The Crazy Life of Dirt

Dirt isn’t just a sheep shearin’ lawn mowing man, during the daylight hours on weekdays he is a school teacher, aviation mechanics to be precise, at Clover Park Technical College.  And sometimes, just sometimes, that job calls for him to do something other than lecture to his students or hover over them in the lab.  This week they asked him to be part of looking at the aviation curriculums throughout the state of Washington and brainstorm how Washington State can continue to retain their claim on being the place to come for the best in aviation education.

I on the other hand am an interloper for the week, I snuck myself into his duffle bag and came along for the ride.  The state isn’t paying for me, I’m cheap, well my finance manager is tight, so I am eating out of a cooler instead of enjoying the beautiful dining room that this group is.  Had I known my first meal that Dirt bought me down at the dining hall was going to be my last I would have eaten more.  Maybe not knowing was a good thing, because as it was I was bloated to the size of the Goodyear Blimp!

This is their meeting room, I crashed it this morning to take pictures.  Everyone has been really nice to Dirt’s wife, me.  I feel bad because I am the only spouse along for the ride.  Ummmm other spouses must actually have important things to do at home.  Me on the other hand?  I think the girls and their new helper were glad to see me drive out the driveway, now they can actually get some work done instead of hearing instructions with the long term five year plan addendum.

This is Laura, she is with AJAC,  the folks that put this thing together for the guvner of our humble state.  She’s in charge.  How do I know?  She was the one who gracefully started the meeting.

But before she did, I managed to get in a few pics of the folks Dirts hangin’ with this week.  

This is Reckless Raymond, (I got the reckless part from a story he told the first night we were here, the first night Dirt splurged and let me eat in the restaurant here at the resort)  he doesn’t seem reckless to me.  And in fact is very nice, he is from the Spokane area and has two small children, so small that he doesn’t know about The Fantastic Mr. Fox.  He should watch it any way.

This is Bonnie, she is very sweet, but then she is from Texas, and it seems everything from Texas is sweet.

This is Alex, he teaches in Everett and is a fellow motersickle rider. 

The place where this is all happening is a nice resort just outside of Leavenworth, I’ll show pics of the town and surroundings soon, but for now just know that as you drive through town you suddenly have an urge to braid your hair and start yodeling.

Nice eh?  What image do you see in the silhouette of those hills?  If you can figure it out, you know the name of the place we’re staying. 

Dear Reader, I am off for another adventure into this little slice of God’s amazing creation.  Poor Dirt, he has to stay in meetings all day, but he gets juice and cookies and everyone is very nice so I won’t feel too bad for him.  I am going off to see some more wildflowers…

The hillsides of Central Washington are covered with these beauties, Arrowleaf balsamroot – Balsamorhiza sagittata. Not sure how fond the locals are of them as they seem to grow anywhere and everywhere, but they sure caught my eye and my appreciation.

Have as sunny a day as this flower and I am today Dear Reader, stay workin’ in the spirit and not in the flesh, do so as if you were doin’ all unto the Lord our God, and I’ll do my best to be right there with you.