Moustache Marathon: Day 9

Skateboarding "season" started up for me about a week ago. It was a prolonged snowboarding season (Alpental's lifts ran until Memorial Day) with lots of powder, but it's time to move on. I hit up the Ballard Bowl a few times so far; however, I'm most excited about the grand opening of the Lower Woodland Skatepark (I haven't skated it yet, despite what the article says). It will be nice to have a street section and a bowl with some nice pool tile. I'm still trying to cleanup the garage and figure our my plans for a mini-ramp at home, as well.

Sadly, bowling season is on strike, and that's not sweet pun or anything. I just don't have a local place to bowl anymore.

On the home improvement front: our surround sound speakers are mounted and working. Sarah could not find any shelves she liked, so I just anchored them straight to the wall. One is anchored in our chimney and the other in just the lathe and plaster with wires running through the walls, the basement, and a heating duct.

I still have a moustache, though I don't think Sarah's too happy about.


Picture of me at work with my whiteboard. It used to be a quote of (the) day, but then Chris referred to two of our social butterfly friends as the man-couple, so I changed it. The the is missing courtesy of Matt, who's whiteboard I took after he left.

On another work related note, we just got smartphones. So now I can read my e-mail while sitting on the toilet and get paid for it (no picture available).

Other than that I tied a company record by working 99 hrs in the "timesheet week" I was up at Holden. Great. It's nice to be back, though it was pretty much sensory overload upon coming back to the city. I also (re-) learned vacation is more a state of mind than a place. Here are some pictures of my "vacation."


Lady of the Lake - this was my transportation up Lake Chelan to Lucerne.


View from the Lady.


Upon arrival at Lucerne you get on an old bus to ride up to Holden Village.


A retired electrical engineer who drives a bus. Sorry, dad. Jeans required. No sweatpants.


View of burned forest from last year's Domke Lake fire on the ride up (and down). I believe Holden Village was evacuated to a skeleton crew because the fire threatened their access/egress, though it did not threaten the village itself.


Remnants of controlled backfires set by the forest service to reduce fuel for the fire and prevent it from climbing up the mountain.


After a 45 min. bus ride you arrive at the abandoned Holden Mine. Holden Village is one of the areas where the miners used to live, eat, and recreate. Holden Village is the buildings at about the left center of the frame. View of Holden Mine looking east.


View of Holden Mine looking west.


Abandoned mill building.


Holden's own bowling alley. Ballard's got nothing on Holden, WA.

Holden Village is a Lutheran based religious retreat. One night a group activity involved toy soldier modification.


Modified toy soldiers.


Though there was little time for recreation, I did hike to Ten Mile Creek Falls.


As well as Monkey Bear Falls.


Then I took some pictures from Lucerne while waiting for the notoriously late Lady of the Lake.


Finally, a picture from the Lady on the ride back to Field's Point before the 4-hour drive back to Seattle.