Monthly Archives: February 2018

Alameda / SF visit

Jasmine and I made a long weekend of our own devising and took a short trip down to the Bay Area to visit friends. We actually got to see a new area on the trip as my old company has moved to Alameda and we took a tour of the new facility. Sorry, no pictures of that, but you get all sorts of other Bay Area related photographs.

Every time we revisit San Francisco, I am reminded of both why we liked it and why we left. It is simultaneously invigorating and demoralizing, lively and sad, and always 100% on. Fun for a while, but I am not certain I can do that my whole life; I like to stop and smell the roses. But it is always a delight to visit, so enjoy the trip overview below.

Pt. Reyes on the flight down. Didn't make it up this time.

Pt. Reyes on the flight down. Didn’t make it up this time.

Jasmine by the beach in Alameda. It is fully that you can see San Francisco from here and this is the first time we were ever here (not in a kayak).

Jasmine by the beach in Alameda. It is funny that you can see San Francisco from here and this is the first time we were ever here (not in a kayak).

I like the irony of a xeriscaping garden in a boat.

I like the irony of a xeriscaping garden in a boat.

I think that SF and Seattle need to get into a crane competition.

I think that SF and Seattle need to get into a crane competition.

Jasmine finally got to shop on hte first floor at Britex! No spoilers but I think that we all know that a dress will feature on this website in the next couple of months.

Jasmine finally got to shop on the first floor at Britex! No spoilers, but I think that we all know that this means a dress will feature on this website in the next couple of months.

Tie Dye Collared Shirt

One thing that we have been talking about for a while, but hadn’t got around to doing, was tie dye. In keeping with our home really being a year round summer camp, we went ahead and made a tie dye collared shirt for Lloyd. As I already have more than enough t-shirts, we figured that I had to make it classy for the office.

First, Jasmine made a collared shirt out of muslin and basted it closed instead of attaching buttons (temporarily). Next, and very importantly, wash the shirt to ensure that it can take the dye. Then we tie-dyed it in a classy two tone green and blue. There are a bunch of very good tie-dye tutorials online; we mostly took from www.bystephanielynn.com and used a modified accordion fold with RIT dye. Then, after re-laundering, Jasmine attached the buttons and, voila, a shirt!

First, I am amazed by how easy it was once we learned that you have to wash the cloth first. I think, in the future, Jasmine might actually dye some of her own cloths for preference, and maybe we will have a go at some homemade dye. But, for the time being, I am very happy with my shirt.

Trial blue pieces. The dye gets remarkably vivid.

Trial blue pieces. The dye gets remarkably vivid.

Note the gloves and clean laundry room environment. In an unsurprising turn of events dye stains.

Note the gloves and clean laundry room environment. In an unsurprising turn of events, dye stains.

Shirt folded and banded with extra hair ties. I dunked the ends is blue for about 5 minutes, and the center in green for 10 minutes.

Shirt folded and banded with extra hair ties. I dunked the ends is blue for about 5 minutes and the center in green for 10 minutes.

Shirt done! It's a bright change of pace at the office, and as an engineer noone says much about my clothing choices.

Shirt done! It’s a bright change of pace at the office and, as an engineer, no one says much about my clothing choices.

Seahurst Park

Over the weekend, we investigated a new park: Seahurst Park. It is just by the Sound down in Burian and it is a pleasant little park. We walked every inch of the park – it was only about 3 miles of trails total. So maybe it is just a park for the summer when you can actually go out in the water, but I wasn’t going to go for a swim in the 50F water when it was windy and 50F in the air.

So, all in all, we enjoyed our time at the park, but not much to talk about. Maybe check it out in the summer.

There is something really pleasant about the sweeping curve of a shoreline.

There is something really pleasant about the sweeping curve of a shoreline.

The crashing waves!!!

The crashing waves!!!

If we weren't on the beach we were on this sort of trail.

If we weren’t on the beach, we were on this sort of trail.

A seagull in it natural habitat, eating natural food. West coast birds are weird.

A seagull in its natural habitat, eating natural food. West coast birds are weird.

Rattlesnake Ridge

Last weekend we got a bit of a reprieve from the rain and cold of winter with a day that was both sunny and in the 60’s. We had to take advantage so we went our to Rattlesnake Ridge for a hike.

It is the closest hike east of Seattle on I-90 so it is a bit crowded, but we got up early in the morning and got out before the crowd. The hike was so clear and crisp, and it was a nice reprieve to get out into the woods. It was a longer hike than we had initially planned for at 15 miles, but the views from both of the lookouts were worth it.

The only downside was that there was a couple of miles at the end of our hike that was recently clear cut. This both made the hike less pleasant to look at and also much more treacherous with all the trees covering the trail. I think we’ll go back again in the summer, but we’ll turn around before the clear cut.

It was a crystal clear day, and the mountains were beautiful in the distance.

It was a crystal clear day and the mountains were beautiful in the distance.

And sometime you get Jasmine in the foreground.

And sometime you get Jasmine in the foreground. When I say it was warm, that doesn’t necessarily mean that there was no snow.

The early part of the trail was a open and airy.

The early part of the trail was open and airy.

By the time we got 5 miles in the trees got a lot more crowded, and the forest filled up.

By the time we got 5 miles in, the trees got a lot more crowded and the forest filled up.

The sad remnant of the clear cutting.

The sad remnant of the clear cutting.