what I did over spring break

more to come....

catching up

I did a few really cool things since I last posted in September (coincidence? I think not). First, I climbed Mt St Helens. Amazing trip, and I'd do it again. I had essentially zero practice or training, and still did pretty well. Not setting any speed climbing records, but it was a great time. I was joined by my friend Brent and his friend Heather, who was on a flight layover between Nova Scotia and Australia. Most folks I know bring a book or knitting for layovers... this woman climbed a mountain.


just getting started



the fog is clearing



the climbing route: Monitor Ridge



on top of the world, but not yet on top of the mountain (Brent, Heather and me)



making progress



getting closer (the horizon line is the top)



looking north from the cornice -- the 1980 eruption blew the top and north side of the volcano off.




at the top! known to the mountain's climbers as half way


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Next up, my parents went on a long road trip that included a visit to Seattle and British Columbia. I loved having them here and I loved the time we spent exploring Vancouver and Victoria, BC. We ate well, laughed much and saw new things.



My mom and me at the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park....



Here are my parents on the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria....



My dad, Finn and me canoeing at Green Lake, Seattle.


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Then, just as they'd done some 23 years earlier, my parents dropped me off for my first day of school. My first quarter of full-time grad school went wonderfully, and was as much fun as I've had in a long time. Drawing and coloring, cutting and pasting, showing and telling -- I tell you, this is all the fun of kindergarten with all the perks of adulthood. My classmates are awesome, and my grades are good. I am having a blast.


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Lastly, a note from Mr Finn. He gained a little fame when the doggie day care we take him to selected his image to paint on the side of their doggie transport truck. How awesome is this?



thanks, Great Dog!

photos from helicopter

our chariot of the sky...



Smith Tower, Seattle



I can see my house from here!

helicopter photos

Lake Union, Seattle, August 2009



Seattle Skyline, or We're All Monkeys at Typewriters, August 2009

even more photos

Forum Room, Parrington Hall, UW, Seattle, July 2009



Parrington Hall, UW, Seattle, July 2009



Museum of Flight, Seattle, July 2009




Sculpture at UW, Seattle, July 2009





Abandoned Building, Seattle, August 2009

more photos

settling back in after two weeks of dog/housesitting. tiring, but I'd do it again for these folks in a flash.

catching up on some of my architectural prints:



Transmission tower base, near Blythe, California, July 2009


Boarded up building near Snohomish, Washington, July 2009


Fire alarm, Seattle, Washington, July 2009


Dillon wind farm, near Palm Springs, California, July 2009

Desert twig, near Blythe, California, July 2009

Desert Center gas station, California, July 2009

my first prints

Architectural Detail, lamp base in front of Suzzallo Library, University of Washington. Copyright Andrea Slusser, 2009.

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Architectural Detail, windows of Gerberding Hall, University of Washington. Copyright Andrea Slusser, 2009.

first hike of 2009

Finn and I hiked to Lake 22 (near Mount Pilchuck) today. We arrived early and were the first ones on the trail, which was lovely. The first two-thirds of the 2.7 mile hike in were snow free (some mud), and last third as well as the entirety of the lake, was still very much snowed in. I let Finn romp off-leash in the snow (both for his enjoyment and for our safety -- I needed all of the balance I could get on the slippery, actively melting snow).

from the trail

nearly to the lake (where's Finn?)

panoramic of Lake 22, with one of the cirques that makes up the backside of Mount Pilchuck.

worth a thousand words

Here are some pictures to wrap up the last few weeks....

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We took a little hike around Mt Rainier at end of July...


the mountain was being coy for the camera...



waterfalls...


a little snow on the trail still

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The garden is winding down....


we got loads of sugar snap peas -- an instant favorite


the garlic is still curing -- a good haul

we've got enough hops for a batch or two of beer...

carrots are still coming in strong

And just last weekend, Eric and I built our cold frames for winter gardening

The tomatoes are still a work in progress, as we had a bout of cool and cloudy weather, stalling the ripening process. there are dozens of tomatoes on nine plants, but they're all still green. We've got our fingers crossed that the upcoming few days of warm weather will ripen them up. If not, do you have any good recipes for green tomatoes?

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Our trip to California in August was great -- we went to the Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University....



detail from the front of Stanford's campus chapel

and Elizabeth & Marla's wedding was lovely and we were honored to be among their guests...

Congratulations, you two! We're so very happy for you and we wish you the very, very best!

flower foto

a photo

finn foto

photo by eric (canon power shot SD1000)

winter holiday: part 3

Eric and myself at Fort Point, San Francisco

While we were in the bay area, we visited old friends, saw A Tuna Christmas (a silly play where two guys play all 20-odd parts, it is, it is), walked all over San Francisco, saw more friends, and went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I've always liked the aquarium, but I do believe that it just gets better and better. Jellies, Mola mola (aka: Sunfish), a great white shark and hammerheads, flounder, bat rays, decorator crabs (love those guys), snowy plovers and of course, the sea otters! Then the long drive back to Seattle, via Shasta Lake City, where we stayed overnight with friends. I am sad that I forgot to take pictures of all of these friends I just mentioned.... oh well.

The Golden Gate Bridge was feeling especially photogenic on Friday, and I took full advantage...

Jellies and Mola mola at Monterey Bay Aquarium

Part of our mission this trip was to haul back to Seattle some furniture that my parents acquired in Maryland: a bench, an area rug and a dresser. The latter two fit into the car, but the bench had to go on top of the car, wrapped in a pair of big black garbage bags. Inside the bags, supported by the upsidedown bench, we also nestled some boxes with dishes and towels. With those boxes at one end of the bench, and the bags taped securely all over, the load resembled a blocky human figure: torso, legs and feet. We saw more than one smiling face in a passing car window, apparently amused with our load. The bench now resides in our mud/sun room (depending on what season it is), the dresser will go in our second bedroom, which we are furnishing into a guest room, and the area rug is in the living room, already replete with white Finn hair (and black too, I suppose, though you can't see that).

Eric is working today, and Finn has been asleep nearly all day, finally on his own, after eleven days sharing the canine spotlight with at least one other dog. So after a five-mile sunrise walk, I've been cleaning the house, restocking the fridge and writing thank you cards, while it snowed for several hours.

I hope you and your family are happy and warm this holiday season -- and my best wishes to you in the new year!