Opening Day for Jack and the Bellevue Warriors

Jack was the Starting Pitcher for the Warriors' Opening Day 2016 (second year in a row). They faced the Snohomish Sox. He was a little rusty, giving up 3 runs in the first inning, but then settled down and essentially shut them down for the remainder of the game, giving up just one more (unearned) run. Jack threw six innings, just 79 pitches, and was backed by some solid defense. He also struck out 3, walked 3, and gave up 6 hits, just 2 of them after the first inning. However, the Warriors were unable to muster much of any offense, only scoring one run, so they lost 4-1.

The First Pitch of the Season

Spring Skiing

On April 9 we went skiing at Mission Ridge, over the Cascades near Wenatchee. It was a very warm day - 70 degrees on the mountain. We could likely have skied in shorts! This was our first time to Mission Ridge - it's a beautiful spot, with amazing views from the top of Mount Rainer, Mount Adams, and closer jagged peaks of the Cascades like Glacier Peak. It was a Friday during Bellevue's Spring Break, and the resort was not very crowded. Jack and Joseph did just about every run that was open, including all the Black Diamonds and Double Blacks. Henry too did all the Blacks. Very long day of skiing open-to-close: we started at 9am and were done at 4pm.

Henry and Dad Kayaking

In early April, Dad and Henry kayaked Mercer Slough in Bellevue. It was an early-season beautiful day, and virtually no one else was on the water. It was very quiet and peaceful, with lots of turtles lining the shore sunning themselves. We made it all the way around the Slough, about three miles.

Henry's Little League Season Begins

Henry was drafted by the Cardinals this year, and through three games pre-Spring Break has established himself as the starting Catcher on the team. The team has won all 3 games and Henry has caught about two-thirds of the innings. He also pitched one inning in the first game. Here's a short video of him catching a few pitches in the second game.

February Ski Trip

For the last half of February break, we took a car trip to explore two ski areas just outside of Vancouver that we hadn't been to yet, and then one in Washington that we had been to once earlier this season.

First, we went to Cypress Mountain, just outside of Vancouver. It was pretty foggy that day, and was snowing for part of the day. By the end of the day the snow turned to rain, though, and those still skiing were a bit soaked!

Cypress Mountain

Henry in the lodge after the snow turned to rain

The next day we went to Grouse Mountain, also just outside of Vancouver. It was a bit foggy there too, but it did clear. Once the clouds lifted you saw that you were actually facing the city of Vancouver.

Grouse Mountain

Finally, we ended up back across the border in Washington at Mount Baker Ski Area. It turned out to be a perfect skiing day - early morning snow followed by some clear blue skies. The scenery at Baker is stunning, with lots of mountains around. We even got to see a rainbow while skiing!

Skiing at Mt Baker

Rainbow at Mt Baker