Sledding on Mt. Baker

Sorry these posts are in such a random order, this obviously happened before I went to Hong Kong, it is just that it took along time to upload to youtube.

The gist is that I went sledding, on inflatable pool toys, with my friends, in July, in 80 degree weather on Mt. Baker. Enjoy the photos and video.

Brrr so cold!

I'm like a bird

Trekking back up the hill after a ride down

Tara!!!!

SuperNikki

Erek contemplates his path down

TopCat even got in the act

The choo-choo train leaving the station

Hong Kong

I stopped in Hong Kong for 3 days on my way back to Malaysia. I didn't enjoy it so much. It was hot, hottt, HOT. Cities are just a trap for heat and allow no wind to flow. It was expensive. I can have breakfast for $.50 USD in Malaysia, the cheapest meal in HK was about $4 USD. I went to the Ladies Market and the Temple Street Market and they were full of the same items you get in Malaysia except more expensive. There are just hordes, gobs, stacks, crowds of people. Way too many people. Lastly, I went to Victoria Peak to take night photos and they have put a stinking MALL on top of the Peak. You can eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp and watch the lights of Hong Kong. Something about that is just sick and wrong to me. I was asked to fill out a tourist question sheet at the airport and I thought the girl was going to cry when I rated my experience as a 6. Honestly, visit Penang. We have a tall hill-without a mall, good night market shopping and cheaper food. Here are some pictures to fool you into thinking it is a nice city...

Typical shot of Hong Kong harbor.

View from the Peak, err, mall at night.

Tai Chi on the promenade.

Neon Chinese

Chinook Pass

My parents flew up to Washington and we drove over to Leavenworth and then down to Yakima before heading back to Seattle. These are pictures that I took at Chinook Pass. Mt. Rainier looms in the distance.

Alpine lake

I think this is Mt. Naches

BFFs

TopCat and his BFF's..too bad Barn was behind the lens!

Sunset at Silver Lake

Silver Lake at twilight on a summer day.

The sweet smell of...

Today I saw a girl smelling her hair as she walked down the street. Since I have no idea why a person would do this, I thought I would ask you, my all-knowing reader.

Question: Why was the girl walking down the street smelling her hair?

Please choose an answer multiple choice style.

Answers:

A) She was very pleased with her new Herbal Essence “Orange Blossom” shampoo.
B) Some people twiddle their thumbs when bored, others smell their hair.
C) It was simply a sign that Coke a Cola’s “Original Formula” hair powder should not be approved by the FDA.
D) She is an egotistical maniac in love with her long, luscious, great-smelling hair.
E) Even bad smelling hair smells better than the Oklahoman standing next to her, staring crazily at her.
F) ????

Submit your answers in the comment section.

Summer blockbusters

I have been traveling and writing stuff, random things, so get ready for a flurry of posts that have no real connection.

Random thoughts: Easy to get internet anywhere in the USA...Asia not so easy. Hong Kong has this PCCW network but you have to pay. Why can't we standardize the electrical plugs around the world. And why can't the USA just cave in and go to the metric system. I will run for President in 2012 with these two matters as my platform.

The real post:

A few years ago, there was a summer blockbuster. It also happens to be one of my most hated movies. Armageddon. How in the world did this movie not do anything but flop? I also remember that summer the movie “Deep Impact” came out as well and was a much better take on the whole ‘giant asteroid hits the earth’ theme.

What made Armageddon bad? 1. Lots of hype 2. Most of the action sequences involve the old ‘Star Trek’ staple of a shaking camera and people falling around in a spaceship 3. Clichéd characters—the Russian cosmonaut, the outlaw oil driller 4. Clichéd plot—the good of the many outweighs the good of the one 5. A theme song that rivaled “My Heart Must Go One” for most overplayed song of all time (“I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”) All this equals a movie that should have bombed as badly as “Waterworld”.

One other thought on movies. I caught “John Q” the other day and I still think that movie would have been much better if they had allowed John to give his heart rather than make the movie the typical happy Hollywood ending. So much for original ideas.

Fourth of July

I celebrated July 4th last night with friends in Bellingham. We watched the fireworks from the bay at a yacht. I took pictures of the fireworks show over the bay which I will share with you. It gets dark so late this far north. The fireworks started at 10:30 and it wasn't completely dark (still a glimmer of twilight) until after 11. The sun comes up at the crack of dawn as well!

Sunset at Birch Bay

Random birds of Washington

Black-capped chickadees

Rufous hummingbird

Pacific slope flycatcher

Hiking Boulder Ridge near Mt. Baker

Last Saturday my friend Dave and I went hiking on Mt. Baker at a place called Boulder Ridge. The snow melt has been slow this year, so we started at a lower elevation but still reached snow after 30-45 minutes of hiking. The day was overcast until we headed home but still afforded us views of the peak of Baker, a dormant volcano. Dave told me when he was a Boy Scout they would go on hikes where if you fell down you were given 7 points, kind of fell 3 points and just touched a hand 1 point. I would up biffing it on the trail back for a full 7 points and also sliding down a steep, snow-covered slope for another 7 points. Needless to say Dave won the game. Still, who could complain about being out in the woods on a glorious day!

Looking up Boulder Creek to Mount Baker. The headwaters of this creek were our destination.

This Western Tiger Swallowtail was hanging out near the trailhead.

Looking back down the trail towards Baker Lake and other mountains.

Posing in the shadow of the mountain.

Another picturesque view of Mt. Baker.

American Goldfinch

The American Goldfinch is the state bird of Washington. I found this one in the cranberry bogs near Westport.

Westport days

Back in February of 1998 I left Oklahoma and moved to Westport, Washington to work at the Westport Maritime Museum. I recently returned for a short visit and found little has changed. Some more condos have been built out by the beach but mostly it has resisted the change of the last 8 years. Still a great place to spend a few days and if you get a day of full sun it is like hitting the lottery. Still remember the July 4th that I worked giving tours in the lighthouse and it was foggy and I had to wear a 'jumper'!

Gray's Harbor Light

Sand dollar that washed up on the beach

As I was walking I started to feel really small because I was the only person on the beach and it just went on and on and finally disappeared into the mist. Japan is somewhere to the right.

Generational Movie Watching

Different generations have extremely different styles of watching movies.

(65+)

This generation sees movies as a once in a great while event. As they have gotten older they have attended them more frequently but generally they go see a movie every few months. A movie is still a big event for them.

(45+)

This generation grew up watching movies and still go see quite a few. They will watch one or more a month. As they were growing up, though, you watched a movie and then several years later it would come on one of the big three networks and they would catch it a second time.

(30+)

They grew up going to movies frequently and especially in their teen years maybe watching one a week. Later, they would rent or buy the same movie and watch it again, maybe once or twice a year.

(5+)

This generation loves movies. They will watch the same DVD day after day and memorize the lines. Some of them have seen "Finding Nemo" 500 times!