9/2 LOOSE LIPS: A day in the North Cascades....

[Michelle and Mannie (GA)]

Good Morning LL!! (Elsa - lots (!!) please! This bean is so sleepy...), and Happy Monday everyone!
LL! It's is I, Elsa, Lil Bit, kitteh barista!, president and CEO of Coffee Cat! Life is GOOD! GUESS WHAT! Today is CHEERY CHERRY MONDAY!! Lola and Bug want to make their cheery cherry pizza pies. It is after all Monday, and that is now tradition! I have to admit that they are pretty good! They finally learned to keep the cheery cherry whip on the pies, and stop squirting it all over the kitchen. so. well. anyways. Coffee time! For today, I proudly offer Elsa's special 10 hour energy coffee, and Double shot espressos, with beans from deep within the mountain slopes of Africa, AND.... for all my Mocha fans: a VENTI Quad cherry infused white mocha/mocha blend with white chocolate chips melted within, topped with a cherry whip garnished with candied cherry sprinkles and white chocolate curls. SWEET! OH! No worries, a dollop of cheery cherry and chocolate swirl ice cream, on top of a dollop of fudge, topped with crystallized cheery cherries and chocolate drizzle.... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh....... mega good! TJ's dunking cookies and Cronuts are along for the ride!AND!!!! We gots an extra special treat for today: CHEERY CHERRY CHEESECAKE! YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! I love cheery cherry Mondays.

I hope everyone had a great weekend, and a good Sunday yesterday. I went hiking, back to the North Cascades, and Mt Baker. It has to be one of my fav places to hike. As the hiking season begins to wind down, well we have a month more here, I am looking at wrapping up the season with my all time favs: North Cascades area, and some fine hikes near The Enchantments, near Leavenworth: in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Yesterdays was indicative of the mighty fine things yet to come. WOOT. Here's what I wrote about yesterday hike in my post last night: "Hi everyone! Thanks so much for the visits today, You guys are great! I did go hiking - to the North Cascades, Mt Baker area again, I can't seem to get enough of it. ;-) WOOT! What a very cool hike. I have been there before, but never went through to the lakes. so today that was the mission. I approached the lakes from the Artist Point Area, hiked to the Hermans' saddle and back. Next time we will go through to Bagley Lakes, and up through Wild Goose to make a more traditional loop hike. Weather was great today - sunny, blue skies, warm, and just the best views, and cookin' on those open talus slopes. Got a little warm out there. It was 80 in Baker, not too sure what it was on the mountain. Mt Baker was in and out today, sometimes the cap was cloud covered, sometimes it was not. The lakes were incredible. Iceberg Lake was the most gorgeous turquoise blue. Lakes were beautiful, one of those I will go back for, next time string in another hike and make a loop out of it. Should be fun. Today was about 8 miles, climbed about 1550 feet. Not too bad. WHAT A GREAT DAY!" Picassa links: Picture Lake, Chain Lakes, and Images from the Road. Picture lake is a small .5 mile loop that I try and stop at on my way to the hike areas. It is gorgeous, even with the issues I had with shooting into the sun yesterday. The road images are just some shots taken while traveling. The sunrise was so pretty....

Normalcy in MusketeerVille! The welcoming committee was on duty when I got home yesterday - all three of them, even Elsa. The roles are still so predictable. Bug was waiting on the back of the sofa which is next to the stair railing with an excellent view of the door, all stretched out, paw down as if to say - "hey, welcome home". Elsa was waiting in the driveway (!! :shock: :shock: :shock: ), meowing up a storm. That part was unusual. It seems she wanted dinner, and decided to wait outside to voice her opinion. :roll: Now Lola... well Lola is Lola. She was waiting on the middle step, once again rolling back and forth, and once again falling down the remainder of the steps. She doesn't seem to care, and goes back up to repeat the process. :shock: :lol: :lol: silly cat. Per DH she spent most of the day yesterday trying to figure out how to get outside. She went from door to window to door, banging at them all, trying to find a loose unsecured outside portal. :lol: :lol: :lol: OH!!! I as on time too! No need for them to produce that dreaded blood oath I signed.... no being drawn and quartered due to tardiness for this bean! :razz: Things seem to have survived my being gone.... nothing amiss. Hmmmm - perhaps Lola is waiting til later? or,..... she may just be tired from all that door and window banging she did last night and yesterday in her freedom attempt. sheshhhh.... endless paw banging. :lol: :lol: :lol: You gotta love it.

Have a great day everyone. I hope to hike today - juts not too sure where yet. we shall see how things pan out here this morning. ;-)

KITTIES! Remember: think BLUE, think GREEN!!

 

[Hillary & Maui (GA)]

Hey Lil Bit Pit,

Hurry up and get your deliveries done quick. We are going to party on my yacht today and need to pick up the kittehs in the jet. Zman and Rusty are bringing their capes so they can play wizards and superheroes and may CATapult their way to the yacht. Well Z may, Rusty will probably chicken out. So we needs to get the jet ready so we can fly on down.

Tell Lola to stop looking for silly escape routes and she can come too. And if silly Bug got rid of his nasties he can come too, otherwise he will have to ride outside, we will tether him to jet and let him fly outside in the clouds! He just might like that!

Oh and bring the extra cheery whip. We can slip and slide on it!

Signed Maui the Magnificent

 

[donaleen and Ozy]

I STILL haven't made it to the North Cascades (I am to your south in Portland). And since Ozy was diagnosed, I haven't left the house for more than a few hours. Gotta change that somehow.

 

[Ella & Rusty & Stu(GA)]

Hi Michelle,
What great photos! I'm so glad that you had such a good hike yesterday and hope that today's will be grand, too. I've got to look up the maps of where you hike so I can get a better idea. The circle routes sound neat.

We are off to the Labor Day party/picnic, without our canoes. The weather looks threatening and more thunderstorms are on the way.

Have a great day,

Ella & Rusty

 

[carfurby (GA)]

Those pictures are beautiful. I hope you find a good place to hike today. I'm surprised Lola didn't try to get out when you came home.

 

[Michelle and Mannie (GA)]

Hi everyone! I hope your day has been a good one, and that all had a great holiday. I did go hiking today. I was out the door as early as I could get, just to avoid the crowds.... One just knows that with the holiday weekend that it would be mega nuts and busy, and it was! I think all of Washington State showed up at Lake 22 today just to hike that trail. :shock: I have not seen it that busy in a very long time. I was on the trail by 7:30, after an hour and half drive to get therm and even that early I was running into people. I guess alot of folks had the same idea I did. :lol: :roll: The hike was a good one. We did have some clouds, but all in all the weather was great, with temps in the 70's. I really enjoy hiking Lake 22. The lake is so pretty and they have a loop trail that goes all around the lake. There is some shoreline access too. The wildflowers are more or less spent, but a few still lingered. I had a great time I hiked about 8 miles, climbed about 1500 feet total, over a rocky trail, that had 4 talus sections. I so love hiking on rocks. not. :lol: I will post the Picassa link in tomorrow's condo.

Maui! GF! OOOOOOOO! A yacht party! I am SO THERE! heehheehhe on Rusty and ZMan - that is mega cool! I LUBS the CATapult. SO FUNS! Lola is so silly, and I will tell her. Bug is good to go, he says no more nasties. A relief, huh. OK on the sherry whip - They have LOTS! See ya! ~~Elsa

Hi Donaleen - HI! Wow - you are in the PNW too! I hope you will someday be able to see the North Cascades - they are rally something. I know how it is with the getting out once we have an FD kitty. I went through that too, but got very good at doing short trip things. Mannie was good too about giving out those permission slips, so I could once in a while go and do things. We never did do vacations after DX, I just didn't have anyone to care for him, and would not leave him at the vet. Thanks for the visit today!

Hi Ella - THX on the photos. I loved the hike yesterday - it is one of my fav places to go. Today was good too, just way too crowded. I was home by 1, as it was a short hike, and just too many people. Cool on looking for Maps. I do that too when people talk about places they have been. I love the visual. Enjoy your picninc, but bummer on the no canoes. Darn weather!

Hi Carla - many thanks on the photos. Today was good too, just alot less time and shorter. Something closer to home. I so agree on Lola, I was watching for her, and she was a good girl - didn't try to escape. YAY!