June 2002

June started with a major home improvement project and ended with a wedding. Along the way, several smaller improvement projects were accomplished. I also bought a few more toys this month.

June 1

Tom & Lanna went to a wedding reception and asked me and Susan to baby-sit the kids. We quickly accepted the offer because it is rare for us to go to G-rated movies with kids in tow. Besides, that's what aunts and uncles are for.

The movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron was playing at the local cinema and everyone was excited to see it. We arrived at the mall early so we could take care of the necessities -- bathroom stop and plenty of snacks. Once inside, the kids ran straight to the front of the theater. We decided that a compromise was necessary. I sat in the fourth row with Kerissa and Susan sat in the third row with Kendra. The movie eventually started and all was well. Popcorn and soda was passed back and forth among us. About ¾ of the way into the picture, Kerissa began to get fidgety. She'd stand up, then sit down, then stand up and turn around, point at something, mumble something indiscernible, then sit down again. Then she'd do it again, but point at something else. I was in over my head, so I tapped on Susan's shoulder and asked for reinforcement. Susan put Kerissa on her lap and before long, Kerissa was calm and relaxed; magic.

After the movie, we drove to Borsch Park. The park is a favorite destination for the kids. The first stop was the lake. We collected our day-old bread and went searching for ducks and geese. The birds weren't interested in our free lunch, so we gave up and headed for the playground. We played on the jungle gym, then the monkey bars, then over to the swings, and round and round we went. This went on for about an hour until we all decided it was time to eat.

For dinner, we drove to the local Shari's restaurant. I went to the bathroom to clean up and when I returned I found Kendra sipping on a root beer float -- at 7:00 pm! I looked at Susan with shock and dismay and wondered how in the world we would remove all that sugar from her system by bedtime. Susan realized her mistake, but it was too late. We'd have to figure it out along the way.

After dinner we drove back to Tom & Lanna's house and immediately began the wind down process. We started by playing the classic board game Sorry. This went well for Kendra, but Kerissa just didn't get it. We gave her the Jenga blocks and that kept her entertained for a few minutes. At 9:00 we started the bedtime preparations. The kids were fitted with pajamas while I pumped up the air mattress. When I returned we pulled out the Disney storybook and read several condensed classics before finally calling it a day.

June 2

After being covered for over a year, we pulled the weed stopper off our planting beds. We decided that this year would be different; this year the sun would shine and our garden would grow. I pulled "The Claw" from the shed and went to work loosening the soil. The Claw works wonders on soft soil -- just like the ad on TV.

Once the soil was prepared the planting proceeded. Last year we received several packages of plants from somewhere. One of the packages contained dwarf sunflowers that only grow to 24 inches. We planted four rows of sunflower seeds in one garden bed. In the other bed we planted four Lobelia plants that were given to Susan by our new neighbors, the Days. Let's see if they will grow!

In other backyard project news, I dug up the dirt in front of my shed and planted grass.

June 3

When we moved into our house in 1999, we knew that we would need to paint it soon. Three summers came and went, yet fresh paint continued to avoid touching our house. This year we called two contractors and asked for estimates. The estimates came and we chose to meet the contractor with the lower bid. We called Dan and arranged a meeting. He stopped by and we grilled him thoroughly -- we asked when he could start and we liked his answer. We gave him a check and he said he'd start the following morning!

June 4

The weather was cloudy and raining, but that didn't stop Dan. He arrived as promised and pressure washed our house. Since he had the equipment at our house, Dan suggested that he go ahead and do our back porch and driveway at the same time, for a small additional fee. Both the porch and the driveway were in need of a good washing. We agreed to let him do the porch, but we didn't agree to the driveway because we thought he was asking too much. See June 9 for the driveway story.

When we returned home from work, we were so impressed by the cleanliness of our house that we thought about canceling the painting contract! Not really, but we were amazed at the difference a little pressurized elbow grease made.

June 5

In July 1996, Susan decided to stop eating meat. For six long years, I watched Susan question her waiters for details of the ingredients in all their menu items. Tonight, Susan & I went out to eat at Gordon Biersch with John Cook. During dinner, Susan surprised me by eating one shrimp. The age of vegetarianism has come to an end!

June 6

Continuing his work, Dan stopped by with his son and caulked all the seems and nail heads on our house. In other news, the neighbor's fence was completed today.

June 8

Jethro Tull concert at Benaroya Hall.

June 9

With the house and back porch sparkling clean, we decided to pressure wash our driveway. Todd said he had an old pressure washer sitting in storage and he'd let us borrow it. I picked it up at work and brought it home. Susan & I started working on the driveway, one grid at a time.

The first grid cleaned up quite nicely. After a short break, we started working on the second grid. Again, this grid cleaned up quite nicely. After another short break, we started the third grid. I thought I noticed something odd, but I couldn't pinpoint it. Then the smell of burning plastic reached my nostrils and the sound of the pump screeching to a halt reached my ears. Uh-oh. I unplugged the pressure washer and let it cool off for a half hour before giving it another try. Unfortunately, the cool off period didn't prove beneficial. The damage was already done.

June 11

After a year of paying way too much for Internet service, I decided to find a cheaper solution. I talked to Todd about DirecTV and he told me that it was much better than cable. I looked at the price of DirecTV versus cable and it was almost identical. I came to the conclusion that installing a DirecWay dish with support for Internet and DirecTV was the way to go.

I took the day off from work and waited for the installer to arrive. It just happened to work out that Dan was also stopping by to paint the house. This was a wonderful coincidence because I wanted to be around when the house was painted.

Dan arrived first, but soon realized that the paint was not the proper consistency. He told me that he needed to go back to the paint store to get more paint. While he was gone, his son started masking the windows, doors, and gutters.

Soon afterwards, the dish installer arrived. I showed him where I wanted the cables to come through the wall and where I wanted the dish installed. He pulled his ladder off his van and started installing the dish.

Dan returned with new paint and started preparing it with his mixer/sprayer. Dan started painting at the southeast corner and worked his way clockwise around the house. The installer finished with the dish installation as Dan worked his way around the back of the house. The installer moved inside and drilled holes in my computer room and living room walls. I pointed him to the crawl space entrance and he soon vanished below my house.

Dan continued painting and the installer struggled with the cables in my crawlspace. While he shoved the cables from below, I poked around in the wall with a special grabber tool to catch the cables. After a considerable amount of time, I was finally able to catch the cables and the installer was able to leave the crawl space.

The installer continued his work in my living room and computer room. He was about to hook up the default tuner, but then he told me about the upgrade option that included support for Dolby Digital surround sound with optical audio connections. That was a no-brainer upgrade option for me, considering my recent audio upgrades. With the tuner installed and working, he moved into the computer room and started tuning the equipment. It didn't work, so he called headquarters and got the issues resolved and the Internet began pouring into my computer at 400 kbps or greater. This was definitely a worthwhile upgrade.

Meanwhile, Dan continued working his way around the house until eventually he came full circle. His son kept himself busy by removing the masking from the areas that were already dry. Dan called it a day and told me he'd be back to do the trim on Thursday.

June 12

One of the nice features of DirecTV is the ability to order pay-per-view (PPV) movies. The way I understood it, all PPV movies were broadcast in widescreen format with Dolby Digital surround sound. I ordered my first PPV movie, Behind Enemy Lines, from the DirecTV website with great anticipation. The movie started, but the Dolby Digital indicator on my receiver did not light. I played with the surround sound options, but the light would not come on. I called DirecTV and explained the situation to the operator. He asked a bunch of questions about my hardware and I told him that I had everything I needed. He thought about what might be wrong while I continued pressing buttons and changing settings. He eventually gave up and offered me a month of ShowTime as consolation. I accepted his offer. In the mean time, I tuned another channel showing the same movie and was pleased to see my Dolby Digital light turn on. By this time the movie was half over, but the PPV purchase lasts all day, so I was able to watch the movie again from start to finish. It was worth the effort. The sounds of the battles and explosions were amazing when coming at you from all sides. I then realized that very few movies are broadcast in Dolby Digital. The program guide on the web site distinguishes those by placing "LBX" beside the title.

June 13

Dan returned to finish the trim work and paint the front door today. The initial paint made a huge improvement to the look of our house, but the trim made a much larger improvement. The lines of the house became extremely clean and distinct. All traces of the fuzzy over-sprayed edges disappeared and the job looked complete.

June 15

Susan & I went to see the Gathering of Warbirds in Olympia, Washington. This is an annual event sponsored by the museum at the airport. This year, the turnout and quality exceeded my expectations.

We arrived a little late, but after the first military fly-by went over my head, my excitement level began to return. We hurried to the entrance, paid our donation, and went through the gate. We entered a hangar and moved through to the static exhibits. The exhibits ranged in period from WWI through WWII.

One of the main attention-getters was the P-51 Mustang. Not only was it a beautiful aircraft, but it was being used to give rides. The rides were pretty expensive (I think it was several hundred dollars for 15 minutes), but there was still a long line of people waiting for a turn. Although I desperately wanted to go for a ride, I resisted the urge and enjoyed watching others receive the thrill of a lifetime.

The rides began with the starting of the huge 12-cylinder Merlin engine. The sound is raw, explosive, and perhaps intimidating. You can tell by the sound alone that this plane was designed for performance. The pilot then taxied to the runway and started rolling. Soon after liftoff, he retracted the gear and performed an accelerating, climbing turn back towards the show. This was followed by several low, high speed passes. Eventually, the pilot returned and the process repeated.

June 16

Having a paved driveway is nice, but it is not maintenance-free. One of the tasks I've overlooked since buying the house was edging the it. Due to my lack of maintenance, the grass and clover tended to grow onto the concrete. To solve this problem, some of my neighbors let landscapers take care of their lawns. Others have power edgers. I settled for a simple edging device; I hardly felt the need for a motorized device to trim 40 feet of driveway. Now, my driveway has a clean, sharp edge.

June 17

For my work on the New York City Mayor's Cisco Unity installation, I was selected for CAP award for my Failover improvements. This was a financial award that was given to me by my peers for work beyond what is considered part of the normal job.

June 19

With the fresh paint on the house, the old address numbers started to show their age. Like most modern sub-divisions, all the houses had the same style of numbers. Rather than polish the corrosion from the old, boring numbers, we decided to get new numbers. We went to the local Lowes store and found big bold gold numbers that met our fancy. The new numbers can easily be read from the end of the driveway. Besides that, our house is now ever so slightly more unique in the neighborhood.

June 23

Every so often I feel the need to upgrade my computer. This time I desired a super-fast graphics card to drive Microsoft Fight Simulator 2002 as smoothly as possible. After doing some research, I decided to go with a card powered by the GeForce 4 graphics accelerator. I drove to the local CompUSA store and found what I was looking for. While I was there, I unintentionally walked down the monitor row. There I saw a gorgeous flat screen monitor made by Samsung. The price was high, but with the recent CAP award money in the bank, I was compelled to buy it, too.

June 28

Thursday we flew from Seattle to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to attend Gina & Ed's wedding. We spent the night in a hotel and made plans for Friday. Since the wedding rehearsal was scheduled for early evening, we had some time to tour around, so we decided to go to Hershey's Chocolate World.

In fifth grade, I went on a school trip to Gettysburg and Hershey, Pennsylvania. Two of the highlights were Hershey's Chocolate World and Hershey Park. I thought it would be fun to revisit the Chocolate World twenty-four years later to see what changed.

The first challenge was finding the place. We found Hershey, but we had difficulty finding the Chocolate World. We found a place to park near the amusement park and started walking. We walked down the main street of town, but found no sign of the Chocolate World. Eventually, Susan asked someone and we discovered that we weren't even close. We walked back to the car and drove about a mile to the entrance.

Once inside, we bought tickets to take the tour. My memories of the tour included riding in a cocoa bean car from the plantation, through the ovens, and then past a conveyor belt covered with candy bars. When we walked through the gate, our first site was a painting of cocoa being loaded on a large ship; exactly like I remembered. Around the corner we boarded the cocoa bean car and the tour continued, pretty much as I recalled. One difference to note was the candy bars were now Hershey Kisses instead of Hershey bars.

After the tour, we visited the gift shop. My memories of the gift shop included a room with large plants and humongous, foot-long, five pound Hershey bars. I was disappointed to find that the largest Hershey bars for sale now are only seven ounces. I'm not sure if the bars shrank or if my memories from childhood are larger than life. It's probably a little bit of both.

With gifts for the kids in hand, we headed for the wedding rehearsal in North Umberland, Pennsylvania. The rehearsal was in a well groomed, small park along the Susquehanna River. As a bridesmaid, Susan was busy learning her parts while I walked around and took pictures.

Once the rehearsal was complete, we drove a few miles to Ed's parent's home and ate dinner. Ed showed us around the back, including the barn with all the animals. As the sun descended behind the hills, Ed's uncle disappeared for a few minutes. When he returned, we all walked to the front of the house and discovered the reason for his brief departure. On the small pond at the bottom of the hill floated a large wooden heart shaped raft with candles lining the edges.

June 29

Gina & Ed's wedding was held in a park in North Umberland, Pennsylvania. Susan was a bridesmaid and I was an invited guest with a camera. The temperature was on the rise and I was in no hurry to change from my shorts into my wedding attire. As the time drew nearer, the wedding party arrived and pictures were taken by the professional photographer. At this time, I changed into my nice clothes and joined the friends and family that had gathered outside the gazebo.

The wedding procession began, led by the parents and followed by the wedding party, and finally the bride. The wedding proceeded as I moved about to A) find good camera angles and B) seek shelter from the sun. After the mandatory "I do's" and "You may kiss the bride", Gina & Ed were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Ed Hoffman.

The wedding party formed a greeting line and the guests streamed by, hugging and congratulating the couple. After all had passed, Gina & Ed returned to the gazebo to perform another ceremony; the releasing of two white doves.

The doves came from Ed's parent's house. Ed's parents have a mini farm with lots of animals, including goats, chickens, rabbits, and doves.

After their release, the doves circled the gazebo once, then flew off to the east. According to Ed, the doves always return home after being released.

The guests soon started to depart for the reception at Watson's Inn in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. As part of the wedding party, we stayed behind and waited for Gina & Ed to get ready. Meanwhile, their white limousine arrived and all of us still waiting oohed and awed over it. The kids all climbed into the cavernous back seat and Gina & Ed joined them. The parade of cars then traveled the short distance to the reception, honking and waving to everyone we passed along the way.

At the reception, Gina asked if I could take lots of pictures, since the professional was only hired to shoot the wedding. I gladly accepted, knowing I would take lots of pictures anyway. We ate dinner, then the couple cut the cake and the party began. After a couple drinks, even I was out on the dance floor, having a great time, boogying to all the wedding classics.

June 30

It is now time to return home. We drove back to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, returned our rental car, and flew back to Seattle. Along the way, I saw several areas of smoke rising from the ground. Unfortunately, I do not know where the forest fires were because airlines still do not provide position information to the passengers.

Thanks to some favorable winds, we arrived in Washington earlier than expected. The captain put the plane into a holding pattern near Mt. Rainier. As I looked out the window, I saw Mt. Rainier pass by twice, then we were cleared to continue our approach to Sea-Tac airport.

May 2002

May marked the beginning of flying season and introduced some new electronic hardware to our household entertainment system. It was also a month of blockbuster movies.

May 8

Continuing what we started in April, we once again set our focus on removing the moss from the front yard. This time I decided to call in the heavy artillery. We went to the local equipment rental shop and rented a power rake.

The power rake is a gasoline-powered machine with metal fingers that rotate on a drum and rip out everything in their path. The moss and dead grass pours out the back of the machine forming a drift of debris. After one pass over the entire front yard, the moss was gone.

I pulled out my grass seed and spreader and covered the front yard. I followed this with a layer of fertilizer. With a little luck, we will have a nice thick yard full of grass this summer.

May 10

This week was pretty nice, and Friday was the certainly the nicest. To celebrate the beginning of a beautifully forecasted weekend, I decided to rent a plane and practice touch & go's. After work, I drove to Boeing Field and checked out N43GF. Todd showed up a few minutes later and we walked out to the ramp to preflight the plane. After I was satisfied with its airworthiness, we taxied to runway 31R and took off to the northwest. The Mariner's were playing at Safeco Field, so I had to divert to the east to avoid the temporary flight restriction that covers all major sporting events in the country.

When we reached Paine Field, Susan was waiting for us at the Jet Deck Bar & Grill. I taxied the plane right up to the restaurant. I can't get over the look on people's faces as I pull up in an airplane; its just so cool. Susan talked me into staying for dinner. The service was very slow, so by the time we finished eating, I had exceeded my rental period. I called Galvin Flying to let them know that I'd be late and we headed back to the plane.

As we left Paine Field, the sun was just touching the horizon. I stayed in the pattern to do one touch-and-go on the small runway; it is only 75 feet wide compared to the 150 foot wide big runway. After the touch-and-go, I departed the pattern to the south and headed for Boeing Field. I dialed KBFI into the Global Positioning System (GPS) radio and it showed that we were 20 miles out. I felt like we were the only plane in the sky, for such a nice night. Boeing Tower told me to enter the pattern over Seward Park for runway 31R. We landed and taxied back to Galvin Flying. What a privilege it is to be able to fly above our country, while most people on this planet can only dream of flying.

May 12

Mother's Day weekend in Seattle tends to be beautiful and this year was no exception. Since my mother is thousands of miles away -- which makes taking her out to lunch very difficult -- I took Susan and Todd flying instead. We met Todd at Boeing Field and loaded ourselves into N95129 - a late model Cessna 172. Our destination for the day was the San Juan Islands, which are located in the Puget Sound in the northwest corner of Washington, near the Canadian Border. Getting there by "normal" transportation involves driving over an hour to Anacortes, waiting in line at the ferry terminal for up to an hour, then riding on the ferry for 45 minutes. Returning home is just the opposite, but with a much longer wait at the ferry terminal. It takes only 45 minutes in a Cessna. :)

Our first stop was Eastsound airport on Orcas Island. I had never landed at this airport before, so I was excited to add a new destination to my logbook. Once on the ground, we parked in the grass with the other general aviation airplanes and walked about a mile into town. There we found a nice restaurant with outdoor seating and ordered lunch. Orcas Island is shaped like a horseshoe and Eastsound is situated on the inner water at the narrow portion at the top of the island. The two thick portions of the island are rather mountainous, leaving the town in the valley between the peaks. From the deck of the restaurant we enjoyed the sunshine and the view.

After lunch, we hiked back to the plane and flew to Friday Harbor airport on San Juan Island. From the airport we walked the quick six blocks into town. Since we had lunch in Eastsound, we decided to have dessert in Friday Harbor. Along the waterfront we found a small ice cream parlor and each had a single scoop waffle cone.

By the time we finished, the sun was beginning to set in the western sky. We walked back up the hill, past the ferry terminal queue of cars and campers, to the airport and climbed back into our magic carpet for the quick flight home. As always the sunset over the Olympic Mountains from 3,000 feet over the Puget Sound was truly amazing.

May 18

I started the day planning to work out on the BowFlex. I turned on my stereo, popped in a CD, and instead of hearing the clean, crisp tones so common from CD's, I heard this ugly, scratchy, hissing noise. I switched to FM mode and the results were the same. After thirteen-plus years of excellent service and lots of decibels of clean stereo sound, my old JVC receiver finally called it quits.

The history of my JVC now follows: While in college, oh so many years ago, I worked as a co-op student in Richmond, Virginia. Co-op wages were three times anything I'd ever earned previously, so I was anxious to spend some of my hard earned cash on some nice stereo equipment. My second semester in Richmond, I went to Circuit City with my brother, who was in town following Thanksgiving. I signed up for their "no interest if paid in full by such and such date" cards and was turned down. Tom, on the other hand, had no problem getting the line of credit, even though he wasn't shopping at the time. I decided to skip the receiver this time and I bought a JVC CD player instead. The following semester of co-op, I returned and bought the JVC receiver to match the CD player. That was back in 1990. The CD player, by the way, is still going strong.

With a strong desire to replace my receiver, I started surfing the Internet to see what was available. Crutchfield had a nice assortment to choose from, including a nice JVC model with all the bells and whistles that I wanted: 100 watts of power through two separate sets of speakers, tons of inputs -- analog and digital, and support for Dolby 5.1 surround sound.

At this point I was sold on the JVC receiver. The next step was to find one locally for a great price. As expected, Video Only came in with the lowest price. A few minutes later, we were on our way to Lynnwood to see one in person. Knowing all the specs and what I wanted, the salesman didn't have to work hard to complete the sale!

With new receiver in hand, the next logical step was to start looking for speakers to support the 5.1 surround stereo sound capability. I already have four nice speakers, so I didn't want to buy six new ones. The salesman showed me his selection of center channel speakers and subwoofers and I was impressed. He went to the back and grabbed two more items while we wandered around the store. When he returned, we were standing near a Sony demo system with Terminator 2 playing on a big TV. I was amazed at how clean and pure the Sony system sounded. I knew right away that the center speaker and subwoofer would be staying at Video Only. Although the Sony system sounded great, I wasn't sold on the whole package, so we left with just the receiver. See May 19 for the continuing speaker saga.

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Back at home, I didn't have much time to enjoy the new receiver. Susan and I bought tickets along with Todd to go see Steven Wright at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. We met Todd at the Barnes & Noble bookstore at Pacific Place Mall. Todd took us to one of his favorite restaurants in the mall and we had dinner. After eating, we started walking towards the theater, but Todd wanted to stop for a drink at another one of his favorite places.

We made it to the Paramount a half hour early and had to kill some time in the lobby. Finally the doors opened and we entered the theater. The Paramount is a gorgeous old theater with amazingly ornate detail and architecture. Since we had some time, we went down to the front to see how the 'spendy' seats compared to ours. Then we went all the way to the top mezzanine levels, then to the front row of the mezzanine. The view was pretty good no matter where you sit.

Finally it was show time. There was a short opening act, then Steven Wright came out on stage. For the next hour and a half, he had us holding our ribs in pain from laughing so hard. His unusual observations on life are hilarious. I highly recommend going to see him if you have the opportunity.

May 19

After only one day with the new receiver, the search for new surround sound speakers became my new priority. I figured I'd let my ears be the judge and not worry too much about the price. Our first stop was Best Buy. Surprisingly, they had absolutely nothing that interested me. We then drove down the road a few blocks to Magnolia Hi-Fi.

Magnolia Hi-Fi has a reputation for carrying high-quality electronic gear. Stepping through the door, it is apparent that their reputation is well deserved. After browsing a few minutes, we were approached by a salesman. My expectation was that he would try to sell us something that we didn't really want, but instead he surprised me by asking lots of questions to better understand my existing hardware situation. At Video Only (see May 18) and at Best Buy, the salesman tried to convince me that I should get rid of my existing speakers and buy a complete system. But here, the salesman asked if I liked the sound from my existing speakers and suggested that I keep them.

Our first task was to find a center channel speaker. Surround sound consists of five primary speakers (front-left, front-center, front-right, rear-left, rear-right) and a subwoofer to drive the deep down bass that movies develop. The center channel is the primary speaker, delivering nearly all of the dialog in a movie. The salesman was concerned that the center speaker match the audio qualities of my existing speakers. He said he didn't want a Ferrari to change to a Ford and back to a Ferrari as it pans from left, through the center, to the right speaker. First we listened to several sets of speakers until we found a pair that sounded similar to the ones I already have. Then he let me listen to several center speakers, starting with the best and working down to the worst. At first I heard no difference, but after a point, the remaining speakers had poor, thin sound. It was very easy to then point to the first speaker that sounded cheap, and pick the next better speaker from the lineup.

The next task was picking a subwoofer. This was difficult for me because I think they all sound the same. I was about to settle on a 10 inch speaker, but Susan convinced me that the 12 inch speaker sounded better to her. You can imagine my surprise when she chose the more expensive model. Wow, and I thought she didn't care about stereo equipment.

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In preparation for Gina & Ed's wedding in Pennsylvania, Susan started applying tanning solution from a twin cylinder assembly. One cylinder contained tan goop and the other brown goop. When the applicator is pushed, goop from both cylinders is extruded. Once mixed, it is applied and left to do its magic for 15 minutes. After a few weeks, it is supposed to provide a natural tan. Who dreams up these products?

May 21

John Chambers in Seattle.

May 25

Spiderman.

May 26

Mariner's versus Orioles.

May 27

Planted grass in front of shed.

May 30

Star Wars Episode II.

April 2002

April showers bring May flowers, so they say. In Seattle, April marks the end of ski season and the beginning of the damp months before summer finally arrives in July. Our new neighbors move in and we declare war on the moss in our front yard.

April 6

Another ski season comes to a close. Susan and I planned to meet Todd at the Bellevue Park & Ride to carpool to Crystal Mountain. We were a little early; Todd was a little late. When he arrived, we moved his ski gear into the Honda and locked his skis into the racks on top. Just as we pulled out to head south, Susan realized that she forgot her ski jacket. Ahhhh! Too bad she didn't realize that sooner; we would have had time to go get it while waiting for Todd.

After little debate, we decided to all go back to Bothell, get the jacket, and head for the mountains. Forty-five minutes later, we were once again making progress toward our goal. We arrived late and hit the slopes. The snow was turning to slush, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.

April 14

A good day for some yard and automobile maintenance. The Honda CR-V is fully maintained; good for another 30,000 miles. In addition, today was the first day this Spring that combined a weekend day with sunshine and grass cutting motivation. I pulled the mower from the shed, gave it a quick inspection -- I checked the gas and oil and wiggled the spark plug wire -- and headed for the front yard.

First, I went over it on the high setting. Once complete, I went over it again at a lower setting to expose all of the underlying moss. After the second pass, I was completely convinced that our yard is 90% moss and 10% grass. To help shift the balance more in favor of the grass, we raked out some of the moss and dead grass and applied a spray-on moss killer. I just hope my whole yard doesn't turn black!

April 16

After two years as a rental and six months sitting empty, the house next door now has new occupants. John, Lorri, Hanna, and John Ezra moved in today. The realtor told us that they plan to build a fence. I wonder if we can talk them out of it...

April 25

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has a division called the Air Safety Foundation (ASF) whose mission is to educate pilots about safety issues. Every year they tour around the country and hold discussions. The discussions are free to all who want to attend and are announced months in advance.

This year's topic of discussion was spatial disorientation. Spatial disorientation is caused by several factors. It usually occurs when the pilot is flying through clouds and all visual references to the ground are lost or obscured. Usually it is the result of the pilot moving his head too quickly and upsetting the balance mechanisms in the inner ear. Without input from the eyes to verify what are inner ears feel, we quickly become disoriented. This sensation can easily be reproduced on the ground by covering your eyes and having someone spin you on a stool for a minute. Your friend can then stop your motion, but your ear will think you are still spinning.

Although my current pilot's license forbids me from flying in the clouds, I have started the process of acquiring an instrument rating which would remove this restriction. The best way to avoid becoming disoriented is to know the reasons why we get disoriented in the first place.

April 28

Another year has passed and it's Kerissa's birthday once again. This year, Tom and Lanna decided to have the party in a park. Although the weather is usually very predicable (cold and cloudy) this time of year, today the weather was perfect. Susan and I drove south on I-5, past Chehalis, to the Napavine exit. The park was on the right and Tom and Lanna were setting up camp in the covered picnic area. The kids were enjoying themselves in the playground.

As more kids began to arrive, I pulled out our newly purchased collection of lawn games, which contained all the classics. I set up the volleyball net, with help from the kids. Susan and I played with the kids while all the adults -- we still don't consider ourselves part of that crowd -- sat around and told tales.

And then it was time for cake. Lanna brought bags of goodies so the kids could design their own toppings. That looked way too sweet for me, so I temporarily assumed the role of an adult and passed on the customized cake decorating fun.

March 2002

March will be remembered for the 50th wedding anniversary of Susan's parents. Much time and effort went into the planning of the secret party and it was all worth it. March concluded with out-of-town guests paying an Easter visit.

March 2

With my bonus check burning a hole in my pocket, Susan and I drove to Vancouver, Washington with thoughts of purchasing something we've thought about buying for years. We've all seen the infomercials and thought, "Yeah, I could do that." We've heard the stars proclamations and now it was time to see for ourselves.

Once in Vancouver, we started searching for the address of the factory. Traffic was thick due toconstruction, so we jumped off the highway and started searching the side streets. Eventually we found a street that we recognized on our MapQuest™ map which led us to the factory entrance. We walked inside and were met by a factory representative. He answered our questions and demonstrated the product for us. We were impressed and satisfied, so we decided to follow through with the purchase. The only question remaining was, "Will it fit in the Honda?" That turned out to be a non-issue because it was conveniently packed in three separate boxes. Have you figured out what it is yet? Keep reading and all will be revealed.

March 3

This day was earmarked as a construction day -- the day to build my new machine, fresh from the factory. I hauled the three boxes into the living room and gathered the necessary tools. Construction went smoothly and two hours later, I had a fully-functional BowFlex Power Pro XTL. Susan and I have been using it ever since.

With construction projects still on my mind, I moved on to the garage. In addition to the bike hooks (see January 5, 2002), my parents also bought me three shelf brackets to help organize my garage. I installed the brackets 18 inches down from the ceiling along the south wall of the garage. Then I moved all the excess lumber from the shed project -- which was previously in a pile under my Honda -- onto the brackets. With all the available space on the floor, I moved the 16 foot long siding boards -- which was previously in a pile under the Infiniti -- under the Honda. So now we are down to just one pile of wood on the garage floor.

March 7

In preparation for Susan's parent's 50'th wedding anniversary, Susan and I ordered a custom banner to help celebrate the occasion. I started by making a preliminary design on the computer. Susan searched the Internet for a sign company that makes banners. We e-mailed the design to a local sign maker and waited for the results. A few days later they e-mailed us a proof which we accepted. The resulting sign was nearly identical to what I had designed. It was made out of a thick plastic-covered paper material (Tyvek™) that is used in clean rooms and as booties for new home tours. It had ten grommets in it for ease of hanging. And it came in a cardboard tube for easy shipping. All that was left was to figure out how to carry it onto a commercial flight without it looking like a weapon.

To make our travel plans more interesting, the snow was falling heavily as we turned off the lights and went to bed.

March 8

After months of planning, it was time to fly to Richmond, Virginia. Susan and her siblings were planning a surprise 50'th wedding anniversary party for their parents. No one knew for sure whether or not Noemi & George suspected what was going on. I'm sure that they must have found some of the strange behavior of their offspring suspicious; especially all the fuss over their address book. They maintain a paper address book with all their friends and relatives. Getting a copy of this to Susan was a challenge. Susan's brother, John, paid a visit under the guise of installing a new computer component. While alone in the computer room, he scanned every page and e-mailed the scans to Susan. She printed them out and used them to call and invite friends and relatives, and to address invitations. Meanwhile, Susan's sister, Noemi Pearce, was busy making arrangements for the hall, food, and decorations.

We caught an early flight and were on our way to Richmond. Since the party was a surprise, we couldn't go directly to Susan's parents house -- they didn't know we were coming. Instead, we spent the night with Susan's friend, Kathleen.

March 9

The day of the party finally arrived. Susan and I drove from Kathleen's house to the fire hall, hoping that we wouldn't accidentally pass her parents along the highway. Wouldn't that be the pits? We arrived at noon and spent the next hour turning the ordinary hall into something worthy of 50 years of marriage. The caterers arrived and the smell of so much good food was almost too much to handle. As friends and relatives arrived, everyone pitched in to decorate the hall. The tables were lined up in three neat rows then covered and decorated with tiny gold bells and '50's. The banner was hung, along with gold chandeliers. The cake was placed as the centerpiece of the main table as the guests started to arrive.

Susan's sister, Noemi, left to "go shopping" with Susan's mother who was told the fire hall was having an indoor yard sale. Noemi said she had to wait for a friend to show up prior to going inside. Meanwhile, Susan's father, who delivered flowers on weekends, would be delivering an arrangement and corsage for a special event at the fire hall. The plan was to have them arrive roughly at the same time. To help ensure they entered the right door, Susan and I placed a large sign that said, "Please use other door" on the side entrance.

Noemi P and Noemi arrived in the parking lot prior to George, so they "waited for a friend to arrive". George arrived and went to the emergency vehicle bay. He found out from the fire fighters that the hall was on the opposite end of the building. Rather than walking, he drove the van around to the hall's side entrance. Meanwhile, Noemi P scrambled to get Noemi out of the car and to the side door. But, George got there first.

George walked in with the bouquet of flowers in his hands. It was a bright sunny day and the hall was dimly lit, so at first he didn't suspect anything. Later, he told me that he walked in, looked around, and saw his son, Peter, and thought, "Why in the world is Peter here?" Then he saw Susan and John and realized something strange was going on. Then he realized that he knew everyone in the room.

A few moments later, Noemi was led in by Noemi P. As she entered, the kids let loose with the silly string and the party poppers. From the look on her face, I'd say she was pleasantly surprised to see everyone.

The guests of honor spent the next hour or so visiting with friends and relatives; some of whom traveled across several states to be there. Food was served and presents were opened. All in all, I'd say it came together brilliantly.

In addition to Noemi & George's children and grandchildren, we'd like to acknowledge the following folks for their contributions to the success of this celebration:

• Tony Gordon, Linda Raymond, and the entire crew of Goochland County Company 5 Fire Hall for allowing us to use your spacious meeting facility.
• Francis Childress and Julie White for the delicious food and for helping to set up and clean up afterwards.
• Ellen Perkins of Perkins Florist for the diversion to get George to the fire hall and for the beautiful flowers that he delivered.

March 11

Flying through Detroit on Northwest Airlines used to be something to be avoided, but not any longer. Recently, Northwest has moved into their new terminal building, called Concourse A, which is over a mile long and has an overhead tram running the entire length. To keep the passengers entertained, they have a fountain that does amazing things with streams of water. Somehow they make it look like the water is leaping through the air, like fish jumping from a pond.

Connecting Concourse A to B and C is a tunnel. The tunnel has moving lights and mellow music that gives the impression that you are walking under the sea. As I later described this to a friend, he asked, "Are you sure you're not talking about Disney World?" I now look forward to spending my layovers in Detroit.

March 24

To maintain currency, a private pilot must have a current medical and must be reviewed by a flight instructor every two years. Since I earned my pilot's license in September 1999, I was no longer current. Getting current involved an hour of ground discussion followed by two hours of flight. My instructor and I discussed the myriad of temporary flight restrictions in the Seattle area and the consequences of violating these restrictions. We also discussed runway incursions and how to avoid them.

Then we went flying. We did all the standard procedures and some simulated instrument flight where I flew with a hood blocking my outside view from the cockpit. I told the instructor that I had never landed at Renton's airport, so we asked air traffic control for a clearance and flew to Renton. When the talking and flying was complete, the instructor endorsed my logbook for another two years of flying.

March 28

My parents arrive for a brief stay over the long Easter weekend.

March 29

Susan, my parents and I got up this morning with one ambition -- to find the daffodils. Each year at the end of March, the daffodils bloom in the Skagit Valley, north of Everett, Washington. Our mission was to find a few fields of yellow blossoms. On a sunny day, the colors are bright enough to make you squint. Today was not one of those days. Nonetheless, the color helped brighten the gray mood of the overcast day.

After lunch, we continued north to Anacortes. Anacortes is a cozy little town on the Puget Sound. It is the gateway to the San Juan Islands and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. We went to the Cap Sante Marina and Rotary Park. Then we drove up to the top of the hill overlooking Anacortes and Padilla Bay.

After frolicking in Anacortes we headed along the coast to Deception Pass. We crossed the bridge to the west side, parked the Honda and hiked down to the beach. We saw several Bald Eagles and adventurous kayakers. To my dismay, my camera's battery decided to call it quits just moments before the most gorgeous sunset ever.

March 31

For Easter this year, I decided to bake homemade dinner rolls. Not the kind you can buy at the grocery store. I made mine from scratch. It all started innocently enough. I added the ingredients to the bread maker and let it knead into a nice ball. Then I rolled it out and made twelve separate dough balls for the twelve rolls. This is the point where thing started to go bad. I place the balls in the tray and snipped the tops with my scissors, just like the instructions said. Then I buttered the tops and placed the tray in the oven. What came out was three tiny rolls, six monster rolls, and three somewhere in between.

With rolls in hand, we packed into the Honda and drove to Tom & Lanna's for dinner. Lanna's parents were there when we arrived. The women buzzed around in the kitchen while the men sat and shot the breeze. I stood around and took pictures.

February 2002

February was an interesting, exciting, and scary month. It couldn't have started any worse, or at least I don't like thinking about a worse beginning.

February 1

Continuing the story from January 31, 2002.

The next morning, I called my boss to let him know what was going on and to tell him I wouldn't be going to work. I drove to the hospital and found Susan in good spirits, but still feeling weak. She told me that the doctor had visited and said she could go home if she could walk to the bathroom by herself.

The nurse wanted her to walk around, so we rigged up the mobile IV unit and headed out for a short, but time-consuming tour of the "Green" section. We found a hospital map and I described my confusion to Susan, hoping for some sympathy. I think she was too consumed with her own problems to care about my misdirection's.

Back at her room, we started gathering our things for her eventual release from the hospital. While verifying that we had all of her things, we noticed a sign on the mirror that said, "Check out time: 11:00am." No wonder the nurse was anxious for her to go for a walk. :)

As is customary for all hospitals, Susan was wheeled out by a hospital volunteer. The volunteer asked me where I was parked, and of course, I had no idea. She wanted me to pull up to the front doors of the "Green" section, but I was around back behind the "Red" section and was not sure how to get from red to green. I walked back to the car and started my search for the main entrance. I drove in what seemed to be the wrong direction when I discovered a hidden entrance to the front door. I pulled up to the sliding door and the volunteer wheeled Susan to the car.

Free from the confusion of the hospital corridors, I began my next mission; acquiring prescriptions from the pharmacy. As the pharmacy filled the order, we killed some time in the electronics section. With the prescription filled, we headed home and I started a new phase in my life; that of the butler. For the next three days, I was constantly in radio contact with Susan and available at a moment's notice for whatever she needed: water, medicine, lunch, Gatorade, etc. I can't imagine doing this 24/7. By Monday, I was ready to go back to the office!

February 4

Although Susan's birthday was nearly a month ago, I finally bought her present today. It's not that I was thoughtless or forgot it was her birthday; I actually ordered her present online on New Year's Eve. Unfortunately, the present was on back order, then delayed an additional two weeks, then delayed until mid-February. At that point, I cancelled the order.

With the order cancelled, I started searching locally for the Compaq iPaq Pocket PC. I found the best price at Best Buy. But more importantly, it was in stock! At lunch, I drove over to Best Buy to check out the merchandise first hand. I asked the sales clerk about the voice command feature. She looked at me as if I was speaking a foreign language. I asked her if I could see the documentation. She handed me the owner's manual from the display unit and I found the section on voice commands. I showed it to the sales clerk to prove that I wasn't out of my mind. I was impressed, as expected, so I bought it. Susan finally got her present 22 days late.

February 7

After nearly five years, I finally went to see the eye doctor. I had almost forgotten how fun it is to have high-velocity air puffed in your eyes from point-blank range. Not to mention the agony of, "Is it clearer with A, or B. C or D. How about with E or F."

After performing his myriad of tests, the doctor was off to find me a pair of disposable lenses. In a few moments, he returned with a new pair of contacts in my prescription. I tried them on and he verified the fit. I was sent on my way with the promise of returning in a few days for a follow-up visit.

The next few days were unbearable. I don't recall being so aware of my vision, or lack thereof, since I received my previous lenses five years earlier. I thought it was just my eyes trying to get comfortable with new lenses. But after a few days, I couldn't endure it any longer, so I called the doctor's office and scheduled my follow-up. See February 20 for the rest of the story.

February 8

The opening ceremony of the XIX Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah welcomes the athletes of the world to the US. Who would have thought that just 5 months after 9/11, the world could come together -- in the United States no less -- to celebrate sports and peace? For the next two weeks, I raced home to watch the day's events. Living near Canada, we have the good fortune to receive the Canadian Broadcasting Company on our cable. The CBC carried all events live, unlike NBC which only showed the events live on the East coast. I watched the opening ceremony live, then watched the beginning again on NBC to see what I had missed earlier.

February 11

Like most things in life, the Olympics could not avoid a little controversy. The first controversy to strike was the pairs competition in figure skating. What to me appeared to be an absolutely flawless performance -- the performance of a lifetime -- was only good enough for Silver, whereas the Gold Medal winning performance had two painfully obvious stumbles. Later in the Games, pressure was applied by several governing bodies and the Canadian pair, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, were given a share of the Gold Medal.

February 15

With the 18th being a holiday -- President's Day -- we decided to begin our long weekend with our second adventure into the Canadian Rockies. Susan and I planned a quick trip to Banff to enjoy the splendor of the Rocky Mountains and to thrill in the world class skiing at Lake Louise. Having been there in September, I was anxious to see the landscape from a different perspective; covered with powdery snow.

Due to the increased security measures at all airports, we started our trip as early as physically possible. Even so, we still felt pressured to catch our flight on time. We arrived at Sea-Tac about two hours early to a complete mob scene. There were hundreds of people going this way and that way; some with no idea where they were going. As we stepped of the escalator and headed for the Alaska Airlines check-in counter, folks were being directed around the corner by an airline agent. The line was literally around the corner, then around the next corner! We asked where to go to check in for our Horizon Airlines flight. We were very relieved when he pointed us to a line with only 10 people.

With our bags and skis -- an amazing amount of luggage for a long weekend and only two travelers -- checked in, we started towards our next challenge. The line to pass through security was beyond belief. I haven't seen so many people queued up since I visited Disney World. The end was nowhere in sight. I was expecting to see a sign stating, "45 minute wait from this point" or maybe a vendor selling souvenirs. With an hour and a half before departure, we were modestly confident that we would catch our flight. With forced smiles, we followed the line down the long corridor, where it looped back upon itself.

Finally through security, we arrived at our gate with a half hour to spare. Now it was time to stop worrying about time and start planning the short time available. The flight over the North Cascades and Canadian Rockies was spectacular; I took over 100 pictures from the airplane window. We picked up our Jeep Grand Cherokee from Thrifty at the Calgary International airport and were on our way.

Along the way, we started having problems. Nothing insurmountable, but problems nonetheless. The first problem was cash. The second problem was hunger. We had plenty of US money and we needed to find a bank to convert it to Canadian money so we could eat. This was very simple in September, but we were unable to find a bank this time. We were very excited to see a building that looked like a bank. We pulled off the main road, went around a neighborhood block, and found our way back to the building's entrance, only to discover that it was not a bank after all. Eventually we found a bank, but the teller was new and the process took much longer than necessary.

With the proper currency in hand, we were off in search of good fast food. We found an appealing place and pulled in. After ordering, Susan pulled out her Pocket PC and we began planning the details of our trip. We listed everything we wanted to do: ski at Lake Louise and Sunshine Village, revisit all photo shoot locations from September, visit the Olympic Park in Calgary, see the Northern Lights. We arranged all the events as best we could, paid the bill, and were on our way again.

The drive to Banff was gorgeous. The sun was shining and the mountains were inviting us from 70 miles away. We stopped at the park entrance to get our pass, then continued on to Banff. Our first stop was our hotel. We dropped off some of our luggage, then headed out to enjoy what was left of the sunshine.

Our first stop was a small park at the base of Cascade Mountain. Cascade Mountain is the dominant landmark of Banff. As you stand in Banff and look up the main street, Cascade Mountain fills the sky before you. The photo below was taken from the park. At the park, we watched an older couple pull a plastic sled up a small incline so two boys could ride back down to the bottom. A couple was out walking their pack of dogs, one of which came running up to greet us.

Moving on, we drove to the Banff Gondola. The temperature was below freezing, so we bundled up in all our ski gear and headed for the top of the mountain. Even though we only had 20 minutes on top, it was worth the trip. The photo below includes the Banff town site, the Bow River, and Cascade Mountain in the distance. Notice the shadow working its way up the mountainside. Once again, I was in photographer heaven. I took as many pictures as possible in the short time before we were asked to catch the last gondola down for the evening.

After descending the mountain, we started thinking about dinner. The hotel gave us a $25 dinner coupon for the restaurant two blocks down the road, so we decided to use it. I know, if the coupon is worth $25, how much do the meals cost? We bundled up, walked to the restaurant, and were seated. Right away, we knew that dinner would be very expensive. There was a big plate and a small plate, a big fork and a small fork, a big knife and a small knife, and a big spoon and a small spoon. There were three different types of wine glass, too. Any place with that much stuff on the table just has to be expensive.

We ordered an appetizer and a drink and the waiter took away half of our accompaniments and two of our glasses. Soon, the salad arrived and the plates were shuffled again. This constant attention to detail continued throughout dinner and into dessert. Needless to say, when we got the check, we were not surprised at the high price. It's a good thing the exchange rate favors Americans so much.

February 16

We decided early on that this would be our Lake Louise ski day. As you can imagine, skiing is a strenuous sport, so eating a big breakfast is a necessity. The previous night, we saw the breakfast menu at the fancy restaurant down the street while eating dinner. They offered an all-you-can-eat breakfast bar for a reasonable price; actually it was expensive, but I figured I could eat my money's worth.

Following breakfast, we headed back to the hotel, loaded our ski equipment, and headed for Lake Louise. Forty minutes later, we arrived at the main entrance. The parking lot was packed because it was an absolutely gorgeous day. I decided to abandon my goggles and go with my sun glasses. Since we were late arriving, I figured we would be a bit rushed on the slopes, so I decided to leave my camera in the car. Looking back afterwards, I wish I had taken it because the scenery and the views were unbelievable.

The first lift took us three fourths the way up the mountain. We then skied down to another lift which took us to the top. As we approached the top, the next ridge appeared and grew steadily in size and magnificence as we reached the top of the lift. My jaw had dropped into my lap. Oh how I wish I had my camera!

Skiing down the back side was like entering a giant bowl. Stopping at a ridgeline and looking into the bowl, we could see tiny specs at various points around the rim and at the bottom of the bowl; these specs were other skiers miles ahead of us. There were two ways to go; along the winding trail or straight down to the bottom. We chose wisely and thus we are both still alive to talk about it! After reaching what we thought was the bottom of the run, we found ourselves entering a long sloping valley.

The valley ended at another ski lodge and several lifts going in different directions. One could spend all day trying all the different lift and run combinations. We explored as much area as we could before the mountain closed for the day.

We were off the slopes by 4:30, but it was too early to head back to Banff. Instead, we drove over to Lake Louise and up to the Chateau. When we arrived we were amazed to find dozens of ice sculptures arranged around the hotel. The sculptures included horses, eagles, a sea serpent, a stegosaurus skeleton, a mermaid riding a dolphin, a sailing ship, a swan, a unicorn, a saber tooth tiger, and a giant grasshopper with a baby grasshopper on its back. A giant fort made of chunks of ice was out on the frozen lake. Skaters and hockey players enjoyed the lake as hikers walked along the edges toward the glacier at the far end.

Eventually, darkness fell upon us and we headed back to Banff. Back at the hotel, we decided to grab some dinner, then jump in the hot tub. Once out of the tub, we decided to call it an evening.

February 17

Sunday was earmarked as our day of skiing at Sunshine Village. We got up a little bit earlier; not too early -- it is a vacation after all. After two days at the expensive restaurant, we decided to go cheap and eat at the family restaurant next door. That was both a thrifty and a tasty decision.

We arrived at Sunshine Village to yet another packed parking lot. Unfortunately, the weather was a disappointing gray overcast with some light flurries floating about. We soon discovered that the parking area is literally miles away from the actual ski village. Transportation is provided by a gondola that first climbs in one direction, then makes a 90º turn to the left and continues further up the mountain, where it then slows to let people on and off, then it continues even higher to the village.

The village was crowded and full of activity. We donned our ski gear and headed for the nearest lift. After skiing a few runs on one slope, we crossed through the village and headed up the opposing slope. Upon reaching the top, I found myself completely exhausted and my calves were screaming in agony. After sitting in the snow for a while, I decided that I had had enough skiing for the weekend, so we headed back to Banff.

Although I was tired of skiing, I was anxious to revisit all the locations from our last visit. With camera in hand, and Susan napping in the passenger seat, I went in search of the perfect pictures. One of my favorite locations before was Vermillion Lakes. The three lakes are connected by a vast marsh with plenty of wildlife and great reflection views of the surrounding mountains. Another favorite attraction is the Banff Springs Resort. This beautiful structure is more a castle than a hotel.

Since Susan was already napping and I was getting sleepy by the moment, I decided to head back to the hotel. Back at the hotel, our exhaustion got the better of us. Susan headed up to the loft to take a nap. I "turned on" the fire, spread out on the couch, and watched the Olympics for a couple hours.

Rested but sore, we headed for the hot tub. Being late Sunday afternoon, we expected to have the whole tub to ourselves. We were surprised to find so many people, especially of the teenage variety, in "our" hot tub. We later discovered that Canadian schools have winter break the following week. I amused myself by eavesdropping on the flirtatious and braggadocios teenage conversation while Susan used the jets to massage her aching legs.

Relaxed but still a little sore, we bundled up and walked into town. We found a pizza shop still open and sat down for a late dinner. As we sat, dressed in layer upon layer, enjoying our pizza, we were reminded of how old and boring we are by the continuous stream of scantily clad twenty-something's streaming into the night club next door.

February 18

Monday began with one final stop to the family restaurant for breakfast. The plan for the day was to get some pictures from Lake Louise ski area, then drive back to Calgary for our short flight home. After breakfast, we packed our bags, checked out of the hotel, and headed for Lake Louise.

Along the way I found myself casually scanning the tree line for wildlife. While quickly looking to the right, I realized that I was staring eye to eye -- from a few hundred yards -- with a large male elk. It was such a startling sight that it took me a few seconds to realize what I had just seen. I looked to Susan for validation of my sighting, but she didn't see anything. I was tempted to turn around on the highway to see if I could find it again, but we were on a mission and time was limited. Susan was excited and started searching for an elk of her own. A few miles up the road, we spotted a small herd of females lying in an open field.

Looking at the cloudy sky in the direction we were traveling, we decided to change our plans and search for elk instead. While slowly driving along a back road, Susan spotted something deep in the trees. I stopped and backed up slowly until she spotted it again. It turned out to be the male elk in the picture below. I don't know how he caught her eye.

Along the side road back to Banff, we spotted several raven, including a large nest with two birds on the top of a telephone pole along the railroad tracks. My goal was to see a moose. My hopes piqued when I saw the sign for Moose Meadows. I pulled over and we each searched the meadows with our binoculars, but we didn't see anything.

We moved on and eventually arrived back in Banff. After one final drive down the main street in town, we said good-bye and headed for Calgary.

February 20

Continued from February 7.

On my follow-up visit, I explained to the doctor that something was not right with the new lenses. It was as if they were not maintaining proper contact with my cornea. He examined the fit and told me about a similar case that he had earlier. He offered a new, less curved pair of contacts for me to try. I tried them on and immediately could see and feel the improvement. I'm happy to report that I now have a nine month supply of disposable lenses, and the prescription is exactly the same as it was five years ago!

February 22

Despite the hard economic times last year, things are starting to look up. This year, Cisco started giving its employees bonus checks once again. Cisco has several criteria for handing out bonuses. Some of them include: profitability, number one or two in all markets entered, and customer satisfaction numbers reach previously set goal. Once the bonus is set aside, personal performance factors are then applied to determine the actual amount of each employee's bonus. I happily accepted a bonus that was approximately 1½ paychecks; very nice indeed.

February 23

The Northwest Aviation Conference has once again descended upon Puyallup, Washington. Every year, the Ninety-Nines hold a parallel seminar for the spouses called "Flying Companions". This year Susan made reservations for this, so I dropped her off at the hotel on the hill and drove back down to the conference alone. I met my friend Todd in the parking lot and we headed into the show.

This year's primary guest speaker was Phil Boyer, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). I always enjoy listening to Phil because he is at the center of everything that affects General Aviation (GA) pilots. Since September 2001, many government officials have tried to block GA access to our airspace. GA aircraft were grounded for more than 60 days, while airline traffic resumed within two days. Phil and AOPA has been there talking common sense and breaking down barriers to GA.

At the break, I went shopping with Todd for a water filtration system and lunch. Afterwards, Todd went home and I sat through a seminar on Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers. Susan's seminar concluded, so I headed back to the hotel on the hill and we went home.

February 24

Fresh from her "Flying Companions" seminar in Puyallup and full of aviation knowledge, I decided it was time to put Susan's education to the test and let her experience flying first hand, from the "driver's" seat. In an effort to increase the interest in General Aviation, the "Be A Pilot" organization is offering $49 coupons for introductory flights. The flights last 30 minutes and allow the interested party to fly the plane.

Susan and I made a reservation with Regal Air, at Paine Field in Everett. Susan was nervous about the idea of landing the plane by herself. I told her that her attitude was all wrong -- the instructor will "let" you land the plane, not "make" you land it. Then I told her that the instructor will not make her do anything that she doesn't want to do.

We met the instructor and talked about the flight. Then we walked out to our waiting Cessna 172. The instructor walked Susan through the preflight inspection and then we all got in the plane; Susan was in the pilot's seat and I was alone in the back. Susan tried taxiing the plane while the instructor talked on the radio and monitored our progress. We were cleared to take off to the west and away we went. Out over the water, the air became rough and Susan expressed her discomfort as the plane began to bank from one side to the other. The instructor told Susan that the plane will do what you tell it to do, so if the left wing drops, pick it back up with the flight controls. We flew out to Whidbey Island and did a few turns. The air was smoother and Susan was able to maintain control very well. Once back at Paine Field, Susan let the instructor land the plane. I will never forget Susan's calm statement during the turbulence: "I'm not comfortable with this."

January 2002

Welcome to the year Two Thousand Two. The beginning of a new year, a time for new resolutions, a time to put the troublesome events of the past behind us.

January 1

While most of the world was busy recovering from the New Year's Eve festivities, Susan and I decided to get out and get some fresh air and exercise. We packed up the CR-V with some hiking necessities and headed for the great outdoors. We didn't know where we were going, but we were anxious to get there.

After driving for about an hour, we found ourselves heading East on I-90 towards Snoqualmie Pass. I was looking for a road that would take us to the old railroad trestle, but I didn't know where to find it. After passing an exit, I decided that I needed to get off that exit, so we got off the next exit and ventured back to the previous exit.

On a narrow gravel road, we found the entrance to Olallie State Park. The park had a trail that lead to Twin Falls. This piqued my interest, so we decided to give it a look. The trail was well maintained and rather easy, with a vertical rise of only a few hundred feet. Within an hour, we had reached both the lower and upper falls. What a pleasant and enjoyable way to start the new year.

After the hike, we decided it was too early to go home. We drove up to the pass and stopped at one of our favorite pancake restaurants. After lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon driving around the three ski areas and enjoying the fresh snow. The cottages are very charming and inviting. Perhaps when I'm older and rolling in cash, I will buy one. Until then, I will be content driving through the neighborhoods, trying not to look like a trouble maker.

January 5

For Christmas this year, one of my presents was a set of hooks to hang bicycles; I guess my parents thought my garage was too cluttered. Feeling quite the handyman, I went to the shed and pulled out my drill and tape measure. A couple measurements, four quick holes, and plenty of arm twisting action later, I had the hooks in place. Within minutes I was able to free up 12 square feet of garage space. Now that's impressive.

January 12

We finally made to Tom & Lanna's house to celebrate Christmas.

January 20

Winter in Seattle means ski season to me. I met my friend Todd at the Bellevue Park & Ride and we headed up to Crystal Mountain Ski Resort. The weather was typical; gray and drizzly. When we arrived, the weather had turned worse. Visibility was very limited, so we spent the day skiing the lower slopes. Word from the top was gusting winds and blinding snow.

January 26

Susan and I have some friends who moved to Eastern Washington a few years ago. The Weeda's are nice folks, so we make an effort to go see them whenever we can, but its not often enough. This year, we scheduled the weekend of the 26'th to make the drive.

Normally, the drive across the pass in the winter is a slow process with lots of slow vehicles and poor visibility. This time was much the same, with one major exception; the sun was shining. After what seems like months of gray skies, when the sun illuminates the snow-laden trees, it is an amazing sight. It had snowed the night before our trip, so the mountains were freshly covered. Susan was able to snap a few photos while I was driving along.

Once we crossed the pass, we decided to make a pit stop in Ellensburg. When I got out of the CR-V to pump some gas, I was shocked and amazed at how much dirt and grime was on my car! The headlights were on, but you couldn't tell by looking at them. The front license plate was completely illegible. Susan and I spent at least five minutes washing the windows, lights, and mirrors.

After arriving in Ephrata, we decided to go to the store and pick up something for the house. On the way back, we drove passed a drive-through car wash. I should say we almost passed a car wash.

Sunday morning, the gals went to church and Eric and I stayed home. We had a project to complete. Eric had recently purchased a new computer system for his family, and I was more than willing to help him get it all set up. Being an electrician, Eric already had wires pulled to his room for hooking up a phone. He finished wiring it up while I started unpacking boxes. By the time the girls got home, the system was up and running, the Internet was connected, and they had test e-mail messages in their inbox.

The visit was short and sweet, but it was hard on Susan. The Weeda's have a cat. Susan is allergic to cat dander. Being proactive, we stopped at Sears the night before the trip and bought a Kenmore air filtration system and took it with us. Unfortunately, it was not enough. Susan left Ephrata with difficulty breathing.

January 31

Susan called me from work early in the afternoon to tell me that she wasn't feeling good and that she was going home. A few hours later, she called again from home. Her breathing was incredibly shallow and she could only say a few words at a time. She said that she was trembling violently and could not get warm. I asked her to take her temperature; it was 102º F. I told her to call 911 and I told my carpool partner that I needed to head home right now.

On the way home, the Bothell Rescue Squad called me to report that Susan's heart rate was high and she had a fever, but otherwise she was in fine shape. They made arrangements with the hospital for her and mapped the directions for me (I haven't been to a hospital since I moved to Seattle in 1991). They told me that Susan preferred that I take her to the hospital. They told me this was OK, but asked me how long I would take to get home. When I arrived, they were waiting in the driveway. They filled me in on the latest details, then were on their way. Susan had packed all her medications and was ready to go the hospital.

Arriving at the hospital, we checked in, then waited to be processed. Luckily, Susan brought all of her prescription information, else filling out the paperwork would have been a nightmare. Once checked in, Susan was escorted to a room and the real processing began. She had six electrodes attached to various spots on her chest which were routed back to an electrocardiogram to monitor her pulse. She was fitted with a blood pressure cuff to monitor her blood pressure. She wore a finger device to monitor heart rate and blood oxygen level. An IV was inserted to increase her hydration level and to insert medications directly. She was fitted with oxygen tubes in her nostrils. And for good measure, they gave her a fast-acting asthma medication with a nebulizer.

After getting all wired and "comfortable", they came back and disconnected the wires from the sensors and took her to the X-ray room. In a few minutes, she was back and once again connected to the ECG. The doctor came in with the X-rays and gave us the news: Susan had pneumonia. It was plainly visible in her left lung; even I had no trouble making the diagnosis.

It was decided that she need to spend the night to allow her blood oxygen level to increase to normal levels. She was wheeled to a room in the "Green" section of the hospital. The emergency room was in the "Red" section, and I saw signs for every other color you can imagine. Needless to say, I was lost. The nurses got her moved into bed and showed her all the gadgetry available to entertain herself and call for help, if necessary. I finally decided to head home at 11:30pm.

See February 2002 for the rest of the story...