My aunt's two Nanny-goats just kidded. One had twins. Here is one of the babies.
5.26.2006
Thoughts of Home: Goats
My aunt's two Nanny-goats just kidded. One had twins. Here is one of the babies.
5.19.2006
Thoughts of Home: Chokecherries
Thoughts of Home: Lilacs
They call Spokane the lilac city, but I still haven't seen any lilacs that rival these bushes outside the kitchen window at home in North Dakota. Maybe I'm just not looking very hard.
5.07.2006
What a weekend...
Bloomsday, a visit from a North Dakota college friend, and Jon's firm's 15th anniversary celebration, all rolled into one big weekend.
Tomorrow about 45,000 runners will stream through the streets of Spokane in the 30th annual Bloomsday celebration. The entire route is 12 kilometers. I briefly considered walking the race but the registration deadline blew past me, like an "Elite" runner from Kenya. If I want to walk 7.46 miles I can walk that distance without paying the registration deadline any time I like. Maybe I'll do Bloomsday next year.
Ashley is here for the weekend! It's fortunate that she picked this weekend, since she gets to partake in the Bloomsday festivities. We've had fun exploring downtown, shopping a bit, and taking the city bus.
And to top it all off I got to meet one of the richest men in Spokane and partake in an evening that included champagne and appetizers, a toast to a 15-year-old design and architecture firm and lots of fancy people in evening dress. We celebrated the firm's fifteen-year anniversary at the Davenport Hotel, which is owned by Walt Worthy, one of the firm's clients. The festivities began here, in the Hall of Doges, then moved to here for the evening meal. It was a bit overwhelming at moments, but overall the evening was most memorable and enjoyable.
Tomorrow about 45,000 runners will stream through the streets of Spokane in the 30th annual Bloomsday celebration. The entire route is 12 kilometers. I briefly considered walking the race but the registration deadline blew past me, like an "Elite" runner from Kenya. If I want to walk 7.46 miles I can walk that distance without paying the registration deadline any time I like. Maybe I'll do Bloomsday next year.
Ashley is here for the weekend! It's fortunate that she picked this weekend, since she gets to partake in the Bloomsday festivities. We've had fun exploring downtown, shopping a bit, and taking the city bus.
And to top it all off I got to meet one of the richest men in Spokane and partake in an evening that included champagne and appetizers, a toast to a 15-year-old design and architecture firm and lots of fancy people in evening dress. We celebrated the firm's fifteen-year anniversary at the Davenport Hotel, which is owned by Walt Worthy, one of the firm's clients. The festivities began here, in the Hall of Doges, then moved to here for the evening meal. It was a bit overwhelming at moments, but overall the evening was most memorable and enjoyable.
5.03.2006
Editors!! Hmph!
I wrote an article on a subject very near and dear to my heart. I did THREE interviews. I stayed up late working on the article and when I sent it to The Fig Tree I had edited it very well. I'd sent a check copy to the person I'd written it about and edited the piece to reflect his input. I had done my best to let his words and his passions come through in the article and I'd thought the best way to do this was to quote him as accurately as possible. When it came to questions of editing his quotations for length I turned to the Associated Press's "Styleguide and Libel Manual" which I was given by a professional freelance writer. The AP styleguide made it very clear that in news stories quotations should NEVER BE ALTERED.
The published version of my article has been altered. I understand that editors edit...that is their job. But they changed the entire tone of my article and they altered Jon's quotes. They removed words so they don't really sound like what he actually said. They changed my title. And they refer to him on their website as a YOUTH. Right....he may be young and handsome but he's in his upper twenties.
All writing should be clear and concise, true, but is it not "writing down to the reader" if you condense all your articles into flat bitesize morsels? Shouldn't an article draw the reader in? Shouldn't the reader WANT to know more? Shouldn't they be inspired?
I wrote the article to share with readers what I heard.......a compassionate impassioned man who wants his nation to know that poverty exists and we need to do something about it.
The published version of my article has been altered. I understand that editors edit...that is their job. But they changed the entire tone of my article and they altered Jon's quotes. They removed words so they don't really sound like what he actually said. They changed my title. And they refer to him on their website as a YOUTH. Right....he may be young and handsome but he's in his upper twenties.
All writing should be clear and concise, true, but is it not "writing down to the reader" if you condense all your articles into flat bitesize morsels? Shouldn't an article draw the reader in? Shouldn't the reader WANT to know more? Shouldn't they be inspired?
I wrote the article to share with readers what I heard.......a compassionate impassioned man who wants his nation to know that poverty exists and we need to do something about it.
5.01.2006
Cars, Trucks and Other Things With Wheels
This is from the Wasthington State Department of Ecology Vehicle Emissions Testing Department Website:
"If your vehicle is missing a gas cap, it will need to be replaced before the vehicle can be tested. "
WHY are people driving around without their gas caps???? More importantly, how did this become an important enough concern that they had to post it in the FAQ section of the emissions testing page?? If you lose your gas cap, isn't it a priority to buy a new one....RIGHT AWAY?
I will forever wonder just what percentage of Washington drivers have lost their gas caps and not bothered to replace them.
This is in the same vein as the very nice woman who rolled down her window at a stoplight and called across to me "Your car is leaking! You're leaking gas!!"
It was Easter Sunday and I was on my way to Jon's parents house and running a few minutes late. I was also in the middle of four lanes of traffic and didn't smell any gas fumes. I knew that if I WERE leaking gas, the fumes would be coming into my car and my gas gauge would be dropping. I pulled over at the next Zip Trip, left the car running, and walked around it to check for anything dripping out. There was nothing. However, it had been frosty that morning and the end of the exhaust pipe looked wet. I can only surmise that this woman saw the condensation dripping from the end of my exhaust pipe, which is perfectly normal, and CONCLUDED THAT I WAS LEAKING GAS!!!!
I'm sure she is a sweet woman, and I appreciate her kind heart...but she scared the heck out of me for a few minutes...and she needs to learn the difference between the gas tank and the exhaust pipe!!!!!
Now, I must admit, that although I claim to be in good control of my vehicle, I'm sorta clueless about Washington traffic laws. You see the county I grew up in has no traffic lights. I first learned to drive in a vintage Volkswagon Beetle in the middle of a field. I was twelve. My parents let me drive the Volkswagon and farm vehicles on the gravel roads around the farm, over to Grandma's farm and occasionally into town.
(I believe at this time North Dakota State law allowed unlicensed farm children to drive their parent's farm vehicles provided they were within one hundred miles from the farm. When equipment breaks down somebody's got to make a parts run to the nearest implement dealership, you know?)
The summer after the eighth grade, when I was 14, I took driver's education at school. This involved watching videos, coloring the book of ND rules and regulations with highlighters when we were supposed to be paying attention and a trip with other students through the big cities of Harvey, Velva and finally Minot. I got my learner's permit by taking the computer touch screen test at the DMV in Minot. Three months later, as I was starting the ninth grade I took my driver's license test...and just barely passed. I mean, I SAW the little old lady in the cross walk. And I stopped for her. But the person administering the test had already told me to turn left...BEFORE I saw the elderly woman. Yeah...I stopped in the middle of the intersection. The elderly woman really didn't seem fazed.
When it came time to parallel park, the administrator simply asked me to back next to the curb behind a single car. I don't know if it was too difficult for her to find two cars to parallel park between in Harvey, North Dakota or if she feared the damage I might inflict on the second car. I simply remember breathing a sigh of relief when it was all over.
I still can't parallel park to save my life.
"If your vehicle is missing a gas cap, it will need to be replaced before the vehicle can be tested. "
WHY are people driving around without their gas caps???? More importantly, how did this become an important enough concern that they had to post it in the FAQ section of the emissions testing page?? If you lose your gas cap, isn't it a priority to buy a new one....RIGHT AWAY?
I will forever wonder just what percentage of Washington drivers have lost their gas caps and not bothered to replace them.
This is in the same vein as the very nice woman who rolled down her window at a stoplight and called across to me "Your car is leaking! You're leaking gas!!"
It was Easter Sunday and I was on my way to Jon's parents house and running a few minutes late. I was also in the middle of four lanes of traffic and didn't smell any gas fumes. I knew that if I WERE leaking gas, the fumes would be coming into my car and my gas gauge would be dropping. I pulled over at the next Zip Trip, left the car running, and walked around it to check for anything dripping out. There was nothing. However, it had been frosty that morning and the end of the exhaust pipe looked wet. I can only surmise that this woman saw the condensation dripping from the end of my exhaust pipe, which is perfectly normal, and CONCLUDED THAT I WAS LEAKING GAS!!!!
I'm sure she is a sweet woman, and I appreciate her kind heart...but she scared the heck out of me for a few minutes...and she needs to learn the difference between the gas tank and the exhaust pipe!!!!!
Now, I must admit, that although I claim to be in good control of my vehicle, I'm sorta clueless about Washington traffic laws. You see the county I grew up in has no traffic lights. I first learned to drive in a vintage Volkswagon Beetle in the middle of a field. I was twelve. My parents let me drive the Volkswagon and farm vehicles on the gravel roads around the farm, over to Grandma's farm and occasionally into town.
(I believe at this time North Dakota State law allowed unlicensed farm children to drive their parent's farm vehicles provided they were within one hundred miles from the farm. When equipment breaks down somebody's got to make a parts run to the nearest implement dealership, you know?)
The summer after the eighth grade, when I was 14, I took driver's education at school. This involved watching videos, coloring the book of ND rules and regulations with highlighters when we were supposed to be paying attention and a trip with other students through the big cities of Harvey, Velva and finally Minot. I got my learner's permit by taking the computer touch screen test at the DMV in Minot. Three months later, as I was starting the ninth grade I took my driver's license test...and just barely passed. I mean, I SAW the little old lady in the cross walk. And I stopped for her. But the person administering the test had already told me to turn left...BEFORE I saw the elderly woman. Yeah...I stopped in the middle of the intersection. The elderly woman really didn't seem fazed.
When it came time to parallel park, the administrator simply asked me to back next to the curb behind a single car. I don't know if it was too difficult for her to find two cars to parallel park between in Harvey, North Dakota or if she feared the damage I might inflict on the second car. I simply remember breathing a sigh of relief when it was all over.
I still can't parallel park to save my life.
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