Today's Forecast

We had beautiful weather for the BBQ at Carkeek Park. From the orange glow of the charcoal embers to this incandescent sunset, warm and sunny was our Friday theme.

And now our big day has arrived. We awoke to a very typical light sprinkle, cool and breezy, the return of Junuary, at least to freshen the late- blooming flowers in our yard.

Listen, people: if it's still a bit wet in the branches of Beech Grove this evening, never fear! That's Seattle, and we liek it that way. Do feel free to bring an umbrella, if you wish. We'll have one on hand for ourselves. And remember, the ceremony in Beech Grove won't be very long-- just about 20 minutes of so. The reception is INDOORS at the Tropical Rainforest Pavilion. So all will be well. See you tonight!

Love, Carmen & Kevin

Rain or Shine

So the forecast keeps changing. Who know's what's in store? Our ceremony is outdoors, of course, so be sure to dress for that Junuary chill, if need be. We still believe the sun will find its way into our lives on Saturday, no matter what.

See the calendar of events posted earlier this month for notes on goings-on these next few days. Tomorrow, FRIDAY, JUNE 18: the BYO-BBQ at CARKEEK PARK, picnic shelter #2, from 4pm - 10 pm, open to one and all. We'll have some basics and all fixings, but please do bring a little something for the grill.

The main entrance to the park is off 110th Street. Drive north on Greenwood Avenue, and turn left on 110th. Drive to the end of the road, and look for picnic shelter #2 at the playground/field, just above the beach bluff. For a map and more detailed directions, click here:
http://www.seattle.gov/parks/trails_detail.asp?id=240

Among the Goats

I took some old friends over Chinook Pass to the William O. Douglas Wilderness last weekend for some camping and hiking, to limber up and clear my head for the big event. (Carmen stayed in Seattle to entertain her folks newly arrived from Honduras!) From start to finish, we enjoyed the kind of sunny summer weekend that's been sorely lacking in these parts for most of Junuary... the clear, warm weather we've been knocking on wood for since we scheduled our wedding date months ago. AFter a cool night camping by the Bumping River, in perfect Sunday conditions, Harry, Keith, Pascal and I made an early-season go at Goat Peak, 6473 ft. The going was easy, until we encountered deep snow just below American Ridge, which steered us off course only momentarily. Once we broke out of the deep woods, the trail reappeared on mostly snow-free American ridge, beautiful in its carpet of glacial lilies. A bit more postholing and scrambling up the north slopes of Goat Peak, and we arrived at the summit just in time for a sprawling picnic, the Bumping and American River Valleys spread out below us like the wide world's welcome mat. Close up views of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams, among other snow-giants. I always find a level head and booming heart among the volcanoes: couldn't ask for a better beginning to this busy week...

Something Foraged, Something Green

You've no doubt heard the customary requirement (at least in English weddings) that, to ensure a fortunate marriage, the bride should have handy:

Something old, something new

Something borrowed, something blue

And a silver sixpence in her shoe...

Carmen, of course, has diamonds in the soles of her shoes, so we think we've got that part covered. As for leverage and color, we're changing the terms. Something foraged, something green is our motto.

To meet that requirement, back in March I took a walk with my friend Langdon Cook, Seattle's forager in chief. He took me on a hike to some spots in city parks where stinging nettle grows. I can't tell you where, of course-- though the plant is fairly common in the northwest. We trundled up a hill with stuff sacks and back packs, and, with gloved hands, clipped the tops off several acres of the prolific plant.

I first tried stinging nettle pesto at the table of Lang Cook and Martha Silano. Carmen had tried it, and fell in love with it, at the behest of one of her Nature Vision colleagues. When you hear that you're about to eat stinging nettle, you might be a bit skeptical, as if you were just asked to eat fire and swallow swords at the same time. But it's delicious, and, if prepared correctly, perfectly safe. As a pesto, it has a bright, earthy taste that goes well with many dishes. At our wedding, we'll be serving our hand foraged, homemade stinging nettle pesto with the fingerling potatoes, thus guaranteeing our happiness for a long time to come.

Calendar of Events

Many of you are coming to Seattle from afar, some for the first time (like my Dad, finally, after 17 years-- it takes a wedding to get his gator hide out of Florida). If you're visiting, we hope you'll enjoy the city and region while you're here. Plan whatever daytrips and excursions you like. We have plenty of suggestions, such as roaming the Olympic Sculpture Park at the downtown waterfront, kayaking Lake Union, hiking Discovery Park, combing the stalls at the Pike Place Market, exploring the Seattle Art and Asian Art Museums, or driving out to Snoqualmie Falls or, farther afield (about 2 hours by car) the Paradise Visitor's Center on Mt. Rainier. Ask us for directions, or more suggestions, if you're looking for things to do before and after the wedding...

Here's where you'll find us:

Sunday-Monday, June 13-14: Camping and hiking in Olympic National Park (KC only, CZ will be in town)

Tuesday, June 15: Paisley's High School Graduation ceremony, Northwest School

Wednesday, June 16: Seafood feast at the Crab Pot, Seattle waterfront

Thursday, June 17: Morning: fishing and/or biking. Evening: Rehearsal & Dinner (for family & wedding party). Night: Bachelorfest (call me, or check with Bob Williams for details)

Friday, June 18: BYO-BBQ at Carkeek Park, 4 pm - 10 pm; we'll have burgers, sausages, and fixings on hand-- bring your own special grill items, drinks, frisbees, hiking boots, etc. There's an excellent beach and miles of trails.

Saturday, June 19:

Noon: Fremont Solstice Parade: a zany Seattle tradition for 39 years; don't miss the nude bicyclists.

7 pm: Zoo Wedding 2010. Enter at West Gate. Click here for directions. Please follow signs between venues.

Sunday, June 20: The Fremont Fair continues. Bands, beer gardens, etc., in one of Seattle coolest neighborhoods. (U2 will be making a special appearance at the Seattle Chiropractic Clinic later this evening).

Monday, June 21: Two Fat Guys does Seattle. Chef Tom Craft serving up his specialties in Greenwood!

August: Honeymooning in Honduras!

Life List, May 2010

Some of the bird species we saw during our recent roadtrip in eastern Washington (Tieton River – Walla Walla River - Palouse Falls – Seep Lakes – Umtanum Canyon)

Black-headed grosbeak, evening grosbeak, pine siskin, Cassin's finch, Steller's jay, rufous hummingbird, brown-headed cowbird, sandhill crane, caspian tern, ________gull, black-billed magpie, tri-colored blackbird (?), Swainson's hawk, red-tailed hawk, mourning dove, American kestrel, Brewer's blackbird, crow, common raven, killdeer, violet-green, bank, barn, and cliff swallows, peregrine falcon, white-throated swift, horned lark, western meadowlark, western kingbird, California quail, yellow-headed blackbird, common yellowthroat, red-winged blackbird, great egret, cinnamon teal, double-breasted cormorant, robin, great blue heron, Bullock's oriole, Say's phoebe, Lewis’s woodpecker, Wilson's warbler, western tanager, western wood pewee, Townsend's warbler, MacGillivray's warbler, belted kingfisher, American white pelican, Canada geese, dusky flycatcher, osprey, rock wren, house finch, American goldfinch, song sparrow, yellow warbler, black-capped chickadee, lazuli bunting, yellow-breasted chat, downy woodpecker, northern flicker, spotted towhee, cedar waxwing, eastern kingbird...

Memorial Day Safari

Last weekend C & I went on a little ceremony-writing excursion into the (mostly) sunny eastern reaches of Washington. In dreaming up the elements of our wedding, we had a lot of help from the creatures we encountered en route-- from the black-headed grosbeaks mobbing a thistleseed feeder by the roaring Tieton River, to a pair of coyotes slinking around the riparian grasslands of the Hanford Reach; from the pre-dawn patter of rainfall in upright Umtanum Canyon, to the splash of Walla Walla red in the tasting room of El Corazon Wines.

On Friday, we left the cloud-strewn city behind and crossed over the soggy Cascades at White Pass, riding the rainbow-painted highway-- blue skies shining up from storm-slick asphalt-- all the way to Walla Walla. There we spent a memorable evening with our good friends Dan & Linda. I've visitied Walla Walla many times, but this was Carmen's first trip-- a necessary pre-nuptial pilgrimage, because Walla Walla is wind and wine country, and Dan & Linda are two of the kindest, most hospitable people on the planet. They married well, ecstatically, many years ago, and we knew we could learn a thing or two from them. So that evening we flipped through books and traded ceremonial ideas-- verse and song-- till nearly midnight, fueled by a damn good bottle of Mr. Owl's Red. Walla Walla wines rank with the best Supertuscans, among others, in my book. The same could be said for Dan & Linda.

Over the next three days, we hopped and shuttled through the sage-steppe and channeled scablands of eastern-central Washington, hiking the trails around Palouse Falls, the Seep Lakes, the White Bluffs of Hanford Reach, and Umtanum Creek Canyon. The weather was fair and breezy-warm, good walking weather, all in all. The birding was excellent. We heard many plausible wedding songs and vows echoing off the basalt cliffs, pouring from the cottonwoods and locust trees: rock wren, yellow warbler, lazuli bunting, yellow-breasted chat. The chat alone knows four poems, at least: rattle, croak, chirrup, and a soft electric one-note bell, al of which it recites in shuffle mode, repeatedly, filling the canyon with exquisite noise. (Complete species list in next post.) We came home to rainy Seattle with an aviary earful, and long shadows stretching over the notebook page.