George & Condi by Angelika Sackmann (Mountain Mules Sister)

Mountain Mules sister Angelika Sackmann lives in Ulm, Germany, where she teaches at a "Gymnasium" (High School) which is a magnet school for the arts. When she doesn't teach she paints. Many German's ,as most of the world, are concerned about the imperialist tendancy of the Bush administration. It is has been difficult over the past years to defend the foriegn policy of our country. Not so many years ago it was easy. I would recommend past presidents Jiimmy Carters new book "Our Endangered Values". Now we have learned that our government not only spies on foriegn nationals but on it's own people under the cover of " national security".

Christmas Eve - Morning Walk

Well I'm trying to get back into some semblence of shape so I don't die when Beth & I undertake our winter Traditional Cresh..Ok I get it!! snow camping trip. We want to spend a few days in the William O. Douglas Wilderness in February sometime.

So off I went on my four mile loop down to the waterfront through Old Town and back up the hill to the house.

Interesting to see the variety of Christmas Decorations from the traditional to the not so traditional.

Sponge Bob Square Pants & Frosty....Hmm??

Some of my fondest childhood memories are around Christmas, like most people I suppose. I grew up in a little villiage (Vaterstetten) 16 kilometers east of Munich in Bavaria. The tradition there was that we didn't see the tree until Christmas Eve when my parents and grandparents invited us into the living room with the sound of a little silver bell.

We would walk into the site of a Christmas tree almost ablaze with bee's wax candles which my grandfather would scurry to snuff out in about 10 minutes before he burned the house down. To this day I can smell the burning bee's wax mixed in with the smell of cinniman and the rest of it comming out of the pot of mulled wine.

After getting our presents and some dinner it was off to midnight service at the local church. Getting there was the most fun. We would do a procession through the crunchy cold snow. The only light was from the candles and the air was so crisp it almost hurt breathing it in with the faint smoke of incense comming from the front of the procession. Once we arrived to the cold church where men and women sat on different sides we had a hour or so of carols and finished with a, in those days, latin mass. Different times for sure.

So this morning I finished my walk in the warm wind and "Oregon Mist" rain of the Washington State experiencing the interesting varied decorations of a diverse community. Very differerent than my childhood but equally interesting and rewarding.

I had two more pictures but it won't let me upload them for some reason, I'll edit this post once I figure it out.

PEACE!!

Fall Football Game At Seahawks Stadium

My good freind Ponce invited to me to join him to a Seahawks football game. Had a great time, they're winning this year. Ponce and I went to see the mother of Marcus Trufant, one of the local players to purchase a signed jersey for Ponce's son as a Christmas gift. I learned the value of a signature this day. The cost was $20 without and $100 with signature.

You can see the full moon framed by one of the two major trusses holding up the stadium roof. The structure of the stadium not only incorporates the shapes of a football but picks up on the structural elements of the adjacent SAFECO field (baseball stadium). Really quite successful architecture.

The game itself was nothing short of a slaughter with a score of 48 to 0, in favor of the Hawks, or something like that. Some of the crowd left early, but Ponce & I hung around to the very end savoring victory. You don't always have occasion to enjoy good company, a good game, on a dry but cool, and misty northwest afternoon.

It was fun to see Kenney Easely as an honored guest at this game. Kenney was the Seahawks premier free safety many years ago. He look healthy but old, the old part is what I see in the mirror. Oh well thanks Eva (Ponce's wife) for letting me use you ticket......great day!!!

University of British Columbia Anthropology Museum

These exquisitly carved cedar doors give you entry into the world of the northwest native american culture and history. This gem, the UBC museum of anthropology is hidden away on a bluff overlooking Vancouver British Columbia on the UBC campus. Beth and I made one of our many visits to this place of historical reflection between Husky Girls water polo matches at the UBC Aquatic Center. You can find more information at the museum web site:http://www.moa.ubc.ca/ .

Highlights of the building include the massive doors at the main entrance, carved in 1976 by four master Gitxsan artists, Walter Harris, Earl Muldoe, Art Sterritt, and Vernon Stephens.




The Museum of Anthropology building was designed by renowned Canadian architect Arthur Erickson, who based his award-winning design on traditional northern Northwest Coast post and beam structures.

This bluff overlooking the middle arm of the Frazier River, a major entry point into Vancouver. In order to protect the water way the site housed gun implacements during WWII. In his design Erickson incorported these structures into the design of the building in a seamless way. This further lends itself to create a historical sense of place and brings ancient history into the modern day.






The Museum grounds, designed by landscape architect Cornelia Oberlander, feature indigenous plants and grasses amongst two outdoor Haida Houses and ten full-scale totem poles (one inside the larger of the two Haida Houses), two carved house-posts, and two contemporary Welcome Figures, one by Nuu-chah-nulth artist Joe David, and the other by Musqueam artist Susan Point.

The Bayou Classic Football Game

As luck would have it this was the year we were going to New Orleons for the Bayou Classic football game between Grambling and Southern. Truth be know we went to see the city and hear the bands play. Well Katrina kind put a curve into our plans, and we ended up in Houston where the whole affair was relocated to. I talked to a number of the spectators and they all said it wasn't anywhere near the same atmoshpere as in New Orleans.

But hey the bands were great fun to see and listen too and the game.....well Grambling won. Hip Hip Hooray for my Grambling alum friend Cathy at work.
Excuse the quality of the photos I only had a cell phone camera int he stadium.

Thanksgiving at Fort Hood Texas

Here we are enjoying a wonderful thanksgiving dinner with friends and family at Fort Hood, Texas. Traveling to Texas from Washington State, this time of year especially, is a radical change both in scenery and climate. We were there seven days in balmy 70 plus degree weather only to return home to snow.

We have many things to be thankful for this year, but what stood out the most was the fact that while most of us are enjoying our turkey dinners our military families are saying their goodbyes, as mom or dad again leave for the war in Iraq.

We hope an pray the God will protect Allen as he goes back to Iraq for his second tour in three years, again leaving behind his wife and two children. Even though Allen has served over 20 years in the military he was not allowed to retire after his last tour to Iraq but was forced to stay for another round of manning a machine gun on a humvee. He does so without a single complaint and the understanding that he is serving his country.

Its the men an women who are already in the military, who can't leave that are preventing a draft from being necessary. I find it incredibly sad that the media seems to only focus on the daily body count and not consider the extreme hardships our military families are facing. There is seemingly no discussion of who is fighting this war, its not the middle class.

My 87 year old father was in the Army for 32 years and is a veteran of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Our country now only provides him with minimal medical care through the Veterans Adminstration, his benifits have consitently been cut, and he is essentially being left to die.

The Bush administration while saying "Support our troops" has started a war which is being fought by those who now can't leave the military, or those who have little or no other alernatives, and funding for the long term care for the wounded which now exceed 30,000 has been consistently cut. Where is the presidents partiotism in this war strated under false pretext and outrages lies, which continue unabashaedly to this day.

Ok I'll get off my politcal soapbox!

The Mansion Architecture of Galvison Texas

Beth and I just returned from our thankgiving trip to Houston Texas, and I thought I would share some the wonderful archtiteture we discover in nearby Galviston. Galviston is located on an island that was hit by hurricane Rita in 2005 just recently. Many buildings still have plywood over the windows but the damage is minor compared to the devestation in New Orleans. The city if full of history as exemplified by these wonderful mansions which have this very organic and intricate cast iron work.

Mountaineering Oriented First Aid at Irish Cabin 2005

A photo of my friends Tom R. and Ed Gadberry at the 2005 MOFA class, these guys have helped out for three years now to provide logistical support to the Tacoma Mounatineers, Irish Cabin, Mountaineering First Aid Class. This is a four day first aid class I teach with my co-instructor, Chuck Celmer. We do it on an annual basis, usually in October. The four day class culminates with two days at the Mount Rainier Carbon River Entrance where we conduct class on Saturday and final practicals on Sunday. If you want more information just check out the Tacoma Mountaineers web site.

February 2004 Grand Park on Mount Rainier 5,400 Feet a Nice 4 Day Trip