World Cup...that was fun while it lasted.

Well, I got my wish and both the US and England advanced out of group C to make it into the final 16 of the World Cup tournament. And of course, both the US and England promptly lost and were eliminated from the tournament over the weekend. Bummer, as I had hoped that at least one of them would get on a role and make a run. Oh well, it's only another four years to wait.

Regardless, I must say there is really no other sporting event quite like the World Cup. And here in Seattle people have really gotten into it. We watched last Wednesday's US vs Algeria game at a local bar called Spitfire. It's a large sports bar with 20+ flat screens. 7:00 in the morning and the bar was packed. Standing room only. Fortunately, I'd arrived at 6 and snagged a table.

Throughout the game, the tension in the bar was pretty unbearable. And I'll never forget the chaos that happened in that bar when Landon Donovan scored his goal in the 91st minute to beat Algeria and save the US from elimination. Grown men and women screaming, cheering and jumping up and down like kids. Perfect strangers high fiving. People falling out of chairs and spilling coffee on themselves, but not caring. I wish I'd had a camera, because it was a sight to see. I guess soccer can bring people together. Just think what might happen if the US ever makes a World Cup final game. Seattle might explode.

On Saturday, I wasn't feeling like fighting the crowds at another bar, so we opted to watch the US vs Ghana game at home. But for some reason, I got the idea in my head to move our TV out on the back deck and BBQ. I'm not really sure why. But, it actually worked out well. It was kind of like a personal beer garden. And as another plus, I could tend the BBQ without missing any of the game. Anyway, that's the story behind these pictures.

I used my bar to protect the TV from the sun and cut down the glare on the screen. And yes that is a trumpet case the TV is sitting on. Tacky? Maybe. Did it work? Yes.

Sometimes you just gotta bring the indoors to the outdoors. Damn the consequences and odd looks from the neighbors.

Happy Birthday Tonja!

Happy Birthday Tonja! Thank you for bringing so much joy and happiness to this adventure we call life! And Thank you for...

Being goofy with me.


Inspiring me to stay young at heart.

Enjoying beer (and wine) with me.

Sharing your wisdom with me.

Enjoying sports with me.



Sharing your dancing skills with everyone.


Enjoying the great outdoors with me.

Just generally enjoying life with me.

And finally, for putting up with me, even when I'm acting old and cranky. Happy Birthday, Love ya!

End of an Era...

Well, I've been reluctant to make this posting, as I've been holding out hope that something might change. But, no such luck. I'm sad to say, Smithers has left the building. More specifically he left my parents house one morning a few weeks back and never returned home.

Cats are strange, so you never know what might of happened. And Smithers was strange for a cat. So, I hold out hope that he may of just decided to hit the road and see what else was out there for an aging slightly over weight cat who's only real talent was eating and climbing screen doors. Despite his advanced age and weight, he could still climb screen doors and window screens with the best of them.

In his early years he was a party-er and lived life hard. Maybe, a little too hard. He used to hit the catnip pretty regularly in college. Sometimes, it would cause him to run sideways. And he drank a lot of left over sugary cereal milk, too. I think that took it's toll on him later in life. He probably blew through his nine lives twice as fast as most cats. In his later years, he always seemed a little confused. Actually, he was confused in his early years, too. So, maybe that was just Smithers.

I don't know where he is now. But, wherever he may be, whether that is down the street, camped out at a neighbors house because he can't remember how to get home, or if he has retired to the giant kitty litter box in the sky, he'll be remembered fondly to many as the "college cat" or "that damn cat". But, to me he'll always be the Smiz. And nobody beats the Smiz. Play on Smithers, wherever you may be...

2010 Combine Derby-Lind, WA

Every year Lind, WA has a combine harvester demolition derby that also features hay truck races. I attended a few years ago with my parents and had a pretty good time. Since my family was attending it again this year, Tonja and I decided to drive out to Lind to take in the spectacle.

I figured the Cougs would have had better success at this sport. Oh well.

I really love the unprentiousness of this event. It is what it is. A bunch of folks who decided to race some trucks and demo derby some combine harvesters, simply for fun. Yeah, they're raising some money for the local Lion's club. But, the goal of this event is really just to kick back and have some fun. It's not a slick corporate event. As a result, it can be a little rough around the edges. There's an element of danger (even as a spectator). And it's definitely not green. But, it is a great time. I some what imagine this is what the hydroplane races used to feel like in Seattle back in the day. Much more organic. Less polished. Less coporate. Less crowded. More spontaneous.

Anyway, it's impossible to describe this event through words. It just doesn't really do it justice. So, I decided to splice together some video that I took. Please keep in mind that the video was shot with the video option on our digital point and shoot camera minus a tripod, so the quality varies a little bit. But, I think you'll get the jest of it. Enjoy. Click full screen for the best experience.

World Cup Starts Today

I'm very excited about the start of World Cup that begins today and runs until July 11 . Of course I'll be cheering for both the US and England to do well. This does raise a bit of a dilemma for me as the US plays England on Saturday. I'm hoping for a draw and that both the US and England advance out of Group C. Should be an interesting month of football/futball/soccer. Game on.

New Blog Header

I've been taking a basic Adobe Illustrator class over the last couple of weeks. As a small practice project, I figured I'd redesign the header of my blog. The results can be seen above. Still a work in progress, but I enjoy learning the program. I'm also toying around with Photoshop and inDesign, we'll see if any of those projects migrate to the blog...

Memorial Day Weekend

I'd forgotten about the joys of Memorial Day weekend in Seattle. Wet, rainy with occasional sun breaks is standard. Fortunately, we were invited to spend the weekend in a rustic cabin on Sinclair Island in the San Juans with four other couples. Although, the cabin had no electricity or running water, I couldn't think of a better way to spend a long weekend. It was so nice to get away from the city and hang out with friends. The beauty of the San Juans never fails to amaze me, no matter the weather. And although it was cloudy much of the weekend, the rain came mostly in the form of light scattered showers. Some photos...

Storming the beaches of Sinclair Island. Although, it may look like chaos, we were fairly organized. Nothing but the bare essentials...

Group photo on the water taxi out to the island. All were accounted for on the return trip

The cabin from the backyard. Doing our part, we broke out the DR mower and mowed the back meadow.


We enjoyed this view (of the water, not Adam) from the cabin front porch for most of the weekend.

We attempted to hike around the island on the rocky beach. It was quite scenic and we saw a bald eagle and the highest flying wild turkey I've ever seen. However, after about two hours, it became clear that the only way to complete the hike via the beach was by doing some rock climbing, so we opted to cut back across the island via the road. Regardless, it made for a scenic hike.

A view from the boat on the way home.

All in all, a very fun relaxing weekend of hiking, eating, playing horse shoes, throwing the football and frisbee and of course a few beers. A fun trip that I'll remember for a long time. If you feel so inclined, you can check out some more pictures that Kevin posted here.