Photoessay #275 - Cascade mountains

I took this picture yesterday afternoon while picking up Naomi from her SAT prep class. I faced west for yesterday's photos capturing the view of the Olympic mountains across the Puget Sound. This time I faced east towards the Cascade mountains which separate moist western Washington from the much dried eastern Washington. DIFFERNET mountains.

I'm standing at the edge of the softball field overlooking Shorecrest High School on this beautiful late winter day. The large building in the center houses the Shorecrest performing arts theater. Very fortunate for Shorecrest that this nice facility was built some years ago. The designers of the softball field (where I have spent many chilly hours) may have had this view in mind. However, you can rarely enjoy it, because it's almost always obscured. You cannot see the field from the school parking lot, you have to get out and trudge up the hill to see what's going on. The wind whips over the top of the hill into Hamlin Park on the other side. That familiar Hamlin freezing chill from little league days. I have joked to parents of opposing teams "We freeze out our competition". My usual softball outfit consisted of long underwear, turtleneck, thick sweater, my warmest coast, muffler, hat, gloves. I prided myself on my thick wooly softball socks, I went into REI after suffering through a high school game in the sleet "Sell me your WARMEST socks".... Other parents admire them. "wow, where did you get those!" I had to chuckle when chatting with the dad of Susanna's college roomates from Arizona. "Emily played softball" he told me "but it was just too hot"

Ha ha ha! Softball in the northwest is a polar sport. Our girls are used to playing in the freezing rain. The coldest venue had to be the fields at the Everett Naval Station in March. About 40 degrees and a sharp wind whipping off the Sound You cuddle up with ANYBODY. I don't think you can play there any more. Security. Once, I went down to Orange County in southern California for a BatBuster tournament. November. Late afternoon game. A little chilly, I had my sweatshirt and socks on but very pleasant. The folks from San Diego were in their ski parkas huddled around their portable heaters! What? We heaped scorn on them.

Inspiring mountains. When you can see them.