Happy Memorial Day Weekend, Warriors!
Kat: You have friends in a puppeteering major program? I'm so jealous! I've learned so much about puppet-making and puppeteering in the last few months; it's been awesome!
Kate: 
at the post hang-over swim. Have you discovered a new cure?
Tracy: Good luck in your 5k on Monday, and CONGRATS! on being pre-approved for a home. We are definitely not at that stage in our lives yet; living in one of the most expensive cities in the country (a studio condo in Seattle starts at $300 000 - we can blame Microsoft and the other tech companies for that) will do that to you.
Jeff: I'm countering your Pacific pictures in really, truly the only ironic way I can, today.
So, today I had my very first DNF. The weather is in the 70's and has been for a few weekends in a row now, so we figured it was perfect weather to get out to the mountains for a backpacking trip. We dug out all the camping gear, filled the backpacks (including the German Shepherd's dog pack with his own tent and kibble) with the essentials, went grocery shopping for a few backpacking basics, and got up this morning for an early start. The first problem happened when I put on my hiking boots for the first time this year; I injured my big toe several months ago and damaged the nail bed - it's growing out slowly, but it's still painful and swollen, and my hiking boots were pressing down on just the wrong place. So, what was trail appropriate and would provide enough support to carry a 30 lb pack with.... I dug out my Keen Arroyo sandals and put them on, and sure enough my big toe was fine.
We had chosen a hiking trail in the Wenatchee National Forest, about 2 hours away. Our plan was to hike the 9 miles to Pete Lake, set up camp, and then do the extra 5 miles to Specter Lake and back to camp on Sunday, and then hiking the 9 miles back Monday. The Wenatchee National Forest doesn't publish trail conditions, but our hiking guide book said the trail was good from May on, so we decided that it would likely be fine, with the great weather we've been having this month.
As we headed up the little forest road up to where the trailhead is and.... well, I'll let my picture tell the story. Here is where the road (not even the trail, but the ROAD to the trail) ends:
We stood around, baffled, (while the dog frolicked in the snow gleefully) for awhile, and then finally decided to load up the dog with some water and snacks and hike through the snow to the trailhead, which was about 2 miles ahead.
I love this picture! It pretty much sums up my dog's personality.
My poor sandaled feet in the snow!
And here was the trailhead, at the end of our "hike". We met a couple there who had tried to hike the trail, but found themselves in knee-deep snow within the first half-mile, and had turned back.
Ok, so I take a lot of pictures of my dog. But he's pretty!
Anyway, we wimped out. We hauled all our camping gear back home and stopped at a Dairy Queen on our way back because it was still 75 out, despite all the (melting) white stuff. Also, the Keen Arroyos held up to the snow quite well - they did let in some, obviously, but it melted quickly and my feet stayed mostly warm and dry. I'm still logging the 4 miles that we walked, though, because it was freaking difficult in the 6 inches to 2 feet of sticky melting snow!!!
Also, we had a surprise waiting for us in the mailbox when we got home:
Following some advice from the DIS weddings board, we sent a wedding invitation to Mickey and Minnie, and received this signed photo and "Just Married" button from
Disneyland! Too bad Mickey and Minnie won't be able to make it to the wedding, though...
Anyway, we're going to try the mountains again, tomorrow.... but on the same trail that we KNOW is snow-free from last weekend.

Hope everyone else's weekend plans are going better!
Sarah
Edited to add: Oh, and we're going to be there for Marathon Weekend in January! James and I are running the full marathon on Sunday... however, he has very few holiday days and I really want to make the meet on Friday. So, we're looking at me possibly flying in Thursday and him flying on Saturday, and then us both flying back Tuesday. That also means that I'm not encumbered by him Friday when I decide to ride Dinosaur 6 times in a row. :rofl: Probably staying at POP, as well. We can only afford a value this trip, and POP is definitely not my favorite of the values (I'm so creeped out by the ghost town on the other side of the lake! And that is... pretty much the only reason.), but since the WISH meet is there, there's no point trekking over from one of the All Stars.