Remember her?! She was in town late February for a one-night-only performance and we went to watch her with our friends Virginia and Tan Ming. I only knew 2 of her songs (Tom’s Diner and Luka). The concert was very low-key and she had a good, wry sense of humor when interacting with the audience. Can’t believe she is 50 years old! I thought she looked more like 35. Then again, I didn’t have my glasses on.
Will and I saw Joni Mitchell’s The Fiddle and The Drum, a ballet performed by the Alberta Ballet Company, to a select soundtrack of her songs. It expresses Joni Mitchell’s life-long concerns about environmental neglect and the warring nature of mankind. The ballet was choreographed by Jean Grand-Maître who was also the Choreography Director for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games Ceremonies. Will and I have not been to many ballets but this was a very expressive and likeable performance which we enjoyed very much. Too bad Joni Mitchell who was scheduled for a Q&A session after the performance, cancelled her appearance due to illness. We hope to meet her someday.
For our February hike, we drove 3 hours to Ape Cave which is a lava tube located just south of Mount St. Helens. At 13,042 feet (3,976 m), it is the longest continuous lava tube in the continental United States, in terms of passageway length. We hiked both the lower and upper caves and it was nothing we’ve ever imagined or experienced. Pretty cool.
Fueling up before we descend into the abyss…
We climbed over 27 such boulder piles and scaled an 8 ft high lava wall!!
If you turn off your headlight and torchlight, it is pitch black like the background of this picture. You can’t even see your fingers. Eeerieee..
I see light! I made it!
In the spirit of the 2010 winter Olympics, we decided to undertake the art of curling and all its slippery challenges. A crack team of fierce ice competitors took up the call and rose at 7a on a Saturday to join their fellow athletes at the Seattle Curling Association Open House. The tossing, the sweeping, the sliding…was not as easy as it looks but sure was just as silly.
Even though we were exhausted from our ice escapades, like true athletes, we persevered to the next event.
Reported by William Yang/February 20, 2010
It has been a tradition for Will and I to host a Chinese New Year party at our place, complete with yummy food everyone brought to share, great company, some rock band and mahjong. Happy year of the Tiger!
Will and I practiced preparing these Chinese meatballs a couple of times to make sure they are edible. They turned out pretty decent!
We got some take out this year to minimize cooking and maximize time with our friends.
Its not a party without Antje’s chocolate cake.
