marylou

I had a hard time getting to SLC with the security thing messing up Sea-Tac as it did, but finally made it down there. Anyone see anything interesting? I saw Crackers, he and I went to a party and dinner. I saw Murray, but we were running off in different directions. Thinker and I had b'fast and then he took me to the airport today. Thanks, always good to see you, Thinker. Good weekend,wish I'd had more time to look around. The airport thing on Thurday caused me to miss seven meetings that first day, and it was tough to make that up. People missed meetings right and left due to some rearranging of booths, the new immense size of the Salt Palace, and a vexing new booth numbering system. Good: lots of companies getting more green technologies going and the use of recycled materials are way up. Bad: lots of new innovations from the last couple of seasons being rehashed, mostly to unimpressive results.

Malaysia is worthless also. Never go there.

That pizza place is YUM. I et there after four days in the White Clouds week before last. Idaho rawks!!

Ed Miller perished in an accident on Formidable yesterday morning. No one on nwhikers is certain whether or not he posted over here, but it seems right to pass on the information. There is a thread on the accident here. He posted on the hiking site as "Edd". He will be missed.

I'll be there.

Check fire conditions. I was there a few days ago and stuff was on fire then.

Leary Way, where the laundromat used to be in Fremont. I dibs the seat next to Puget.

Might be because ropes are made from petroleum products?

How come image posting never works for me?

Can we go somewhere where we can sit outside?

Murray, I think we should discuss this vital matter over dinner. You going to be in Utah in a couple of weeks?

I just got back from Idaho, and at least there, the fiddies couldn't get enough ANTS. They went totally bonkers for them.

I just looked in the regs and I don't see any special rules for the Enchantments, meaning theoretically bait and treble hooks are ok. That said, if you have started fly fishing, what's the point of returning to the dark side of gear chucking? If getting deep in the water is the issue and you only have a floating line, why not tie on an extra-long tippet and put a piece of split shot on?

Don't do it.

I had a brief visit tonight. He is in rehab (PT/OT) until 4:30 every day as far as I can tell. I asked him if he was tired, he said no, but I think he was a little bit. He's in pretty good spirits for a guy who's been in the hospital as long as he has.

the latest

Kurt's mom called me today. He will be starting rehab today or tomorrow. He will still be in the hospital, but they will having re-learning to do things. I don't really know what all of this means yet, but it's a big step. EDIT: They moved him into another room today. His rehab schedule is posted on the whiteboard, looks like he will be pretty busy during the day.

The painting is almost done, and it came out a lot better than I'd feared it might.

So we'll take that as a no from the Chilliwack contingent.

A friend of mine bought a couple of paintings from me some years back. Her house caught on fire and the paintings were irretrieveably damaged by the smoke. I offered to make her some new paintings like the old ones. I finally got around to starting one of them today. The destroyed works were from 2001. I've painted a lot since then, and my style and skill have developed. In some ways, this has been harder than I thought--even though I painted the originals, it almost doesn't seem like it, I guess just because of the passage of time. On the other hand, I'm a better painter now, so skill is taking over where emotion left off. I'm just blabbering here while I'm waiting for paint to dry, but I wonder if anyone else has experienced something similar in making art or doing something else......

Thanks guys, this is heartening. For whatever reason, he knows I can't break him out, so sometimes I think I see the somber side a bit more. He is definitely way more lucid than ever though. You cheer me up. PS. Mark that is huge news. I didn't ask him that exact question today, but that is one of the big milestones right now.

I'm going to be away that day too. Maybe all of us who can't make it should be levied a $25 voluntary fine into Kurt's trust account.

I've had a couple of very brief visits with Kurt lately. He has not been 'perky', but he has been quite lucid. Kinda subdued, but his memory is getting better, even with some of the short term stuff. I wish I had more to report, but he seems to be stabilizing, at least to my eyes, and that's a good thing.

I have not been in to see Kurt since Thursday, but I've spoken with a few people who have, including both his dad and Mark today. From what I have gathered, he is very up and down right now. Anywhere from good old Kurt to a crabby rambly guy with a head injury. He still seems to be going through the transitional phase that started with a three day bad mood last weekend. At the request of his family, continue to keep visits brief and positive. I hope to see him tomorrow for a few minutes and will try to share more after that. He is progressing, by all accounts, but he is still at least partly in a difficult phase. If you are able to contribute financially, please put a few bucks in his trust fund, he's going to need help with the bills. Recovery, from what I have learned, with head trauma patients, takes time, and in the best of scenarios even, it's pretty considerable. Kurt is self-employed and single, so he will really need our help. On a personal note, I must say that I have been really touched by the emails and calls I have received from his friends. Thank you. I have passed on your kind words to his parents and sister, and they really appreciate it. They are holding up pretty heroically through this. I've also been able to share your sentiments with Kurt. One example was that Muffy contacted me expressing her concern and support. I passed it on to Kurt and he was tickled to hear that she cared enough to do so. Stuff like that is good for him to hear, especially since we can't all visit right now. I love being able to pass it on to him, and it Kurt is genuinely happy to know how much we all care. Forgive me for being overly sappy, he can use all the love and good vibes he can get. Go Kurt!! Allison

Thanks for the link. I surfed over to her blog, which is fascinating.