Saturday
May232009

Got Stoopid

Just a bit of a blog post for a great sunny memorial day weekend.

In the words of my roommate Mark, things just got stupid today.  We went out to one of our favorite Baker places with one of our favorite buds from school.  Arlo came up for the weekend and the rest has been a blur.

Plenty of sun, enough snow, and a little tree-tappin led to just a fun day on the mountain. A few mid air monkey climb high-fives finished it off nicely too

The man, the myth, the legend. Arlo helpin us dig a baby booter

scoutin

Arlo picked up the camera and wielded it like a champ, catching me in a little drop

High Fivin and high flyin

Wednesday
May202009

Ridin' Low, in the 3-6-0

Back in the older days in Mexico, the young men and young women would gather in the plaza, dressed their best. They would walk toward each other and when their eyes met, that meant they would become romantic partners. That is the story Abraham Rodriguez, junior and co-chair of M.E.Ch.A, told to illustrate how low riders are an adaptation of that.
“It’s changed a bit, but the idea is the same, the tricked-out cars are meant to catch the eyes of all,” Rodgriguez said.
And catch people’s eyes they did.
Brightly colored custom paint jobs and chrome rims glimmered in the sun, while dual amp bass systems thumped Spanish hip-hop. A hydraulic hop contest in which cars bounced off the pavement as high as five feet, topped the day off for the ninth annual low rider show, Ridin’ Low in the 3-6-0
Rodriguez estimated 1,500 people attended the event, put on by M.E.Ch.A. in Red Square, Sunday May 17. It showcased more than 90 vintage and modern cars, trucks and motorcycles.

Traditional Mexican folk dancers from the Ballet Folklorico Monalco perform in red square Sunday, May 17

Fluid erupts from a lowrider during the hop contest. The battery was dislodged after the car hopped nearly 5 feet off the ground

A three-point stance is taken by one of the cars with the use of hydraulics

Sunday
May172009

BTC's 8th Annual Welding Rodeo

Bellingham Technical College hosted its 8th annual welding rodeo May 15 and 16th. The Welding Rodeo, which is actually a sculpture competition, pitted eight teams within an eight hour time-frame, against each other in a friendly competition of designing a themed piece that will be auctioned off  in the community.  The Money goes toward prizes for the four-man teams, the BTC Welding Student Scholarship fund, and for the event itself.  This year's theme: Space.

Wes Wood (front), Noah Trumble (left), Jacob O'Dell (back) and Ted Feenstra (not pictured) race the clock to design their piece, 1-800 Space Tow. All four are high school students from Sedro Woolley in Curt Genther's advanced welding class.Sedro-Woolley High School Senior Wes Wood grinds down the edges of piece so it will fit together with another

Monday
May112009

Pugmania 2009

In a hangar in Warren Magnuson Park, Saturday May 9, 300 dogs and their owners converged into what is known as Pugmania.  Vendors, booths, costume competitions, races and raffles all formed the convention put on by Seattle Pug Rescue.  More than a thousand people were estimated to have attended, all in the name of supporting the battle to rescue mistreated, unwanted or abandoned pugs.

Rob and Amye Westby of Seattle own six pugs, four of which they rescued, sitting next to the wagon they all rode in on is Keely

Three month old Zeuss takes a quick break from playing with another fellow puppy, to inspect my lens

Rob Westby, a 44 year-old mechanic, holds the leashes of Bubba, Sophie and Dozer

Hangar number 30 at Warren Magnuson Park held Pugmania 2009. It has been held their the last three years, after outgrowing a local junior high building.