Congratulations to my little brother, John, and his wonderful girlfriend, Ellie, on their recently announced engagement! As a kid I thought having so many brothers was such a pain. As an adult, I now know that having brothers means having cool new people, like Ellie, added to our family.
For folks that haven't met my brother or his soon-to-be wife, John coaches basketball and works with kids. Ellie is a very talented designer who specializes in commercial design and also works on residential projects. The met while attending Univ. of Wisconsin at Stout, where John played basketball and studied psychology while Ellie was on the volleyball team and studied interior design. After school, they moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, for a while before relocating to my hometown of Kalispell, Montana.
We had three special guests for Mother's Day weekend this year: my mom, Micki; my grandmother, Dorothy; and my aunt and namesake, Darcy. We had a great time showing them around the city including a visit to a brothel-themed pizza house, Madame K's, a Victorian tea house, Queen Mary Tea, and a pottery shop at Pike Place Market. The best part of the weekend was the fact that three generations of women (and Ryan) were sharing experiences and creating new memories. Here's a peak at some fun moments from the weekend:
Ryan sharing his computer knowledge with Grandma Dot
The highlight of the trip was a Mother's Day breakfast at Queen Mary Tea House.
Walking out of Queen Mary Tea House with loads of loot
Sisterly love between Darcy and Micki
The tea house had lots of fun decorations including fairies, tea cups, and a teddy bear that sat at our table.
Thanks to our visitors for riding on the train for 14 hours to visit us in the Emerald City. We had a great time and look forward to your next visit!
One of the perks of working for a river conservation group is that I get to explore rivers in western Washington. On Saturday, I was invited by the Middle Green River Coalition to participate in a cleanup event for the Green River. The Green River is dam controlled and supplies drinking water to the city of Tacoma. The river is close to Seattle (about 45 minutes southeast) and is an amazing place. A gorge with sandstone walls and, when enough water is released from the dam upstream, class II - III rapids make the river a playground for whitewater boaters.
I was lucky enough to tour the gorge with a great group of folks: Lisa Parsons (head of the MGRC), Casey Garland (a.k.a. Dr. Whitewater and owner of Downstream River Runners), and many more. After a long and stressful week, I wasn't sure if floating on the Green during a cool and drizzly day would be enjoyable. The second I got on the river, all my stress lifted and my mind cleared instantly. I had the best time and loved every minute of it!
Casey even let me take the oars and taught me some of the basics to rowing a raft. Years ago, I was a paddle raft guide on some great whitewater rivers in California. Something about the river makes me feel at home and getting in a raft again was a great feeling!
Here are some pictures from my own camera and some from Casey's. Thanks to the folks that allowed me to share in such a fun and important event!
I've never seen so many warning signs next to a river.
Unfortunately, the Green River is the scene of a number of drownings and fatal accidents. Most of the deaths on the river are from people drinking too much, not wearing life jackets, and making poor decisions.
Heading into a rapid and hoping for some action!
Taking a minute to enjoy a beautiful view. You can probably see the hiking trail that goes behind the waterfall. The Green is fed by a number of waterfalls and springs, one of which was warm from a decades-old underground mine fire.
Another boat full of happy river rats. I love the dog with a life jacket sitting in the raft. Someday, I hope Soma will join me on the river!
Last night we had the pleasure of celebrating the upcoming nuptials of Erin and Mike, two friends who are inspiring people and a lot of fun. Unfortunately, my pictures aren't that great, but hopefully you get a sense for how much fun we had!
The Happy Couple
Wine, food, and good company... what could be better?
The amazing spread made by Erin, Amy, Chris, and Byron. Thanks for organizing such a fun night and for preparing incredible food!
Laughs Before Bundt Cake
I love this picture. From left, Gena is laughing hysterically; Sara is striking a Hollywood pose; Erin is looking at God knows what; and Megan is concerned about her arm.
In lieu of traditional wedding gifts, the hosts asked guests to bring a nice bottle of wine to start a collection for Erin and Mike. What a great idea!
Byron "Birthday Boy" Kneller and his wife, Amy, toast the happy couple.
Sara get verklempt with the bride-to-be
Unfortunately, most of the pictures I took were blurry, so I don't have pictures for a few of the other great moments from the night. Host, Erin Glass, gave a wonderful toast to the couple-of-the-hour; the bride shared stories of her late grandmother and her paternal grandmother's relationship with football legend Vince Lombardi; and Sara made a strong case for why bundt cake is the perfect dessert.
Congratulations, Erin and Mike! We wish you nothing but the best and can't wait to celebrate with you once it's official!
Most people get excited when they encounter celebrities like Brad Pitt or Halle Berry. Me? I get excited about the view from my office. I work in Fisherman's Terminal, a hub for commercial fishing boats. This week, I looked out my window and saw two boats from the Discovery Channel show, The Deadliest Catch. The boats were The Wizard and Time Bandit. Here's a picture:
The Wizard is the boat in front and the Time Bandit is docked behind it.
How is it that a vegetarian who doesn't even eat fish gets starry-eyed when she sees two boats from a show about crabbing? Who knows... I guess it's because I respect people who work hard and have to adapt to Mother Nature. It's also cool to think about where the fish and seafood come from when walking around Pike Place Market or other Seattle landmarks.
So, the Nonerick blog has been silent for a few weeks following the announcement of Brett Favre's retirement. Ryan has been so upset by Brett's retirement that he just can't bring himself to face the blogosphere. The truth is that the blog has been silent because life in the Nonerick house has been pretty slow. The calm is a welcome break before a crazy summer -- we are preparing to buy a house (gulp), making travel plans, gearing up for triathlon season, and hoping to do a multi-day river trip with my coworkers.
As part of our R & R regime, we went to see The Black Keys at a venue in the SoDo District last night. Two days after we got married (September 2006), we had tickets to see The Black Keys, but we were so tired after driving back to Seattle and immediately returning to work and school that we skipped the show. Ever since that day, we've regretting staying home and missing one of our favorite bands. Last night, we finally corrected our mistake and enjoyed the Keys.
When we first heard The Black Keys, they were on the Fat Possum Records label. Fat Possum Records is dedicated to preserving raw and incredible southern blues music. However, the record company also has a few big acts, like The Black Keys and Dinosaur Jr. Although I haven't seen the film, You See Me Laughin' is a documentary about the record company and the original artists, RL Burnside, T Model Ford, Cedell Davis, and others.
Anyway, The Black Keys show was amazing and well worth the nearly two year wait. My only complaint would be that the show was too short (about an hour - perhaps a little longer with the 2-song encore). The energy and intensity of the performance was amazing and the duo from Akron, OH, played a number of songs in the set.
Here's a video for the song Your Touch that I found on YouTube:
The Black Keys released their newest album under Nonesuch Records and not on Fat Possum Records. I don't think a change in record label is always a bad thing, and Nonesuch has some impressive artists (Ibrahim Ferrer, Gipsy Kings, Emmylou Harris, and others). Hopefully, the Keys keep putting out great tunes!
GREEN BAY, WI—The Green Bay Packers addressed questions concerning the current status, future plans, and whereabouts of recently retired quarterback Brett Favre by announcing Monday that they had sent him to the country to live on a...
Lots of love to the happy couple! Cheers!
