Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Since I could not snowboard on Christmas Day, i decided to go Christmas Eve [picture with my santa hat atop Highlands Bowl on Highlands Mt.]. my Christmas Day was spent volunteering for the Forest Service-its how i earn my housing for the winter. I along with a partner, happened to be Phil-our wildlife biologist, snowmobiled to the top of a mountain to check on a precipitation weather station the forest service maintains. Has to be checked every Tuesday as part of a nationwide study on precipitation... National Atmospheric Deposition Program. With the ~10 inches of new snow Christmas Eve night and Christmas Day, the snowmobiling was a bit difficult, but so much fun! After all the volunteering was finished, i headed home to relax for a bit before our big dinner party. Ham, potatoes, corn casserole, numerous dips as appetizers, rolls, salad, green beens, eggnog, wine, fudge, and pumpkin pie! all delicious. 10 friends were able to get together for the enjoyment. After dinner we all relaxed and let our food settle/digest as we watched Charlie Browns Christmas. My roomates and I believe our tree is a version of the Christmas branch... a slightly larger version. All in all a great holiday season thus far. Would be nice to be with family, but if not with family then in good company with great friends. May everyone have a wonderful holiday season and let the new year bring health & happiness.

everyone relaxing in anticipation of Charlie Brown

amazing view from the top of Highlands Bowl

Snow Arrives

snow... so white and fluffy. I love snow. when I wake up and see a foot and half of it on the ground, i know its play time. Yet i am not alone... this entire town is out on the slopes. Shops, restaurants, and business' post signs in their windows saying 'powder day, open when i get back.'

what a great day. plowed the USFS parking lots, got to surf the powder, some spots up to my hips, and working at night. I am currently a very content man.

Giving & Thanks

The aspen feast was nothing short of amazing. 5 people together, away from their families, constructed a great meal. Turkey, taters, stuffing, veggies, corn casserole, blueberry muffins (a tradition in my family), wine/beer, bacon, and pumpkin pie made by yours truly. All delicious creations.

I could not help but to think about all the people and families who are not as fortunate. To be able to celebrate with such bountiful food and family/friends is a wonderful gift. how lucky we are. Thanksgiving Day also marked opening day for one of four mountains, Snowmass Mountain. Very little snow fall has been seen in the valley, pushing the Ski Company to rev up the snow guns. The following day Aspen Mountain opened a bit of terrain for skiers and snowboarders to get their feet wet; I was definitely in attendance. Hopefully much snow is in the future forecast. Until then i will enjoy what snow we have. This Saturday is the first annual 'pray for snow ceremony' at the base of aspen mountain... perhaps i should go help the cause.

T.J. Burke & Dexter Rutecki

back in the aspen extreme.

after arriving nearly a week plus ago from my extended vacation with family and friends winter has finally arrived. It has been gorgeous up until last night, sunny 55-60 degree days without a cloud in sight. no snow in sight either, as one could tell with an article about it in the local newspaper nearly every day for 1.5 weeks. well, since some of the snow has arrived according measures must take place. my roomate and I had a vision to give life to a man made of snow. yes he does have 3 balls, 2 sticks, charcoal mouth, top hat, scarf which is not quite big enough, buttons, and a highlighter nose. all items we found at our immediate disposal until the normal facial devices can be created (or purchased). We have a vision to keep our friend, to be unnamed at this point, alive until the 1st of May 2008. also heres to a great THANKSgiving Day, the first of which I will be cooking homemade pumpkin pie and the turkey in the oven myself. hopefully it turns out well.

it will be yet another holiday spent without my family, sad but they know i wish i was with them.

Illinois

fun in the midwest. Haloween party in chicago and Homecoming celebrated at UofI - tailgaiting style.

mummy wrap contest... who do you think won?

brownies and friends

Dave + I as foosball players

bobbing of the apples competition

bob action of sam dropping the apple during our competition

mons with a victory

tailgaiting crew minus many.
ILLINI win vs. Ball State
Got to hang out with some family: brothers [tom and toby], mom, and step dad. do not get to see them much anymore so gatherings are not taken for granted. we had much fun as usual at the tailgate. arrived at 6:30ish + had breakfast [donuts, milk, sausage, beer of course]. much bags/cornhole games were played with tom and i as victors; if i recall about 12 games or so. hamburgers, beer n' cheese soup [thanks to dave, yum], perhaps a veggie burger, pumpkin seeds, and hotdogs consumed throughout the day. many a cups of highlife ended up in tummies. pumpkins were also carved. all good fun and great memories. I heart UofI and my friends and family.

last tidbit of seattle.

more city fun

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as my 2+ week trip to seattle comes to a close, a few more activities. Andrea's new condo has a rooftop deck with amazing views. beautiful views on a clear day of the skyline and needle with the Olympic mts. in the back. next was a hike with tracy, that seemed like a good idea at the time. started driving northeast in the rain with eager hopes it would clear as the day before. Since we missed/forgot how to get to our original destination we headed to the ice caves in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Although a short hike, it was far from adventurous. we arrived to a sign saying 'bridge out ahead impassible.' figuring we could get across still we pressed on only to find out the bridge was long and over a large river.

we spotted a tree across the river, but did not want to risk slipping and falling into the deep coldness. instead we spotted a shallow section, ~2ft deep. we de-shoed and socked and started the extremely cold ford. made it with cold feet! it was raining this whole time as well to add to the story. then about another 15 minute hike and we arrived to the ice cave seen below.

Scott, Tracy, Andrea, and myself had a saturday night full of activities. Seattle Aquarium, homemade pizzas, and cranium. only pictures we took are of the aquarium though....

finding nemo exhibit!

last night in seattle :( andrea and I needed to get some more ping pong in. Jillians it is! again this time we had to wait/kick people off the tables. finally got to play and it started out bad for me as andrea was warming up like a pro. as game time approached my game greatly improved. it was sad though as andrea had to work the next day and i was to leave at 1:30.

we had so much fun together and learning much more about each other made it hard to leave. alas, i was still chicago bound minus andrea. would have been nice if she could have joined me. and so the adventure continues...

pacific NW adventures

downtown seattle experience. everything from street performers at the marketplace to the iconic space needle. i truely have come from the mountainous jungle to the concrete jungle.








it is great; so much to see.





























'pitch n putt' - a round of ~75 yd. holes, 9 of em








backpacking to snowlake, a very popular day hike east of seattle about 1 hour. 3 miles in and we found this beautiful lake. josh packed in his float tube for some fishing. all 4 of us 'decided' to sleep under the amazingly beautiful stars due to the misplacement of some tent poles.

first days of seattle...

to andreas surprise i arrived a day early... caught up with some friends, celebrated her birthday [oct 9th], met some new people, walked around town a bit, checked out a small snowy portion of Mt. Rainier National Park, and relaxed.

as you may guess, i nearly hit the camerawoman.




andrea showing off her birthday present from our cab driver [an orange] and taking the first bite out of birthday pecan pie.

more to come. more seattle. chicago on oct 25. Homecoming on oct 27