10 years ago... and just for a one-weekend experience?

   I have skied in N.H., Vermont (Suicide Six, especially), Massachusetts, Idaho, Calif., Canada and Austria. I have skied with some of the most interesting folks when I worked at Sun Valley and that includes volunteering with the Ski Patrol.

   Getting older should mean getting wiser, too.

   And so when I had my last downhill ski trip with the Scottsdale Sail and Ski Club, I decided it was time to enjoy it to the fullest and then sell my equipment.

   The two close calls I had with other skiers who were skiing out of control only confirmed it was time I did just that.

"Sandy Banks" in a snow bank...

Halfway down the ridge, after the tunnels, looking down on
Sequim, WA and Puget Sound.

   I can still cross-country ski or snowshoe, and perhaps I will do more of that this winter.

Unknown couple heading off on the Cross Country trail.

There is still a lot I can do to enjoy the times I go out into wintry weather, and I hope, dear readers, you have enjoyed this trip into a wintry wonder just a short distance from Sequim.

A White Christmas... really!

Snow sticking to moss-covered branches - Sequim, WA

 According to the National Weather Service, in order to qualify for the "White Christmas" label, the event must have "one inch or more on the ground, sticking" and so today, Dec. 25, I went in search of my White Christmas.

I found it about half an hour from my home, up on Palo Alto Road in Sequim, WA. Slushy roads and all, there was plenty of snow that was sticking and more was coming down as well.

I liked the deep red of the structure nearly matching the same
color of the branches in contrast to the deeper green of the trees.

My updated Canon EOS Rebel was up to the task of recording this momentous event, but I realized after a brief sojourn in the white stuff that I do not have the same desire I had decades ago for hanging out in it for as long a time as I used to do.

Perhaps I need to do more walking about... but the damp cold made its way into my feet and hands all too quickly and I was more than ready to return to the heated seats of my front-wheel drive vehicle.

The temperature was staying low enough to keep the road
covered and for the precipitation to fall as snow, not rain.

As we go about our lives, on what might appear to be a gloomy day, if we look closely we can see the subtle colors of life making lovely patterns. It is really about how we choose to see things, and the difficulty with folks who are struggling with mental illnesses or brain disorders is that their ability to appreciate is flawed - they are not. If I was a lot younger I think I would try to find a way to help these people divert their brain channels to the prettier and more colorful aspects.

This was a solitary Christmas as all my children were in different places and I used my time well. I did not feel sad or sorry for myself for the time alone. I slept late and made myself a colorful omelet, went out and took some photographs and later was invited to a small gathering.

As the day is winding down, I realize that it has been just what I wanted for Christmas... a day of peace and joy. I hope each of you are finding some of that for yourselves as well.

This last photo seems to sum up my day... surrounded by
other trees, I still am a single, somewhat different version.

Christmas in Colorado

Denver got enough snow and plenty of cold
weather to hold it for a white Christmas.

If you add in the 11 hours from Florida, plus the 36 or more from Colombia, it has taken me the better part of two days to get here. But it's been well worth it!

First, there is really nothing like a White Christmas to get you into the mood of celebrating if it's what you grew up with, and I did, so snow is good for that.

Second, seeing almost all of my grandchildren is gratifying, and watching them open presents was alternately fun and horrifying.  I think there is some kind of cicada gene that comes out when children are faced with more than one present to open and they rip into the carefully wrapped paper and ribbon like grasshoppers on fresh green leaves, shredding everything within reach in seconds.

Windows dressed in holiday lights... and
lots of white stuff outside as well.

No one said, "Oh, this is what paper from Colombia is like," or. "You brought this all the way from South America for me?" It was: get this one opened, on to the next, what's in that one, and then finally, in the famous song by Peggy Lee, "Is that all there is?"

Then like an addict after the high has passed, the children all collapsed in tearful heaps, exhausted from getting up in the dark to open stockings, jumping on their father, yelling to come down and "Let's open the presents!!" and always, always, someone is disappointed there was no pony under the tree. (This year it was me... LOL!)

Santa Claus reads "T'was the Night Before Christmas" to the crowd of
children of all ages, big and small... not a creature was stirring while he did.

We had an invitation for a Christmas Eve party and enjoyed a huge selection of feast goodies - everything from ham and salmon to mini-quiches, hot spinach dip and hard candies filled with jelly, as reminders of Christmases long ago. Best of all was the arrival of Santa Claus and I got all teary-eyed listening to him read "T'was the Night Before Christmas" because my father used to read that story to us as our go-to-sleep-Santa-will-be-here-soon evening tale. I looked around at all the eager little faces who were creating their own re-membories and thought about how I had read that fable to my children, too.

Santa Claus said he no longer smokes a pipe and he's been
on a diet for the past few years, so no more "jelly belly"
either. He sang a funny song about himself in earlier years
being unable to fit down the chimney - in tune, too!

After all the children had their chance on Santa's knee, some of the adults wanted a photo taken. I was persuaded to step up and have my daughter take mine; she caught me telling him that it had been a long time since I'd been on his knee... and when I said "We are nearly the same age, Santa," he laughed and said, "Well, not really since I am three days younger than God..."

Anyone who might remember the Karcher Mall Santa Claus from Boise, Idaho, will recall a very gentle man who lived like he thought Santa lived during the non-Christmas months. This Santa Claus in Denver, with a real beard, reminded me of those long-ago days of someone who perhaps convinced my girls that Santa was 'real' when their friends were trying to prove he wasn't. I wanted to keep the magic alive for as long as possible. It was wonderful that my daughter's new family found this exceptional representation of the mystical Claus for all the children to see and talk to.

A memorable Christmas by all accounts.

Now it's all over, including the shouting and celebrating, and we move on to another celebration of the incoming year. My grandchildren are growing up and becoming interesting young people, ones I hope I will get to know better in 2012.

But for certain I want to return to Colombia and continue working on my creative projects as well as traveling back to the U.S. for family events. Praying for good health for all my readers and for world events to move toward peace and acceptance of all peoples so we can stop the violence. I know that some people think that's an unrealizable dream, but I am still going to intend that individuals around the world are all beginning to realize that we are all one, that we can change things so that everyone, everywhere has enough of all the life-sustaining elements (water, food, shelter) so that each one, and particularly the children, all have what is needed, for the highest and best good of all concerned, so be it and so it is.... WHOOOOOOO!

"Water, water, everywhere - and not a drop to drink..."

The sailor who killed the albatross doomed himself and his ship. Are we doing the same thing to ourselves with what we think is "water?"

It's a big business these days, even in Colombia, to sell water in plastic containers. It is touted as being "pure," but is it? And is pure water really good water?

Droplets of rain water caught by a large leave in Washington State, USA.

I have been reading a lot about 'life structured' water where additional elements of hydrogen are added in to make it more like the water we were born with in our bodies. And I actually wear an ionizing bracelet to help make the water I ingest regain those elements from what I do drink, which is probably more an aqueous solution than 'water.' But re-ionizing water is not enough, I feel certain.

Water that comes from the public provider is loaded with chlorine (I can usually smell it as it comes out and perhaps you can, too.) and with fluorine (I've already addressed this issue in another post.), bromides, iodides, rubidium, aluminum, copper (if the pipes are copper), magnesium, phosphates, etc. But is there any kind of notice that comes with the delivery of that liquid?

The plastic that the water is carried in, the ones you buy at the store, are giving off PCBs and other elements from the moment it is put into the container. By the time you purchase it, it can hardly be called 'pure.' The ONLY container to effectively hold water is glass or perhaps stainless steel. The aluminum bottles leach metals into the water; maybe small amounts - but over time you are getting more metals than are good for you. And if the manufacturer puts in sweeteners or flavors, now you have a drink, but not pure water.

Reverse Osmosis (RO) and desalinization are only changing the structure of water from being salty to being without salt and do nothing about the contaminants that are in the water.

The sister of a former boyfriend claims that their well water is "excellent," but she and her husband both have health issues. Wells bring the water up from the ground, including calcium, carbonates, and whatever has leeched into that area of ground. This can cause the body to drop those minerals out of the skeletal system which might show up as arthritis.

Rain pours from the clouds and down the
cobbled streets of La Loma in Barichara.

OK, so what about rain water? I actually drink quite a bit of that here because it is easy to get (cheap!) and I always thought that was a good ionized re-cycled water. But I've been reading that it actually is more like an aqueous solution of whatever got pulled into the clouds nearby - and recently that includes more iodine and cesium from Japan's reactors - which might also include jet fuel, auto emissions, smoke stack emissions and other pollutants.
Dr. Alexis Carrell, Nobel Laureate, 1912, said: "The cell is immortal. It is merely the fluid in which it floats that degrades. Replace the fluid, and give it what it needs for food; and the pulse of life will go on forever".

If the cell can go on forever with the correct fluid, then why are we dying of thirst out here? Perhaps all the 'water' we are consuming is not getting to the cells. We end up with issues of bloating and premature aging and other serious health concerns because the cells are not being supplied with the necessary elements to do their work.

There are plenty of enterprising people selling tools to re-structure water, to re-energize water, to show us how to meditate more effectively and thus change our environment. But of all of these, only Dr. Masuro Emoto of Japan has demonstrated proof that water is receptive to our feelings. If you go to this site, you can read about Hado, what it is and how to do it. For free. 

On the Emoto Project web site, Dr. Emoto has asked for us to pray daily for the reactors and the water in them.

“The water of Fukushima Nuclear Plant, 

we are sorry to make you suffer. 

Please forgive us.  We thank you, and we love you.” 

This is in line with a universal prayer of love and forgiveness:

I am sorry, 

Please forgive me.

Thank you, and

I love you.

The point of delivering this message today, on Easter, is that prayer does work. Intentions also work. Bless your water before drinking it. Intend that the water is serving as your portal to doing good things, thinking right thoughts, believing in healing. And I am intending right along with you that your water is filling you up with good energy, healing energy, and making all your good cells fight off all the bad cells - and this IS for the highest and best good of all concerned. So be it and SO IT IS!!!!! whooo hooooo and Amen.

Frost flakes that look like ferns...

Frost flakes found on my truck window reminded me of ferns...

This is just a short post because I am driving my truck back to Florida and am utterly exhausted from eating on the road, driving and generally am sick of cross-country travel. But in the midst of the journey I  came out to get the vehicle started and saw this lovely reminder of the randomness of things on the windshield... and it also confirmed for me that being in cold country is no longer pleasurable, except for these little moments - appreciated because I knew I was not going to have to deal with it every day.

Felt like a dog with head out the window....

I've been cooped up for so long, it was nice of my master (Jey-hu is not really, but on this day it felt like it.) to take me for a drive in the country. On this particular day, it was sunny - a good start! And it was warm, another good point! And the drive was going to be up around the Loop Road so it would take at least three hours to complete - yippee!! Just like a dog, I had my window down and was sniffing the air for the smells of spring... some were not my kind of smell, but if I'd been a dog, they certainly would have been appealing.

We did this same trip last year about this time, and it was a whole lot warmer then. Curiously enough, in spite of it being warmer, there was more snow still on the ground. However, this year it was clear there has been significantly more snowfall for the month of April at the higher elevations and the mountains looked like an ice cream sundae with whipped cream and sprinkles on top. Big Four Mountain, previously mentioned in this blog (see May of 2009) is shown above.

These little pink flowers were just budding out in the area where the mountain paths begin. We

opted not to make the climb, and just as were concluding that decision and looking around, someone said, "Look, they are now charging a $5 usage fee PER PERSON in order to spend time here!" I am sure the government can justify the demand for funds, but when people are out of work, and want to drive a short distance to enjoy Mother Nature, it seems criminal to charge them something to get some relief from the pressures of the commercial world. This means that a family of four will spend $20 to park there for the afternoon plus gas and food... and there are no provisions for families with small children. Did you know the definition of PERSON is "1. A human being. 2. An entity (such as a corporation) that is recognized by law having the rights and duties of a human being." [Black's Law Dictionary, 7th Ed.] But the definition of 'human being' is not even found in that edition of Black's! One has to go to Ballentine's Law (not sure of date but think it is about 1895) to read that a 'human' is one having the "characteristics of man," and no where in there is it defined as to what a 'human being' is. So I would return any ticket issued to me with the pleasant request that they submit it to the corporation as it is not my responsibility as I am NOT a person. Well. We didn't stop in any event.

We drove on - and I am sure you are glad of that - and found a perfectly serene little spot with a rushing river, lots of rocks and moss and wonderful photo ops. It was kind of dark in the woods, so I tried to use my photo software to lighten this one up... it has a sort of artistic sense to it, it seems to me. I might publish a few more in the next installment.

This stop was also where I found some flowers called "skunk cabbage" in bloom, but I don't believe this is the latin term for these bright yellow and green plants.

They are most generally found where it is damp or literally "swampy" and they supposedly have a "stinky" smell, but I must have been too entranced by their design and color to notice.

When Jey-hu and I are out "shooting" together, we challenge one another to get a "money shot." This kind of shot is the one we both agree could be a postcard or poster or used in some advertising, not shots we actually put into commercial use. So

this last one is my money shot of the day. You are seeing the mountain range called the Cascades, north of Mt. Pilchuck and Mt. White Chuck. It was taken around 3 p.m. PDT, just before leaving the river behind and riding higher in the canyon on the end of the loop road, we were headed into a small town near Arlington, Washington.

And this was a good thing, too, because like most creatures kept in a car for too long, I was longing for relief...

It's not THAT hot here...

When we were driving through Granite Falls over the weekend, we saw this license plate "THNKSNW" and I wondered what does the driver do all summer long? Does he (it was a he driving) awaken each morning with a "snow" meditation? And then when the snow falls, eventually, if there is too much, do his neighbors get upset that he was "doing too much thinking?"

If we could all make things happen by just thinking 'harder' it might be beneficial for so many individuals in so many arenas... not just increasing the water table, but generating a more positive environment... assuming all thoughts were in that direction!

Rocky Mountain high...

   Waking up to snow in April is definitely a high for this Florida girl!! My excitement at seeing "white stuff" on the ground was only maximized when my new driving companion, hereinafter to be known as "Jeh-yu," agreed we should take a drive higher up the Front Range to see Estes Park, CO. So here's a shot of what we saw as we took that drive. This was actually outside of Estes Park on Route 7, returning to Boulder.

   I have a lot more pictures above the clouds and a few taken alongside the road just as it began to sleet - yikes! Thank goodness I brought along my ski jacket... not enough snow for skiing where we were, though.... Jeh-yu suggested 'rock skis' might be a good bet.  Stay tuned for more adventures.