Oktoberfest Half Marathon!

Last weekend a group of family and friends ran the Oktoberfest half marathon in Leavenworth.  It was great fun to hang out together at the cabin.  

Here is less than half of the group pre-race.  Notice the smoky haze in the background?  I want to cough just thinking about that forest fire smoke in my lungs.

Little precious Sally:

Dad and I walked up to the lookout the morning after the race.  It felt good to loosen up my stiff running joints.

What a beautiful sight:  

Everyone crossed the finish line!  My time was somewhere around 2:30.  I haven't yet looked up my official time because I'm just happy to finish.  Speed is not usually a goal for me.  I just like being out there and running with a crowd.  

The fall colors over Steven's Pass were incredible! 

A quick stop for doughnuts at the Sultan Bakery on the way home is always nice:

I'll share more pictures from the cabin soon.  We went two weekends in a row!  

Lately

Still not in much of a crafting mode these days.  I'm still in the thick of orientation at my new job and that may be the reason...

For the past two Sundays I've enjoyed walking around the farmer's market and stopping by the cupcake shop for a treat before going back home.  This photo makes me think of CPR, vasporessors, antiarrhythmic medications, and heart rhythms.  I was studying for my Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) class.  Now, I'm ready to save some lives.  Remember, "hands-only CPR" saves lives if you don't want to do mouth-to-mouth on a stranger!  

I watched some online tutorials and did an experimental haircut on my aunt.  It was fun!  

The following are from my walk home from the ACLS class.  There are so many fun places in Seattle.  I'll never leave again!

Theo Chocolate was closed.  It's on my list of places I must visit soon.  

I love walking down the neighborhood alleys:

Hope your weeks are going well!

Gothic Basin Hike

Finally made it out on another hike yesterday with my dad and sister.  What a PERFECT day for it!  We did the 9-mile roundtrip to Gothic Basin, and it was a serious challenge.  My dad gave it a 7.5 out of 10 on the difficulty scale, but I gave it a definite 8!  The views were well worth the effort it took to get  there.  I'm sure I would do this one again.  

Here is my dad demonstrating his DIY zip-off pants that he made some 30 years ago.  He sewed a zipper into each leg that goes all the way up to his hips.  Simply unzip and tuck the fabric into the back pockets!  Pretty crafty!  

 Here we are at the top enjoying our lunch with amazing views in every direction.  

 Self-timer photos are always fun.  

 Those tracks were made by us as we glissaded on down this snow field.

On the way up the mountain, I was so focused on the rocks at my feet that I didn't noticed the giant log above my head.  I took a big step up and bam!  Pain!  My ears rang and my vision slowly darkened.  I sat down and was able to recover after a few minutes.  My head throbs just thinking of that log.  Here is Amy reenacting the moment:

Happy hiking!

2 Park Tour

I had the day off today so we went to some parks to enjoy this amazing weather.  First, we rambled through Woodland Park looking for the dog park there.  Once we found it we didn't stay long because it was small and dusty and overwhelming.  There were some nice people and funny dogs there though. The most memorable being the big dog trying to go for a swim in the water bowls, and the little gravel-eating pug.  

 Then we stopped by Kerry Park to enjoy that gorgeous Seattle skyline.  I'm still loving that orange top on the Space Needle.  

On the way home we picked up some tasty sandwiches from Paseo's near Golden Gardens.  Not very busy for a Friday.

In the Garden

Daniel is growing tomatoes under this overhang next to the house and they are doing really well.

One of the stalks grew right up into a crack in the overhang, took a sharp turn and continued growing out of the crack.  

 We tried tugging at it, but it is firmly planted in that crack.  Pretty cool!  

 Just to the left of that light green tile is a tiny baby tree that Daniel planted with hopes of turning it into a bonsai in the future.  So far, it's doing well.  

The air feels a bit fallish around here these days.  Puts me in a sweater-crocheting kind of mood.  

Aloha Ramen

It was an Aloha Ramen kind of a night last night.  Tonyu ramen is a favorite.  With its creamy white tofu base, and pickled red ginger, corn, cabbage, and green onions, what's not to love?  It tastes like Hawaii.

Aloha!