There and Back Again: Goat Flats

We hiked to Goat Flats yesterday, a five-mile ascent to a spectacular view of the northern Cascades. If you go further, you meet up with Three Fingers trail, which will take you up to the Three Fingers lookout atop those jagged peaks. We went with our friends Maile and Brian and saw maybe eight other people throughout the day. Apparently the hike is somewhat busy through the summer but yesterday was definitely not proof of its popularity. It was great to have the trail nearly to ourselves.

The only downside to this hike is the two-hour drive to the trailhead. One hour gets you into the national park and the next hour is spent on an 18-mile gravel road dodging potholes at 20 mph. We weren't sure whether we were on the correct road heading up to the trailhead so we flagged down a sketchy-looking truck heading the opposite way. Mark asked the driver if we were on Highway 41 and the guy replied, "Dude... we're on planet Earth, man!" The passenger in the truck then said something about herb and 420, and it became obvious we'd get no pertinent information from them so we said thanks and drove on (we were indeed on the correct road, by the way).

Word on the street is that tons of mountain goats congregate in the area but we didn't see one... I was very disappointed. If I'm going to be in GOAT FLATS then at least show me a goat!

Measurements you never knew you needed to know

I just learned something interesting and completely useless (or I suppose it could be useful) from The New Yorker:

2 bottles of champagne = 1 magnum
4 magnums = 1 Methuselah
8 magnums = 1 Balthazar
10 magnums – 1 Nebuchadnezzar

Feel free to bust out this knowledge at the next wedding you attend.

Book on iPod

I’m in a pickle.

The written word versus the spoken word. I’ve been listening to an audiobook I downloaded from the library and transferred to my iPod. My question is this – do I add this book to my “Reading/Recently Finished” list (which you can find on the right side of this blog)?

I almost added it. But I stopped myself because I couldn’t successfully convince myself that I was “reading” the book, and thus thought I was being deceptive. I may be experiencing the book (as read by Ethan Hawke) but I’m certainly not reading it.

So should I add it to my list? When I finish listening to the audio recording, does that mean I have still not “read” the book? AM I WASTING MY TIME?

We declare this... our Independence Day!

“Now that’s what I call a close encounter.” – Will Smith

Don’t play, you know you love it. My brother and I used to watch this movie ALL the time.

Speaking of the 4th, Mark and I hosted a party at our place on Sunday for nearly 30 people. I think we maxed out the capacity of what our apartment can handle – we’ll make sure not to go over that number in the future.

Midweek Tidbits

Good morning - hopefully you all had a delightful three-day weekend! I know I was grateful for an extra day - we hosted a 4th of July party with nearly 30 people so I needed a recovery day.

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What's the fattiest food in the state of Washington? Or any other state for that matter?

Seattle to San Diego... by canoe.

Lots of situations delay planes - weather problems, mechanical problems... but maggot problems?

The 100 greatest movie insults of all time. 'Nuf said.

An absolutely hysterical exchange over a missing cat.

The unwanted bird - roosters have been banned from urban farms in Seattle. Has anyone raised chickens before? Mark went through a phase where he wanted a coop of them, and I am hearing more about urban chicken coops.

My war on drugs. I mean, slugs.

The last few weeks have been dedicated to getting these living boogers out of my garden. I was warned about their prolific presence in the northwest but naively thought that maybe they’d stay away on their own? The slugs almost completely destroyed our lettuce crop and ate one of our zucchini plants (but wouldn’t touch the other – how strange), so I’ve been employing various weapons in my arsenal of destruction.

First, I’ve flipped my watering schedule from an evening routine to a morning routine. I read that this change alone is supposed to decrease slug activity by 80% since the dirt will be dry by nighttime, making it harder for them to forage and feed. This has been the most difficult adjustment as those who know me have learned that I love SLEEP more than most other things. I was actually pleased to see it was raining this morning because it meant I could sleep in an extra 15 minutes – nature is watering the garden for me!

I’ve (mostly) lined the garden plot with copper tape. The tape is supposed to deliver a small shock to the slug’s membrane, deterring their entrance to the plot. Conversely, this can also trap slugs within the plot but I’m willing to take that chance.

Two small bowls filled with beer now sit next to the troubled plants. The slugs are attracted to the beer, crawl up the sides, fall in and drown. Death by beer. So far, the slugs appear to prefer Heineken over Fat Tire.

I’ve spread a garlic mixture near the base of the troubled plants. I think this has made a difference – after I spread the mixture, I’ve noticed a dramatic decrease in the number of slugs caught in the beer traps. But maybe they are getting too smart?

All this effort is in the name of keeping the garden free of pesticides. Yes, I’m aware that I could buy slug poison and kill loads of them, but I’m determined to keep that stuff out of the plot. I also could go on a midnight search-and-destroy expedition but, as we’ve already established, I love sleep. Plus, washing slug gunk off my hands ranks pretty low on my list of things I want to put myself through (and I’m honestly a little afraid of what I’d find out there at midnight). So where there’s a will there’s a way! Kill the trespassers!

Dentist Schmentist

I went to the dentist on Monday for the first time in AGES. Seriously. I don’t even remember when my last cleaning was so I told them it was five years ago (or somewhere around there) and waited for the barrage of judgment from the dentist and her team of dental hygienists. Isn’t that what we all normally experience at the dentist? Chair-side lectures on our flossing habits (or lack thereof) and how we should invest in an electronic toothbrush?

I can honestly say that this wasn’t how Monday went. I gave the dentist and hygienists multiple chances to pass judgment but they must have done some sort of patient sensitivity training because they dodged every opportunity.

Dentist: “When was your last teeth cleaning?”
Heather: “Um… five years ago? I know, that’s SO bad…”
Dentist: “But you’re here now, and that’s what counts!”

Well, aren’t you just Ms. Positive.

Hygienist: “Do you know where your retainers are?”
Heather: “… No…”
Hygienist: “Well… I don’t know where mine are either!”

Points for honesty. Plus they gave me some really cool floss that feels tons better than the boring Safeway brand I use. Oh and they provide free teeth whitening for life – I can’t wait to try out my whitening trays!