In years past, this meme would've been dead easy: twelve months of "Ummm.... nowhere." I didn't tend to get out much. Then I met my intrepid companion, who endures any number of inane schemes, and off we've gone. But I'll have to get a bit creative with the winter months.
Ready? Let's go!
January:
I went to other worlds! Winter writing season, y'see. Furthest I got from home was in my own mind, where I kicked around Athesea for a bit and did some desultory world-building.
February:
Look, Ma! I can escape the Muse, flee the house, and go see Epica!
Okay, so I only made it so far as downtown Seattle, but that's an epic* journey during the winter writing season, lemme tell ya.
*No pun was actually intended. No, seriously.
March:
Other worlds! Thrills! Chills! Carpal Tunnel! Woot! As far as leaving the house, about the most exciting it got was the grocery store. And the Home Depot. Betcha didn't know there's good geology to be found at the Home Depot, didya?
***Update*** Oh, right, the squirrel. How could I forget the Burien Squirrel?!
April:
I escaped the Muse and went to see ginormous rhodies down in Federal Way. Made friends with a White-Barked Himalayan Birch. Ah, spring!
May:
Gearing up toward the summer adventuring season. I gently slipped free from the Muse for an afternoon by telling her we had to do downtown Seattle for "research purposes." Same for Madrona Park on a lovely early summer day. Bonds duly loosened, my intrepid companion and I then managed to bugger off to eastern Washington for two blissful days of superb geology and waterfalls with butterflies.
Upon our return, we took a side trip down the fossil freeway.
And that pretty much finished May, and put paid to the last few days of the winter writing season. Summer adventuring season, here we go!
June:
Lessee... we started out with the Seattle Art Museum, where I saw amazing art that included some geology, acquired superpowers (thanks to our own George W.) and made friends with stone camels.
Shortly thereafter, we buggered off for the first real ramble I've ever taken through Oregon, where there were rose gardens and incredible coastal geology and more incredible coastal geology and got pretty pitchoors and saw the Columbia River Gorge for the first time, although I haven't written that bit up yet.
Then we had the Museum of Flight and Lincoln Park.
Which was more than enough adventuring for June, but we only stopped because we ran out of June.
July:
We solved the mystery of the Mukilteo Lighthouse, and I got some super-spiffy photo sequences of waves breaking with Mt. Baker in the background.
Then we engaged in a lot of sea mammal molestation at the Seattle Aquarium, and by that, I do mean a lot. Ha ha! I got to see the octopus before PeeZee did! Nyah-nyah!
Not content with mere sea mammal molestation, we branched out at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium and molested regular mammals, along with a sea mammal molestation reprise, capped by an evening at the beach.
And I got to see PeeZee and Ophelia! Woot!
August:
It was all about the mountains, baby, yeah! First, we headed up Mount Rainier for a walk in the clouds:
And then came our big trip to the Olympics. ZOMG.
I shared some preliminary geological findings, outtakes, and more outtakes, and I've still got 10 tons of photos left to blog! So much nummy geology!
September:
Last month o' the summer season, which meant I had to milk it. I started out with a quick jaunt to the scientific wonderland that is Seward Park, and visited a quite-lovely fault scarp. Enjoyed some quiet time by a glacially-carved lake, as well:
And then it was off to Lockwood in Oregon, where I killded my car dead, but with Suzanne selflessly running rescue missions and my insurance company's eager assistance, we managed to salvage the trip. I love them all more than I can possibly convey (and let's not forget my intrepid companion, who wouldn't let a little thing like my totaling the car stop us). So we got up to Mary's Peak, which has some of the most astounding geology I've ever seen, and we made it down the coast, which I haven't written up yet, but will knock your socks off when I do.
October:
Winter wasn't coming, so we went to Discovery Park, where we found the lighthouse gleaming and the bluff looming.
And as summer gasped its last gasp, we visited St. Edwards State Park, where I did a little geology without help of geologist or book. Guess all that geo-travel taught me something!
And that was that. Summer all gone.
November:
The start of the winter writing season, and I'm off to Xtalea once again. There's nothing like building a world to help you understand this one!
December:
Blind fucking Guardian:
And a Chinese fucking Elvis. Furthest from home I've managed to get IRL. Far enough for now, innit?
It's been an eventful year, and next year's shaping up to be more eventful still. Looks like we'll be revisiting this meme come a year from now. In the meantime, if you haven't written your travels up yet, and you feel like revisiting your adventures near and far, feel free to consider yourself tagged!
5 comments:
Home Depot? You were in Burien in March, photographing wildlife. Well, it wasn't completely tame, anyway...
What a great way to remember your year! I love seeing pictures of all your travels, and this post reminded me of all the great ones I've seen this year!
gosh was it only september that we met?
a lovely year ya had dana - whatcha got on tap for this coming year (once ya escape the winter muse?
Cannot believe I forgot the squirrel... Ah, well, this year, knowing what's in store, I shall be keeping a list and checking it twice!
Glad everybody's enjoyed so far!
I thought September, too, Suzanne! But I just now remembered the first trip was in June, and that's when Cujo introduced us. Best cuppa coffee evah! But our proper introduction was when you performed rescue operations in September, which is why that stands out so much! (Thanks again for that! Still so owe you big time!)
This summer, I've got more wants than time. Priorities: Netarts Bay, which I found some geo info on last summer. I'm dying to do it up properly. Prepare for adventure! We're going to be doing Quartzville, OR as well, Lockwood willing. Some fascinating stuff in the North Cascades. And I would love to get my arse out east again - want to set my camera loose on the Columbia River Basalts, and there are features I won't have investigated.
It's looking like I might be visiting my best friend in North Carolina, so there'll be my first visit to the Atlantic Ocean (we actually didn't think of it last time I was there until two hours before I had to fly home. Silly people we are). And I may be visiting my mother in Indiana, so there will be a desperate search for something more interesting than cornfields. Thankfully, I've got her a copy of Roadside Geology of Indiana, and there's actually some there. Might possibly end up back in AZ, too, as my dad wants me to get my arse back home. We shall see.
So yeah, when the Muse releases me in May, there'll be a lot to look forward to! And in the meantime, I've already got the next two installments of Oregon Geology loaded and more on the way from the trips last year, along with much more from other travels. Believe me when I say you ain't seen nothin' yet! I'm hoping to keep up new posts about every two weeks with never-before-seen photos.
(My intrepid companion is probably groaning by now. Poor dude gets dragged on all sorts of harebrained adventures...)
Wow, you seem to have hit all the good spots in one year!
Watch out for the giant geese (and their poop) at the Rhodendendron / Bonsai garden! Those guys are everywhere.
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