the reptile zoo BBQ remains a mystery

Well, now that that pounding thing in my chest is mended(ish) and the head is clear (the ego is still in recovery), I can get back to the real mission of my life, which is to have a nice time, be outside, and enjoy some barbecue every now and then. 

All the rest? Well, I'm sure it will come around again. But for now it's just me and some choice girls and boys going exploring, working our jobs and drinking some good beer when we can, and not everything is fraught with emotion, which is refreshing.

That said, it was time for a good old fashioned day trip. Nothing too crazy, just the things we like to do. 

Megan and I had ourselves some spring skiing on Monday. (Megan who is loud and funny and occasionally needs a helicopter evacuation after she thinks she's been stung by a bee, even though she's not allergic to bees. She reminds me of a little lion.)

The pass was blazing warm in the sun and the snow was sticky and loud. Hard to believe it was only two days since I'd been out in the brown, scrubby desert, sunning like a lizard and dodging rock fall from above. Then I blinked, and there we were, immersed in cobalt skies and pine trees, burying ourselves in diamond snow to cool off. There was a warm wind and hillsides of powder. My shoulder is hobbling along and when I took one big wipe out and lost both skis and one pole, I managed to roll onto my right side instead of my left, no harm done. 

I felt like the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet

****

On the last run of the day, we got really jazzed up about pie. I'm not sure how it started, but we were talking about it, all the flavors and different types of toppings, we were really getting into it. On the drive home we realized we were adults and we could eat pie whenever we damn well chose, so we decided to really grab life by the balls and stop at the bakery. I ordered a piece of peanut butter silk and it could have won the award for saddest excuse for a good thing ever. It was made with pure Crisco and not much else; it stuck to the roof of your mouth. A huge disappointment. I saved it for later that evening, when I was two beers in and half an article down, and I ate it without even noticing.   

Finally, there's this snake zoo that we pass every time we go skiing, or paddle the Skykomish river, or climb in Leavenworth. They boast 10 of the world's deadliest snakes, and a two headed turtle that swims in its own tank. Also, the Reptile Zoo BBQ school bus is parked outside, which could serve brisket or could serve snake, we're not sure. We always talk about it and we never stop. But this time, since we're holding life by the balls, we gave it a try. The sign said OPEN. We were giddy. But we couldn't find anyone around to help us. We drove away scratching our heads. The place remains a great mystery to us all. 

And that's it! An account of one nice day of easy living. Simple as it should be.