Blessed Midsummer

The summer solstice is upon us today, the longest day of the year. I have seen pictures of the celebration at Stonehenge and it looks like that would be a lot of fun to attend! I wasn't going to do a post for summer solstice, since I am not a summer person, but on the other hand, it now means that it's going to start getting darker as we head into fall and winter, so that makes me very happy. Summer Solstice Artwork by April White, of Turtle Island, in Kelowna, British Columbia. Her artwork and shop feature Northwest Native designs, including the Haida and Coast Salish.

"Solstice, from the Latin for sun stands still, in astronomy, either of the two points on the ecliptic that lie midway between the equinoxes (separated from them by an angular distance of 90°).
At the solstices the sun's apparent position on the celestial sphere reaches its greatest distance above or below the celestial equator, about 23 1/2° of arc. At the time of summer solstice, about June 22, the sun is directly overhead at noon at the Tropic of Cancer.

In the Northern Hemisphere the longest day and shortest night of the year occur on this date, marking the beginning of summer. At winter solstice, about December 22, the sun is overhead at noon at the Tropic of Capricorn; this marks the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. For several days before and after each solstice the sun appears to stand still in the sky, i.e., its noontime elevation does not seem to change from day to day." infoplease.com

Here are some sunrise and sunset times:

Reykjavik, Iceland: 2:55 a.m. 12:04 a.m.
Yellowknife, NW Territories, Canada: 3:30 a.m. 11:40 p.m.
Anchorage, Alaska: 4:20 a.m. 11:43 p.m.
London, England: 4:43 a.m. 9:21 p.m.
Vancouver, British Columbia: 5:07 a.m. 9:21 p.m.
Boston, Massachusetts: 5:08 a.m. 8:25 p.m.
Tacoma, Washington: 5:14 a.m. 9:10 p.m.
Salem, Oregon: 5:26 a.m. 9:02 p.m.
San Francisco, California: 5:48 a.m. 8:35 p.m.
Madrid, Spain: 6:45 a.m. 9:48 p.m.
Pretoria, South Africa (their winter solstice) 6:53 a.m. 5:25 p.m.

Update per Val's request:
New York City: 5:24 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.

What I find interesting is that the sunrise in Boston & Vancouver BC is a minute apart, but sunset in Boston is nearly an hour earlier than in Vancouver. The sunrise in London is earlier than Vancouver BC by 24 minutes, but the sun sets at the same time. And what's up with Madrid? The sun rises later than most, but then sets later than most!

And Axe, in South Africa, is in winter solstice, being in the Southern Hemisphere.

At least it's cool and cloudy here today. Back in California, we'd already see 90 degree temperatures for days on end, with unrelenting sun for months and months. I'm happiest when it's dark and cold. I know, I'm weird.

Sagan

Here' s our big 80 lb. love puppy, Sagan, in some recent photos. Here he is, snacking, one of his many favourite things to do. He will eat anything. One of his many nicknames is "Snacky". I wish this was more in focus but I had to snap quickly before he moved. What a handsome, happy boy!! Sagan sez, "Chicks dig me."

I absolutely cannot resist those eyes and that sweet face. He's so affectionate and he can't get enough pets and snuggles.

We just put this loveseat upstairs in the livingroom in May. It was originally in our vacation place on the Olympic Peninsula, but we sold the land last year and the loveseat's been in the garage since last summer so we finally decided to put it upstairs. We no sooner had it in place when Sagan leapt onto it and claimed it as his couch.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs

"Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind, Do This Don't Do That, can't you read the signs..." Five Man Electrical Band

Hey, I was surfing around my usual blogs and found a fun sign-maker site on Weir Freaks. So I made a few for your amusement. Sorry Madi, I couldn't get it to spell out "drummer" b/c the line wasn't long enough!!

Brian and I have always referred to Bob's Big Boy restaurants by the name I put on the sign. Don't ask me why, all I remember is Brian saying it in the restaurant and me shooting pop out of my nose as I burst out laughing.
Had to put one in here for Brian since I have myself starring in a movie with Vincent.

Because he deserves one!!! That disgusting skank Britney Spears has one but Vincent doesn't??? How unfair is that?

http://www.redkid.net/generator/bart/

That's the link. Have fun!!!

Thanks again to Irenie at Weir Freaks for posting this link.

Good Luck Julie!!

Let's all wish Julie the best of luck on her final exam today!!! She's been working like crazy for the past month in preparation for today's exam.

"Julie hasn't had any time for me lately!" "But now she's almost done with school for the year!"

"Go Julie! Go Julie!"

"Now you can pay more attention to my sweat pants stretched tightly across my bulbous crotch region."

"See how I jest with you?"

"I can't wait for Julie to be done with school! Sigh."

"I'm comin' baby! Yo, Gregory, will ya look the other way and give us some privacy?"

"...and then we went like this...."

"...and then she went like this....."

Thanks again to Eliza and Val for their vast collection of caps.

BREAKING NEWS!! ATTENTION!!

"Law & Order: Criminal Intent" stars get no raises•
Show moving to first run on USA Network•
Three principals have until 5 p.m. to accept

LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" producers' intent to bring back the cast of the series with no raises next season is not sitting well with the show's stars, sources said.

It is understood that Wolf Films and NBC Universal TV Studio have set a deadline of 5 p.m. Friday for stars Vincent D'Onofrio, Chris Noth and Kathryn Erbe to accept the offer.
Series cast members normally receive a 5 percent salary bump every year, with higher figures sometimes on offer for stars on established shows. Studios have been pushing to tie such standard raises to the show's license fee increase, which generally is lower than 5 percent.
In the case of "CI," producers face the economic realities of producing a high-production-value drama with marquee stars on a cable budget. The series has been moved from NBC -- where it aired for six seasons -- to USA Network, with a second window on NBC. (The repeats on NBC should alleviate some of the financial strain.)

Representatives for Wolf Films and NBC Universal TV declined comment on any actor negotiations.

When life hands you lemons.....

....you leave work early, go to the bead shop, then take a mental health day and spend the day in a quiet house doing beadwork. At least that's what I do when life hands me lemons.

Crankypants

I had a rough day on Monday, and decided that it was not only in my best interest that I take the day off, but that it would be in mankind's best interest to take the day off. Several months ago I did a post about trying to wean off the antidepressants. It's taken a very long time, but I finally did it. Unfortunately, nearly everything is making me cry or choke up, including commercials, songs, TV shows.....you name it and I'm on the verge of tears. Throw in my normal road rage, and the contempt and disdain for our clients, and it's The Perfect Storm.

Would you like some cheese with that whine?

Although we have clients that I do like a lot, the majority of them are big time whiners. Especially the men. The men give us the most trouble, calling and weeping about their divorce, crying poor mouth and "she's gonna bleed me dry". I have absolutely no sympathy for them. We have this one client (who I know is somewhat scared of me because I have no time for his excuses and I refuse to mollycoddle him), who pays everything with his debit card. He has tons of money to go out to eat and spend on his "lady friends", but pay his lawyer's bill? Oh, and his wife has access to his statements and I shit you not, his debit card statement reads like this: "Hooters, Fred Meyer Jewelry, The Lusty Lady, Lover's Package, Super 8 Motel." All located on the notorious "SeaTac Strip" where Green River Killer Gary Ridgway used to hunt. Hmmmm.......it doesn't take Detective Goren to figure out what he's doing with his time and money. (Lover's Package is one of the many sex toy shoppes we have out here). And he wonders why his wife is going for the jugular in this divorce.

I have another male client who calls and cries his eyes out, how he doesn't want this divorce, why did she leave him, etc etc etc. He's so freakin clingy that I don't blame his wife one bit for leaving him. Then you know what he says to me? "I found out her grandmother did the same thing when she hit menopause too." I nearly blew a head gasket. How I managed to keep from telling him that clearly he's a sexist bastard and I'm glad that his wife is moving on with her life and if he EVER says something like that to me again, he will be VERY sorry.

Then I get a call from a woman who talked to my boss in March about his taking over her case, then we hear absolutely nothing from her. The trial is July 11. Her other lawyer withdrew on May 31 so I called him and he sent his file over. I called her to ask what was going on, and she kept telling me that Steve told her that "we have plenty of time, there's no rush." This time, I blew said head gasket. I said, "Yeah, we had time in MARCH! IT'S NEARLY A MONTH TO TRIAL AND NOW YOU WANT US TO REPRESENT YOU? I can tell ya one thing, the trial in July just ain't happenin'. We're going to have to move for a continuance, because Steve can't possibly prepare this case in such a short period of time," and she gives me shit about how her trial's already been moved twice! I tersely told her that she should have hired us in March.

It was at that point I decided I'd better take a mental health day because although I will vent about these people around the office, I never actually get like that with them on the phone.

And my coworker has had a really bad nagging cough for about a year. Yes, you read that right, a year. The constant coughing is driving me fucking BATSHIT. All goddamn day long, cougha- cougha-cougha-cough. Here's an idea, get some medication! Move to the desert Southwest! But STOP COUGHING!!! I swear to god, it's nonstop as I write this and I'm gonna start taking hostages.......

No Shit Sherlock

I had a dr. appt. on Monday about my ongoing and terrible foot/shin/ankle pain, and low back pain. She tells me I have plantar faciitis, which is what I figured. Then she hints around that maybe I should look into losing some weight. Well HELLO! Excuse me Miss Genetically Blessed Uber Nordic Tall And Thin Doctor, if my friggin feet and legs didn't hurt so bad, MAYBE I COULD GET SOME EXERCISE!!! She tells me to cut down on my portion sizes. Jesus Christ. If she could see my portion sizes, and the food I eat, she would know damn well that I do not overeat. Why do people assume that overweight people eat like pigs and have no control? Has it ever occurred to them that maybe we are trying and have constantly struggled with it our whole lives but our genetics are working against us?

I hate Technology

A few months ago we had Comcast come out and give us a DVR cable box. Unfortunately they hooked it up and somehow made it so we can't tape off the VCR too. Since then, I've recorded a bunch of stuff that I haven't watched yet, plus all the Bobby episodes of LOCI. For some reason, when you look at the guide, when you press "info" to see what a show is about, the box will switch itself off, then take about 5 minutes to come back on and reset. Annoying, yes. Brian called Comcast and told them and they were gonna come out today to replace the box. I called Brian back and asked, "what about the stuff that's recorded? I do not want to lose all of it!" So he calls Comcast then calls me back to say, "Yep, we'll lose all of it so I canceled the appointment." See, this is why I like videotaping. It's something tangible. I can record the tape, rewind it, take it out, label it. Watch it whenever I want. Replace the VCR if it breaks. But not with a DVR. Now we have to figure out how to transfer from DVR to tape, which is sort of stupid because if I'm gonna have tapes anyway, then why did we get a DVR in the first damn place?

Although I like my digicam, I am somewhat distressed at not having tangible negatives. I keep all my negatives in plastic preserver sheets, in 3 ring binders. I can lay my hand on any negative for any photograph for the past 30 years in a matter of minutes. All I get with a digital camera is a disc that I have to futz around with on the computer. I hate to futz.

I HATE PEOPLE From "Scrooge" (Leslie Bricusse)

Scavengers and sycophants and flatterers and fools
Pharisees and parasites and hypocrites and ghouls
Calculating swindlers, prevaricating frauds
Perpetrating evil as they roam the earth in hordes
Feeding on their fellow men
Reaping rich rewards
Contaminating everything they see
Corrupting honest me like me
Humbug! Poppycock! Balderdash! Bah! I hate people!
I hate people! People are despicable creatures
Loathesome inexplicable creatures
Good-for-nothing kickable creatures I hate people!
I abhor them!
When I see the indolent classes
Sitting on their indolent asses
Gulping ale from indolent glasses I hate people!
I detest them! I deplore them!
I hate people! I loathe people!
I despise and abominate people!
Life is full of cretinous wretches
Earning what their sweatiness fetches
Empty minds whose pettiness stretches
Further than I can see
Little wonder I hate people
And I don't care if they hate me!

Thar She Blows

Me mum thinks she's so funny, sending me this cartoon, changing the name and changing "he" to "she"....then adding "hee hee har har" to the top.

Unfortunately, anyone who has had the "pleasure" of hearing me blow my nose will totally understand, and laugh heartily at, this cartoon. It's so loud that sometimes when my boss gives me a dictation tape to transcribe, I can hear myself in the background of the tape, honking away. And of course because we transcribe on a slower speed, I get to hear myself in a long, drawn out, "WHAAAAAAANK". Now I make it a point to get as far away from him as possible when he's dictating, then blow my nose. People can hear it through the telephone and will ask Steve, or Brian, "what was that?" Or I'll blow my nose and Brian will call out, right on cue, "Barge Comin' Thru!"

S'okay, I never claimed to be dainty or ladylike.

When I was a kid, and even throughout college, I would never blow my nose. I'd sniff. Incessantly. My parents, grandmother, cousins and friends would BEG me to blow my nose and quit sniffing. I wouldn't blow my nose b/c I was grossed out at the thought of all that snot on my upper lip. Finally, I caved into Brian's begging me to please blow my nose. Everyone is very, very sorry that I started now. hahahaha "Be careful what you wish for"!

"X" Marks the Spot

As if I needed another hobby, since my spare time barely allows me to pursue my regular hobbies, I've started geocaching. Fans of LOCI will recall that there was one episode where the victim was a geocacher. I didn't give it much notice at the time, I didn't even think it was a real thing.

Then a few weeks ago I was reading my boss' "National Geographic Travel" magazine during lunch and happened upon the "fun family things to do on vacation" section. Since I don't have kids, I normally skip these articles, but this time I browsed and found an article about geocaching. After reading about it, I went to www.geocaching.com and it's a very popular hobby!!

To geocache, you need a GPS receiver. Most caches are put in either metal ammo boxes or tupperware, and there are websites that sell caching gear so you can buy a plastic camo box with secure locking lid. Some of the hints and info on the geocaching sites will specify what they have hidden in the boxes, and the object of the game is to find the cache, write the date you found it in the log book provided, then take one "treasure" out of the box and leave one that you've brought. Some of the caches have "bugs" which are metal coins that can be moved and tracked as they move from cache to cache. Most of the boxes just have little toys in them, some have pins, collectible cache coins or keychains. Then when you get home, you get back on the website and log in your visit so that the cache owner can track dates & visitors.

The other thing I thought was really cool, is that the people that hide the caches refer to the general public as "muggles", meaning that there will be a hint as to where the cache is (done in code, which code-key is on the website), then they will say, "be discreet, high muggle area".

So I went up to our local sporting goods store, G.I. Joe's, and asked the clerk to help me find a good GPS for geocaching. The clerk showed me several "Magellan"model GPS devices, and I chose one that was the easiest to use, the Explorist 100, and cost about $115 with tax.

What you first do when you set up the GPS, is go outside and turn it on, then watch the screen as various satelites passing over in space locate you. Once all of the satelites have locked you in, you get your coordinates. I am currently typing this at N 47 degrees 10.641 and W 122 degrees 08.843, and am at 517 feet above sea level.

I looked up my area on the geocaching website by zip code and was shocked to see pages and pages of caches in the Bonney Lake/Sumner area!!! I chose 3 that I thought would be the easiest for my first attempt. I first went to the one at Lake Bonney but unfortunately, there were a whole bunch of muggles out fishing. I left there and went to the Bonney Lake Park & Ride. I wasn't sure how the GPS would work, but I just started walking and watching the screen till I was at the exact waypoint location given on the website. The hint was that it was pretty out of the way and in an island. So I started lifting up the small bushes in the island, hoping I didn't get stung by the bees, and lo and behold, there was a camoflage box. I eagerly opened it, took out a dinosaur pencil as my prize and left an egg of silly putty, then wrote my date & visit into the log book. I could have danced for joy! It actually worked!! I was practically skipping back to the car.

Next I went to the 3rd stop on my list. It seemed fairly easy, except as I drove around, I found that I had to enter the Home Depot parking lot. Very perplexed, I watched the screen as I drove and I ended up driving to the back of the store. I got out and walked around till I was at the exact coordinates, but I couldn't see anything at all. The area is sparsely landscaped, so I checked behind the low metal guardrail-fence to see if it was stuck behind it, and nothing. There were 2 small trees, and the ground itself didn't look disturbed....the property backs up to a chain link fence, and beyond it, the land drops off abruptly, and what's below is private property. I came back home and looked up what other people had to say and apparently it's so well hidden that most people find it on their 2nd or 3rd try, if at all. I realize now that I didn't look up into the trees that are planted so maybe that's where it is!!

Just for grins, I have looked up the geocaches in the Victoria, BC area, since I'll be up there next month and have found several in very easily accessible places in the downtown area. One of them specifies that it's a keychain cache. I found one in Chemainus with a really interesting clue that says, "if the cougar on top of the tree could do a long back flip, he would abridge the cache". My curiosity is piqued! I also checked out where I work and they are hidden all over Fircrest and University Place as well!!! So I know what I'll be doing at lunchtime.

Anyway, I will go out and try to find some more caches around here. Some people really go out of the way to make it quite a scavenger hunt, that involve hiking, some climbing, with cryptic instructions and clues, but I'll stick to the easy ones for now. I've always wanted to find a treasure map and be lead to booty, and it's so cool to think that there's a new high tech way to treasure hunt.

Columbus the Bear

This poor little lost bear swam from one of the islands in Puget Sound to the Des Moines/Federal Way area. Brian is a first responder for his company, Weyerhaeuser, and yesterday was on "bear alert" as the entire Weyco campus was closed down, including all of the public trails and the very popular Rhododendron Garden. Traps were set out last night and he was caught this morning. He's so cute....if he had pointy ears, he'd look like Sagan. Isn't he cute?

Apparently he's been dubbed "Columbus" because of his penchant for exploring. Since Columbus was lost, it's an appropriate name.
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- Officials say a bear that was spotted throughout south King County over the last week has been captured.The 205-pound black bear was found in a trap on the Weyerhaeuser campus in Federal Way on Thursday morning. The trails around the campus were closed Wednesday after the bear was spotted earlier in the week.

Wildlife officers believe it is the same bear that swam from Maury Island to Des Moines on May 25. The caretaker at the lighthouse on Maury Island saw it all. He told state biologists the bear was swimming fast -- it took him only one hour to make the two-mile swim. The bear came ashore around Saltwater State Park.

At the same time, the state says a commercial boat radioed the Coast Guard saying they had seen a swimming bear.Soon after the bear arrived in Des Moines, surprised neighbors started calling Fish and Wildlife agents saying "hey there's a bear in my front yard."

"He wandered right up here and he actually looked at me," said Phi Tieskoetter. "And I wondered 'Hey, is this actually a bear or a dog?' And he looked at me and I was like 'Holy cow, it's a bear.' "

Wildlife officials have named the bear "Columbus," since he appears to be quite an explorer. "This is the breeding season," said State Wildlife Biologist Rocky Spencer. "And if it's a male searching for a receptive female, he might go a long way for that. It's hard to say. "The bear caught Thursday was sedated and will likely be transported to a remote area of the Cascade Mountains to be released.

In the Bead Zone

Paper crafts have pretty much consumed my crafting life over the past 8 months or so. Lots of scrapbooks, cards and photo albums have been created and updated. I haven't had a lot of time to tackle all the bead projects I have planned, or work with all the fantastic beads I've scored over the past year or so. I made the time this weekend to get into The Bead Zone.

I forgot how focused and driven I get when I do beadwork till I start doing it again, then I can't seem to stop. I call it The Bead Zone. Since Saturday, I have made 10 necklaces, fixed and/or restrung 6 necklaces, put new hooks on 3 pairs of earrings, made 2 bracelets and a watchband. Boxes and beads stacked on my craft table, I will start working in the morning, taking a really quick lunch break and working into the evening. I can't stop thinking about new designs/projects and I can't wait till morning so that I can delve back in. The TV is on, just a din in the background.....poor Brian is saying stuff and I'm like, "mmmhmm" although I really do try to look up and pay attention.

I am a jewelry addict. I love jewelry. Always have. The sparkly and more colourful, the better. Being able to make my own jewelry has worked out really, really well.....although I seem to spend more money on jewelry supplies and beads than I would if I were buying one necklace in a department store. What can I say, it's an expensive but fun habit.

If you click on the pictures, they will get bigger so that you can see the detail.

I tried to take pictures outside but the sun just wasn't hitting the front of the house very well. This necklace is made with beautiful lavender/rose coloured beads, with garnet & pearls.

Found these fun beads up in Poulsbo.
I used dark amethyst beads (real amethyst, not glass) with lavender & clear swarovski crystal. The pendant is a really pretty shade of purple crystals.

This one came out way too washed out, which is too bad because the large beads are pale yellow and very light purple/pink, so I added yellow and pink swarovski crystals along with delica seed beads, and multicolour crystal bead caps.

Here's a pair of earrings. The large beads are black, blue and white swirly waves which I accented with pearls and Montana blue swarovski crystals.

This one's got a lot of fun texture as the red beads have raised white "dot" flowers. I added dark red and pale sapphire swarovski crystals along with silver beadcaps.

Michael's Crafts has a great selection of beads now, and that's where these aqua & copper beads were bought.

Assortment of lampwork beads paired with cobalt & sapphire swarovski crystals.

Lampwork beads by Austin Hamilton of British Columbia.

Hello Dalai, Well Hello Dalai

This Sunday on Brian's "Shakedown Street" Blog Talk Radio show, the topic will be "Who Is the Dalai Lama?" Learn about the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of how they select each new Dalai Lama, and hear how the current Dalai Lama made a frightening and dangerous escape across the Himalayas into India when the Chinese destroyed Tibet. Tune in at 4:00 Pacific, 7:00 Eastern, to learn more about this amazing man!

Here's a classic Bill Murray bit from "Caddy Shack"

Carl Spackler: "So I jump ship in Hong Kong and make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas. A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one -- big hitter, the Lama -- long, into a ten-thousand foot crevice, right at the base of this glacier. And do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga...gunga -- gunga galunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consiousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice."

And yet, I feel safe

The west coast is beautiful, but living here can come at a price. The closer you get to the coastal communities, the more Tsunami Warning signs you see.

My personal fave is this one, with the guy frantically trying to climb up the cliff before the big giant wave hits him. There's also a story about the time, sometime in the 1980's I think, that there was supposed to be a tsunami that would make landfall in the San Francisco area. So a whole bunch of people went down to Ocean Beach to watch. Fortunately for them, by the time the wave got across the Pacific to SF, it was tiny.
The Western United States is located on the notorious "Ring of Fire" (cue Johnny Cash song), that danger zone of fault lines, quakes, plate tectonics, volcanoes, geothermal activity and tsunamis that ring the Pacific from SE Asia, up eastern Russia, over to Alaska and down the coast from Canada to Chili...including all of the Pacific Islands. Did you know that Yellowstone National Park is actually a giant volcano? If you stand in Yellowstone and look around at the mountains that ring the park, you are actually standing inside the crater looking at the top edge. That is why there are so many geysers and hot springs at Yellowstone. The Napa Valley in California is also very geothermic, with its own Old Faithful Geyser and hot springs in Calistoga.


The volcanoes in the Western US are in the Cascade Mountains, starting with Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta in northcentral California near Oregon, and Mt. Bachelor, Three Sisters and Mt. Hood in Oregon. Washington, however, claims the rest: Mt. Adams, Mount St. Helens, the crown jewel Rainier, Glacier Peak and finally Mt. Baker up at the Canadian Border.

The domes of these volcanoes are unmistakable as they dominate the sky and punctuate the Cascade Range. I first saw Mount St. Helens when we were on our way to Oregon a few years ago. The only other time I'd been past it, the day was overcast. But the day we drove to Oregon was clear and sunny. We rounded a curve in the highway and holy shit! There it was! This giant scar on a barren mountain.....although life has since returned to the area since the cataclysmic eruptions in 1980 & 1981. St. Helens has recently become cranky again, with minor ash eruptions, but major enough to close all access to it by road and trail for months a year or so ago.
This is a picture of a Volcano Evacuation Route sign. These signs are sprinkled all over the valleys in Puyallup, Auburn, Orting, Sumner and all of the other towns we drive through on a daily basis. Every person: Man, woman and child, all knows what "lahar" means and what they have to do when they hear the warning sirens wailing (if the warning sirens can be heard, which has been a problem). Schools have "lahar drills" where everyone evacuates and walks, or runs, in an "orderly fashion", in the direction of the nearest hill.

Because our volcanoes are covered in snow and glacial ice year round, the eruptions are vastly different from those in Hawaii where you actually see the red hot molten lava erupting and creeping down the side of the mountain. Therefore, we use the term "lahar" instead of "lava", because a lahar is a giant mud flow created when the snow and ice melt during the eruption. All of the signs point up to the hills. Yep, when ya live in the Ring of Fire, ya gotta have a plan. And that's our plan: "Head for the Hills". Makes sense, at least on paper, right? But here is the fundamental problem with "the plan": If there is one little fender bender off to the side of any of the highways, just one, mind you, that accident will bring traffic to complete gridlock with a ripple effect for miles in every direction.

The roads in Western Washington are unable to accomodate the unchecked and rampant development, especially here in East Pierce County. Small, two lane state highways are gummed up every day, including weekends. So you have to wonder how effective a "Head for the Hills" plan is when there is a giant mudflow of rocks, ice, dirt and giant fir trees bearing down on Eatonville or Graham, and which is arriving in 30 minutes or less (hey it's a better record than Dominoes Pizza). Especially since the lahar will follow all of the paths of the rivers, and there are a lot of rivers that start on, or near, Rainier. And a lot of communities and homes are built on the rivers.

For example, on my way home, I take River Road. This is a picture I shot of Mt. Rainier from River Road.

The Puyallup River is off to the left of the photo, below the greenbelt, although last winter when we had the torrential rain, the river was at road level. River Road is actually built on top of a very large levee, because to the right of this picture, it's all farmland which sits well below the road. If a lahar is on the way from Rainier, everyone on River Road at that moment is toast. If there is one accident on this road, traffic gets backed up to Interstate 5, so can you imagine what it will be like when people try to evacuate for the closest hill?

When Brian comes home from his job in Federal Way, he drives down into the valley, before starting the climb back up to the foothills, which are well above sea level, he has to cross over the Stuck River. Ditto to "toast". Bonney Lake is in the foothills so the lahar would go around us and wipe out Sumner. Well, that's all well and good if we are home when it happens. And by the way, you never say, "if it happens", you say "when it happens" because that is the reality we accepted when we chose to live here. However, if we were at work when it happened, we would be totally cut off from home. We'd probably be safe'ish, but also unable to get home no matter what direction we tried. So we just keep our fingers crossed that it won't happen in our lifetime and we go about our daily lives, hoping for the best. Rainier may be sleeping, but she's very much alive.

As an interesting side note, we saw on the news over the weekend that a group of students from one of the local high schools has made it into the National Science Fair, for their experiment of using solar powered LED's on the Volcano Evacuation Route signs, to make them easier to see at night.

Are we in imminent danger? Probably not. Do we still feel safe? Yes. We made the choice to live in a very seismically dangerous area when we moved to San Francisco in 1989. We weren't there 2 months when the Loma Prieta quake brought the entire region to its knees. If we didn't run back to the east coast after that, then we never will. Mother Nature demands respect and so we pay attention to the warning signs, have a family evacuation plan and an emergency kit. But it's the price we willingly pay to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Today on Shakedown Street

Brian's blog radio show is today at 4:00 pm Pacific, 7:00 p.m. Eastern. His topic is "can hemp save the planet?" And of course the answer is "yes". Tune in for what promises to be a lively show!

There's a link to his show on my blog roll as : Blogtalk Radio: Shakedown Street

For Val - The Big Fitz

In my "O Canada" post, I mentioned being fascinated by the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald. My US friends, at least those my age, will probably remember Gordon Lightfoot's haunting ballad from 1976, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". I was always riveted by that tale. How could a ship that big and that mighty be taken down in seconds, on a lake?

The "Big Fitz" as she was called, was the largest freighter in the Great Lakes at that time. She shipped iron ore pellets from one end of Lake Superior to the other. One fateful night in November, 1975, on her last run of the season and during a vicious storm, the Fitz sank in Canadian waters. The below map shows Fitz's course in red, and another freighter, the Arthur Anderson, which was sailing about 10-20 miles behind the Fitz that day, in black. The last thing that Captain Cooper of the AA heard from the Fitz's Captain McSorley was "we are holding our own". She disappeared from radar after that.

It's still unclear what made the Fitz sink. Theories abound as to it bottoming out on some shoals, to a rogue wave crashing over the middle, to the holds not being properly fastened and allowing water to fill them. 29 men perished. Shortly after, divers located her position, two large pieces split in two on the lake floor. Since that time, the original bell was salvaged from the wreck and has been placed in the Great Lakes Maritime Museum. At the same time the old bell was salvaged, a new brass bell with the names of the men who died was affixed to the ship under water.

As Captain Cooper got closer to the Soo Locks, he was asked by the Coast Guard to turn around and attempt to perform rescue and recovery in the height of the storm. He did so, despite jeopardizing his ship and the lives of his own men. I thought that was such a heroic thing to do.

Here's the story I got off the internet:

The Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald

The Fitzgerald began Sunday, November 9, 1975, loading 26,116 tons of taconite at the Burlington Northern Railroad Dock #1 in Superior, WI. On this 40th voyage in her 17th season, the Fitzgerald's destination was a steel plant on Zug Island in the Detroit River. The weather that morning was cloudy and cool with a light northeast wind. However, a deepening storm system was already taking shape in the central Plains.

By early afternoon, she was loaded and ready to depart. At 2:19 PM, the Fitzgerald left Superior and soon entered the open waters of western Lake Superior. The National Weather Service forecast at that time called for east to northeast winds increasing to 25 to 37 knots during the night, then shifting to north or northwest 24 to 40 knots on the afternoon of the 10th. Soon after she left, the National Weather Service issued a gale warning for Lake Superior, forecasting sustained east winds between 34 and 48 knots beginning that night ahead of the intensifying storm in the central Plains then moving into Iowa. Captain McSorley acknowledged receipt of the warning in a radio communication with Captain Bernie Cooper of the Arthur M. Anderson, another ore carrier that had steamed out of Two Harbors, MN, at almost the same time the Fitzgerald had left Superior. After reading the updated weather forecast, the two captains decided to travel closely together across northern Lake Superior and then southeast along the east shore of the Lake to the Soo Locks. By doing so, they could monitor each other and possibly avoid the higher waves that would be generated over southern Lake Superior on the 10th by the expected north to northwest winds.

At 1:00 AM on November 10, the Fitzgerald and Anderson were south of Isle Royale in western Lake Superior. The storm system moving northeast from the central Plains had continued to strengthen and reached north central Wisconsin by early morning on the 10th. The Fitzgerald reported northeast winds at 52 knots with 10-foot waves at 1:00 AM, and the National Weather Service soon upgraded the gale warning to a storm warning, forecasting sustained northeast winds 48 to 63 knots and 8- to 15-foot waves for the rest of the night. Captains McSorley and Cooper both expressed concern about the deteriorating weather conditions. At 7:00 AM, the ships were approximately 45 miles north of Copper Harbor, MI. The Fitzgerald observed northeast winds at 35 knots and 10-foot waves as the intensifying low pressure center moved over Marquette, MI. This report was the last weather observation she would disseminate.
By early afternoon on the 10th, the storm system had moved into southern Ontario, and the ships had reached a point about 10 miles northwest of Michipicoten Island in eastern Lake Superior, now heading southeast toward the Soo Locks. The weather report at 1:00 PM from the M/V Simcoe, a Canadian vessel about 15 miles from the Fitzgerald, indicated the surface low pressure center had passed north of Lake Superior: the wind had shifted to the west at 44 knots. At 2:45 PM, the Anderson observed northwest winds at 42 knots and 12- to 16-foot waves. The storm had become so bad that the Soo Locks were forced to close.

Captain Cooper, who could see the Fitzgerald on the Anderson's radar screen, worried that the ship might have moved too closely to shallower water about 35 feet deep off the Ontario coast near Caribou Island at 3:15 PM. He was concerned that the Fitzgerald could strike the bottom of Lake Superior as it was tossed around in the increasingly violent seas, damage its hull, and leak in water. In fact at 3:30 PM, Captain McSorley radioed the Anderson and indicated the Fitzgerald was taking in water and had developed a list. Two water pumps were running to pump out the water. The Fitzgerald had also sustained topside damage.

During the late afternoon of the 10th, ship observations show sustained northwest winds over 50 knots were occurring across eastern Lake Superior. At 4:00 PM, an estimated 75-knot, hurricane-force northwest wind gust struck the Anderson. Captain McSorley contacted the Anderson shortly after and indicated he had lost both his radars used for guidance, presumably due to wind damage suffered from this mighty gust. He requested the Anderson to monitor his position and course. The wind gust also knocked out the lighthouse and radio beacon at Whitefish Point. The implication of all this equipment loss was that the Fitzgerald was now sailing blindly, completely dependent on the Anderson for navigational guidance.

At 5:45 PM, Captain McSorley was in communication with the ship Avafors, indicating the Fitzgerald was suffering a bad list, had lost both radars, and was taking in heavy seas over the deck. Captain McSorley stated: "One of the worst seas I've ever been in."

At 7:00 PM, the Anderson, trailing the Fitzgerald by about 10 miles, was struck by two waves estimated at 25 feet or higher. At 7:10 PM, Captain McSorley told the Anderson: "We are holding our own." This was the last communication from the Fitzgerald. At 7:15 PM November 10th, the Anderson lost the Fitzgerald on radar as a snow squall enveloped the doomed ship.
The Anderson tried to contact the Fitzgerald again, but to no avail. A worried Captain Cooper called the Coast Guard at Sault Ste. Marie to report his concern about the Fitzgerald, but the storm severely impacted search operations. The Anderson turned out to be the primary vessel in the search and later that night discovered two badly damaged lifeboats and some other debris, but no survivors.