Puget Sound is home to a couple of orca pods, but until yesterday I have never seen them near Seattle. These whales usually hang out in the San Juan Islands and will make trips down to the south Puget Sound. These whales were headed towards West Seattle. I was able to catch them as they passed the Magnolia bluff. Only wish I had a longer lens.

It was an amazing way to wrap up an beautiful, spring-like day.

Here is some excellent video by Jessica Papkoff as they passed Golden Gardens

Untitled from Jessica Papkoff on Vimeo.

Water Temp: 48, Air Temp: 46. Clear and sunny weather at Golden Gardens this morning. This was much warmer than my Thanksgiving swim. Could have done some yardage if I had brought goggles.

Lots of people out there today, so my kind of crazy has company. Just remember this can even be healthy. All the best in 2012!

Two of my favorite coffee info-graphics:

Coffee Drinks Illustrated by Lokesh Dhakar is an impressive illustration of the variety of espresso drinks. He is channeling his inner Edward Tufte.

Check out Caffeine and Calories. True coffee aficionados will be towards the espresso/double espresso side of the buzz versus bulge equation. Like I am doing right now…

Happy Thanksgiving to all three of my readers! This year, I decided to do a Polar Bear Swim at Golden Gardens in Seattle. This is on the Puget Sound and the water is always cold. Telemetry from a nearby buoy read the water temp as 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The buoy lies. Maybe not. The 30+ mph wind gusts, 40 degree temperature and the icy rain made it feel really cold. This was the coldest I have ever felt in or out of the water.

Regardless, it was great. Even was asked by someone walking the beach if I lost a bet. “No, I’m just crazy.” I replied.

While Polar Bear Swims are slightly crazy, they can be healthy. I will be out there again on January 1. Hope to see you there.

I found this on awesome ET in the extreme on Threadless. Not sure if it ever made it into t-shirt form, but it should have. Click the image to check out on their site.

Happy New Year! May 2011 bring you happiness and success. I have done Polar Bear swims to bring in the new year for about 5 years. This year’s swim was in Puget Sound at Golden Gardens Park in Seattle. Water temperature 47, air temperature 35. It was invigorating. I always get out of the water feeling great.

Turns out this madness can even be healthy. All the best in 2011.

Bob Feller passed last week and so did a little of baseball history. Richard Goldstein’s NY Times article is the best write up on the pitching legend.

In my youth, my father and I bonded over baseball like so many Americans. We had a different twist in that we also collected autographed baseballs from Hall of Famers. From the ages of 10-12, I was able to collect every living member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Bob Feller was one of the first and the first autograph I paid for. It was at a baseball card show at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare. Mr. Feller was sitting at a folding table with several different 8×10 photos purchase and he would autograph for an extra dollar. Yes, $1. I am pretty sure the photo and the signature totaled $5. I remember my dad explaining on the way home that players from his era did not make what they did today (this was in 1983 or 84). They did not have a pension or any of those other benefits. What I really remember was how personal he made each signature. He talked to me and wanted to know my name and what position I played. He spent a good 4-5 minutes with everyone who wanted his signature. I remember it so well because I would come to learn that experience was the exception, like Bob Feller was most of his life, rather than the rule.

This turned out to be one of my top blog posts from last year and still is true.

Before elaborating, I love the Beach Boys. They were a big part of my childhood summers and one of 3 cassette tapes that were allowed in my Mom’s yellow VW Bus.

That said, their take on traditional Christmas standards is terrible. As children, my siblings and I were forced to listen to this terrible, terrible album. As we got older, copies would go missing only to be found. Later, copies were thrown into the Mississippi River only to have new tapes re-purchased. A few years ago, a CD copy showed up in my stocking. It ended up being left at the in-laws. Even “Little Saint Nick” sounds better when covered by the Muppets. Beach Boys are summer. Christmas is Christmas. So have your self a merry little Christmas, forget this album.

The Blue Angels are back in Seattle for Seafair. With a few days off, I took the kids down to see them. It was quite a thrill. Have a great Seafair and weekend!

Nice read on espresso in the Atlantic. Better grind, better espresso. Been saying it for years. Check it out. Happy Weekend!

The Atlantic: A Winning Formula for Traditional Espresso