Some of the Ties that Bind

I'm not a huge fan of credit cards and the credit industry in general but... having and extensively using an Alaska Airlines credit card to get air miles is an essential part of surviving in Alaska. It helps you to get the hell out when you need to. Such was the case a couple of weeks back when I took off for Seattle to breathe a little easier and see a few sorely missed friends.

Many thanks to David and Hanna for loaning me their couch, cat, sea kayak and a bike, feeding me fresh baked bread and returning a rental PFD for me :) I had one of the most relaxing afternoons in recent memory lounging on their porch, looking out over lake Union to downtown Seattle while catching up on my reading... a six month full time occupation to be sure. That afternoon my friend Woody and I had a great paddle out at Golden Gardens... no wind, nearly flat water and a couple of tidal currents to play with. A few other friends showed up later that evening for a bonfire and to grill out. Thanks to everyone that came to see me and hang out.

Saturday started with a hot yoga class with David trying it out for the first time. It was good to get in a room and sweat for an hour and a half again despite David's claim that I had designs on killing him. That bugger is so dammed athletic that he was made example of by the instructor as having excellent form his first time in class... teacher's pet :) We came out of yoga class just in time to catch the Naked Cyclist Parade that was kicking off the annual Fremont fair. Many brave souls venture out for this event every year to accolades and applause for their original and creative body paint "costumes" or cries of "More paint!" for those that haven't put forth an effort. Later that day Hanna, David, Kelly, Rob, Brenda and I went to the fair and tooled around for a bit... and yes... I finally put my money where my mouth is and tried on a Utilikit. Just for a laugh though... I don't think it's really my style.

Sunday the tables were turned as my friend Rob tried to kill me on a run up to Twin Falls. As I typically find though I get a better work out in win I have a friend egging me on and calling me a "Nancy" for running too slow. Thanks to Kelly and Rob for grillin' and hangin' on Sunday.

Thanks again to everyone for a great weekend and I promise I'll be back soon.