Intense Relationship Dynamics in flux during a key family trip to Silver Star Mountain in Western Canada towards the end of Winter 2004
*Work in Progress to be continued. Enjoy anyway, y’all!*
Talia as “Li’l Buddha” standing so calm and present. Her Mom & I are at Silver Star Mountain Resort up in British Columbia, Canada, to ski ski ski…and to work things out.
An intentional community goes skiing at Washington’s famous Crystal Mountain in March of 2003
*Work in Progress so please enjoy what’s here so far; thanks!”*
Multiple families as one community enjoying themselves at Crystal Mountain Ski Resort on the edge of Norse Peak Wilderness and Mount Rainier National Park, State of Washington, on Saturday the First of March 2003.
Members of a new Polyamorous Family go a sailin’ with a curious old friend
*Work in Progress to be Continued. Please enjoy as it.*
Ben the Sailor at the helm.
Gwen (now Vie) & Li’l Katie Kat (now Kathryn) sit in the stern with Downtown Seattle behind them as we head out to sea.
Baby Talia in her 7th month with her mom Kristina. Kate’s mostly out of sight in this foto, but, my goodness, Gwen there is squinting rather sternly. William (me) shoots pictures from the bow looking back as we head out into Puget Sound and the Greater Salish Sea.
An adventurous mix of road trip with new baby, visiting new friends, and sea kayaking in Western Canada during early Summer of 2002
* A work in progress to be continued. Feel free to enjoy what’s here!*
William & Kristina bobbing in Ricky & Pam’s sea kayaks about to explore along the rocky coasts of Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada, Summer of 2002
Our second family dayhike at Ebey’s Landing on Whidbey Island this year, Sunday 7 March 2010
Morgan in green and Kate in blue with Jo Dog in the middle at the Big Dead Tree. We’re atop the bluffs of Ebey’s Landing above Perego’s Lagoon below and the Salish Sea beyond.
Kristina and I returned to Ebey’s landing 15 days after our first visit of the year there and three days before our house burned down. The weather was worse on this second trip. Chilly. Cloudy. Glorious beauty tinged with brooding melancholy, perhaps hints of what was to come, an unconscious uncertainty with a major era in our lives was soon coming to an end as the Great Recession continued to grind on. Even so, we’re out here moving our bodies in nature, activating our minds, working thru our blended family relationship conflicts, grumbling about the weather and still in awe of the magnificent scenery of Ebey’s Landing. This time it was Morgan, who now goes by Dylan, and Kate, my daughters from my ex-wife and still good friend Gwen and stepdaughters to my then-current wife Kristina, who piled into the same minivan with me, Kristina, and Jo Jo Jolie, our English springer spaniel with liver-colored spots. Some weekends Talia is with her bio-dad and stepmother, as she was this time. On other weekends, however, Morgan and Kate are with their mom and stepdad, as they were last time. On yet other weekends all three are with me and Kristina, and once in a while none of them are. It’s not necessarily an organized rotation, tho it often is, but more depends on what the various parents and co-parents planned and agreed to follow. Blended family dynamics are constantly changing in our community.
Ebey’s Landing is a National Historical Reserve and State Park. It’s a unique integration of national park, state park, and local town and county parks. It’s about halfway up the westward edge of Whidbey Island, the largest island in the State of Washington. Whidbey’s also the 40th largest within the United States of America. It is long, slender island and a somewhat crooked extension of a cluster of archipelagos linked together in the Salish Sea. We were happy to be back even tho the weather felt more forbidding than our previous visit. Fresh air and exercise with beautiful and expansive views of nature haunted by gloomy graves amidst the threat of stormy weather made Ebey’s Landing inviting. Well, certainly for us grownups (LOL?).
A challenged family returns to a home in the wilderness during late July of 2009
Note geographical and grammatical purists conspire to punctuate conversations with comments such as, “Oh, you must know the correct term for the Upper Phelps Creek meadows prior to the uppermost Basin is Spider Meadow. The designation is singular without the plural “s.” OK?” ¡LOL! The greater majority of people, however, stick a wee s on the end as “Spider Meadows” rolls off the tongue with greater ease and verbal grace than “Spider Meadow.” Besides, there are multiple smaller meadows before and especially after the main meadow of the valley separated by little copses and fingers of forest and boulders and riven by small streams. Finally, English is an incredibly dynamic language as it is so expansive and unusually inclusive. So, we shall refer to those lovely high mountain meadows along Upper Phelps Creek as Spider Meadows with an s, thank you.
Mother and Daughter contemplate the Universe. Sunday evening in Spider Meadows, GPW, 26 July 2009. Foto by William.
Snapshots of a family in the Great Outdoors playing in the shadows of volcanoes, Sunday the 15th of June 2008
The Mountain. This massive, majestic, and dangerous volcano loomed above us wherever we went this bright, sunny Father’s Day.
The author with 2 of his daughters: Foto Left to Foto Right: Katie (10 & a half+), me (49), & TaTa (6). Kate performed over 30 cartwheels nonstop earlier this day, her personal record. We all encouraged her, of course, coached her, too, and, to be clear, it was all hands off. Left us in awe. As did being up in the snow at Paradise in Mt. Rainier National Park wearing sandals and flip-flops.
Breakfast for Daddy! Red eyes for the camera & all! Kate & Talia surprise William for Father’s Day 2008. Foto by Kristina.
Sun, Rocks, Sand, Stars, and Scuffling with Fear out in the Desert
Friday 24 March – Thursday 30 March 2006
*Click on any foto to open up & expand the picture.*
On the rocks in Joshua Tree National Park! Morgan (now Dylan), age 12, learning to rappel with her climbing instructor on Sunday the 26th of March. Gravity rocks!
Stepmother & stepdaughter grinning together in the desert.
At Joshua Tree looking across the California desert to the mountains beyond. March 02006.
Memories of a magical & unorthodox beach trip to the Washington Coast,
July 2006
*This is a work in progress. Most of the fotos of this place were lost in the 2010 house fire. Enjoy anyway!*
The Three Sisters playing in the sand. Morgan, age 12, who later changed her name to Dylan, sits partially buried on the upper center right. Kate, about 6 & a half, is on foto left. Talia, bottom right, is 4 years along. Tuesday 1 August 2006. Foto by Daddy William, age 47.