WordPress, better cities, and everything else
Yesterday: First day of skiing for the year! Did a full day at Timberline with Ned, Leah’s dad. He’s a ski patroller, and it was a fun day tagging along to see what that’s like. 21k feet of vertical over 17 runs.
Today: Hiked Dog Mountain with Spittle. Gorge-ous day in the Gorge, but bitterly cold. Saw a few other brave souls.
Now: Just about the perfect time for a hot bath.
At the first fundraiser auction I ever go to, one for FACES Foundation last October, I end up with a week’s vacation at condo in Maui. I remember the setup clearly: a strong Pisco Sour to kick off the evening, red wine flowing throughout dinner, and the discomfort coming from being the youngest, and least formally dressed, person in the room. So, when the first item went up on the block, I ended up in a bidding war with the couple sitting beside me. And won.
We got to look forward to the trip for months. Spittle and Leah would be joining us for eight days at the end of March; a good ol’ fashioned, computer-free spring break in between lives of craziness. We had no plans other than plenty of sun, bananagrams, reading, and hanging out.
Considering we managed to hike and snorkel too, I think we were successful. Highlights include:
Pro tip: groceries are unreasonably expensive unless you end up at Costco, where they seem to be the same price as stateside.
Down to the beautiful island of Maui with Leah, Spittle and Leah for a week of sun, swimming, hiking, reading, playing Mexican Train, etc. etc. Consider this my away message until April 2nd, although I will be checking my personal email periodically.
Spittle and I climbed Table Mountain today – this was our view from the top. Fun, challenging walk up Heartbreak Ridge had me essentially front-pointing the entire time. And my calves are a bit sore. The ridge we took down was so windy we had to squat a few times to keep from getting blown off our feet.
Now we’re at East Wind Drive-In getting soft serve. Pretty sweet way to spend the day.
Nothing says freedom from British tyranny better than a beautiful day at the coast. Check out Leah’s report for the full narrative.
@andrewspittle Want to start a blog circle? I’d like to start writing lengthier pieces, ones that require research and multiple layers of editing. Making this a group activity might actually convince me to do it.
A walk in the woods, above Wahkeena Falls in the gorge, with Andrew and Leah. Just the perfect amount of snow on the ground.
Just started using Sparrow per Andrew’s recommendation. I’ve been a religious Mail.app user ever since Gmail started killing my browser sessions, but it might be time to make a cold switch.
How to Put Your Dock In The Corner. Nice touch. (via Andrew Spittle)
Food cart lunch break with Andrew.