Sorry to take so long to get back to you, Paddy & Krissel; we're now having wonderfully cool and clear weather, thanks to a humongous rainstorm that cleared out the smoke, and dampened down most of the fires here. So far, the smoke from the south hasn't reappeared, and we're due for another downpour tomorrow.
I had to laugh, when you mentioned the stairs getting harder, Krissel; they have, but only coming down! Guess I should explain that: I've got a pretty rigorous exercise routine that I've been pretty faithful to, over the last 11 years, so going up them isn't a problem, and I want to keep it that way; don't know where else I'd feel at home. Anyway, about 3 weeks ago we started to prepare to expand the road to the parking lot, and the parking lot itself, so we cut down a bunch of fir and madrone, and I've been making 3-5 trips down the hill every day, packing about 60-70 lbs. of wood on my WW1 "backpack". I put backpack in quotes, because it bears NO resemblance to those we have today, and could easily double as a medieval torture device! It's a wooden frame, with a couple of straps, about 1 1/2" wide, and no waist belt for support. I should mention that those straps have D-rings that connect to a couple of metal hooks that'll rip clothes/flesh, if you're not careful. It does have a leather covered neck pad, that is now like a rock, and probably was when it was new, but comfortable? 🤣 I have gained a world of sympathy and respect for the soldiers that had to carry those things with all their equipment! I have to say, more than once, I've thought about the line from the movie, "Beverly Hills Cop": "I'm getting too old for this 💩!"
For the 4-5 days that we had some of the worst air quality in the world, I quit doing the trips, and just hung out in the house, looking at "white air"; couldn't see across the Tacoma Narrows, and couldn't see the Narrows Bridge, either, both of which are probably not more than 3/4 mile away, and I got a notion of what it must be like to live in an apartment in the city, which I now realize would absolutely drive me crazy!
Hope you all are staying safe & healthy!
