Moose Days July 25-27, 2003

I learned two things on my trip this year - don't run into burning buildings and avoid black cats with white stripes ...

Sorry for the delay, folks. My trip took me from Roslyn to other parts of Washington, then to home. I drove this year and while it was a beautiful trip, it was 1300 miles. Each way. The trip home included my darling 12-year-old nephew (who could be a young Ed - he's even part Native American). My nephew never stops moving - not even in his sleep. I do know what Joel meant when he said Ed has the REM-cycle of a gerbil! (5.17 Una Volta in L'Inverno)

I arrived in Roslyn on Tuesday at top speed. Very hot temperatures followed me across country and Roslyn was no different. I got set up in my home-away-from-home at Harry's Inn and then dropped in on my air-conditioned friends about town. There is no running to a store or business for a quick errand or a quick bite to eat. Everyone there is so friendly. I had some vegan quiche (my first!) at Lefties and chatted with the gang there, including Milly (a third-generation Roslynite). I escaped the heat to the air-conditioned Roslyn Theatre (which formerly served as the town mortuary) for "Legally Blonde 2." After the movie, I wandered about in the dusk, snapping some needed pictures I missed in past trips. I wandered up to the Roslyn Bakery to check their hours. Walking back down the street, I saw a kitty sauntering up to me in the waning sunlight. I started to reach down to pet this friendly little guy when I noticed his white stripe down his black fur. So I quickly said Hello and Goodbye to Mr. Le Peu.

Wednesday morning, I awoke early to the hustle and bustle of main street (as hustly and bustly it gets there!). I peered out my window to the Brick and beyond. I had heard that the Pasttime had a pretty decent breakfast and made my way there. I don't normally breakfast sitting at a bar but it was dang good. Heather, who looks and sounds a lot like Jennifer Tilly, was extremely friendly and a great cook. I told her my story of the kitty the night before. She laughed and called down to someone at the other end of the bar. Apparently he did pet the kitty to not very positive results. He accepted the jests and replied back that everyone chased him out of Marco's Bar later that evening because of his new fragrance. I chatted with the couple next to me. It is a small town and they ended up being John and Renee, new owners of the Roslyn Bakery. We discussed various development projects around town, including the Mountain Star Resort. The general consensus from this group was that the resort was a good thing. There are few jobs for folks around the area and tourism is really the only income. They thought the resort was being pretty good about tucking itself into the wilderness so it didn't affect the view from town. The wilderness itself being one of the reasons to come to the resort.

All things change. Some change is good.

After some more shopping (Vicky and the gang in Central Sundries, Jeri at Lost in Roslyn, and Joe at Cicely's Gift Store are wonderful!), I took a suggestion to escape the heat and went to Spiele beach (which I haven't spelled right yet) at Lake Cle Elum. The water was as cold as the air was hot! After enough sun and fun, I took the long route back down Fanhouse and Dairy roads through the cemetary. I love to wander through the many cemetaries back there. There's such a rich history in Roslyn. There's an incredible celebration memorial to Tom Craven in the Mt. Olivet cemetery, a young firefighter from Roslyn who died in a wildfire in July 2001. I also found Mary Andler's stone in the Veterans cemetary and paid my respects. She ran the Roslyn Museum for many years. She was a lifetime resident of Roslyn and it was a pleasure to have known her. Gary popped through Wednesday evening for beers and burgers at the Brick on his way west (he would be back in the next day or so).

Thursday morning, I ran over to Cle Elum (only 23 mph in the appropriate speed zones <gg>) for some errands and ended up in a delightful little store called "A Bit Bohemian". I also had some wonderful, local Pioneer Coffee. Soon after that, the gang all rolled into town...

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[stop yur yammerin woman and get on with the pictures ...]