Off To The Mountain...Almost

I shall be hitting the road as soon as I get the new phone system up and running tomorrow so I may not have the chance to post again before I return. The weather promises to be absolutely drop-dead gorgeous and I plan on getting an early start and climbing up as far as I can before having to bail off, certainly at least as far as Camp Muir. I cannot think of a more beautiful place to spend a sunny, blue-sky day than on the snowfields of Mt. Rainier. I only hope that y'all have at least as good a weekend as this one promises to be...vertu svalur

[Listening to: Love Bites - Def Leppard - Hysteria (04:17)]

And What A Thoughtful Friends She Is...

Marianna is a doll for taking the time and trouble to translate some posts on her page so that I can start learning some Icelandic, hopefully without me causing some kind of international incident by my crude attempts;-) Though if nothing else, it shall undoubtedly be fun...O, ja...vertu svalur

[Listening to: My Immortal - Evanescence - Fallen (04:24)]

My Thanks To A New Friend...

Please note that I have put up a "self-portrait" picture in my profile. I have also added a place for links to "My Friends" pages on the sidebar to the right. For the inspration to finally make these changes, I must thank Marianna, my new-found Icelandic friend, whose page is at the top of the list (actually it is the entire list for right now;-) But, for now the night grows long and the dawn draws nigh, so 'til the morrow...vertu svalur (that's Icelandic for "bCool", you know;-)

[Listening to: I'm With You - Avril Lavigne - Let Go (03:43)]

Working For The Weekend (Again)

I just found out that my weekend hike on the snowfields of Mt. Rainier will be solo, again. I might drop Julie a line and see if she would like to join me, but then again, perhpas I shall just wing it and see who I meet this time. At any rate, it should be an absolute blast! I am certain that the weather will be perfect and I will be on the slopes early. Too much fun...bCool

[Listening to: Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Conner - Faster Than the Speed of Night (05:16)]

Working on The Weekend

All in all, not too bad, two new servers up and running, network prepped for Server 2003, the first 2003 domain controller on-line, catching some rays while the software loads and taking in the air show at the same time.  Boy, networking is sure tough work sometimes;-)...bCool

[Listening to: The Way You Love Me - Faith Hill - Breathe (03:07)]

What a Year It Will Be...

An update to the previous weekend's post; I was actually successful in making contact with Julie by e-mailing Rainier Mountaineering and having them forward it along to her.  She summits this weekend, so it will be interesting to see how she did.  I have also talked Larry, an OSPI staffer in our office, into climbing Rainier with me next year this time.  Jeanne and I were talking the other day and we are going to get a bunch together to whitewater raft, skydive, parasail and anything else that the group has left on their lifetime "I wanna do this before I get too old" lists.  Sounds like an interesting year coming up.  Anyway, here I am, missing Victoria and John, trying to squeeze all of the fun out of life that I can, and still babysitting three little kittens.  cya...bCool

From Atop A Mountain...

I could not have picked a more beautiful day to hike on Mt. Rainier, crystal-blue skies, lots of sunshine, no wind, and absolutely perfect temperature. I also could not have lucked upon a better time to climb up than I did, as I ran into two great gals, Julie and Carrie, on the trail. We passed each other on the trail several times before we chanced to talk and then ended up talking as we hiked and before I knew it, we were climbing together. We are all of the same generation and enjoyed chatting as we climbed, so much so in fact that we ended up climbing most of the way to Camp Muir before time dictated that we end the day. We then spent a while up around 8,700 foot elevation, resting, chatting, and eating. We then climbed down and parted ways at the parking lot, after noting that all three of us drove the same SUV, Chevy Blazers! They really did make the day for me as it gave me someone to share the experience with and I would enjoy hiking climbing with them again sometime. They also kept my pace down to where I had one of the best days I have ever had hiking and managed not to over-exert my recovering hamstring! Unfortunately I did not get any contact info for them before they left! Well, I do love a challenge, so I will have to figure out some way to contact them. Julie was conditioning for the American Lung Assoc. of Washington's annual Mt. Rainier summit climb next weekend. What a great cause and a great excuse to climb the mountain; you can bet that I shall be there for this event next year. Anyway, time for bed, gotta work tomorrow. Cya...bCool

[Listening to: Thousand Miles from Nowhere - Dwight Yoakam - Dwight Live (04:29)]

Just Another Day In the Life...

Interesting day...started it with a good run and kept on Victoria's (that's my daughter) heels the whole way, I don't think that she was expecting that. I told her that I would beat her at least once before our summer is up...we shall just have to wait and see;-) It looks as if I shall have this weekend all to myself on the snowfields of Mt. Rainier; everyone else has plans and I am determined to get in some hiking above Paradise, even if it is by myself; too cool! Besides, I need to scout out some good back country snowboarding spots that Barrett told me about, so first Paradise Glacier and then perhaps the Pinnacle Peak area; way COOL!!! Work was hectic, but the camaraderie was great and the day was over before I knew it. It really is the people that you work with, not the work that you do, that makes the job what it is, or isn't. Of course, some are better than others, but then that is a story for another day, so until l8r...bCool

[Listening to: My Immortal - Evanescence - Fallen (04:24)]

'Til The Morn

Time now for sleep, to slip into the shadowy world of our dreams where we can indulge ourselves in the lives and loves that we dare not let intrude into our conscious world...bCool

[Listening to: Love Bites - Def Leppard - Hysteria (04:17)]

Now this song really tugs at one's heart strings...le sigh

[Listening to: Dreaming of You - Selena - Dreaming of You (05:18)]

What A Weekend!

Well, we are now at the end of another weekend and I must say that this one was absolutely GREAT! Two days on Mt. Rainier with Victoria and John, camping and hiking up in the snowfields above Paradise. Crystal-blue skies, 60 degrees and no wind; there is indeed no more beautiful place in the world on such a day as that! Not to mention the peaceful communing with the forest, the mountain and each other; I do not beleive that we have had as good a time in many years...priceless;-) We followed that up with a day at Charbonneau Park swimming, frisbee'ing, and catching some rays; and then spent the evening at the River of Fire fireworks display. Today b-ball, trampoline, yardwork and a quick stop by the office (which made my day;-); again, just about a perfect end to a perfect weekend. Life is so good I just cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings...bCool

[Listening to: Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps (03:44)]

I like this one!

[Listening to: Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Conner - I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (05:14)]

Off Together For Just A Bit

We just returned from a couple of days spent camping and hiking on Mt. Rainier It was absolutely gorgeous weather and we hiked up above Paradise in the lingering snowfields of the early summer. I think that this was actually good for the rehab on my hamstring; so much so that I plan on soloing the snowfields again next weekend after I drop the kids off at PDX. We ran into our friend Ranger Barrett Frobose again! When we lasted parted, he was heading off to bigger and better things, so imagine my surprise when he turned up again. It seems that he has worked his way up to Lead Interpreter at Ohanapekosh as well as being frocked as a Supervisor. None of this surprises me, of course; the first time we met him I was immediatley impressed by his knowledge, professionalism, maturity, and communications ability. There was no doubt in my mind that his potential would only be bounded by his ambition and this has apparently been borne out by recent events. Well, it looks like we shall enjoy his company for a few more years as a result. This was the best two days that John, Victoria and I have spent together. We spent the time enjoying the peaceful beauty of the forest and mountains, talking about life, and genuinely enjoying just being together. All of that and having the quite twilight hours to dwell in the halls of my dreams. Priceless, 'nuf said...b

[Listening to: The First Cut Is the Deepest - Sheryl Crow - The Very Best of Sheryl Crow (03:47)]