My next stopover on the West Coast was in Corvallis, OR at the invitation of Allyson Lickman. I met Allyson a couple of years ago in Tallahassee, Florida when her incredible family flew me out to shoot their reunion. Allyson said one of those, "Hey, if you are ever in my part of the country, stop in", and so I did. And what a great visit! She gave me the grand tour of the Oregon State college town and topped it off with dinner at very cool little place called Block 15. But the personal highlight of the evening was discovering that my gracious host is a world music DJ and as much a over-the-top music fan as I am! Need-Les to say, those stereo speakers got a workout!
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories jI had the tremendous fortune of working with Bob Stein - AKA The World's Nicest Human - at the 24 Hour fitness clubs in Phoenix, AZ and Downey, CA many years ago. So as soon as we reconnected on Facebook I began plotting an opportunity to get together again. That finally happened last week when he and his extraordinarily wonderful wife invited me to their home outside of Seattle. Although we only had a night to visit, we packed in a trip to Levitate Gastropub in Issaquah, WA and to the majestic Snoqualmie Falls. And yes, there will be a spelling test on those city's names, so pay attention. :-)
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories I met Barry Haughian years ago when we worked at New Vision/Vemma. We have had a lot of great times together - including one epic trip to work the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic in Columbus, OH. So when he invited me to have a picnic with Lisa and Julie and to hike to the Big Four Ice Caves in North Cascades, WA, I was all in. (See photos here.) The hike was spectacular. The company was funnnn! The ice caves were very cool - literally and figuratively speaking. And the pun-ch line for this photo - where we were "stumped" for a caption - made my day!
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories I was invited to spend the weekend with my longtime friend (and former college roommate for a bit), Shelli Soble and her incredible husband, Kal Klass. They have a place in Marblemount, WA which is about as far northwest as you can go in America. It is sooooo beautiful up there words simply won't do it justice, so you'll just have to check out these pics. But until then, here's a picture of my friend when I told her she had a cute caboose. Don'tcha just love that face?!? :-)
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories My first stop on my my cross continental trek from Washington to Maine was in Spokane, WA. I arrived just in time to help toast my host - hey, that rhymes! - Paul McClure on his upcoming 50th birthday. Fellow "toastees" (if they had too much would they be called "toasteds"?) :-) were the lovely Maureen Welsh, Colleen (McKanna) McClure and Karen Thomas. I assured Paul that turning 50 is no big deal because I have socks older than that. In fact I'm wearing them right now. Too much information? Anyway it was a blast. As for the back story, I have known Colleen for many years. We worked at New Vision/Vemma together. I was her trainer in my gym Muscle Beach Arizona (True story. Whenever I worked her really hard doing the "Trifecta of Pain" or "Lunges Down The Street" she got so ticked that she wouldn't talk to me for days.) And I was blessed to be at her wedding in Spokane just three years ago when she married the dashing Paul. So it was a great time to be there to celebrate Paul's birthday week and catch up on their lives.
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories While I was in Spokane, WA I got to hike with the amaaaazing Alanna Gray. Since I am Godfather to her equally amaaaazing sister, Serena Gray, I simply refer to them both as my Godkids. Alanna is attending Moody Bible Institute to become a missionary pilot. Part of her course work will be to completely disassemble and then reassemble a plane by herself. Since I am hard pressed to change a car tire, I am blown away by this. And if that weren't enough, Alanna is a terrific photographer too!! On our hike at the Riverside State Park - Bowl and Pitcher, we were comparing notes and shots along this beautiful area. Need-Les to say, I am so very proud of her and her sister and I am so very blessed to have watched these girls grow up to be extraordinary young women. Oh, and I like them because they still want to do movie marathons with "Uncle Les". :-)
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories As luck would have it, I was able to meet with Gary Leonard and his awesome son Adison Leonard for breakfast in stunningly beautiful Coeur d'Qlene, Idaho. I met Gary years ago when we did promotions together right after he won the 1980 Mr. America contest. We got to be good buddies and temporary roommates, but had let wayyyy too many years go by before we reconnected. So it was great to meet up and fill in some of those gaps. Gary is now a Deputy at the Bonner County Sheriff's Department. (Talk about the "Strong Arm Of The Law!") :-) And he and his lovely wife are also the proud parents of a beautiful daughter.
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories When I say I have a "back" story on meeting the wonderful JaJa Cardiff, I mean it literally. We met many years ago when I was photographing a big convention and she was doing chair massages there. Having never gotten a massage prior to that point, I was reticent to try it. She persisted. I relented. And I quickly discovered what the world already knew - once you get an awesome back massage you are hooked for life! In addition to rubbing people the right way, JaJa (pronounced "Jay Jay") is super kind, fun, fit, smart, etc. etc. So we kept in touch...no masseuse pun intended...over the years and plotted to meet up again. Well that happened when I visited her in Polson, Montana, which is home to one of the clearest lakes in the world - Flathead Lake. Despite our limited time together, we managed to enjoy dinner together at the fabulous Finley Point Grill. Ever the gracious host, she sent me off with delicious handmade cherry and apple treats - which I've shared with others on my trek.
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories It's a long drive from Polson, MT to Harvey, ND (13 bun-numbing hours to be exact), but arriving at the home of Lesley Love and Brett Sitz made it all worth while. They are simply two of the kindest people I've ever met. And I'm not just saying that because they too are Lutherans. :-) I've known Lesley since she was a kid in church and I met met Brett last year when I visited them on a road trip. We got a chance to hang out a bit in Harvey, which is a art-friendly little town (See pics here) with a great little place featuring the art work of Chris Wakefield called Grain Bin Coffee.
Cover Contents Books Home Hire Stories I met Jennifer Kate briefly six years ago at a Personal Development seminar in AZ. We chatted just long enough to begin a friendship. We tried really hard over the years to get together, but we could never quite make it happen. But since her motto is "Never Give Up" we finally met up in her hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. And what a great tour guide she was!! We toured the twin cities, the Cathedral of Saint Paul, and went to Wakame Bistro, Surly Brewing Company, Betty Dangers Country Club - a place so eclectic it has it's own ferris wheel! So while it took all that time to make it happen, it was soooooo worth it!!
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