Final Holiday Preparations

This is the second year we've been away from our families for the holidays. We miss our loved ones tremendously at this time of year. In order to alleviate our heartache, we try to go all out and carry on several Christmas traditions. Here is our holiday checklist:

Tree? Check.

Sugar Cookies? Check.

Ryan's Sugar Induced Headache? Check.

Stockings Hung By The Fire With Care? Check.
Wait a second...

How is it that our dog's stocking is already stuffed with presents?


Well, he has been a good boy this year, and it doesn't hurt to have an honorary Santa title.

We hope everyone has a great holiday and takes a little time to relax and enjoy good company.

I know it's a little early, but here's a look back at 2007... Nonerick style!

First Snow

Seattle has a pretty temperate climate. Famous for its rain, our city rarely gets cold enough to support snow and even more rarely allows snow to accumulate. Today was one of those rare days - take a look at this:

Our balcony with Christmas decorations and our pots of herbs. At this point we were thinking, "oh, it's just a light dusting of snow."

A couple of hours later, Ryan started to get nervous with memories of Syracuse. He told me about his mom's Christmas lights buried in mounds of snow. I think Ryan has nothing to worry about--a few inches of snow is nothing compared to the feet of snow in the 'Cuse.

Soma's Snow Scooping Technique

Big News!

After many months searching for the right job, I am happy to report that as of today I am joining the working masses. You are looking at (or reading about) the next Associate Director of Washington Water Policy for the nonprofit organization American Rivers. American Rivers does a wide range of work from protecting and preserving rivers and habitat to protecting public health and water quality. At American Rivers, my work will include implementation of the Water for Life and the River Heritage programs. I'm very excited to be working with American Rivers and to be involved in water policy, an increasingly urgent and important issue both domestically and around the world.

Stay tuned for updates as I get settled!

Taking Advantage of a Long Weekend and Good Weather

Well, Thanksgiving weekend is almost over and the Nonerick clan decided to take full advantage of the long weekend and amazing weather. In Seattle, it doesn't happen very often that the sun comes out for 4 days straight--especially at this time of year, which tends to be the darkest and rainiest season.

Ryan and I wanted to get out and soak up some vitamin D, but we didn't want to battle holiday traffic and risk getting to a trail only to find it muddy or snowy. In other words, we didn't want to work for recreation. So, we went to my favorite nursery, Swanson's to pick up a few plants for winter containers outside our front door and to see Swanson's reindeer and holiday train set display. This year, Swanson's is hosting Dasher and Blitzen. I think this is Blitzen:

Blitzen looks a little thick around the middle. Maybe he stores up fat as energy for his Christmas Eve duties--think carbo loading before an endurance event like a marathon.

Today we went to our favorite park in Seattle, Discovery Park, which has everyone you could want. 2.8-8 miles of walking trails in an urban forest and/or along the beach of the Puget Sound. Usually on clear days, you can see the Olympic Mountains across the Sound, but the few clouds in the sky shielded the snow-capped Olympics from view... bummer.

Ryan checking out the view and hoping for a glimpse of the mountains.

This is Soma's favorite tree in Discovery Park.
As you can see, the tree is massive, and Ryan and Soma enjoy the tree for different reasons. Ryan likes thinking about how old the tree is and how unusual it is to find such a large tree in a city. Soma just wants to chase any squirrels that scurry up the tree to avoid him.

The Cure for a Tofurkey Hangover

Ugh... as much as I love Tofurkey, the morning after is not a pretty picture. Ryan and I both nursed symptoms of a food binge this morning. Regardless of your dietary preference (vegetarian or omnivore), everyone experiences the ills that follow a gluttonous food fest: a little extra time on the toilet, fatigue, and that special sort of nausea that is only felt when you eat enough food to fill both your stomach and your esophagus. For those Tofurkey skeptics that think our tummy troubles were the result of a tofu turkey, our hangover is probably more the result of the whole meal and the two desserts that we've munched on for the last 16 hours.

After a few hours of moping around the house, we decided it was time to get outside. The sun has been out in full force for the last few days, so we packed up and went to the Arboretum. We're hoping to hike in the mountains (pending any significant snow accumulations) later this weekend. Stay tuned for more potential pictures.

With smiles like these, who would know that we're about to barf?

First Signs of Winter
Seattle has been pretty cold this week (highs in the 40s and lows below freezing). We were surprised to see frost at lunchtime when the sun is out and warming the air up quickly.

A Man and His Dog

The Last Bits of Autumn Color at the Arboretum

A Path Called "Azalea Way"
In the spring, this walk is full of beautiful rhododendron blooms.

Phase 2 of a Thankgiving hangover treatment plan is to sit on the couch and watch your favorite sporting event. For us, this means college basketball. Syracuse takes on the University of Washington in the NIT at Madison Square Garden. Not to add pressure to the Orange, but if the 'Cuse wins, our digestive issues will probably subside. If they lose, we will have a total relapse because of the stress brought on by watching a promising team lose to a clearly inferior group of ball players. Go Orange!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last year, we started a tradition of hosting some of our friends for an "orphan Thanksgiving". As you can probably guess, an "orphan" is someone who doesn't have any family locally and can't or does not travel home for Thanksgiving. This year, we missed the presence of our friends Bonnie and Joe, who participated in the inaugural event last year, but have since moved to Washington, DC. However, we enjoyed a new participant, Becky.

Thanksgiving preparations begin early for the Nonericks. A few days before the big meal, we start making and preparing food dishes, usually desserts. I made a pumpkin cheesecake with gingersnap crust and Ryan, an emerging baker, made homemade apple pie. He used these crust ingredients from this apple pie recipe, and this filling recipe.

Some of you may be asking yourself, "How do two vegetarians celebrate a traditional Thanksgiving? " Yes, it's true that we don't eat turkey, but we have the next best thing: Tofurkey!

Mmmm... Tofurkey!!

Tofurkey does not come in the shape of a turkey (I think some turkey substitutes do), but it does have a yummy stuffing, "giblet" gravy, dumplings, and a soy-based turkey-jerky "wishbone". For the record, we have made a turkey for those meat eaters among us, but this year we didn't because most (or all) of our guests were vegetarian/more vegetarian than not.

Another Thanksgiving tradition is football. While preparing for the big feast, we watched the Packer/Lions game. I'm giving thanks for the Packer's 10-1 start this season. Next week, the Packers have a huge game against the Cowboys. Stay tuned for more football updates because this could be THE season, if you know what I'm sayin'.

Even Canadians Love The Packers

Here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving fun:

The Table
You may notice Ryan in the background. He's making whole wheat dinner rolls from scratch.


My attempt to Martha Stewart the heck out of our table.

Soma after returning from a play session at the dog park. Whenever we have guests coming over, we try to wear Soma out--do you think it worked?

I think this picture really captures the food-coma feeling of Thanksgiving. Granted, Soma does not eat people food, but this is definitely how I feel after eating Tofurkey with all the fixings.

Sitting on the couch in full food-coma mode. I don't know about the others, but I used all my energy to smile for this photo.
From the left are Byron, Amy, Becky, and me!

More than anything else, we are thankful for good friends, good family, and a good life. We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Baby Boom

Something must be in the air -- or at least was in the air last winter. Two of our friends welcomed little bundles of joy this week.

Congratulations Chris and Cindy Devendorf on the arrival of Amy Lauren, born Friday, November 9, at 8:45 p.m. She weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and was 21 inches long. Chris and Cindy already have an adorable little boy, Brian.

Elated parents of Amy Lauren. Welcome, Amy!

Grandpa, Baby Amy, and Big Brother Brian.

Congratulations also go out to Renee and Mike Harris on the birth of their first child, Haley, born November 13 at 2:04 p.m. I think Haley arrived fashionably late because Renee's due date was November 4 (if I remember correctly).

An exhausted Haley settles into mom's hand.

New dad, Mike, bonds with his little girl.

I know Renee will hate that I posted this picture, but I love this image of her as a beautiful new mother with her baby.

We wish the new parents and sibling lots of luck in settling into their new lives. We are so happy for you and hope your new families are happy and healthy for a very long time to come.

Cheers!

Calm Before The Storm

Things at the Nonerick house are slow these days, which is a welcome break from the madness of the last few months. Even though the job search and life planning process is moving along slowly, we are keeping ourselves busy with lots of other little things (e.g. preparing for Thanksgiving, getting started on Christmas stuff, cleaning closets, getting some personal and financial affairs in order). In other words, nothing worth writing about.

The upcoming week will be a busy and important one. Among many other things, I [Darcy] have a final round interview for a water policy job and find out if I'm in contention for another position with a local government department. Hopefully, the job search is coming to a close and we can move forward on the next phase of life - adapting to a new job and saving for a house. It's funny how impatient you can become when you see so many things that you want to do that are dependent on one piece falling into place.

Since we haven't posted an update in a while, here are some pictures of our lives these days:

A few weeks ago, Ryan started growing a beard. The idea started as part of a Halloween costume (Ryan wanted to dress up like the recent Public Television great Bob Ross ) but turned into a statement on manhood. This morning, Ryan declared that he was shaving the beard because it irritates his skin. I thought I should record the facial phenomenon and share it with the world. Ryan was a good sport and let me take a picture first thing in the morning.

How big are those paws?

Just when you think a relaxing dog will stay still...

he lunges at the camera!

Autumn Hike

Ryan and I have been dreaming and scheming of fun adventures for the fall and winter. During the last few years, my law school schedule prevented us from enjoying a ski weekend or day in the woods. Well, that will not happen anymore! We can't wait for snow to fall and so we can ski or snowshoe in our backyard. Until the snow comes, we are taking time to hike and enjoy Mother Nature in all her glory.

This weekend we went to a hiking spot about 30 minutes from Seattle, Olallie State Park. As usual, we have some photos:

Thorough Signage

Trailside debris leftover from a major windstorm last December.
Many parks, including Rainier National Park, were devastated by the storm with trails and campgrounds closed during the main tourist season. Volunteers and the Parks Service are working hard to return outdoor recreation areas to usable condition. In the Seattle area, many people lost power for a week or more and a woman lost her life after her basement flooded. We were surprised to see more evidence of the storm 10 months later.

My Boys
Soma and Ryan enjoying the trail.

Navigating a Tight Spot

The trail we hiked went underneath this bridge. Another trail, formed by an old Forest Service road, went over the bridge and along the mountains for many miles.

Washington's Version of Deciduous Trees

Twin Falls
This was an unbelievably beautiful part of the trail. Two large waterfalls were upstream while another waterfall was downstream and within view. The bridge where this picture was taken was about 50 feet above the narrow gorge.

Like true yuppie-puppy parents, we bring Soma his own water bottle. However, he doesn't drink anything unless you put your hand underneath the spout.

Pumpkin Carving/Doughnut Party

Every year, our friends, Amy and Byron, host a Pumpkin Carving/Doughnut party in their backyard. Ryan and I love the event, but Ryan takes pumpkin carving to a new level. Ryan spends a few weeks researching different pumpkin carving ideas and then picks the most difficult and time consuming design. This year, a Martha Stewart design won out and Ryan carved a skull design that required a lot of delicate shaving and precise design-work.


I used a stencil that came with a carving kit to carve a skull with flames surrounding the creepy cranium. Soma's pumpkin was supposed to be a hissing cat because he LOVES chasing cats and squirrels when we walk around the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the cat got a little warped by my lack of carving skills (Ryan was still working on etching his skull pumpkin at the time), so the final product looks more like a mutant rabid squirrel/cat mix. On the plus side, Soma chases both so the pumpkin still represents Soma accurately.

Watch Out For The Mutant Rabid Cat-Squirrel!

I grew up with cake doughnuts in the fall. I have many fond memories of my mom canning and jamming whatever fruits and veggies remained after the summer growing season and "us" kids devouring hot doughnuts rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Fall in Seattle means rain and cold weather, which is the perfect weather for comfort foods like homemade doughnuts and warming soups. This fall has been colder and darker than usual, but the weather cooperated and we enjoyed a gorgeous evening.

The Main Table
Byron made this 10' table with reclaimed lumber from an old car port. Amy used some plants from her great garden and exercised her creativity to create the fabulous centerpiece.

Doughnut Varieties:
Chocolate (see "Photo Of The Week"), Ginger Buttermilk, and Apple with Maple Sugar (above).

"Act Natural"

Ryan is taking the day off to recuperate from his intense pumpkin carving project, but something tells me that he will be thinking about next year's pumpkin design by the end of the week.

Great Article On Land In Montana

Ryan and I were just perusing the internet news when we came across this article on land use in my home county, Flathead County, Montana. While the article is a good snapshot of the land use troubles in the area, one thing not examined adequately in the article is the ripple effect development, especially from out-of-the-area millionaires interested in vacation homes, has on housing prices for local residents. The article talks a lot about timber, conservation, and wealthy investors buying land in the west but portrays locals narrowly (i.e. old time timber folk and environmentalists).

It isn't often that my little corner of the world gets mentioned in the New York Times.

The Connecticut Crew

From Left: Jason Horwitz, Jeff Larsen, Groom Doer, Ryan, Me, and Jeff Lee

Special thanks to Jeff Lee for sending this photo of the Connecticut crew celebrating Doer's wedding last weekend. What a handsome group...

California Love

Chapter 1: Blue Crush Wannabes

Ryan and I just returned from another weekend away. This time, we were honored to attend the fabulous wedding of Mike Hilldoerfer and Lisa Guadagnola in Los Altos/Palo Alto, California. Pictures and details of the wedding are below, but first...

After Ryan and I surfed in Mexico earlier this year, we decided to head to the Sunshine State a little early for 2 days of surfing lessons on Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica. We were very excited to get in the ocean, but I have to admit that I was a little worried about being cold. I whined about having to wear a wetsuit and booties. I whined about the air temperature and the wind. Ryan, fed up with my whining, helped me refocus by telling me to get over it. Once the wetsuit was on and we got in the water, my body temperature was fine. Of course, after an hour or so in the water, I took a break on the beach and felt my hands tingling in a desperate attempt to warm up.

Surfing with a wetsuit on was much harder than I thought. I really felt like the wetsuit made the motion of pushing up on the board harder and less fluid. Ryan, however, was able to pop up easily on the first wave of the day--it must be the snowboarding. At one point, a seal swam by as if to show us that navigating waves was easy. I couldn't believe how close and nonchalant the seal was about swimming next to people, but the surfing beaches are so crowded on weekends and good wave days that the wildlife must be used to humans.

On the second day of our lessons, we woke up and immediately felt the fall chill. Air temperatures were in the 40s with significant wind. When we got to the beach, the waves were really choppy and close together making surfing difficult at best. In fact, many of the local surfers already in the water were having a tough time catching waves. Even our instructor suggested that we call it a day as conditions were pretty terrible. Part of me was sad but most of me was happy not to get into the water because I was freezing. Next time, I think we plan on surfing in warm water. Here are two pictures of the beach that we took on day 2:


Chapter 2: This Endless Love

Now for the wedding. Ryan worked with the groom, Mike, at Pratt and Whitney in Connecticut. Shortly after we left for Washington, DC, Mike moved to the San Jose area and Ryan was able to see Mike once a year when Ryan attended a conference for software programmers. I haven't seen Mike for years--probably since we left Connecticut in 2001. We were so honored to be invited to their wedding and had a great time.

The Last Moments of Single Life


They're hitched!!

First Dance

Ryan and I Enjoying the Reception

Some of the Connecticut Crew
Jeff Larsen, Jason Horwitz, and Ryan

Another CT Crew Member, Jeff Lee
He Wears His Sunglasses at Night

We had the best time catching up with friends and celebrating Mike and Lisa's commitment to each other. We hope they have a great time in Hawaii and look forward to the next group get-together!