Small town parades are one of the great joys of living in Anacortes. Sure, it is mostly classic cars, candy, kids on bikes, and shameless commercialism (although this guy spiced it up, making me feel better about bowing out of my two year tradition). But chances are, you know somebody in at least one of the troupes which always makes it fun. Plus, walking down the streets, you are bound to run into people you haven't seen in a while, and it is always good to catch up.
One of the bummers that gets me every year is the on-it's-way-to-the-trash-heap crap that Shell Oil and others insist on throwing to the masses. Stop by Kiwanis the week after the parade, and I bet you'll find hundreds of those unthrowable frisbees stuck in purgatory on the shelves. And those are the ones that didn't end up the garbage, like I'm sure the majority of them did. Also, do we really need to pretend we are New Orleans and do the beads thing? The plastic crap is one aspect of the parade I could do without. On the up side, however, there was a pleasant counterpoint, a new addition to this year's parade. A troupe advocating carbon reduction marched along advocating living in harmony with nature, using bikes and public transportation, and more*. Star of their group was the much talked about electric car. Yep, living in a small town ain't so bad at all. Top it all off with a top notch fireworks display this evening, and I'll pick Anacortes's Fourth of July any day. |
Wednesday July 4 2007 | File under: Anacortes, pics |
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It seems the talk amongst people my age these days is babies. Everyone is either having them, thinking about having them, reading blogs about them, or fawning over someone else's. Put me in the latter category.
This past week, I've had the opportunity of chilling with Ms. Clara (of Emily and Clara fame) while she and her mom were out visiting from Las Vegas. It is sometimes hard to appreciate the little observations and joys shared on other baby blogs like IHJ and SMaL by those of us that are so far removed from the baby world. Passing time with a young 'un this past week enhanced that appreciation for those little things* you are always hearing people talk about. Anyway, it was an awesome visit what with the beach, garden, frisbee, goobering, walking, and whatnot. (First item on the agenda after a week of baby time: a three hour nap. Good times.) |
Sunday July 1 2007 | File under: Anacortes, pics |
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Saturday evening, I found myself at Boulevard Park in Bellingham rocking to the sweet sounds of Spoonshine (Best. Band. Ever.). Even though the weather wasn't perfect (although it did clear up for a moderately nice sunset*), the turnout wasn't as good as it could of been, and I didn't have any juggling buddies to throw clubs at*, it was still the best Saturday night I've had in a long time. Oh, and any day that you get to hang out with a caped wonder can't be a bad day.
Speaking of local music, rumor has it that the Red Note (current band of former Perfect Day frontman and local legend Shane Chapman) is playing at the Brown Lantern this Saturday night. It'll be a raucous good time, no doubt. (Okay, everyone is entitled to doubt. Far be it from me to tell you how to feel.) Anyway, it is good to poke my head in on the local music scene every now and again. Knowing the guys (or gals) that are up on stage always makes for a more enjoyable show. |
Sunday June 17 2007 | File under: Anacortes, misc |
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The 2007 Anacortes Parks & Rec Ultimate Frisbee season is upon us! 'Round about March every year, I start getting excited to run around in the luscious green grass fields of Smiley's Bottom while throwing around the frisbee like the hippie I am. Then 'round about June, the weather starts to cooperate. This year, I've been designated as the facilitator which I suppose is only right because I've been participating for so many years now. In addition to running the P&R game, I've been helping out with the high school team. It has been great to get some extra playing time in as well as feel like I am making the world a better place by helping to train tomorrow's frisbee players.
So if you are in the Anacortes area, set aside Tuesday nights to come join us for a game. Smiley's Bottom at 6 pm. All skill levels welcome. (Spectators and cheering squads welcome as well.) Hope to see you there! Oh, and for those of you who don't know what Ultimate Frisbee is, www.whatisultimate.com has this to say: Ultimate is an exciting, non-contact team sport, played by thousands the world over. It mixes the best features of sports such as Soccer, Basketball, American Football and Netball into an elegantly simple yet fascinating and demanding game. |
Wednesday June 6 2007 | File under: Anacortes, games |
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Who said sparklers were just for kids or making bombs*? With a little creativity, a fancy schmancy camera, and a little help from the internet, lots of fun can be had.
In honor of the IHJ invasion, Ryan held one of his world renowned Movie Nights. (Casino Royale was this episode's feature.) After the movie (and pizza, cake, and splargus*), Ryan coaxed us all outside for a little sparkler art. While I was a little reluctant at first (partially because of the cold, partially because the chances for undesirable fire consequences were not as slim as one would hope), I quickly got into the spirit once I saw the results. Outlining was the first course of business. Here's Ryan, me, and Chris and Jenn. (You may notice a bit of a solar flare above Chris in that last one. He took it like a champ!) After we had our fun with outlining, we tried a little skywriting. As you can tell, I was decidedly unsuccessful. |
Sunday April 15 2007 | File under: Anacortes, pics |
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For anyone who lives in Skagit County, or even in the whole Northwest, it goes without saying that we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world (although it is sometimes worth reminding ourselves of when it has rained for 12 days straight). Tulip time in Skagit County might as well serve as the poster child for the Northwest's beauty, if you ask me.
It wasn't until 2 years ago that I visited the tulips the first time. Of course I had driven through from time to time, but I had never stopped. Since then, I've tried not to miss snapping at least one picture per year. (It makes for a perfect backdrop.) Today, with an out-of- towner in tow, Dave and I played toured guide. He played professional photographer while I attempted to follow his lead. While photography might not be my thing, at least I can do fun computery stuff with pictures. Check out this panorama (Java required). |
Thursday April 12 2007 | File under: pics, Anacortes |
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Once again, we (Amanda and I), accompanied by Marg, hit the town for the Taste of Anacortes. Like last time, it was a blast. Good food, a night on the town, and a little class (enough class that I felt out-classed, but we all know how much class that takes...). Sadly, this was the last Taste of the year. Here's hoping that they do it again next year! For all of you who didn't get to experience it all, here's what was served:
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Wednesday March 21 2007 | File under: food, Anacortes |
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Does any body remember the good old days in high school when we used to go to Mt. Vernon/Burlington on eating excursions where we'd visit 3 or 4 different restaurants and just indulge ourselves? Okay, for a lot of you, you prolly don't. And anyway, it's not important. Last night, however, I was reminded of just such good old times while I was hopping from restaurant to restaurant during the Taste of Anacortes. Granted, the food and establishments were much nicer than the Taco Bell, McDonald's, etc. of those old, uninformed days. I caught myself somewhat hyperbolicly[sic] commenting, "This is the best night ever." The deal was we cruised to 5 different restaurants (out of a possible 15) and had a little nosh at each. Listed below are the ones we chose and what each served.
The verdict: what a great way to spend a mid-week evening. I can't wait until next month to sample what other restaurants in the area have to offer. |
Thursday February 22 2007 | File under: food, Anacortes |
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I've lived in Anacortes a long time now and I feel that I know it pretty well. I can tell you where the best pizza is (Village, of course), how many stop lights there are (13), and the best hike (depends on the weather). But it isn't often that I get to play tourist in my own town.
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to do just that. A friend was visiting from the East Coast who had never properly seen Fidalgo Island. (Passing through to the ferry totally doesn't count.) We got to see Deception Pass, Cap Sante, Burrows Island lookout on the WaPa loop, the funny house down by Matt Kanarr's old house, Whistle Lake (with so many new downed trees!), Causland Park, and much more. Some of these I happen upon in my daily life. Others I rarely visit. All of them take on new dimensions when seen through non-resident's eyes. Being exposed to the beauty that is Fidalgo Island on a daily basis can sometimes cause me to forget how spectacular it is here. Anne's frequent "This is so beautiful!" helped remind me to take a step back and appreciate this beautiful place in which we live. |
Wednesday January 24 2007 | File under: Anacortes, pics |
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