Moose Blog Redux

 

I have a deep seated belief that if a moose acknowledges your existence, it is a sign of good karma for the next 3 days.  And if the moose acknowledges you while on a bicycle, it is a sign of good karma for the next week.

I have spent my Spring thus far riding faithfully to work.  I consider my ride out to the valley a "training" ride.  But since I don't race, I figure I'm just training for my daily "biathlon" of 50 miles of riding and 9 hours of work.  Some days I don't know which is more grueling.

Speaking of Spring, it is now late April and we are in the heart of the season.  Despite what the calendar or phases of the moon say, it felt like winter this morning.  Luckily there are signs of spring all around.  Here are a few of the more telling that I have observed.

All that white stuff is gone.  Now it's in the river (what a great place to live).

Smooth tires are back.

Shoulder grunge is becoming spotty, though still in full force on the Palouse.

My tree pollen allergies are in full force with a few semisonic sneezes breaking through my nasal steroid from time to time (luckily, no picture).

A few green things are showing up. (no picture)

The battle for "World Peace" is heating up.  (I keep forgetting to snap a picture of the concrete barrier on Hatch that now says "World Peace through strength)

Gas prices are creeping up.

Road construction is underway.  (Luckily no picture, I don't have any construction barriers on my current commutes)

Thre great thing about suffering a little on a cold Spring morning ride to work is knowing that the afternoon will be warm and pleasant for the ride home.  Oh, and that summer is coming whether you believe it or not.

Veep's B-day

My wife is very good at writing cohesive, well though out blog entries with fancy words (some of which are made up) as well as making nice tribute lists--especially on birthdays and other special occasions--mixed with accompanying photo montages.  Now it is her birthday and I'm making a flimsy attempt at doing the same for her.  So here is a list of things about Veep.

1.  She loves the outdoors and would rather be hiking, walking, skiing, biking, swimming, or moving in some way outside rather than being inside.

2.  She is a great parent whether she believes it or not.

3.  She likes music and will sing around the house or in the car despite complaints from her kids (see, she's a great parent).

4.  She is an excellent writer.

5.  She is an excellent thinker.

6.  Sometimes she likes to use questionable statistics in arguments.

7.  She takes a lot of good pictures.

8.  She spooks easily and makes a loud gasp when surprised.

9.  She hates driving in snow.

10.  She has a talent for playing with and entertaining kids.

A well illuminated birthday cake.

11.  She is not good with a TV remote.

12.  She reads to our kids.

13.  She dreams of traveling all over the world but has only been out of the country to Canada and Mexico.  Some day soon Veep.

14.  She is literally always cold.

15.  She likes chocolate and will eat cookies or candy for breakfast if they're lying around.

16.  She doesn't mind cooking dinner, she just dreads thinking up what to cook.

17.  She hates video games.

18.  She collects rocks, shells, and sticks on hikes and trips.

19.  She has a polished broadcasting voice and should be a local news reporter.

20.  She is the model middle sibling (#5 of 10) and, in my opinion, is the peacemaker in her family.

21.  She likes fresh fruit and vegetables.

22.  She has a visceral hate of mayonnaise.

23.  She is a committed and loyal friend.

24.  She takes about 20 minutes to get ready for bed.

25.  She taught our kids to eat whipped cream right out of the can.

26.  She won't admit it, but she's in love with Josh Ritter.

27.  She gave birth to two of our children naturally.

28.  She is addicted to thrift stores and hates going to the mall. 

29.  She likes small boxes.

30.  She came in 4th in her first triathlon last fall.

Sal is wondering if she is going to share the Pokemon cards he gave her.

31.  She has a physical dependence on lotion and has a hard time handling newspaper.

32.  She hates folding clean socks.

33.   She likes to laugh at some of the same TV shows and lame movies that I like to, but hates when I laugh too loud. 

34.  She makes sure each of our kids feels special on their birthday.

35.  For her latest birthday she got two puzzles, new tires for her car, 2 CDs, and a pack of Pokemon cards (and a kayak).

36.  She is refreshingly unaware of what a beautiful person she is.

37.  She loves me (whew).

Breaking Spring

We took sort of a last minute trip to the North Shore of Oahu over Spring Break.  From what I can tell from the weather reports it was a well timed escape from the Northwest.  The trip grew from Veep's frustration with the last 2 long Winters here in Spokane.  Though I love having snowy winters, I have to confess that swimming and a sunburn felt really good in March.

7 am, Sunday morning.

Wednesday evening.  Nothing like a mango smoothie in a pineapple husk (our kids are officially spoiled).

I had never been there before and it was nice to add a new place on my map of "places I've visited."

A few observations:

If I go back to Oahu, I will definitely stay on the North Shore.  The resorts near and in Honolulu aren't our style.  And I'll make sure I rent a bike in Honolulu on the way from the airport because there aren't any places to rent them anywhere else on the island, and riding a bike would be very nice.  Although if we go back we'll probably try another island.

Hawaii is great for warm weather and beaches and scenery.  It is not great for food (except shave ice).

While sitting in the Honolulu airport waiting for the flight home, I was inspired to travel more.  I don't know why, but I was.  I'm trying to get two weeks in a row off this summer so Veep and I can go somewhere and actually use our passports.

There really are a lot of rainbows in Hawaii.

But not a lot of fancy houses.  Of course when the temperature only varies between 65 and 80 degrees, you barely even need a house.

Now that we're back, I'm still recovering from the measly 3 hour time difference and suffering through a full week of work.

It was a good trip.