Photo of the Day 5/29/12 - Fishing with Bears

The Brooks River in Katmai National Park is full of fish - and with fish comes bears. There is nothing quite like being close to grizzly bears to make you feel alive. You have to keep your distance and your wits about you, but for the most part, they just don't want any surprises themselves.

Photo of the Day 5/28/2010 - Memorial Day

Memorial Day 2011 - Alec wanted to make sure to hang our flag out at the beach. Thank you to all who have served and their families for your service and sacrifice.

Photo of the Day 5/24/2012 - Baby Chicks

For a brief time we had chickens. It was fun while it lasted, but it was not meant to be living on the edge of the woods. Ian was very excited the day we brought them home. Rhode Islands Reds.

Photo of the Day 5/23/12 - Spring Sledding

We ended up getting a dusting of snow in the Spring of 2004. Here's a picture of Charlotte and I getting ready to sail down the "hill" in the front of the log house. We still have the sled, I still have the hat and over-shirt, and I still love snuggling up to my little girl.

Photo of the Day 5/22/2101 - Spreading Bark

One of the rites of Spring here in the Pacific Northwest is spreading beauty bark. I've never been a big fan, though I love the smell of it once it's all spread and you come out to the deck to relax - beer in hand. In this shot, Ian (age 2) is helping me spread bark at the log house - one of the perks of having live in help. Somehow he's managed to avoid this duty the past 9 years thought. Hmmm....

Photo of the Day 5/21/2012 - Ian and Joanna

We had a great dinner following Olivia's baptism in the summer of 2003. In this shot the the new big sister and almost big brother (Charlotte would be born in a few weeks) celebrate being the oldest.

Photo of the Day 5/20/2012 - Toddlers

Here's a shot of Cousin Matt and I as toddlers. Probably taken the same time as this previous post at Grandma and Grandpa Forth's house on Virginia Street in Burbank.

Photo of the Day - Ian Kauai

In 2003, we traveled to Hawaii for 10 days on Kauai. Ian was 2 1/2 and Charlotte was just  3 months old. We used frequent flier miles to get there, so the flight times were not optimal. Depart Seattle 5AM to LAX - Fly LAX to Honolulu arrive 7:00pm, stay the night - Flight to Kauai 8:00. The return was worse - Depart Kauai 4:30 pm to Honolulu - sit in Honolulu until 12:10 AM flight to LAX, sit at LAX for 4 hours to return to Seattle.

Hard to complain about going to Hawaii, and I'm really not, the travel was indeed a journey - the time on Kauai was awesome. We stayed at a new (at the time) Marriott vacation property on Poipu that looked right out onto the water. (Thanks Pat!).

Would love to go back.

Photo of the Day 5/18/2012 - Georgia Visit

Sorry for the missing posts. I've been busy and didn't have time to check the scheduled posts in the new version of Blogger (no, SiteCrafting did not build this blog) - and they didn't work. So, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

This is Ian's first visit to Georgia. We arrived pretty late in the evening and were on our way to the Virgin Islands for work (remember that post?). Anyway, Mom and Dad let Ian climb into their kitchen cupboards and empty all the pots, pans, bowls, etc. all over the floor. In this picture, Ian looks ready to haul off and whack Grandpa - which he didn't do.

We had a great time in Georgia, even though it was too short - we need to go back.

Photo of the Day - Worn Out

This is what three kids look like after Day 8 in Florida. This shot was taken on our way back to the house after a fun day at Disneyworld. We were in Florida for a Forth Family Reunion in 2010.

Photo of the Day 5/14/12 - Lunch at Aunt Francie's

Long summer days, parties, or just an hour or two of conversation,  you were always welcome at Aunt Fran's house. I'm sure you still would be, though the distance makes visits much less frequent.

There was a more formal dining area (probably where the photographer was standing), this kitchen nook was where lunch and conversation was shared.

Manny takes time out to smile at the camera, while Mom, Dad, Aunt Fran and probably Dina share the news of the world.

Photo of the Day 5/13/12 - Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all Mom's out there, including my beautiful wife, Julie. This photo was taken 11 years ago - the day a mother was born.

Photo of the Day 5/12/12 - Pat and Colby

These two guys are separated only by a few months in age. I think this shot was taken toward the end of their high school days - judging by Patrick's shirt. Both are now grown men and fantastic husbands and fathers.

Photo of the Day - 5/11/12 SiteCrafting: The Early Days

In early 2002 I took Mom and Dad over to the first SiteCrafting office at 7th and St. Helens. It was a small two room office that we sub-leased from a chain smoking attorney. It had a bathroom straight out of Silence of the Lambs, not to mention the refinishing studio that was below us and fumes would waft into our office and cause headaches and bad decisions. It was here that the love of Arnold Palmer Golf was born. We were in this office only about a year and a half, but we have great memories and in some ways things were much less complicated.

One of the best things about this office was my office, which had these beautiful old photos of Tacoma decoupaged into the walls, not in a cheesy way - it was classy, so it probably wasn't decoupage.

Photo of the Day 5/10/12 - Paintings

Grandma Gigi's paintings hold a special place in all of our hearts. The den, the house, all were decorated with her work. I remember sitting in on painting classes after school when I'd walk over from Bret Harte. I even painted a couple of pictures with her help. A few years back I started trying to make the time to paint - but time is not something I have laying around. It is a choice, however, how we spend our time.

Before heading back to Washington on trip south, Grandma left Julie and I select a picture each from her studio collection. These pictures are hung in a place of honor in our house and carry with them memories of the house, of Grandma, and of growing up.

Photo of the Day - 5/9/2012 Mother's Day Baseball

Gonzaga graduation is held on Mother's Day each year - by design. We also happened to have a baseball game against Oregon State - which would be my last competitive game. Both Mom and Grandma Jo were in town for graduation and were able to accompany me onto the field for the pre-game festivities.

Photo of the Day - Sandals and Socks Guys

There are several people who have helped me along in life - but on the short list is Ed Knaggs. Coach Knaggs was my high school coach, eventually my coaching peer, and my friend. He joined the John Burroughs Indians after Coach Haney left and inspired us to be the best. During our run we reached State regionals, had dynamic starting pitching and offense and ran our high school program like we were a college. He used his connections to get scouts to our games and ultimately helped me to get a scholarship at Loyola Marymount. When that did not work out, he went to bat for me at Gonzaga and brought me to Washington. In the summers, I coached with him in Wenatchee, WA. We travelled around in a big non-airconditioned bus (he made me get a commercial license), I was at the field from daybreak to midnight and earned my keep mowing the fields, pitching batting practice and coaching first base. We spent three summers together in Wenatchee and there were many memories. Time and distance has separated us, but I would not have had the options I had were it not for Coach Knaggs.

In this shot, we are preparing for a rowboat trip out on Lake Wenatchee during a rare day off. Judging by the looks of that boat, we're braver than we thought. We're sporting our sandals and socks - (my friends at PEMCO would be proud, just watch).

Photo of the Day - 5/7/2012 Trunk Bay

Quite possibly  the greatest 10 days of "work" ever. During the late summer of 2002, I was hired to consult the Virgin Islands (USVI) on the use of web technologies in education. Julie and Ian spent 10 days on St. John at the Westin, while I "worked" on St. Thomas and St. John helping the education system begin to implement web technologies. My day started taking a 45 minute ferry ride over to St. Thomas where I worked the better part of the day and then took a return trip each afternoon (no later than 2:00pm) back to St. John. We spent time touring both St. Thomas and St. John including trips to Drake's Seat, Trunk Bay, Coral Bay, Annaberg, Caneel Bay, etc. etc.

In this shot, Julie and I are framed against the background of the only "underwater" US National Park - Trunk Bay.

Photo of the Day 5/6/2012 - The Flag

This Photo of the Day photo was submitted by Cousin Dawn. In this shot, her father, Uncle Steve is planting the flag to mark base camp for the Boysen Family Reunion. Looking through all the reunion photos, the flag makes its way into many of them. Thanks so much for sharing this special memory Dawn.

Hint: If anyone else has special photos to contribute, send them over.

Photo of the Day 4/5/2012 - Gentlemen Start Your Engines

No, this is not Indianapolis. These professionals took time from their busy schedules to race in the Cordova Classic. Brian, Timothy and Tim Paul took every hairpin turn in time, a harmonious dance of talent and speed.

Photo of the Day 4/4/2012 - The Log House

One of the crazier things we've ever done - but aren't they they most fun? We first saw this house on 12/31/1999 - yep that's right, New Year's Eve - right before Y2K. We made an offer that was accepted on my birthday January 5, 2000. We did not have time to sell our home in Puyallup, so we managed to convince the bank we could swing the two mortgages since we were planning on renting our Puyallup house. Doing so allowed us to skip the two contingencies in front of us and jump to the head of the line.

Many wonderful memories were made in this house. All three of our kids came home from the hospital after their births to this house - even though Alec only lived here for about a week. From 19 1/2 foot Christmas trees (no exaggeration), to bats, to salmon in the creek out back, this was home for 6 1/2 marvelous years. More photos to come...

Photo of the Day 5/3/2012 - Pacific Science Center

In February of 2006 we met the Boysen family at the Pacific Science Center at Seattle Center (home of the Space Needle) for a day of exploration, butterfly gardens, and eventually dinner back at their place. In this shot, Cousins Tom and Olivia work with Ian to construct a yellow jacket puzzle.

Photo of the Day - 5/2/2012 - Trip to Church

This has got to be one of my first trips ever to St. Finbar in Burbank, CA. I'm not sure if it was a baptism or just a regular Sunday. Grandma and Grandpa Forth as well as Great Grandmother Rachel Forth are giving me plenty of attention.

I was recently at St. Finbar for a Memorial Mass for Cousin Dane. The doors are the same as are the steps and facade. Many memories of altar serving, First Communion, and Confirmation with Cousin John as sponsor.

Interior view from Cousin Dane's Memorial

Photo of the Day - 5/1/12 - May Pole Dance

The third graders at St. Michael perform a May Pole Dance the first Friday in May. This year Charlotte will be performing, but this shot is of Ian and his dance partner from 2010.