Ten Year Reunion

The 10-year high school reunion is an institution, a rite of passage, a tradition. It appears in movies and is something you have in common with everyone "of a certain age" you pass on the street (even if it is only comparing notes on why you didn't go, why you didn't hear about it, how your high school sweetheart looks so happy now, or whatever). This myth - lore, expectation, curiosity - led me to greatly look forward to my 10-year reunion. I'm pleased to say that it didn't disappoint. While some of the cliches applied (there was a drunkard or two that made a fools of themselves, and a few people that had "swelled"*), in general, I was pleasantly surprised at so much. Lots of people showed up, way more than I was expecting (across the 3 events, I would say about half of the graduating class was represented). Most people looked really good. The conversations were much less stale than I might have thought (quickly getting the location/marriage status/job stuff exchanged and then finding a commonality; not nearly as much reminiscing as I feared). But possibly the most pleasant surprise was most people's seeming willingness to leave behind cliques, old grudges, etc. and eagerness to re-meet the people with whom we all share a common past. And while often unsaid, the openness, acceptance, and inclusion displayed signified to me an appreciation and camaraderie the stemmed from that shared experience. My only real disappointment* was the lack of more than a few notable faces. As I pointed out in my earlier post, "the more, the merrier" couldn't be better applied than to a class reunion. Those who chose not to go made the experience that much less complete. During the showing of the senior class video* when a non-attending classmate was featured, you could hear murmurs from the crowd. Why isn't Siri here?, I wonder what Jeff is up to., or I was really hoping that Aron would be here.. Alas. While not the same, perhaps those questions will be answered at the 20-year. See you in 2018!

Sunday August 10 2008

File under: Anacortes, misc

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on Sun 10th Aug, 2008 10:39 pm PDT Saxtor said: Meh... ************************ on Sun 10th Aug, 2008 11:20 pm PDT Horge said: "When I feel... quiet... when... I feel... blue... ...For a while... For a while." ************************ on Mon 11th Aug, 2008 08:21 pm PDT Andrew said: Why wasn't Andrew there? How is he these days? I heard he is a racecar driver! ************************ on Mon 11th Aug, 2008 08:54 pm PDT Jule! said: Happy Birthday Wren!! ************************ on Tue 12th Aug, 2008 11:40 pm PDT Horge said: Sretan rodjendan! (Bosnian for the above statement) ************************ on Wed 13th Aug, 2008 08:14 am PDT dave said: omeidetou gozaimasu! ************************ on Wed 13th Aug, 2008 01:44 pm PDT Saxtor said: I'm pretty sure you low-rezzed that photo on purpose... ************************ on Wed 13th Aug, 2008 02:57 pm PDT Wren said: The photo is low-res because I stole it off myspace. I even tried to hack the URL and everything to get a better copy. ************************ on Thu 14th Aug, 2008 07:39 am PDT cardboard said: is that fantini up front there with the microphone?? looks raging ************************ on Tue 26th Aug, 2008 11:19 am PDT Wren said: A few pics from the reunion: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ************************

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Inquire Within

Ever since the Back Porch Cafe discontinued quiz night (and subsequently went out of business*) and IHJ's short-lived but incredibly well done Tuesday Trivia went on temporary(?) hiatus, my trivia needs have gone unfulfilled. Sure a nightly rendezvous with Alex Trebek helps, but it is just so one-sided. You can imagine my delight at hearing the Longhorn Saloon in "Historic" Edision, WA has started their own trivia night. Last night, we got a table early, filled our bellies with brain food (cheeseburger, grilled oysters, and beer) and planned our strategy, which mainly consisted of picking a team name. To make a long story short, Inquire Within came from the ranks of obscurity to conquer the day. After 4 rounds of 10 ?s each (categories of Saturday Morning Cartoons*, Visual Identification, General Knowledge, and Song Recognition), we stood in a tie for first. For the tie-breaker round, each team selected one member to compete in a final 3 question sudden death. Barely edging out My Two Dads, Inquire Within won it all with Paraguay*! Yes, Longhorn Saloon, I will be back to play your trivia again.

Thursday July 31 2008

File under: games, Anacortes

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on Thu 31st Jul, 2008 04:56 pm PDT whuppinstick said: nice work! what did you win? (nice new site..) ************************ on Thu 31st Jul, 2008 04:58 pm PDT Wren said: We won $25 off our tab (or as a gift certificate for next time around. But since next time around, we are going to win again, we just put it toward our tab.) ************************ on Wed 20th Aug, 2008 02:42 pm PDT jenelle said: nice typeface design in the poster. man, if only it were letterpressed. ok, type geek is done commenting. ************************

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Stuff and Music

Anacortes has its fair share of festivals: Arts [& Crafts], Waterfront, Jazz, and Oyster Run just to name a few. My favorite, however, is the one-two combo of Shipwreck Day and What the Heck Fest*. Shipwreck Day is essentially a large flea market/yard sale that takes over downtown. They close off the main drag and people bring out their crap stuff to try to offload on unsuspecting "deal hunters". This year I didn't make it down early enough to snag any of the real good deals, but I heard of a couple steals. But along with the deals and steals, there are bucket loads of Chinese-made plastic crap that is not new, but destined for a used table in the near future (if it survives that long). * What the Heck Fest is the epitome of a hipster music festival, which I say in the fondest way possible. Bands, both local and not, descend on Anacortes with their ragtag fans in tow. Tents start popping up in front lawns, bicycle racks fill up, and the Keds density increase 100 fold. But it is a good time with bands at bars and all ages venues around town all weekend. This year, as with many recent years, has been the one weekend a year when I'm out to close down the bars*. New [non-retired aged] people are in from out of town which makes for some great mingling. Old friends (or younger siblings of friends*) grace the scene with their presence. In general, it is a good weekend to be out on the town.

Sunday July 20 2008

File under: Anacortes

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on Sun 20th Jul, 2008 03:31 pm PDT Sean said: Yeah, I told him McLovin wasn't a believable fake-ID name, but I guess it worked. ************************ on Mon 21st Jul, 2008 07:58 pm PDT whuppinstick said: Wren, This hippie eco girl stayed with me this weekend and she announced her link to Anacortes being that Phil Elvrum and Bronwyn Holm stayed at her TN(?) home back in high school when they were touring. I asked her if he still produces music and she cited What the Heck Fest. Was he there this year? ************************ on Tue 22nd Jul, 2008 09:16 am PDT Wren said: Heck yeah! Microphones/Mount Eerie/Phil are/is is a staple of Heckfest. ************************

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Kayamping

After trying to talk people into it for years*, I finally had success in finding someone to go kayak camping with*. Saddlebag Island was the location (about an hour paddle from South Harbor Park). July 4th was the date. From our perch on the rocks, we could see the whole valley lighting off their tributes to America. The highlight, and what we positioned ourselves for, was the Anacortes display, which, as always, didn't disappoint. Watching the fireworks from such a distance and surrounded by such natural beauty was a great new experience. No deafening booms and no car alarms were just a few of the perks. Not only was the fireworks watching good times, but the camping was good times as well. Dinner was Frito chili pie and corn. Pre-fireworks entertainment was tree climbing and [further*] exploration of the island. Other than the wicked headwind and broken rudder [again...] on the paddle home, we had a grand old time.

Monday July 7 2008

File under: Anacortes, misc

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on Tue 08th Jul, 2008 10:23 am PDT Sean said: What? No exploding cans of beans? No Pokor through a tree? And you want to be my latex salesman... ************************ on Tue 08th Jul, 2008 10:43 am PDT per said: Hah! Hot poker through a tree. . . Ahh good times. Wren, does this mean you'd like to paddle the 100mi wilderness waterway sometime outside mosquito season? ************************ on Tue 08th Jul, 2008 04:41 pm PDT Joe Wilbur said: very cool wren. can't wait to hear all the "details". ;-) ************************ on Wed 09th Jul, 2008 12:54 pm PDT Saxtor said: Did you do any krumping while on your kayamping trip? ************************

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Green Juggling in the Parade

Last year, I posted about Anacortes's 4th of July Parade, the quintessential small town parade. The big highlight for me was the Beat the Heat group who marched to advocate living a lighter impact life specifically through less carbon emissions. This year, since I've become a member(ish) of the group, I decided to walk with them and effectively restart my annual tradition of juggling in the parade. Since just juggling wouldn't really make any sense in the context of beating the heat, I had to get a creative. My solution: themed juggling clubs. And for those who couldn't really tell what the idea was, I made a little sign I wore on my back. While I don't think anyone really got it*, people seemed to at least enjoy the juggling. The point of the exercise was as much to have fun both in the artistic endeavor of creating the clubs and walking in the parade as it was to influence/get people to think. I think the whole thing can be called a success. Thanks to Gretchen, Ma, and Ron for snapping a few photos while I walked.

Saturday July 5 2008

File under: juggling, Anacortes

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on Sat 05th Jul, 2008 07:36 pm PDT Wren said: P.S. A shout out thanks to Andrew as well who carried my repair supplies in the trail electric car. ************************ on Sun 06th Jul, 2008 07:20 pm PDT Joe Wilbur said: very cool wren. i totally got the sign ;-) ************************

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Happy Summer!

Summer here in Skagit County starts at 5:00pm (and 14 seconds). According to my watch, that is right about....NOW. I celebrated a little early by busting out the hammock and lounging back for some reading and a short little nap. I hope that is a harbinger of the next few months. Summertime and the livin's easy.

Friday June 20 2008

File under: Anacortes

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on Mon 23rd Jun, 2008 01:28 pm PDT Todd said: Was that pic taken by the Goodyear Blimp? ;) ************************ on Mon 23rd Jun, 2008 01:41 pm PDT Wren said: Oh SNAP! Mom, are you going to take that? ************************ on Mon 23rd Jun, 2008 08:25 pm PDT Mom said: Nice, eh? Not revealing any secrets but beware flying objects peering through your upstairs windows. ************************

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Everyone Deserves a Good Paddling

This past weekend, I took our so often neglected kayak out for its* first voyage of the year. I'm always looking for an excuse to get out on the water, but rarely find one. (Lack of transportation for the kayaks is usually one of the main reasons*.) A friend visiting from out of town was reason enough to get out and have a good paddling. We launched the double kayak at low time at South Harbor Park (a.k.a. Sea Farer's Memorial Park) and headed over to Saddlebag Island. Saddlebag is my most common destination because it is a fairly easy paddle (we did it in just over an hour) and it is a state park. I've camped there a time or two but not this time. After exploring the island a bit, we re-took to the sea only to find the rudder broken. My arms got an extra workout as I had to paddle hard to keep us pointed in the right direction. Besides the sore arms, broken rudder, and sun burn*, it was a wonderful way to spend the day. There are pictures of the aforementioned adventure but until they make their way from cell phone to computer (pending learning how to transfer said images), you will have to use your imagination. If human intelligence triumphs over technology sometime soon and the pictures are liberated from the phone, I will post them in the comments. I know how annoying pictureless posts are. EDIT: Humans triumph machine! Here's me on Saddlebag Island.

Monday June 16 2008

File under: Anacortes

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on Mon 16th Jun, 2008 10:58 pm PDT Andrew said: Paddling the school canoe? That's a paddlin'. ************************ on Tue 17th Jun, 2008 01:26 pm PDT Wren said: The pictures keep rolling in: this one was taken on the beach on Saddlebag Island right when we got there. (I know it was right when we got there because after we hiked around for a while and came back to the kayak, the tide had almost taken it out to sea.) ************************

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Class of 98 Reunion

Ten years ago today, the Anacortes High School class of 98 done grajemated. Ah, the good old days of high school*. We were all so good looking back then. Besides being a great opportunity to reflect on the good old days and how quickly the time has passed, ten years also means it is reunion time. The only official word I've heard about the reunion is a page over at MySpace. Since I know a good portion of the world doesn't use MySpace*, I felt the need to spread the word. But not only did I want to make sure all you 98ers were in the know, I wanted to include my very sincere plea that you all make every attempt to come. If ever an occasion embodied the phrase "the more, the merrier", this would be it. Even if you only want to see what Robert Kennedy is up to, settle a bet as to how many kids Clint Lucas has sired*, or finally get up the nerve to talk to your old crush, PLEASE COME! If you've got a pseudo excuse, I'm sure we can solve it together. Anyway, the gist (for those of you who hate MySpace to the point of not even wanting to visit even for information purposes) is August 9th! Location isn't apparent from the page, but something has supposedly been booked, and we can only assume it is going to be here in Anacortes. I'm sure you will all be here too, right? (Oh, and I plan on having a yearbook study session at my house on the evening before the event so we can at least have a refresher and not pull the old Matt Henry/Peder Moore faux pas. Perhaps we will even break out an old copy of Grosse Pointe Blank to study up on how reunions are supposed to go.)

Wednesday June 4 2008

File under: Anacortes, events

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on Wed 04th Jun, 2008 11:37 pm PDT Horge said: Where are you Wren in that first grad picture? I can't make out the telltale beard. Plus I imagine you are wearing a toga, which would cover up the telltale shorts... ************************ on Thu 05th Jun, 2008 10:32 am PDT hannah said: I'm laughing. Really hard. I'll be there. ************************ on Mon 09th Jun, 2008 11:28 am PDT Andrew said: Didn't I graduate in 1991? ************************ on Fri 13th Jun, 2008 07:51 pm PDT Sarah said: I will totally need that yearbook study session...I'll be there!!! ************************

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Our Town Our Park

For those readers who reside in the Anacortes area, this is probably old news; it has been the talk of the town, front page news, etc. For the rest of you, I wanted to clue you in on a great project going on here in town. Our Town Our Park is a community project to build a new playground at Storvik Park. The park was designed by the community (with input from kids), funded by community fund raising, and constructed using volunteer labor from the community, with all sorts of other community involvement (donated meals for the volunteer crews, donated materials, etc.). The organization and enthusiasm for the project have been great and it looks like everything is coming together wonderfully. I went and put in my shift of volunteer labor yesterday. My team put up a little hut in the 2-5 year old section, a hut that I will be able to forever feel a special pride in*. It was amazing how many people I ran into on the build site: old teachers, parents of friends, high school friends who I haven't seen in ages. Granted the majority of the volunteers have some personal stake in the project (i.e. have kids of their own), but there were other who were there just for the community involvement. The grand opening for the park is this evening at 5:00pm. Hopefully their website will be updated with pictures of the build in progress as well as the final project (which, I must say, comes close to rivaling the best playground of all time, South Whidbey). The whole deal has been another one of those I-sure-am-happy-to-live-in-Anacortes experiences.

Sunday June 1 2008

File under: Anacortes

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on Mon 02nd Jun, 2008 09:53 am PDT Saxtor said: I went and checked this badboy out. This playground is really, really awesome*. Once I went down to check out the progress on Sunday evening, I was left wishing I had pitched in. Not because they appeared desperate for help (because the place was crawling with helpers, and people willing to help at any moment), but I would have loved to have put in my piece for the community. I'm not exaggerating when I say this, if you are within driving/visiting distance of Anacortes, this playground demands a special trip, whether you have kids of your own or not. ************************ on Mon 02nd Jun, 2008 12:25 pm PDT Christen said: What a great project!!! No pictures on their website that I can find, so post some please! Still needing that extra little something something to get us to make the A-town trip this summer, maybe this will put us over the edge! ************************ on Mon 02nd Jun, 2008 02:14 pm PDT Saxtor said: Ask and you shall receive. Someone took some photos...from Flickr ************************ on Mon 02nd Jun, 2008 02:17 pm PDT Saxtor said: I should add that the photos look nothing like what I saw on Sunday evening. I'd guess that those were taken on Saturday or early Sunday. And, I can also tell it would be hard to represent the scale using photographs. In part due to the limitations of the format, but I don't think they make a point-and-shoot kid-scale camera, either. ************************ on Wed 04th Jun, 2008 02:40 pm PDT Wren said: I haven't gotten a change to go up and get pictures yet, but there were a few in the Anacortes American this week. I poked around on their website and came across this slideshow of the process. ************************ on Mon 09th Jun, 2008 09:39 am PDT Wren said: I finally got around to stopping by the park to check it out. It looks even better now that it is all painted up and fully operational. I grabbed a few quick shots to share: 1. Ferry boat/pirate boat 2. Castle towers 3. Musicians. ************************

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Frisbee Season Has Begun

It's that time of year again; the weather is warm(ish) and dry(ish) and I am starting to think about shedding a little of my winter "insulation". Everything is pointing to frisbee time again! This season started last night* with a bang. We had an amazing turnout with a great mix of veterans and first-timers. No more games of 3-on-3 or 4-on-4; we will be playing UPA regulation 7-on-7 and I couldn't be happier about it. If you find yourself in the Anacortes area, come join us or swing by to watch. We play every Tuesday at 6:00 at Smiley's Bottom, until around September when will we move up to Storvik. All skill levels welcome!

Wednesday May 28 2008

File under: Anacortes

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on Wed 28th May, 2008 10:46 am PDT Saxtor said: All skill levels indeed! That dapper looking orange-shirted bloke in the "turnout" photo is none other than yours truly. And I bring new meaning to ultimate "rookie." ************************ on Wed 28th May, 2008 02:59 pm PDT Sean said: Yeah Saxtor!! Get some!Man I wish I could be there. ************************ on Sat 31st May, 2008 10:21 am PDT Chris said: I'm with Sean, I miss me some Anacortes Frisbee action. I am excited though I just found a really nice disc golf course nearby. ************************ on Mon 09th Jun, 2008 12:47 pm PDT mandy said: love the smiley's bottom logo!! lol ************************

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