Reckless Kelly Was Here

I just bought a copy of Reckless Kelly’s new album ”Reckless Kelly Was Here “ and WOW! Everyone should own a copy of this boot-stomping, hip-wiggling, two-disc live recording. (Dare I admit that it had me dancing wildly in the living room?)

The band included plenty of the favorites - Sixgun, Seven Nights in Eire, Wild Western Windblown Band, etc. - and a few new ones, including the rockin’ Wiggles & Ritalin. The real treats on the album, however, were the covers of 1952 Vincent Black Lightning (Richard Thompson) and a bluesy Revolution (Beatles). Holy Guacamole! Oh yeah, that one was good one too!

If you don’t want to shell out for the whole album consider at least buying a few of the songs from iTunes. Your musical personality will improve immensely, I promise.

Angle of repose

Nick looks so relaxed and peaceful lounging near the unnamed lake below Sperry Peak. More pictures and a trip report to come…

Nothing good comes of getting out of bed on Monday

A quick look at the damage; it’s not pretty

I’m okay; the guy in the other car is okay. It’s just material damage. Guess I’ll be riding my bike to work tomorrow...or maybe riding the motorcycle. No, now that I think of it, I’d like to avoid motorized vehicles for 24 hours. 

A mouth gone dry from fear

Early morning mountain view from the Blue Lake trail

Last weekend, I joined a motley crew to mount assaults on two peaks near Washington Pass. Somehow in my seven years of climbing I’ve never made it to this area (scandalous, I know). Our objectives were Concord Tower on Saturday, followed by South Early Winter Spire the next day.

I won’t go into details about Concord Tower, except to say that it got the better of Colt and me. After three attempts on the second pitch, we gave up. The peak would be there another day, and we wanted to be healthy enough to give it another go.

After the disappointment on Saturday, I woke up Sunday with fresh determination to summit South Early Winter Spire via the south arete, which was a good thing, considering it was a basic climb for the Mountaineers and I was on deck to lead the whole thing.

The climb started off well enough - the approach being short and enjoyable. We were at the base of the climb in an hour and a half. I don’t think there is better trad climbing for your approach dollar any where else in the state.

The hardest move on the climb (a friction-intensive step or two about 10’ off the deck) had us all quaking in our boots. The consequence of a fall would be hitting the ground, and none of us wanted that. My mouth went dry from fear as I worked up the face and onto a broad ledge.

Once past “the move,” the climbing was easy and enjoyable. I’d even call the classic chimney at the top of the second pitch really fun. You work your way up - with a foot on one side and your back and other foot on the other. Just as the chimney gets too wide for your body, magical jugs appear. All you have to do is grab them and hoist yourself out. Cool!

Patrick makes his way across the “whale back”

After the technical climbing there’s another good section of unroped scrambling over exposed terrain. Not for the faint of heart or anyone uncomfortable with downclimbing.

All eight of us made it to the top, just not at the same time. The views of the North Cascades were astounding!

Other pictures, taken by my climbing partner Patrick are also available: http://jpdavin.com/gallery2/v/SEarlyWinterSpire-8-20-06/.

What’s on the nightstand?

I picked up Bebe Moore Cambell’s book 72 Hour Hold from the library the other day. (It was one of those deliciously tantalizing books on the shelf near the check-out stand. You know...the ones you can’t resist even though you’re carrying a stack of books so heavy it makes your chiropractor see stars.)

Not knowing anyone personally with a mental illness, I was interested in any insight on brain disease the fictional story might offer. I was pleasantly surprised to find a little of this and a whole lot more about the stigma of talking openly about health issues, mother-daughter relationships, highs and lows, ex-husbands and boyfriends, our woefully inadequate health-care system, and how a “perfect” life can be completely altered by something entirely beyond our control.

The book is named for the three-day maximum period that a mentally ill adult can be legally held in a public health facility if he/she demonstrates a danger to herself or others. In it, we meet Keri Whitmore, a successful black businesswoman struggling to care for her teenage daughter Trina, who has bipolar disorder. Repeatedly frustrated by the mental-health system’s ability to treat her daughter’s illness, Keri resorts to a radical (and illegal) program that offers the promise of freedom for Trina.

It’s a well-written story - so tight and believable that I kept checking to make sure it was a work of fiction. Through Keri’s eyes it’s easy to see how disappointing the ups and downs must be, how painful it must be to watch someone you love be tormented, and how impossible it is to see your perfect baby girl as the local crazy woman.

It’s only flaws are the insistance that the only cure for mental illness is medication (is it?) and a clunky metaphor that compares mental illness to slavery. Don’t let these deter you from reading the book, though. It’s a captivating and touching story - well worth the time.