Saying goodbye at the Albany airport on December 26th.
Archive for the ‘Photos’ Category

The Unknown Citizen
November 10, 2013On Thursday I attended a film of Alan Bennett’s play-within-a-play The Habit of Art as performed by the National Theatre. It centers on poet W.H. Auden, whom I know mostly as the author of “Funeral Blues” (featured in the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral) and “The Unknown Citizen” (featured in my 10th grade English class).
Perhaps the latter poem was on my mind the next morning when I noticed this rain-soaked cardboard sign. Whoever had used it was gone.

The center of attention?
November 8, 2013My favorite pictures of me racing (e.g., from the 2005 World Cup 100K, 2006 Houston Ultra Event Weekend, 2006 Sunmart 50-Miler, and 2009 Sundodger 8K) now include this shot from the 2013 PNTF championships, taken by Seattle Running Club president Win Van Pelt.
It’s a nice image of me grinding away on the unrelenting Lower Woodland Park course. But there’s more. Behind me, clapping, is beloved coach and world-class talker Tom Cotner. At the extreme left is Doris Brown Heritage, one of the all-time greats of American distance running.
Often the most interesting people at a race are not the ones racing.

Lego Kids Fest in Portland
October 13, 2013
Special report: agents infiltrate Wild Waves theme park
September 7, 2013According to posted signs, Wild Waves forbids visitors from taking photographs or videos of any kind.
But the world needs to know about the water slides, roller coasters, and junk food that lurk inside those gates.
Today, Special Agents Phil and Kai obtained what are believed to be the first-ever non-sanctioned photos of Wild Waves, shown below.
Their detective work complete, the pair proceeded from Federal Way to the SeaTac airport, where they boarded a flight to Russia, where they will be seeking asylum.
They hope you like the pictures.
Investigating a bottleneck at the Raging River Ride.
A “Do not climb on the Dragon” sign can be seen behind the dragon’s head. If you’re going to break the rules, you might as well break all of them simultaneously, right?
To everyone’s disappointment, the Disko Flashback Boogie Ride did not include music.

Vacation photos
August 18, 2013Scenes from recent trips to Idaho and Oregon, as photographed by me, Leila, and Jimmy Knowles….
McCall, Idaho: my dad gives Karen her first banjo lesson.
Bend, Oregon: I looked for famed ultramarathoner Kami Semick, but she had moved to Hong Kong, so this was as close as I got.
Bend: the Bolivian dish “pique a lo macho” (in progress), a favorite of Leila’s Peace Corps friends.
Bend: Kevin Tanksi, our charismatic, knowledgeable, and funny whitewater rafting guide.
Bend: drenched but happy on the Deschutes River.

Hydrophilic Philip, age 6.75
July 19, 2013Phil’s lessons at the Ballard Pool have been going swimmingly.

An OK Christmas
December 29, 2012The title of this post and all photos below were stolen from Leila, from whose Oklahome Phil and I just returned.
Santa bore a suspicious resemblance to Leila’s brother David, but his presents were accepted nonetheless.
Karen, Melanie, Phil, and Parker prepare to ravage the gingerbread house.
A post-tornado gingerbread house.
Body by God … All cases accepted.
An impromptu jam session at a neighbor’s house.
Murray, the tallest of Leila’s brothers, barely fit into his Go-Kart. He won the race anyway.
The child-prodigy vet describes his latest surgery: “The horse’s liver was THIS BIG!”

Cute soccer pic
December 8, 2012
Pictorial highlights from recent trips
September 8, 2012In August, Phil and I and my girlfriend LZ visited her family in Idaho and mine in Vermont.
Phil crossing his fingers in the hope that LZ’s uncle’s sailboat’s motor would work. (It did, eventually.)
The hike to pick huckleberries, a Z family tradition, took an interesting turn when we discovered this skeleton, which shook Phil up a bit.
Phil and his cousin got along much better than they did a year ago. (This photo and the next one were taken by my sister.)
Another “what a difference a year makes!” photo.
At Phil’s request, Grandpa Jack built a firehouse with a retractable door to accommodate Phil’s Lego minifigures and vehicles.
Aunt Beverly’s gift to Phil, which he named Balto after the sled dog who helped deliver diphtheria antitoxin to Nome in 1925.