sunset over greenlake

The weather this time of year can be spectacular. Lots of rain and gray still, but it often breaks up in the afternoon, letting in blue skies mixed in with dramatic clouds. The evening colors can be amazing and even though its still pretty cold, its a welcomed change from the monotone skies of November thru February.

Below are a few photos from our walk around Greenlake.

a trip back east for a very special occassion

My wife is rather modest and not a blabbermouth. But I am a blabbermouth and so are all of her friends - so most of you already know that she was inducted into the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Athletic Hall of Fame.

We traveled back to the lovely little beach town of Wilmington last weekend for the ceremony - AJ's folks met us there, as well as all of her old swimming friends. We gathered at a beach front house on Wrightsville Beach and coalesced as an entourage of supporters and admirers, following AJ around for the weekend with mouths agape and basking in the glory of being among Hall-of-Famery.

Of course, it didn't take being inducted into the HoF for us to realize Adrienne's accomplishments as a swimmer. But sometimes, its good to pause and be recognized for truly exceptional achievements. Moments like this where you can stop, reflect, and revel in good times-passed are awesome, made only better when celebrating with the folks you shared those remarkable times with.

A few people with no memory of those days joined the weekend mix too, me among them. In some ways I feel like I am not new to this - AJ's swimming life is ensconced in trophy cases at her parent's house, captured in front page headlines in the sports sections of newspaper and through photos of Speedo-clad teenagers in front of giant blue swimming pools. You can almost smell the chlorine. But in reality, that's a part of AJ's life I really don't know - so for me, it was great to share four days listening to stories, walking on the UNCW campus, meeting the coach, visiting the natatorium, and seeing firsthand the record board at the end of the pool that still holds AJ's name--from 1998--as a record holder in the 200m breast stroke.

Needless to say, it was a good time had by all.

The first night at the beach house with some super cool chicks - Becca, KJ, Leigh, Katie, and AJ

We arrived just on time for the sunset at the beach house

 The stage is set for the big event

 For AJ's entourage

Gotta give a little interview first...

AJ takes the stage!

Great friends - the swimmers and divers of Suite P

 The proud parents of the inductee

The outsiders - Leigh and John who weren't around during the glory days

AJ and Angela

A visit to where all the magic happened

A look at the record board

Look closely - AJ is one of the only record holders still from the '90s

Old friends in a familiar place

It was homecoming weekend, so all the inductees were honored during a timeout at that evening's basketball game

The Peanut Gallery

A and B

AJ and the other awesome inductees on the big screen!

The next day after all the festivities, all the girls headed home - so AJ and I had the day with her folks in sunny Wilmington. This was the view on our house's rooftop deck.

A highlight was an 8-mile barefoot walk on the beach - we walked the entire length of Wrightsville Island! Below are a few scenes from our fantastic afternoon stroll.

a first-time visit to vancouver

In day-to-day life, I can easily fall victim to the America-is-the-Center-of-the-Universe point of view. Who's the prime minister of Australia? Couldn't tell you. What's the capital of South Africa? I think its Capetown (one word or two?), but wouldn't bet money on it. Is Paris on the coast? Hmmmm...maybe!

Here in Seattle I feel like we're tucked up here all alone in the great Pacific Northwest. We're like pioneers, miles from any other civilized place carving out our very own existence. And its true - we are doing just that IF you're talking about the US. I guess Portland is kind of close, but it may or may not count depending on your definition of "civilized."

Yet, a mere two and half hours to the north lies a cosmopolitan hub, sophisticated, cultured, beautiful. Its called Vancouver, and it is a world class city that has everything you'd want. I barely ever even remember its there. And that's because a giant international border lies between us and them. Out of (American) sight, out of mind.

I went there for the first time this week, spending three days at a work-related conference. I was able to step out and explore, courtesy of some family friends that generously gave me a place to stay and pointed me in the right direction. As with most things, it was totally different than I imagined. I really enjoyed it, and it felt worlds away from Seattle even though in reality, its right here.

Below are a few pics from the exploring side of the trip - I'll spare you the pics of the speakers and sessions at the conference.

Washington State has a mini Big Sur drive called Chuckanut Drive - its stunning.

Our friends live on the very tip-top of the building on the right - unreal!

The view from their deck (and basically everywhere else in the house!)

My totally rad hosts, Barbara and Chris.

Vancouver's waterfront

Our ride across the water!

Roo the Wonder Dog taking in the sights.

 Wandering in Granville Market

 On the water

The amazing Capilano suspension bridge

This is what its suspending over.

Barb at the bridge

The Skybridge over the chasm!

That's a scary Canadian bear, eh?!?!

heaven may be the mexican riviera

You've heard me say it before: Seattle is a dream-place to live...IF you can supplement the long grey winter with a bit of sun and warmth. AJ and I have been pretty successful satisfying this criteria. Our sunny jaunts have ranged from quick weekend trips to the beaches of southern California, to the steamy jungles and coral reefs halfway around the world in Indonesia.

This time we tried something in between. Together with the Blondes, we boarded a flight from Seattle to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Our destination: Sayulita, a tiny town about an hour north of the airport on a sun-drenched, palm-tree-lined stretch of coast. We really knew nothing of this place - we went purely because other friends had told us about it and gushed over its awesomeness.

The word awesome is used too many times to describe too many things these days. But in this instance it applies.

I think it was exactly what we all imagined, but somehow even better. The beach was a little sandier than imagined, the waves a little bigger, the jungle a little junglier. Town was big enough to wander through and find exquisite street-side taco stands. Shop vendors would invite you to browse their wares, but no hassle if not interested. Avocados were about a nickel, fresh-caught dorado was $3/lb, a dozen steaming tortillas cost a few pesos. We went through countless limes and grilled peppers. Tequila was cheap and cervezas were cheaper.

Nothing really exciting to report, which means the trip was successful - everything was easy and mellow. The days consisted of sleeping in, toast with avocado or a pastry from the muffin lady (who just showed up at the house most mornings!), paddle-boarding, body surfing, a walk in to town, a few tacos and a beer, siestas, back to the beach for a dip at sunset and another beer, back to the house for a grilling extravaganza, followed by margaritas and late night chats.  Rinse, repeat.

We highly recommend a visit to Sayulita. All told, this was probably the easiest out of country experience we've had. And it was cheap. And it was refreshing. And it was warm. And it was awesome. Below are a few photos that will give you a taste of what the Mexican Riviera is all about.

our house

This ridiculousness was our house - Casa Verde.

Our open air living room.

And the dipping pool in the living room. Ocean peeking through the tree tops.

Stairs down to the bedrooms. I think houses that are basically outdoors are my new favorite kinds of houses.

 The view from the top floor to our pool down below.

The only totally enclosed rooms in this house were the bedrooms - otherwise it was open and breezy, the way a house should be.

the neighborhood

The neighbors to our south.

Our street - Calle Chacalaca

Our neighbors up the hill.

Beach access - about a 2 minute walk from the casa.

This was one of my favorite casitas in the 'hood.

the beach

 AJ and I rented stand up paddle boards for a few days - would do a late morning and sunset jaunt each day.

 A little shade.

The beach in front of town.

The scene through the trees on the north beach.

The wild beach north of town around the point!

Looks a bit like Sea Ranch, doesn't it?

The surf was pretty big. Our house was on those hills in the distance.

the town

The main drag in town with the ocean at the end.

Downtown Sayulita.

View from the bar while we watched the Seahawks win a trip to the Superbowl.
 

A typical restaurant on the way to town.

Lots of bright colors in Mexico - love it.

Lots of places to rent surfboards.

The thriving metropolis of Sayulita.

the tropical plants

AJ and I took a hike through the jungle one afternoon - lush and gorgeous!

Lots of palms and greenery.

Yellow jungle flowers.

Bouganvillia everywhere and in all colors!

Classic intertwined jungle trees.

The palm in our yard.

the people!

 Simon, Hala and AJ on the beach in front of town.

Faith in Sayulita!

J and A enjoying an afternoon siesta!

Sunny little Hala.

Cheers!

Bringin home the cerveza!

The Blonditos!

Afternoon hang out session in the living room.

Simon learns of sharks in the afternoon.

A good posse of people.

the food!

Salsas, avocados, tomatoes, peppers....all the things I love to eat!

A little lunch by the pool.

 Street tacos and a Tecate - heaven.

Grilled fixins at home + margarita!

Enjoying some Pacificos while waiting for tacos at a little streetside stand.

the animals

These are just a few of the animals we saw in Sayulita - it was actually a pretty wild place. Here's what made the short list: countless whales jumping out of the water, newly hatched sea turtles headed to the water, bat rays with their wings flapping out of the water, endless schools of yellowfin tuna, frigates, iguanas, bats, and tons and tons of colorful butterflys.

and the sunsets

We caught some pretty spectacular sunsets - each was totally different.

AJ usually celebrates the beauty of a place by doing handstands in its presence.

Hala playin frisbee at the end of the day.

Simon gets attacked by a sneaker wave!

Cheers!