See you next year

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year !

JIM BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Happy Birthday Dad !

c. 1980

I miss you lots. Hope they're throwing a good party for you !

RIP Vic Chesnutt

from the AP:

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- Vic Chesnutt, the folk-rocker whose sometimes dark reflections on life were influenced in part by a car wreck that left him paralyzed, has died. He was 45.

Family friend Christina Stuckey, who answered the phone at Chesnutt's home, confirmed the death to The Associated Press. Chesnutt's record label, Constellation Records, said in a statement on its Web site that Chesnutt died on Christmas Day, Friday.

The brief statement says ''Vic transformed our sense of what true character, grace and determination are all about.''

Merry Christmas to all

James is 4 !

Wishing our nephew James a very Happy 4th Birthday !!

Bingo

Christmas preparations have taken up a lot of my time this past week - sorry for slacking on my posts. Here's a favorite scene from one of the best holiday movies, in my humble opinion....

who else was born today ??

Wassily Kandinsky (1866)

Jeff Bridges (1949)

Marisa Tomei (1964)

Jay-Z (1970)

Tyra Banks (1973)

and me (the best year ever - 1968)

and Nooksack Falls

After our snowshoeing adventure, we stopped at Nooksack Falls for a quick peek. The water, which flows from the slopes of Mt Shuksan, was moving with a lot of power.

snowshoeing at Mt Baker

The Mt Baker backcountry (barely past the ski area - no avalanche danger) is a fantastic place for snowshoeing. The snow was powder fresh and glistened in the morning sun. The ski area we hiked, called Heather Meadows, already has a 68" base. The blue skies provided a great backdrop for photos.