Swimming Across America in WA #2

This will be the second year for Swim Across America in Seattle on Lake Washington. It takes place on Saturday, September 11 and here is the link for all the information about the long distance swimming event, which gets under way VERY early in the morning... good place to see the sunrise!

http://www.swimacrossamerica.org

I was a volunteer last year and have offered again for this year but have not heard back as yet. Whether or not I am doing that, I will certainly be there to support the swimmers.

The upside-down triangles are prayer flags which are filled out by anyone who wants to remember someone who has been affected by cancer or by family members paying tribute to the swimmers or for groups to recognize someone. Last year I honored the late competitive motorcycle rider, Andre, who wrote the blog "http://motocancer.blogspot.com/" He was afflicted with Multiple Myeloma.

My dream is to not have to put anyone's name up there for this disease or any other kind of cancer.

As you can see, the weather was ideal for this kind of an event. I will be intending for a repeat version for this year as I cannot imagine how much harder it might be to complete such a course in the rain or other inclement weather.

As the swimmers complete their two miles, there is a group of volunteers ready and waiting to help them out of the water, give them refreshments and a towel. When it is all over and done, the donations received will be going to the local Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, as it did last year.

HOPE WE WILL HAVE LOTS OF SUPPORTERS!!!

Recipe for Rain Soup

The temperature dropped, the rain fell down, the pressure was low and it was time for "Rain Soup."

Start a pot of water boiling... and while it is doing its thing, add some salt.

Then hopefully you have some:

* carrots

* mushrooms

* onions

* shallots or green onions

* parsley flakes

* black pepper

and a chopper/grinder you can put it all into.

Once the water is boiling you dump all the bits and pieces into the pot, and let the pot simmer for at least an hour. Taste and see what else is needed. I added some ginger, some cinnamon, and several tablespoons of potsticker sauce (somewhat spicey).

Serve with Brie or cheddar cheese and crackers of your choosing... or whatever else you might like to have with it.

Then you can watch the rain come down and still feel cheerful, I hope.

What I Saw Today

Sometimes I go looking for things to cheer up my MM readers and other friends, sometimes I simply stumble onto a special sight, and occasionally I rant and rave about an issue near and dear to my heart. No more rants for now.... here's something I thought was special.

As I walked out of my apartment this afternoon, the light caught my eye and when I focused in on it, this is what I saw... an elegant weaving by Mistress Spider in a filament so fine that if the light wasn't shining on it, I would have probably walked right into it - echhhhh.

Grabbed the camera and caught it.

It's Mukilteo Farmer's Market day so I wended my way to the landing. Luck was with me and I got a parking place pretty quickly. And fortunately I wore a fleece jacket because the wind had picked up and was whipping up the waves as well. In fact, the incoming ferry had to stand off because they probably had a following wind and made it to the landing more quickly than expected. Can you see how the dock sections are pitching up and down? More than a few people were walking out on them to have a bit of a ride - but for some it was wetter and a little bit more than they expected and they wobbled their way back onto land rather quickly.

But then I noticed something else rather special, only I wasn't sure at the time why it might be. If you look closely you can see an older man filling up a plastic bag with sea water. I put that shot here for you.

Then I watched him try to carry it and it spilled out. He went back and refilled it. The next time he was successful and he began walking up the ramp with it.

My curiousity was too much... and I surrepticiously watched and waited to see where he was going with it. It appeared that his wife was waiting to clean the sand from her feet before putting her shoes back on, and he went to her and held the bag so she could put her feet in and clean them up. I think they may have had their son with them as well as he seemed to be helping, too. This touching effort was really a private thing, but like the Watcher on the Wall, I recorded it, to show that this seemingly small act can be replicated - for the good of all concerned. I know there are lots of MM caregivers who are prime examples of this selfless giving... hats off to all of you for all the symbolic bags of water you carry.

Travel Rant

I feel a rant coming on. My rant today is about traveling. On the way back from visiting Jey-hu's mother who took a tumble and got a terrible 'green-stick' fracture to her humerus (upper arm long bone), we saw an accident on the I-5 headed south. (So glad it wasn't on our side; and sorry if anyone was hurt.) However, if the accident was caused by someone with a couple of cats, dogs, children, texting on the phone, yelling at a passenger, or other distraction, I hope you realize you have inconvenienced over 200,000 people.

How did I come up with this figure? Well, some who know me know my math skills were never great, but Jey-hu can do multiplication and division in his head and this is how we arrived at the number.

There are 5280 feet in a mile. About 1800 cars will fit in that space, allowing for the fact that some cars are much shorter and trucks of course are much longer. Figuring on three lanes of traffic for one mile, that's 5,400 motorized vehicles of one size or another. But, the traffic jammed up for about 10 miles, so now we're talking about 54,000 vehicles with an average driver/passenger of 1.5, making 81,000 people fume. But their delay or frustration when they arrive home could affect another 2.5 people, so now we have a total of 200,000 more or less unhappy folks. All because one driver lost control of his or her responsibility.

AAA, in their recent Washington membership magazine, said that 'distractions' cause over 50% of the accidents today. Now in Washington it is illegal to be on the phone or texting, though some people still risk a ticket to do it. But yelling at a passenger (How successful is that?) can increase the risk of making a bad decision by 25% according to some study because the driver is focusing on the issue, not on driving. Traveling with pets which are not contained has caused problems as well, especially with cats. A woman in Texas was arrested and her 15 cats were removed from the vehicle because it was considered a serious hazard. She had to go to trial and the State won. Anyone who has traveled with even one cat knows how little tolerance that breed has for riding in cars. And sometimes traveling with a couple of kids is harder than having 15 cats.

All that being said, at least in the U.S. the roadblocks are quickly dispersed and drivers are on their way in a reasonable time... unlike China... 60 miles and nine days... read the link!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38812252/ns/world_news-asiapacific?GT1=43001

So that is my rant for today... Please drive carefully; you could be affecting thousands!

(PS: the photo is of the bridge over Deception Pass here in Washington state.)

The Miracle of Flight

Last weekend we crossed off another objective we've been meaning to accomplish. We went to the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field, right next to Seattle's "Sea-Tac" International Airport. Every time we have passed it the comment is made, "We have to go and see that one of these days..."

Well, we still have to go back and see more of it because it is huge in space and massive in terms of the amount of information. And they are big enough now that they are offering a changing menu of other things to see and do, including an upcoming photographic exhibit called "Spirit of Flight," which I hope will be around for awhile. And sometime this fall they will show again the various styles of gear worn by airline attendants over the years.

We decided to go aboard the retired Air Force One Boeing aircraft (first picture) that flew President Kennedy to Dallas and to see the inside of a retired Concorde jetliner. (Jey-hu is standing - in the shade - next to the wheel of the Concorde, to give you some idea of how big it is.)

It was a late afternoon choice on a blisteringly hot day and by the time we arrived, it was already 3 p.m. Too late to start to see everything well... when you go, be advised there is enough to keep you busy all day. There is a small restaurant on site. It is wheelchair accessible, all except the outside aircraft displays.

So we saw the outside planes and zoomed through all the exhibits, barely taking time to stop and read about the people and places. There is a wonderful exhibit showing the beginnings of Boeing, another one about how rockets evolved, some very informative stuff about the space station including a mock-up of a portion of it, and perhaps the item I liked best was a "Land the Space Shuttle" game where you sat inside a little space with a joystick and a screen which simulated being able to see the field where you are landing. Oh, and there were plenty of gauges and instrumentation to see whether or not you were right side up or otherwise. (Not the frame shown below... that is in the early years exhibit.)

I could have sat at that all afternoon. Sadly there are only two of them and the little boys around me, standing in line for their turn, were fidgeting because "that Granny is taking too long, Daddy." Guess what? I got the shuttle to the landing strip the first time!! I didn't land it very well because I forgot the flare at 2000 feet, but at least I didn't destroy it completely in the desert like someone else I know, even after he tried it several times....

There are full-size models of the gossamer wings that got man started trying to imitate birds, smaller models of the planes that made history, but plenty of other full-size aircraft that boys and girls of all ages can sit inside to pretend they are flying or for grand-dads to show their grandchildren what they flew or what their fathers were flying in. Women in aviation were not in large numbers back in those days.... and still are limited today, but perhaps more because the little girls weren't drawn to flight the same way little boys were. Perhaps that is changing. In any event, there is a very large area for tots to play around and I peeked in, thinking about small ones I know. There was a very cute miniature Blue Angels jet in there and a little angel with corn rows was smiling from ear to ear looking up at her Daddy as she 'flew' around.

The displays are informative, all of the equipment inside is in great condition and there are planes from various countries as well, not all Boeing. Since I cannot post all the photos here, you can go and see a few more on this site: Flickr (click on the set "Museum of Flight") or click on the link for the museum above - or both.

Some years ago I took my son to Cape Kennedy (formerly Cape Canaveral) to see the Saturn V rocket - a real one - and all the Apollo Project history, including a real spacecraft module, and we went to the IMAX movie there which was impressive. This was all to share with him my experiences as being involved in that effort. The reason I mention it is because at this museum there is a substantial exhibit for this project, including a mock-up of the Lunar Excursion Module and other artifacts. More on that in another post. Hope I haven't worn you out!

Boats!

And more boats... we went to the Shilshoal Marina, north of Seattle, for a boat show today. I have a MM friend who loves being around boats and water, at least as much I do, I've surmised. So I took some pictures with him in mind, because he has plenty of other things on his... These are for you, B...

It was so hot... 103 degrees in the sun! I kept finding a space of shade and

standing in it while I waited for Jey-hu to go in and inspect all the large, multi-thousand dollar boats. He enjoyed himself and I was happy to see him wandering and dreaming. I went aboard a couple of them, but I am such a realist that I know it is unlikely I will ever own a boat again and am happy to simply sit on a dock and watch them bobbing about.

If you look closely at the stern of the powerboat in the center of the photo, the name is "Obsession," and well defines how I rationally see these items today.

And yet, like an addict, I cannot stay away. I am drawn to them like a fly to the spider's web, all the time thinking, "I can fly away anytime I want." But my hands feel the tension in the lines tying them to the dock, my body flexes as I get on board in the same old smooth and easy way it once knew as a daily activity, and the smells assail me with memories of "when I was a liveaboard," and I wonder if I really will ever be able to NOT dream about another one... a smaller one...