Ski to Sea '08

The weekend + Monday was pretty wonderful.

We got a little time at A's parents' house in Issaquah, Washington. I love that house. I do have limited memories of it from when my family visited the Hudgins when I was seven or eight, and those memories are inevitably fleshed out when I visit it now. His parents have recently added furniture that came from their parents, so the house has a musty old furniture smell that reminds me a lot of my own grandparents. It's a good place, that house.

A's mom is apparently in the process of choosing paint chips.


Being a native Coloradoan I never can get over the abundance of foliage.




These flowers are EVERYWHERE in Washington right now. According to A they are Rhododendrons, a name I do not know how to spell.

Saturday we drove to Bellingham and had a little time to kick back. We seriously underestimated the Northwestern weather, and every day instead of the 50-degree rainy weather we were anticipating, we got 80 degrees and sunshine. A hadn't brought any flip flops, so borrowed some from his dad. He chose to believe they were Hawaiin print, which can be gender neutral at times. But they weren't. They were covered in blue daisies.

Sunday was the actual Ski to Sea race - a pretty amazing adventure race that begins at the top of a mountain and ends in the ocean. Again, the weather was gorgeous and the scenery was unbelievable. The race start:

A was the runner - an eight mile downhill run on pavement that has left him walking like a 90-year-old man. Still, he ran like a champ.

The post-race BBQ with the team members + their respective families was easily one of the best parts of the weekend. You get that wonderful evening light forever in Washington this time of the year, and there were kids, dogs, good wine and good conversation.

Apparently I can't go anywhere without taking photos of someone's dog anymore. This is Jake and he is very lovable.

Now we have just five days to gear up for the Rica...