tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83060640152147875872009-01-14T20:01:11.275-08:00One Cat's SeattleAdventures of a Special-Needs CatMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-65367317688512909852009-01-14T20:01:00.001-08:002009-01-14T20:01:11.967-08:00DoomedI'm in the hold of some exotic boat. Most of my belongings have been stuffed into what looks like a small closet, which my man-servant refers to as "the head". I see no way out. Every moment, I expect the boat to leave the dock, en route to a slavers' island, where I will be traded for a barrel of gunpowder or somesuch.<p>The end is near -- I can feel it.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-305096987016806362009-01-10T15:23:00.000-08:002009-01-10T15:24:01.053-08:00MovingI'm to be moved again -- I just know it. Household items are vanishing hourly, and what's left is all out of place.<p>This can't be good.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-34885816567351686852008-08-24T21:29:00.000-07:002008-08-24T23:43:48.860-07:00"Cat Drama On the High Seas"I was just scanning through my man-servant's email, when I found a long message from his wife, about me! I was dubious at first, expecting to find myself misrepresented (as we cats so often are), but it turned out to be a fine telling of a recent episode that truly was scary. Here it is, unedited.<br /><hr /><br />Okay... how's this for "high drama"? Brother Man generally does not go outside of the house, even though we almost always leave our front and back doors open (no A/C). But every once-in-a-while, if a neighbor cat comes up on our porch and Brother Man happens to be awake and alert, he'll run out to chase it away. Well, a few nights ago, Indiana (one of the neighbor cats) walked into our houseboat through the front door, and Brother Man spied him and chased him out the back door! I should point out that they were going at top speed, and we have no railing on our back porch! We saw a flash of white, heard a giant "plunk, splash", and saw bubbles come to the surface. PANIC!<br /><br />Brother Man ran back around through the front door and hid in the bedroom closet, but Indy was nowhere to be found, so I ran down the dock and knocked furiously on his owners' door. Brent wasn't there, but his wife Jen came running down the dock after me, and by that time, Mark had the flashlight out and was scanning the water, and our neighbor across the dock, Lesley (having come over when she heard all the commotion), was helping to calm him, insisting that cats know how to swim.<br /><br />Well, we spent a while looking, and didn't see him anywhere, and Mark and I were just feeling terrible. I sent Jen back down the dock to wait for Indy, in case he had found some way to scramble out of the water, and in the meantime Mark and I decided that I should take a flashlight across to the marina to get a look at the underside of our float, where all the logs are, in case he was hiding there. But after seeing all those bubbles, my optimism was lacking.<br /><br />As I was walking back down the dock to go around to the marina, I saw Jen and Lesley sitting on the dock -- petting Indiana! He wasn't even wet! I called back to Mark, who came outside and said, "well, something fell in the water!" At this point, understanding came over me... "the impatiens!", I yelled. We turned and ran to the back porch, and sure enough, our big ceramic pot of impatiens in bloom, which used to sit on the edge of the porch, was missing, and there were flowers floating on the surface of the water.<br /><br />Breath of relief. Then laughter. Indy had knocked the bowl overboard in his race to escape Brother Man. They are so lucky that we didn't strangle them both upon finding out everyone was okay!<br /><hr /><br />P.S. Hey Washington, if that was one of your lackies here to give me trouble, you'll have to find tougher that that.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-5611270821802483212008-06-23T23:39:00.000-07:002008-08-24T23:39:45.131-07:00Message For Washington<a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_0097-747195.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_0097-747174.JPG" border="0" /></a> You think you're pretty tough, Washington? Well I'm done with the magic blanket, and I'm ready for you.<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-81068936963266346002008-06-22T23:27:00.000-07:002008-08-24T23:28:51.869-07:00Bipedal Salmon<a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_0094-782252.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_0094-782245.JPG" border="0" /></a> Back on November 23, I posted a quote from Nancy's email about a trip my domestics took to see something called the "salmon ladder". My imagination ran wild, but I ultimately concluded that it was probably just an ordinary ladder, with images of salmon carved into it.<br /><br />Maybe I was wrong. Check out this photo! Somewhere nearby, there's a city of bipedal salmon! A multi-tiered city, apparently, with ladders and staircases for the salmon to climb. Does anyone out there know of this place?<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-88024533704730820932008-06-20T22:55:00.000-07:002008-08-24T23:03:24.772-07:00What Season Is This?<a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_0016-780681.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_0016-780669.JPG" border="0" /></a> My man servant FINALLY has a working camera again, but he has thus far failed to resume the documentation of my life. Instead, he and his wife are off with his parents, exploring some bizarre place called "The Mountains" where it's summer and winter at the same time. These photos were taken on the same day, only a few hours apart from each other! Weird.<br /><a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_0026-780744.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_0026-780732.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_0043-780832.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_0043-780805.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_0055-781188.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_0055-781170.JPG" border="0" /></a><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-12784718441448156112008-04-30T22:30:00.000-07:002008-08-24T22:34:04.185-07:00Camera Death<a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_9233-705842.JPG"><img src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_9233-705834.JPG" alt="" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0pt; clear: both; float: left;" border="0" /></a> This is the only photograph in my man-servant's April 25 photo directory, and no more photos have shown up since then. It appears that his camera died a gruesome electronic death.<br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-19228330532450153702008-04-13T23:00:00.000-07:002008-07-24T23:52:47.521-07:00Theatrics<a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_9224-708516.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_9224-708451.JPG" border="0" /></a> My man servant, romantic fool that he is, fell in love with the idea of moving his (and my) personal belongings across the lake via canoe. Many jokes were made at my expense involving "humorous" scenarios wherein I was forced into the vessel. Happily, no such event occurred. (As if being trapped, stuffed into a bag, and driven around the lake wasn't bad enough.) However, he did go so far as to make a symbolic move by water. Here, he is pictured backing the canoe away from the house boat with a black suitcase in front of him. Nancy being away again on business, Mark's friend Rachel helped document the voyage, which I later heard took all of ten minutes.<br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-36769704318730062812008-04-09T23:54:00.000-07:002008-07-24T23:58:18.239-07:00Moved.No respect. Just when I thought my man servant and I had an understanding again, he grabbed me by the neck, forced me into my "carrier", tossed me into the back seat like a piece of luggage, and moved me to another floating home.<br /><br />I'm hiding in a closet now. And I'm never speaking to him again.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-60809670292485201512008-03-27T22:51:00.000-07:002008-03-27T22:51:24.343-07:00MOVING?!?<a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_9066-778871.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="CLEAR: both; FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_9066-778858.JPG" border="0" /></a> In the blog of my arch nemesis and his treacherously self-confident sister, I saw a posting today suggesting that my humans are moving! And taking me with them!!! In the posting, I saw a picture of the new home on the computer screen. I thought it a ruse, of course, but decided to scan through photos on the file-server here, and sure enough, I found the very photo Washington was so carefully analyzing.<br /><br />Just when I was getting comfortable entering the kitchen, I find that I am to be relocated again? And, from the looks of the place, it's another houseboat. Lovely.<br /><br />On the plus side, it might throw off Washington's spies for a spell. But it also means I will have to start from scratch planning escape routes and defensive tactics.<div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-55365558171802621642008-02-19T08:20:00.000-08:002008-02-19T08:21:31.574-08:00Lights On!I figured out how to turn on the bedroom light last night. I'd been playing with the pull-string for awhile, and at 3 AM I figured it out! And boy were the humans surprised.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-11151346622627327552008-02-17T23:58:00.000-08:002008-02-19T08:20:03.169-08:00Disturbingly Friendly<a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8908-704055.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8908-704044.JPG" border="0" /></a> Raccoons came to the back door. The humans tried to scare them away...<br /><a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8912-704110.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8912-704089.JPG" border="0" /></a> But these guys wanted in! Not even the camera flash and Nancy's scary-monster sounds were enough to drive these guys off.<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-12021214386003118982008-02-16T23:11:00.000-08:002008-08-24T23:12:00.507-07:00Now That's Some Snow<a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/Photo_021608_001-771613.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; clear: both; float: right;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/Photo_021608_001-771610.jpg" border="0" /></a> My servants keep talking about how it's winter, but I've hardly seen any snow at all. It's just rain, rain, rain. Well, today they rode with friends to a place in "The Mountains" called Snoqualmie Pass, and Mark took this photo while they were there. Now that's some snow!<div style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-75718861673799562992008-02-15T17:12:00.001-08:002008-02-15T17:12:51.920-08:00Caught the Raccoons on Film<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/Photo_021508_002-771922-772073.jpg"><img src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/Photo_021508_002-771922-772070.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a></p>I finally managed to get a picture of two raccoons, right outside my window, above the head of the human bed. And I watched them slip underneath the deck of this houseboat then up onto the dock, without getting wet! There could be a whole network of runs and decks under the flooring. I had better make another search of the house, to make sure there aren't any trapdoors.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-43441297010033102252008-02-08T09:06:00.000-08:002008-02-09T09:30:02.594-08:00Raccoon Fight!At 2 A.M., I was awakened by the sound of wild animals fighting. The snarling was so loud, I thought at first that they'd gotten into the houseboat somehow. I listened, frozen, heart racing and ears alert, ready to leap to the highest spot in the bedroom at the slightest indication of danger. It sounded like the fight was taking place under the floorboards, and it sounded positively vicious.<br /><br />My man servant, also disturbed, scrambled out of bed and opened the shutters, just in time to see a huge raccoon jump first into and then out of the water. It plunged into the water from the small wooden float next to the houseboat, on which a neighbor stores two kayaks, splashed into the lake, then immediately climbed up onto the dock and lumbered as fast as it could toward the shore, dripping as it went. Mark looked down the dock and saw a teen-aged boy standing not far off; his presence must have scared the attacker off.<br /><br />I couldn't sleep for hours, and neither could Mark, we were both so thrilled, so agitated. I replayed the brief experience in my head, over and over, wondering what had brought about such hostility. The conflict was so heated, and so stationary, that I wonder whether there is a raccoon nest under one of the kayaks, and what we heard was a mother fiercely defending its babies.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-17950147628954598712008-01-19T22:32:00.000-08:002008-02-09T10:35:14.618-08:00Farewell, Natasha<a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8456-748693.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; clear: both; float: right;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8456-748683.JPG" border="0" /></a>"Nancy had said recently that Natasha was the best looking cat in the world. She was that and lots more: she was loyal, patient, friendly (can't be said of all Siamese) and she ruled this roost with her personality. I can't forget how sensitive both of these cats were when I beat breast cancer. They seemed to know what I needed. I think the only thing they lacked were opposable thumbs."<br /><br />For years, my humans have told me stories of this fabled Siamese. I was most impressed by her talent for snuggling under the covers with her human, something I've started doing myself. It was with no small sadness that I discovered Monica's email in Mark's inbox, reporting that Natasha had passed away. It sounds like she was a real queen among cats, benificent, wise, and compassionate.<br /><br />Boris, poor fellow, I know the loss you're feeling. I'll say it for what it's worth: hang in there.<div style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-86047151268251989362007-12-23T22:12:00.000-08:002008-02-09T10:33:39.298-08:00Obscenity<a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8431-731306.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8431-731275.JPG" border="0" /></a> Nothing says Christmas like a glowing plastic dachshund. Please, humans, never get one of these that looks like me.<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-56542545401263667382007-12-17T10:37:00.000-08:002007-12-17T22:25:47.265-08:00Jealous<a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8385-756860.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; clear: both; float: right;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8385-756849.JPG" border="0"></a> I've been trying to deny it, but it's just no use. It's been driving me out of my head. Just look at that picture! It's been nine days since I found it on the file server, and still I cannot put it behind me. Seeing my domestic nuzzled and licked by another animal makes my coat bristle. A DOG no less! And it's not just that it happened... it's that she clearly enjoyed it. She loved it! Look at her, grinning, infected by the dopamine sunburst of that ridiculous retriever. I've been trying to deny it, but now she's gone again, to Chicago this time, and I miss her.<br /><br />When she's here, I have such a hard time showing my affection. Now, without her, this houseboat feels as if it's been sapped of its life-force. Another day's murky morning light leaks in through the old shutters of the bedroom, and I find myself at loose ends, meowing and meowing at Mark, driving him out of bed, hoping in vain that he might somehow lighten my mood, distract me from the Void of my miserable life.<br /><br />Actually, I do that even when Nancy <em>is</em> here. But you know what I mean.<div style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0"></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-4468332557652091822007-12-16T11:58:00.000-08:002007-12-17T22:19:57.689-08:00Undercover Brother<a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8424-713301.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8424-713293.JPG" border="0" /></a> My answer to the chill and gloom of Seattle's winter: a good day's sleep beneath three layers of warm blankets. Once I've driven my lazy man-servant from his bed, I scramble up the foot of the bed, slip beneath the comforter, and curl up. I thought at first that it might be hard to breathe under so many covers, but this hasn't been a problem at all. In fact, I've found that I can quite easily make it through all daylight hours in this new favorite spot of mine, from 7:30 AM to nearly 5:00 PM. I just hope my domestics are careful not to sit on me!<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-65424216448903140602007-12-09T20:17:00.000-08:002007-12-09T20:26:14.190-08:00Magic Blanket<a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8371-744110.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8371-744099.JPG" border="0" /></a> I have discovered a magic blanket! It was Mark's bedspread as a child, made for him by his mother. So far, I have discovered two magical abilities. First, when I am underneath the blanket, I am invisible to the world. Second, as I move through the blanket's dark interior spaces, a powerful static-electric charge builds up throughout my coat. My man-servant has unwittingly been the subject of my experiments, as I master the art of silently emerging and shocking nearby combatants with tiny bolts of lightning. Come and get me now, Himalayan!<br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-63004750457967399602007-12-08T22:07:00.000-08:002007-12-17T22:24:18.000-08:00Caroling... Kayakers?<a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8406-732201.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8406-732173.JPG" border="0"></a> <a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8410-732542.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8410-732526.JPG" border="0"></a><br /><a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8416-732619.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8416-732599.JPG" border="0"></a> <a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8417-733025.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8417-732985.JPG" border="0"></a><br /><br />Christmas Spirit in Seattle: chilly kayakers -- dozens of them -- gathered in a water alley on Lake Union, singing carols to raise money. Mark and Nancy had the pleasure of witnessing this remarkable event, singing along, and capturing it on film.<div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0"></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-65450337620809796482007-12-08T17:00:00.000-08:002007-12-17T22:31:12.188-08:00Frolicking HumansFor me, a Fantastic Couch Day:<br /><a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8389-773394.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8389-773379.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />For the humans, explosive joy in the presence of hundreds of shiny beer kegs.<br /><a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8394-773460.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8394-773443.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Why my domestics feel compelled to scurry about the city, exploring the places that prepare their food and drink, is beyond me. (This particular shot is outside the Redhook brewery.) It's this very curse, this undeniable need to explore, it seems, that drove them to drug me, crate me, and fly me to nearly the end of the continent; for I have found no other explanation. And it's not just my domestics that are afflicted in this manner. Their friend Rachel, whom I remember from Chicago, is also here in Seattle, and appears downright thrilled about it.<div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-46296766536462475382007-12-02T19:07:00.000-08:002007-12-09T11:12:52.845-08:00Marauder!<a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8369-763839.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8369-763831.JPG" border="0"></a> I fear that Washington's agents have found me! Maybe this blog wasn't such a good idea after all. Fortunately, the houseboat's defenses held up against the fierce attacks of this Himalayan, and I was able to drive her off. (You can see me behind the arm of the chair.)<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0"></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-61370744624568296432007-12-02T16:07:00.000-08:002007-12-09T11:12:31.700-08:00Stormy SeasIt's raining again, and the winds have picked up. You can see in this video how much the houseboat is moving.<br /><br /><br /><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 0px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-046716448684172607 visible ontop" href="http://www.youtube.com/v/ibJ3cT1HSAM&rel=1"></a><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ibJ3cT1HSAM&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ibJ3cT1HSAM&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8306064015214787587.post-55177740114696552162007-11-23T23:54:00.000-08:002007-12-09T11:36:40.662-08:00Too Much Fun<a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8299-752650.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; clear: both; float: right;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8299-752593.JPG" border="0" /></a>My domestics are having way too much fun. Pawing through Nancy's files and email, I discovered this:<br /><br />"Friday we decided to visit the Chittenden Locks and see the salmon ladder -- it was really neat! The Washington State Botanical Gardens are incorporated into the Army Corps of Engineers property surrounding the locks, so it is a lovely park as well as an interesting engineering attraction. We ate dinner at a famous local fish-n-chips place, and then Mark took me to Pioneer Square (the oldest section of Seattle) for a stand-up comedy show! It was great fun. Afterward, we explored the Capitol Hill neighborhood and found a really nice microbrewery. We sat at the bar and had Pumpkin Ale while we quizzed our bartender about good live music venues. She even bought us a drink!"<br /><br />This explains why my cook keeps giving me the same food every day! Is it too much to ask that they spend a little more time planning my meals and a little less running all over the city, feeding their own faces as they go?!?<br /><a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8302-752719.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; clear: both; float: right;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8302-752705.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8305-752820.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; clear: both;" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8305-752814.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8311-752884.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px" alt="" src="http://www.page-house.com/brotherman/uploaded_images/IMG_8311-752876.JPG" border="0" /></a><div style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01468941527498969664noreply@blogger.com0