Fantastic Day

I have always found Memorial Day to be an odd mix of emotions. We try to be solemn as we remember the fallen... all the while celebrating the unofficial start to summer. The weather here in Seattle was so typical that I think we all did a collective yawn around here. The cloud cover had the kind of thickness that made it feel like evening all day. So, the family piled into the car and headed east towards the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. It's the mountains that keep the clouds locked over the city most of the time, and as we made it through the mountain pass, the sun poked out its head as if it had been playing a cruel game of hide-and-seek. The photo above was taken by yours truly during our hike to Franklin Falls. It was a fairly easy trek, save for a narrow and somewhat steep path of wet rocks as we neared the waterfall. We are avid hikers, and I'm beginning to think seeing natural wonders like these are becoming old hat, but this one had us slack-jawed. All it took was a 60-minute drive to turn a dreary holiday into a fantastic day.

Here's another beautiful shot I took yesterday. These are the first four singles from Haircut One Hundred. I found myself singing this one to myself on the way home. This is Nick Heyward's idea of a fantastic day. I hope you were treated to one too.

Fantastic Day