Let there be snow

Check out these great little skiers! 

Some winter family fun in the Methow Valley.  Thanks, Amanda for the pictures.

Our snow in West Seattle is almost gone now, but yesterday right after the storm we drove with Mark to the Kubota Garden in the Rainier Valley. It was a winter wonderland walk, early on New Year's morning, so we had the place to ourselves. The Japanese garden was absolutely magical in the snow.

New Years greetings

From our snowy little home to yours...

And may your path in 2017 be frosted with happiness.

Ready or not...

It's New Years' Eve.  After all the losses of 2016, I'm finding it harder than usual to face the coming year with optimism.  But as our wise dad always says, "take one day at a time, and see what happens." 

And we will go on, cheerfully enough, hopefully with renewed appreciation for the small blessings that fill our lives.  Family, friends, nature, health, simplicity, peace, love. 

"Let us step outside for a moment. It is all there."

New Year Poem
by May Sarton

Let us step outside for a moment
As the sun breaks through clouds
And shines on wet new fallen snow,
And breathe the new air.
So much has died that had to die this year.

We are dying away from things.
It is a necessity—we have to do it
Or we shall be buried under the magazines,
The too many clothes, the too much food.
We have dragged it all around
Like dung beetles
Who drag piles of dung
Behind them on which to feed,
In which to lay their eggs.

Let us step outside for a moment
Among ocean, clouds, a white field,
Islands floating in the distance.
They have always been there.
But we have not been there.
We are going to drive slowly
And see the small poor farms,
The lovely shapes of leafless trees
Their shadows blue on the snow.

We are going to learn the sharp edge
Of perception after a day’s fast.
There is nothing to fear.
About this revolution…
Though it will change our minds.
Aggression, violence, machismo
Are fading from us
Like old photographs
Faintly ridiculous
(Did a man actually step like a goose
To instill fear?
Does a boy have to kill
To become a man?)

Already there are signs.
Young people plant gardens.
Fathers change their babies’ diapers
And are learning to cook.

Let us step outside for a moment.
It is all there
Only we have been slow to arrive
At a way of seeing it.
Unless the gentle inherit the earth
There will be no earth.

Rollin' on the river

Yesterday we took the jet boat tour across Lake Havasu, up the Colorado River and through Topock Gorge. We saw lots of birds in the Havasu Wildlife Refuge, including a Bald Eagle.  Unfortunately, the wild burros and desert bighorn sheep were hiding.

The trip took about 3 hours, with interesting narration on river lore and natural history. 

Thousands of years ago, that large white dune was a submerged sand bar beneath the raging river.

Now the mighty Colorado River is tamed, but geology tells the story of what once was.

The lighthouse at the entrance to Lake Havasu channel.

I'm glad I made reservations last week, because we had the best seats at the front of the boat.  It was a fun and relaxing afternoon.

Today we drive back to Las Vegas and then fly home tomorrow.  All good things come to an end.

The "Infernal" Suite

London Bridge

Late 19th Century

Unreal City,

Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,

A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many,

I had not thought death had undone so many.

Sighs, short and infrequent, were exhaled,

And each man fixed his eyes before his feet. 

T.S. Eliot
The Waste Land

March 1971

Lake Havasu City

Times are happier for London Bridge.  In 1967, the Common Council of the City of London placed the bridge on the market and it was purchased by entrepreneur Robert McCulloch.  (Of chain saw fame.)  

The bridge was rebuilt on a new frame, with stones from the original used as cladding, 6-8 inches thick.

 

We are spent a pleasant day of sightseeing and relaxing.  Our hotel is a perfect location, because we can walk everywhere.

However, the "Inferno Suite" (rather, the "Infernal Suite") was not designed for our demographic.  Thank goodness for John.  He located the dozen or so hidden light switches.  He got the hot water heater working last night.  Finally it was time for my highly anticipated bath.

When I leaned over to start the water, a cold fire-hose gushed strait down on my unsuspecting head.  Right out of America's Funniest Home Videos.

Yes, that hole in the ceiling is really the bathtub tap. Just lukewarm. The great bath was not to be.

Fortunately,  the shower built for giants works fine. 

London Bridge is not falling down

London Bridge seems to be aging pretty well out here in the Arizona desert. In fact, it seems petrified in time. All those retirees and snowbirds must be on to something.

We drove to Lake Havasu City today, about 150 miles from Las Vegas.  It is a bit chilly and windy, but we're relieved it's the off-season in this big party town.  All those wild college kids are in Cancun or home with their parents.

And you know me, always looking for those trendy places to stay. Ha! Here we are, staying in the "Inferno Suite" beneath Lomdon Bridge, with automatic, color-changing, mood lighting.  Or something.  There is also a very deep bathtub, and I'm looking forward to wasting many gallons of precious desert liquid resource tonight. 

We hope to take a jet boat tour tomorrow up the Colorado River.