All about the fans

Today I went up to Seattle with Joe to take random and artsy pictures of the Mariner's baseball FanFest at Safeco Field. The event is basically the Mariner's way of giving fans a chance to see what life on the diamond is like. It also seemed like a major marketing ploy to sell season tickets. All in all, it was pretty fun - despite some frigid temperatures.

Capitol Forest for a day

I spent the afternoon wandering about the Capitol Forest near Olympia, Wash., with fellow members of my Ecological History class as part of a field trip. Our first stop was the beaver pond at McLane Creek Nature Trail - where we looked for signs of beaver and came upon the remnants of a chum salmon spawning ground. After that, we headed over to the Mima Mounds - which as of yet is an unsolved "geological" mystery. (Click on the above link for more info.)

Here are some images from the day's adventures:

Think spring...

... I am.

The flood of '09

Last night, Joe and I heard there might be a "storm" heading our direction. We decided to prepare our gear, get up before dawn, and drive toward the Puyallup River valley. We began the day at a Tacoma landmark - the Pink Elephant Car Wash - where they also sell gasoline.


We then drove through Puyallup on into Sumner and Orting. We were in search of a flood.

Forecasters are calling it "The Big One" and we'll just have to wait and see if they're right. The Puyallup never crested today in Sumner where we spent the majority of our time. It did, however, begin to do some serious damage in Orting and the surrounding areas. By the time we left the Rainier Manor mobile home park around 4:30 p.m., most of the residents had left. A few decided to stay and wait the storm out. Rumors were flying all day that the river would crest nearly 8 feet above flood stage.

I hope these people survive the surge.