16-31AUG12 - Sultan, WA (where's the rain???)

After flying back to Seattle the first thing Dan had to do the next day, 16AUG, was spend over three hours in a dentist chair getting old fillings replaced. Visits to the dentist are always so much fun (NOT)! The rest of the month was spent doing “small jobs” around house while preparing to button-up & depart the Pacific NW. Some of these small jobs included:

-restaining our new decks (it seems that the product we first used doesn’t prevent mold)
-caulk & repaint the pump house
-run drain for our water treatment system to a drainage field to prevent standing water every time the system back flushes
-continue to repair the mower deck of the freebie Sears mower we got over two years ago -built a compost bin
-finish mulching & weeding numerous flowers beds planted by Corrie
-etc
Even with all this work we found time for two breaks. On Saturday, 25AUG, we attended the matinee show at Teatro ZinZanni sort of a cabaret dinner show in a circus tent (really a spiegelten or “mirror tent” from Europe). To plagiarize their website - Teatro ZinZanni's main event is part circus, part dinner theatre, and always magical. Described as "the Kit Kat Klub on acid" and "the hottest ticket in town" Teatro ZinZanni is a night out unlike any other. It is a three hour whirlwind of international cirque, comedy and cabaret artists all served up with a scrumptious five course feast (four courses for the matinee) and elegant libations (at an extra charge). Each ever evolving and constantly changing production at least three new shows per year. Teatro ZinZanni combines improv comedy, vaudeville revue, music, dance, cirque and sensuality into a dizzying and colorful new form that is never quite the same from evening to evening.

We can’t recount everything we saw because it was a little overwhelming but some of the hilites were – a great blues singer; excellent tap & soft shoe homage to Fred, Ginger, Gene & Mr Bojangles; a hilarious recreation of the film King Kong with objects found in a garbage can; aerial artistry; really scary clowns; Tarzan & Jane; & many other unique acts. We enjoyed it immensely & highly recommend it; BUT be warned there is a large amount of audience participation (often of the embarrassing kind) & they don’t take no for an answer!

http://www.zinzanni.org/

The second break we took was on Friday, 31AUG, when we drove what is called the Mountain Loop Highway; starting in Granite Falls & ending in Arlington. The Loop consists of SR92 (paved), Forest Road 20 (gravel & dirt), & SR530 (paved). Halfway thru the drive we stopped to hike to the Big Four Ice Caves; a very pleasant one mile hike thru old growth forest. The breeze coming out of the ice caves feels like you are standing in front of a very large freezer with a big fan in it. During the hike we visited the ruins of the Big Four Lodge. Turns out the Lodge was used by the Coast Guard as a R&R station during WWII. Who knew?

Trivia - Why is Big Four Mountain called Big Four when it has got five peaks?

Lastly, the Seattle area set a weather record for the entire month of August - No measurable rain!!! We have been blessed with 31 days of 70 or 80 degree days, sunny afternoons, & 50 degrees at night.