I just wanted to add my observations of Sasquatch. Here is the list of performers that we saw in order from earliest to latest:

• Mix Master Mike


• The Saturday Knights


• The Hold Steady


• Ozomatli


• Neko Case


• Citizen Cope


• Grizzly Bear


• Long Winters (in place of MIA who was kept out of the country for some reason)


• Manu Chao


• The Arcarde Fire


• Bjork

Ok, now for my very biased musical critique.

I will start with what I thought was good: The Arcade Fire were far and away the best band we saw. I cannot say enough about seeing them live - so, that is all that I will say. Manu Chao were suprisingly entertaining; they have this crazy combination of reggae/ska, mariachi, and punk. Finally, The Hold Steady, and their brand of pop-punk-dance music, gave a good performance. And, their keyboard player was sporting a handle-bar moustache that was just plain awesome.

Now onto the not-so-good: this will probably get me labeled as having "low-brow" musical tastes, but I just do not understand Bjork. Sure, there was a huge, lavish stage and equally visual costumes that featured a brass-section dressed like teletubbies, but the music just does not draw me in. Her songs were slow and boring. Speaking of which, Citizen Cope was clearly popular with the crowd but inspired me to try and take a nap. Finally, Grizzly Bear is nothing like its name implies - there are a lot of trippy sounds and strange lyrics that do not translate well to a festival setting (unless, of course, your festival includes a lot of funny smelling "cigarettes").

"Why We Love Living Here" Reason # 157:

Happy Memorial Day weekend to all of you out there in Nonerick land! When most people (including us) think of Seattle, they think of rain, coffee, and flannel wearing grunge bands. I won't lie, the rain can be a little tough to handle at times. Personally, I love good coffee and grunge music, so 2 out o 3 isn't bad. However, living in Seattle also has numerous benefits that help make up for the rain. For one thing, growing a garden is remarkably easy because the weather is temperate but not too punishing to plants. Even my black thumb has shades of green with a small herb garden and some great flowering plants.

The two things I like the most about living in the Northwest are music and access to the outdoors. This weekend we went to the annual "Sasquatch Festival" at the Gorge Amphitheater. For those who haven't seen a show at the Gorge, the location and facility are amazing. The Amphitheater is nestled at the edge of the Columbia River, which divides Washington in half before meandering along the Oregon/Washington border and out to the Pacific Ocean. The Gorge gives you an amazing view of the river and surrounding desert. Yep, I said desert. Eastern Washington is high and dry compared to the green and lush Seattle area. Here's a picture of the Gorge looking north:



We also attended Sasquatch (as it's known by locals) two years ago when the Pixies headlined and other bands in the lineup included Wilco, Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, and Kanye West. Coincidentally, our friend from Ohio, Sarah Miller, attended the concert with us because her advertising company worked the event. This year, Sasquatch extended the event to two days, Saturday and Sunday. The line up also expanded with Arcade Fire (our favorite band) returning; Bjork and the Beastie Boys headlining; and comedienne Sara Silverman hosting. If you haven't seen Arcade Fire perform live, YOU MUST. The band is from Montreal - although the male lead singer and his brother are originally from Texas and the female lead singer is originally from Haiti - and has more going on onstage than any other band I've ever seen. To give you an idea, the show included a pipe organ, an instrument called a hurdy-gurdy, and an amazing percussion performance. The bottom line is that the band gives 200% in every show.

So, Arcade Fire is Darcy's pick of the week for good tunes and good times.

I also had a disappointment at Sasquatch this year. Usually, I really like Sara Silverman's shocking humor, and I was looking forward to Silverman's role as host. However, Silverman disappointed me because she showed up late in the afternoon, introduced three bands, and then disappeared for the rest of the night. I know she's a big time star with her own show, but come on... you agreed to HOST a concert.

Since Memorial Day is the ceremonial beginning of summer, we plan on getting outside as much as possible. Stay tuned for more pictures of our beautiful area along stories of our adventures!

Peace,
Darcy

Darcy's Legendary Twin Brothers Off to Europe...

Every time I talk about my twin brothers, most people say, "Your brothers really are 7-feet tall! You weren't kidding?" As proof, here's a photo of the twins with my mom taken for the local paper in Kalispell, Montana. My mom is an inch or two shy of 6-feet.



The twins, Jacob and John, are preparing to leave the States for Germany. J & J finished their college play a few months ago and signed on with Scorers 1st Sportmanagement in Dusseldorf (www.scorersfirst.com). Jacob (on the left in the photo above) just completed his first tournament in the Middle East. He started in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, then played a few rounds in Doha, Qatar, and finished the tourney in Tehrain, Iran. Ryan and I are really interested in hearing about Jacob's experiences when he returns to the U.S. this week, and we'll post what we learn on the blog.

The Nonericks wish Jacob and John (along with their partners Jenna and Ellie) the best of luck in Europe! We are so proud of what they've accomplished and can't wait to hear about their adventures!

Viva la Mexico!

Hi everyone, Darcy here. As you may know, I finished law school a couple weeks ago. Since graduation really isn't my thing, Ryan and I decided to take a honeymoon/graduation combination trip in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. San Jose is part of the "tourist corridor" between Los Cabos and Cabo San Lucas on the southern edge of Baja. Winter in Seattle was long and dark with unusually long periods of rain and clouds, so we were desperate to escape to a warm and sunny destination.

That being said, I have to confess something: we decided to stay in an all-inclusive resort. The idea of staying in a fancy-shmancy resort makes me feel guilty. To me, the point of international travel is to relax while learning about local culture. However, we consoled our liberal tendencies by rationalizing our decision in a number of ways. First, we pointed to our vegetarianism and the idea of a resort with buffets and multiple onsite restaurants as a way to avoid digestive discomfort. Next, we decided that this would be the ONLY visit to a fancy resort because next time we plan on staying at a house or more modest hotel. Finally, we talked to our local driver from the airport who assured us that staying at a resort was a positive thing because it brought jobs, good jobs, to the community. For a look at the resort that spoiled us and made me feel guilty, check out the website: http://www.dreamsresorts.com/los_cabos/index.html. Even if it was "Americanized", the resort was amazing and we took full advantage of the hammocks on the beach.



Anyhoo, the highlight of our trip was taking surfing lessons. My "Blue Crush" dream came true--although you probably won't see me on the pro circuit any time soon. Ryan was a natural on the waves and made standing up look easy. I also got up a couple of times and LOVED the experience. After a few hours, we were exhausted and our arms felt like Jello.

The first picture is Ryan, the next picture is me, and the last photo is of Ryan by the end of the day (kidding, the picture is actually of a pro surfer at a contest we went to on our last morning in Mexico)







Soma enjoyed his stay at the doggie hotel. He partied with his canine buddies and slept for nearly two days after we picked him up.

Welcome!

Thanks for visiting our blog! We decided to start this page to keep family and friends updated on our adventures. Please visit regularly to read posts on our life, travels, and opinions. We hope you enjoy the blog, and please feel free to send us feedback!


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