A Single HD Video File

I think less than half of our personal videos are on YouTube. Last night, I found and ripped two, major missing vacations during 2010 and 2011. They were added to my mobile drive for eventual uploading too. At present, these new files add up to nearly 80 GB. I keep running up beyond my Telus Internet's plan of 150 GB/month, as it is. It'd also take hours and hours to upload all the mp4s at the pathetic 4 or 5 Mbps upload speed.


I'd been thinking of running to a computer lab at BCIT someday to make use of the fast Internet speeds. Today, though, I thought maybe I could just try to see what the speeds were at the New Westminster Public Library. So, I walked up the hill with a mobile drive in my pocket.


The uploads speeds were about 5 times faster than from the apartment. Yet, I only managed to uploaded one file in 40 minutes. I chose the most recent file from last month. We drove down to Snoqualmie Pass via US Route 2 and Levenworth, WA. We went down on Thursday, August 20th in order to help set up for Ben and Larissa's wedding near Lake Kachess. The wedding was on Saturday, the 22nd.

The video only contains a bit of the story of our weekend there. It's surely not a definitive video of the events during those days. Yet, as this type of raw video does, it will help us to remember the weekend. We can check Jay's videos on YouTube anytime and from anywhere.

Day 4 - The Trip North

We crawled out of the camper at around 8:30. The place looked pretty clean. Obviously a lot of crew were on clean up details throughout last night! It was breakfast time for the family and folks with breakfast burritos and all sorts of traditional ways to start the day.

We chatted with some of the family in the smoke-tinged sunshine.

We hit the road at around 11:30. It was a smooth sale over the pass and a quick run up 405 to I5 on a Sunday. The entire ride through Washington was as smoky as I've ever seen. The wildfires may have been far away but the effects were surely obvious! A single, traffic slowdown occurred as we left Everett with an unexplainable cause. The truck seems to float up the highway with its four new tires. We pulled off one of the first exits in Bellingham to pick up a few groceries at the southern-most Fred Myers. I missed the quick way back onto the Interstate so we drove through downtown. As it was getting late, we stopped at a Subway to share a 12" Chicken Teriyaki sandwich


The border wait time was estimated at 35 minutes on the big electronic highway signs. It was pretty accurate.. We parked downstairs at around 4:50. It was an easy end to a very nice time.

Day 3 - The Marriage Day

There were lots of things to do to get ready. However by a little after 4 o'clock everything had come together for the event that so many people had come to see.

I took a number of pictures today but feel this one best represents it.


The ceremony was interesting, meaningful, and humorous. It was followed by many photos, a cake cutting with an axe, and a catered dinner. The speeches were perfect in size and content. Later of course, dancing and liquid libations ensured. Perfect!

Day 2 - A Day of Leisurely Prep

We slept in the apartment over the garage but this area is reserved for the wedding party tonight. Later in the day we moved Ben and Larissa's truck over to a neighbouring property. The camper is on its back and will take them on a vacation honeymoon next week. It will provide us with a place to sleep over the weekend.





Today we'd get everything ready. The huge canopy was already covering the tables when we arrived yesterday. Lots of people were helping out. Some were creating artistic arrangements of cut flowers. Tables were decorated. Jay and I asked for tasks. It was fun stringing the lights around the porch and figuring out how to plug them in. We arranged and marked a bunch of garbage bins so that recycling and garbage would end up in the right places. Even today the empty beer and wine bottles are brimming. The entire garage had to be cleaned out, so that catering can set up inside tomorrow. The chairs and wedding arch were re-arranged on the lawn. There are always last minute necessities such a hiking up to find some shims to even up the table that will support the dinner of the bride and groom!

We took a break from our leisurely pursuits to ride up a mountain in back of the property. If you look very, very closely in the bottom image, you may be able to spot the white canopy tent of where the wedding will take place at 4:00 tomorrow. (It's a little to the right and under the center of the photograph.)


We just had a Chipotle Restaurant delivery and will go to sleep fairly early. Tomorrow is the day!

Day 1 - Just Getting There

We asked if we could help out the day before the big wedding near Lake Kachess. Jay and I assumed they'd be able to find something for us to do if we went down early. Just as importantly, we knew that some family would be headed there early too. What a great time to catch up with some people I'd not seen for decades!

Rather than making it a tiring rush on Friday, we headed south today.

We slowly got ready and left the apartment at 9:40. Getting through the border in under ten minutes was an excellent way to start off. Rather than just spending time on boring Interstate highway, we exited in Everett. We took US Route 2 over Steven's Pass. It was cool and cloudy. By the time we'd reached Money Creek Campground in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, I had switched on the heater. The river was nice but it was uncomfortably chilly when we ate the sandwiches that Jay had packed.

As soon as we hit the top of the pass though, we caught glimpses of blue. I was able to turn off the heat in the truck and soon wished it had a/c. Just as in BC, the look of the land changed as it became drier. We got to Levenworth, WA at around 2:30 pm.





It was a pleasure to mingle with the crowds for a half hour. We drove onward and turned on US Highway 97 and later onto Washington State Route 970 into Cle Elum. We popped into the Safeway for a few things and then drove west on I90. Usually going to Lake Kachess means travelling in the other direction from Seattle.

We were happy to get to the Thomas cabin at a little after 5:00 pm. Dinner and talk ensued. The wedding celebration had already begun, abet a smidgen early.

Just Yesterday, Wasn't It?

This weekend, we'll be heading down to Washington state for a big wedding.

1996 - Whit, Jay, and Ben

2005 - Me, Ben, Joel, and Lynne

2007 - Whit, Ben, Joel, Jay, and Lynne

2011 - Joel, Ben, Whit, and Lynne

Since coming to Canada, we've been lucky to see Ben grow from a child to a man. We look forward to personally wishing him and Larissa all the very best in their lives together.