We used to spend summers in this city when I was a little girl. My father was working on his Master’s and we usually spent close to a month in the heart of the city during the sessions he attended at the Theological school. I have so many wonderful memories of these times – walking the pier, my mother buying crab right off the boat, going to the zoo, taking the ferry over to Victoria…it was magical for a little girl from small town Montana. I have been back only once to Vancouver as an adult and it is a much busier, greatly larger place now. It is about the only city I am truly in love with. Enjoy this video which I discovered on the Dish.
Matthew: “I fell back on my skis and have been riding them sitting down, going really fast for the last 75 feet, with my butt on the ends! What do you think?”
I guess the President has decided against NASA’s big 100 billion dollar project of sending man back to revisit the moon. I must say I’m relieved to know we’re going to leave La Luna alone, at least for the time being. Instead, Obama wants to put that money towards new rocket technology research. He envisions giving the space industry a little lift-off where they need it – in the development of cheaper, faster, better (pick any two) space ships. Probably that might be a wiser use of our money than tromping around in the footsteps of Neil Armstrong, but who knows. The shift in direction is short on details and seems to be geared more towards encouraging private industry to develop something NASA could use later. At least there do not seem to be any plans to go digging on the Moon in the near future – water or no water. (See my post below in related topics where I wrote about the discovery of water on the Moon or visit here.)
A new friend who lives in Arizona recently called to ask me if he could set some of our music to a video he shot last October of the Flathead Lake area and Glacier Park. I said: Yes! He put his video up on YouTube today so here it is. I really like it. Thank you Wayne, for letting us be a part of your lovely short film. (About six minutes long.) What a great way to step out of this month and into February. Soon it will be hiking season again. There is plenty of snow here to be seen however!
Audio ecologist Gordon Hempton speaks wisely about America’s vanishing quiet places, and how our lives can be enriched by listening to the silence. “Besides spending time away from the damaging noise impacts present at our workplace, neighborhoods, and homes, we are given the opportunity not only to heal but discover something incredible—the presence of life, interwoven!”
My photos from the west coast – Lake Ozette and Cape Alava Trail Loop July of last year.
I promised a ski photo or two from last Sunday. I forgot my backpack so I didn’t want to take the camera on the lift. Can you imagine the horror should I drop it from way up there? I’d never live it down. No sir. Thus, I only got shots this time from the bottom of the hill. By the time I decided I’d had my last run it had started to snow. Not the best photo but this is looking up the hill from Lift 1. Snow conditions so far this year are passable but not great. The skiing was still tons of fun. I am hoping that February will bring the epic snow storm we need. Otherwise it might be a dry summer.
Here is our son Aly (R) riding the lift up. The perspective is screwy but this run is high, narrow and steep. I don’t do that one. It is usually more like a luge.
Photo by Bill Carroll of Colfax, WA taken January 21 on the Snake River. Somewhere the sun shines – which is good to know for those of us here still sitting in clouds. Thank you Bill, for a bit of sun! And what gorgeous reflections they are…
On the morning
after you passed on
I made blueberry pancakes
for my family, for comfort,
and because you would
have liked them.
I celebrate your good life lived
in joy.
I love you, Jane.
