New Art

More of the Artist trading cards now bidding on ebay, these are pretty popular right now...start your collection today by searching ACEO on ebay!

Heres the link

Yoshi's doggy day Shih Tzu style

A Clever Pup Day




















6:00AM wake up and go downstairs to sleep in downstairs bed.
6:15AM wake up and watch Ian leave to catch the school bus. Fall asleep.
9:00AM Go outside and potty
9:04AM Beg for Cookie, eat cookie





















9:45AM Have delicious Breakfast




















10:00AM Beat up stuffed Squirrel toy and show everyone whose boss.
10:15AM Fall asleep.
10:45 AM Go outside with Mom and pee in favorite spot(s) while she feeds chickens.





























































10:55AM Beg for Cookie, eat cookie..
11:00AM Keep eye open for real squirrel at the squirrel feeder.
11:30AM Fall back asleep
12:30PM Wake up and have delicious Second Breakfast.
12:45PM Beat up Stuffed Squirrel toy in case he pulls something sneaky
1:00 PM Fall Asleep up Moms chair and try and trip her when she gets up.





















1:15PM Watch out window ,make sure no cats are in yard.
1:30PM Fall Asleep on sofa next to window.
2:20PM Wake up , watch Ian come home from school.
2:30PM Jump on Ian , play the crazy animal careening around the house chasing Ian.
2:35PM Beg for Cookie, eat cookie..fall Asleep
3:00PM Go outside poop near garden
3:10PM Beg for Cookie, eat cookie..fall Asleep
4:00PM Go outside to get mail , pee on mailbox posts, pee on garbage cans if accessible
4:30PM Supervise Ian's violin practice, sing along until yelled at.


















5:00PM Have delicious third Breakfast.
5:15PM Fall asleep
6:00PM Wake up and beg as family eats dinner, give Ben the baby seal look, receive people food treat
6:30PM Fall Asleep in hall
7:00PM Go outside and pee , see if chickens are in bed
7:30PM Beg for a delicious fourth Breakfast
7:45PM Forced to eat dry dog food.
8:00PM Fall asleep during Sienfeild.
9:30PM Wake up and go upstairs
10:00PM Jump on Bed fall asleep.
11:00PM Jump off Bed fall asleep in cozy dog bed. Good Night!

On a Photo-blogging roll....

I have been meaning to photo blog these image captures from the web cams at Glacier National Park in Montana, stunning to say the least!

















This is a shot from the St. Mary Webcam looking southwest to Red Eagle Mountain.
















Two Medicine is one of 6 historic landmarks in the park today.















Lake McDonald is my favorite webcam in the Park, the Continental Divide follows the crest of the mountains in the background.















Lake McDonald rainbow on a showery summer day. Click on the photo for a larger view and see that its a "double" rainbow!

Its Fair time! Get out the pie and blue ribbons!

September is here and what would September be without the fair! This happens to be the Geauga County Fair in Ohio and looks like my Mom has found a friend already!






















It looks like the Great Pumpkin is making a Pre Halloween visit too! MMMmmm Pumpkin Pie! BIG Pumpkin Pie!

My sister and the famous Ohio Cousins, Mike and Eric, are enjoying the nutritious healthy fair food and drink that is oh so plentiful.

































A yummy time was had by all. Wish I could have joined you!

MMMmmmm Coffee.

Coffee reported to be top source of healthy antioxidants

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — When the Ink Spots sang "I love the java jive and it loves me" in 1940, they could not have known how right they were.

Coffee not only helps clear the mind and perk up the energy, it also provides more healthful antioxidants than any other food or beverage in the American diet, according to a study released Sunday.

Of course, too much coffee can make people jittery and even raise cholesterol levels, so food experts stress moderation.

The findings by Joe A. Vinson, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton, in Pennsylvania, give a healthy boost to the warming beverage.

"The point is, people are getting the most antioxidants from beverages, as opposed to what you might think," Vinson said in a telephone interview.

Antioxidants, which are thought to help battle cancer and provide other health benefits, are abundant in grains, tomatoes and many other fruits and vegetables.

Vinson said he was researching tea and cocoa and other foods and decided to study coffee, too.

His team analyzed the antioxidant content of more than 100 different food items, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, spices, oils and common beverages. They then used Agriculture Department data on typical food consumption patterns to calculate how much antioxidant each food contributes to a person's diet.

They concluded that the average adult consumes 1,299 milligrams of antioxidants daily from coffee. The closest competitor was tea at 294 milligrams. Rounding out the top five sources were bananas, 76 milligrams; dry beans, 72 milligrams; and corn, 48 milligrams. According to the Agriculture Department, the typical adult American drinks 1.64 cups of coffee daily.

That does not mean coffee is a substitute for fruit and vegetables.

Say Hello to our "Furry Friends"

Sasquatch Are Here Says Outdoorsman
By Bernice Tick
Prince George Citizen Staff
8-15-5

A Prince George man whose greatest passion has been hunting for big game admits he's hooked on proving the existence of sasquatch. Leo Selzer, who has spent 41 years hunting in the bush around Prince George, is convinced the illusive creatures are around, and he spends as much time as he can in the bush area where he believes they live. He says he's had one pretty clear sighting and several occasions when he's convinced he was communicating with his" furry friends." In the mid- 1980s when Selzer was moose hunting in the Gregg Creek area west of the city, he did his loud moose calls that bring in the bulls during rutting season. "after a few calls I heard a response -- like someone banging on a tree about a kilometer away. I would call. The right away, bang, bang. A small black bear appeared, wandering towards the banging sounds. The bear stopped and stood up on its hind legs looking towards a tall fir tree, and then all of a sudden it hightailed in the opposite direction toward me, veered off and went over the ridge." It was then that Selzer saw a tall, dark-coloured creature step out from the cover of the fir tree into the open, and then quickly stepped behind the tree and was gone," said Selzer, noting that logged-off has little human activity. In 2000 Selzer was again hunting at Gregg Creek when, at about 400 metres, he spotted what he first thought was a large bear standing on its hind legs watching the hunters. "It was standing next to a large, broken-off fir tree and was about the same dark colour, maybe greyish around its shoulders and on its chest. Thinking it could be a grizzly, I kept a close eye on it, watching it shift its weight from one leg to the other a couple of times for about a half hour. "All of a sudden it was gone, but later I realized a bear would never stand on its hind legs for that long without getting down and back up again," said Selzer. After studying that area closely, he's concluded the creatures leave landmarks and directional signs by piling trees into X marks behind closely knit trees, and bending and shaping spindly trees into arches and shaped pointers carefully threaded through willow tops. He believes Sasquatch eat bark from trees like aspens, and has seen markings showing large fingernails and teeth were used to remove bark. He's also seen large footprints, but hasn't been fortunate to be able to photograph then fresh or complete. "One footprint, going up a grade, was pretty clear, about 13 to 14 inches long, eight inches wide at the heel, and about six inches wide at the top of the ball of the foot. There were indications of possible toe impressions about one to three inches beyond the ball of the foot." In 1994 on the Hoodoo Lakes road he could hear three individual voices give out a holler or two which was responded to by"jabbering type of language." "I thought it must be some drunken people back there on a bush road or something, but I later found out there is no road or clearing in that area." In mid-June, Selzer came across an area in the Gregg Creek, about 300 to 400 yards long, containing a series of blinds and shelters, and tepee-like frameworks he believes were built by a sasquatch. The blinds are waist to shoulder height with logs and trees pushed together to form a lean-to like structure. "The frameworks, up to 50 feet high, are made with long spindly trees intricately intertwined to form the structure., "said Selzer. Brian Vike in Houston, who reports on unidentified flying objects and such matters, has received reports from residents about sasquatch sightings in the Buck Flats area. "Two Houston women, driving up Buck Flats road, were startled recently when a large animal walked upright across the road in front of their vehicle. "The animal, described much like a sasquatch, mad long strides into the forest, but did not turn to look back at the women." He said a camping party at Silverhorne Lake reported hearing chilling screams in the night coming from around the lake, which cannot be associated with the known animals in the region. "One other sighting was reported on the Morice River Road when two people fishing witnessed a large two-legged animal on the opposite bank of a river walk slowly into the forest and disappear," said Vike. American William Dranginis, said he saw a bigfoot once - hairy, 7 feet tall, and sprinting through the woods of Virginia. The 12-second sighting changed the life of Dranginis, who outfitted a 24-foot mobile veterinary clinic as a Bigfoot Primate Research lab. Equipped with scopes, radios and a Night-Sight camera that can detect an animal in the dark at 800 yards away, he heads out at least two weekends a month. But still no second sighting for Dranginis, who would like to push legislation to protect the creatures. "Do not shoot it," said Selzer. "They mean no harm, but they are curious, and incredibly intelligent beings." Selzer's latest reported sighting on July 20 came from a visiting couple from Saskatoon. They told Selzer that, while driving Highway 16 East at about 8 p.m. near Tabor Mountain, they saw what they first thought was a large man crossing the highway. Describing the creature as about 7 1/2 feet tall covered with hair, thick barrelled shoulders and narrow waist, they said it crossed the road about 100 yards ahead of them in about three steps. The couple, who have never believed in the sasquatch theory, were so haunted by the experience they couldn't sleep. After they got home they contacted Selzer, who has added his investigation of the area to his website: http://sasquatch-pg.net. http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/

More Hot Summer Nights

August sunset over Fairport Harbor beach in Northeastern Ohio, Thanks Mom beautiful shot.















Watch out for those Lake Erie Sea Monsters though, oops wait, thats Eric and Mike!

Clever Pup on a Summer Night

Yoshi, the original Clever Pup, enjoys a warm summer night in Western Washington. Weather has been perfect here, cool at night and 80s during the day. Grab a cold drink and a burger and join us around the fire.

He Blinded me with Science!

The Amazing Ian knows all, tells all, but don't try and get him to take out the trash.

Photoshop shoot yesterday for the Zone Page that runs every Tuesday during the school year in the Seattle PI. Ian is a favorite subject and was happy to pose for the science page.

At the top

Ian (in red shirt) and a friend check out the view from Mt. Pilchuck, which is just under 6000 feet and located 50 miles northeast 0f Seattle. On a clear day the view is stunning, a few clouds were passing by here. Click on the above photo for a larger view of the mountain.

Big Foot meets Modern Science

Canadian lab to test 'sasquatch' hair

Tue Jul 26,12:48 AM ET

The debate over the existence of sasquatch, aka Bigfoot, an ape-like creature said to haunt the wilderness of western Canada has entered the world of modern DNA testing.

A laboratory will test hair samples that several residents of Teslin, Yukon, say were left when the large, but so-far mythological creature made a late-night run through their community in early July.

University of Alberta wildlife geneticist David Coltman, who agreed to do the tests as a favor to a colleague, said on Monday that scientists have cataloged the DNA of nearly all large animals in the Yukon such as bears and bison.

"So we'll compare it to all of that, and if it doesn't match anything, then it's potentially interesting," said Coltman, who suspects the hair was actually left behind by a much more mundane Yukon bison.

"If sasquatch is indeed a primate, then we would expect the sample to be closer to humans or chimpanzees or gorillas," Coltman said.

The legend of a large, hairy, two-legged creature lurking in the mountains of western Canada and the United States dates back to before Europeans settled the continent. This was the second report of the creature near Teslin in just over a year.

In the latest sighting, a group of Teslin residents told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. they heard branches cracking and saw a large human-like creature run by a house. It left behind large footprints, they said, and the hair tufts that were given to wildlife officials.

Coltman expects to have his results on Thursday and said that even if the hair turns out not to be from a sasquatch, the process should serve as good way to get students interested in the field of DNA testing.

"It's sort of like a wildlife CSI story," he said.

UPDATE

DNA tests squelch Canadian sasquatch discovery

EDMONTON, Alberta, July 28 (Reuters) - Big Foot will remain just a tall tale, for a while at least, after DNA hair samples thought to be from the mythic creature turned out to be bison hair.

Researchers said on Thursday that a mysterious clump of hair found in the Yukon Territory is from a North American bison and not from he elusive ape-like sasquatch, or Big Foot, said to haunt the woods of western Canada.

"The DNA profile of the hair sample we received from the Yukon earlier this week clearly matches reference DNA profiles from North American bison," said David Coltman, a wildlife geneticist at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

"However, if you're a believer, we haven't disproved there is a Big Foot out there," Coltman said.

Hair and large footprints were discovered by two witnesses who claimed to have spotted a large and furry ape-like figure dash through the bush this month near Teslin, a village about 100 miles east of the Yukon capital of Whitehorse.

Coltman often works with Yukon wildlife officials and agreed to test the samples using a chemical solution to separate the DNA material from the hair shaft so that the gene sequences could be compared with the known sequences of other animals.

"DNA is quite powerful at detecting new species. It's the genetic blueprint for a potential organism."

The legend of an ape-like, or human-like, creature lurking in the mountains of western Canada and the United States goes back to a time before Europeans settled in the continent.

The word "sasquatch" was derived in the 1920s from tales of the Chehalis Indians in British Columbia.

Coltman's decision to test the hair drew media interest from around the world, although he had suspected from the beginning that the tufts came from a bison.

"People want to hold on to these myths that something unknown is possibly living in their backyard," Coltman said.

"I think it's highly unlikely that the sasquatch exists, however, it's not really scientific to disbelieve anything either. You must always maintain an objective mind," he said.

Coltman has since turned down a request from a Wisconsin woman to analyze fur from a wolf/man hybrid creature spotted frequently in the badger state.

The alleged Yukon sighting is not the first Big Foot report in Canada this year.

A resident of Norway House, Manitoba, (525 miles north of Winnipeg) shot videotape in April of what appeared to be a large, hairy, two-legged creature walking along the shore of Lake Winnipeg.

Its Spiderman!

Ian checks out the insect life in Chardon Ohio. Can't wait to see the yellowjackets! or as they call them.."Meat Bees!"

Field of Sneeze

Everyone in Ohio knows what I am talking about. Poor Ian and his allergies! But its still a pretty picture!
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

"You Look Fabulous!"

Just listed on ebay, a new 4" x 6" watercolor pencil drawing of a Lovely Pink Poodle strutting her stuff in a flouncy pink feather boa!

To view the art Click here!
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

Mt. St. Helens glows at night

Very cool shot of Mt. St. Helens new dome glowing in the dark star filled skies of Washington State. For more neat photos of the volcano....

Link here.
New dome with hotspots, as seen from the Loowit Viewpoint west of the Johnston Ridge Observatory (JRO).
USGS Photographs taken on July 14, 2005 by Elliot Endo.

Cocker Spaniel and Ball

Also New a cute Cocker Spaniel!
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

A Clever Yorkie ACEO

Something new...a Yorkshire Terrier! Artist cards, fun to collect and frame!
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

Sweating in Vegas July 18 2005

And I thought it was hot when it hit 95 degrees in Cleveland!

Updated: 5:56 PM PDT on July 18, 2005
Observed at Las Vegas, Nevada (History)
Elevation: 2178 ft / 664 m

117 °F / 47 °C Partly Cloudy

Yep thats a little too toasty for me! Time to play the slots in the air conditioning!

Poodle ACEO trading card

Something new on ebay, Artist Cards Editions and Originals (ACEO) are an affordable and fun way to own your OOAK (one-of-a-kind) piece of art. These 2.5" x 3.5" (trading card size) are fun to collect !

Check out my first ACEO on Ebay!

I will be listing more ACEO art in the next day or two. Search Ebay for ACEO and support living artists!
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

I am so Jealous

Mmmmmmm, 30 inch Apple Cinema flat screen monitor......just stunning!

Lucky Man!
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

Cleveland Vacation...(sounds like a Chevy Chase Movie!)

Back from vacation and the return to the old stomping grounds in Ohio. The trip was very enjoyable and it was great to be with family again. Here we are doing the touristy thing in front of Clevelands "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" The kid grew an inch in Cleveland, it must be the hot humid weather!
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

One More thing........

A week or two ago my younger "Sis-tah" Kathy, who is the mother of the incredibly cute California Girl Sophie, wrote me with the latest details on her Memorial Day Bike Rally. Something did catch my attention....

By the way......the photos are not high enough resolution, but my socks in the photos where I was in the cycling clothes are QUISP socks!!! Complete with the little Martian guy. Yes, it's true. I found them and although garish, I couldn't resist....

Wow, Quisp socks...Quisp a word (and cereal) I hadn't heard (or had a bowl of) since the 70s! Was this too good to be true?

indeed it was...upon closer examination I discovered the socks sported not the elusive Quisp but "the Great Gazoo" who has stared in many major motion pictures.

I am not sure how to break this to Kathy....but the search will continue!!

Blogging will be light to non existent as I will be going on Vacation. See you in July!
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

California Girl

Well east coast girls are hip
I really dig those styles they wear
And the southern girls with the way they talk
They knock me out when I'm down there

The mid-west farmer's daughters really make you feel alright
And the northern girls with the way they kiss
They keep their boyfriends warm at night

I wish they all could be california
I wish they all could be california
I wish they all could be california girls

The west coast has the sunshine
And the girls all get so tanned
I dig a french bikini on hawaii island
Dolls by a palm tree in the sand

I been all around this great big world
And I seen all kinds of girls
Yeah, but I couldn't wait to get back in the states
Back to the cutest girls in the world

I wish they all could be california
I wish they all could be california
I wish they all could be california girls

I wish they all could be california
(girls, girls, girls yeah I dig the)
I wish they all could be california
(girls, girls, girls yeah I dig the)
I wish they all could be california
(girls, girls, girls yeah I dig the)
I wish they all could be california
(girls, girls, girls yeah I dig the)
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

The roofers were out in full force in Chardon today my Mom reports. Leaky roof has been fixed and just in time too, the roofers left at 4pm and a big thunderstorm down pour rolled in at 5pm. Not a drop was dripped, thats good news this was a very pesky leak.
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

Very Nice Day

I had a nice day today, seemed everything just according to my wishes, stocks went up, kid is getting straight As in his freshman year of high school, got the hotel room booked for the vacation, sunny day, stock went up, had a nice lunch with Ian as he had another 1/2 day at school....did I mention that my stock went up?

The littlest Chihuahua

The Littlest Chihuahua, sitting on a leafy perch done in watercolor and ink....that is one small pup about 2 oz. worth! Anyhow this was fun and is up for bid on ebay. To view the art Click Here!!
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

"Dawn Flight"

New Art, "Dawn Flight" following in the steps of my Equine Fantasy series, I really enjoy doing horses, I've been drawing horses since I was in first grade...to view the art please click below,

Dawn Flight, Equine Fantasy Art
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

New Art

"Angels are just Poodles with Wings!"

Just listed on Ebay, a new watercolor painting of a little Poodle Angel having a chat with the man in the moon!
To visit the auction click here!
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

Hot Times in the old Town tonight!

Today was a toasty day here in the northwest, a day that would turn your frappicino mocha into a hot cup of coffee in minutes! The old record was 87 degrees set in 1947, and today we hit 90 degrees in Seattle. I really live about 16 miles north of Seattle and we were at 90 here. Yoshi, the original cleverpup, stayed most of day splayed out on the cool tile floor. Seems we skipped spring and went straight to July! :-)

UPDATE: 05/27/05 TWO 90 degree days in a row....another record bites the dust....Hmmm its a little early to be breaking heat records, doesn't look good for July and August. This may be a really HOT summer, and remember we are heat wimps in Seattle!

Another amazing cute Photo of little Sophie, my sisters eight month old girl. When I first saw this, I thought she didn't look real, she looked like one of those expensive porcelain dolls all dressed up in an antique dress. Too bad we won't be seeing Sophie, Kathy and Joe as they live in California and won't be in Ohio when we visit.....maybe next time.
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

Hmmm wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of this guy. Really. I mean it. Ian has been getting into the whole weightlifting and working out thing after his dad bought a new weight bench and barbells for him. I figure hes working out to impress his cousins in Ohio when he meets them in a month or just likes to lift heavy objects over and over. I am all for it as I could use another strong man around the house! Ian, now move that sofa over here, and put your father down!
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

Best in Show and Tell!

A lot of people feel Poodles are number one! And these two lucky pups seem to confirm that notion with their Best in Show Trophy! Don't ask me which one won, I like the little guy though.
You can find these two waiting for bids on Ebay!
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

Equine Fairy Warning

I'm feeling a little fantasy coming on....and it turned out to be a equine type fairy with wings!
Painted in lightfast ink and watercolor, this was fun to do.
copyright 2005 Cleverpup

Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!

Twenty-five years ago today, at approximately 8:32 am PDT, Mount St. Helens erupted.

* Shaken by an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, the north face of this tall symmetrical mountain collapsed in a massive rock debris avalanche. Nearly 230 square miles of forest was blown over or left dead and standing. At the same time a mushroom-shaped column of ash rose thousands of feet skyward and drifted downwind, turning day into night as dark, gray ash fell over eastern Washington and beyond. The eruption lasted 9 hours, but Mount St. Helens and the surrounding landscape were dramatically changed

25 Years Ago Today, Mt. St. Helens erupted

Geologic Time Speeds Up At St. Helens

May 18, 2005 by KOMO STAFF


SEATTLE - Volcanoes erupt and simmer, dinosaurs rule and vanish, continents slide and collide. These events occur in geologic time, over millions of years.

Then there is Mount St. Helens, young, restless and unique in the Cascade Range. The mountain that blew itself apart 25 years ago is now rebuilding its shattered dome - in a generation.

Last fall, magma began rumbling up toward the blasted crater from a chamber 4 to 6 miles down. It's been welling up at a rate of as much as 10 cubic yards per second, though the current pace is about 3 cubic yards per second.

At that rate, 1,300 feet of mountain lost in the 1980 eruption could be replaced in a few decades, said Willie Scott, a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey at the Cascades Volcano Laboratory in Vancouver, Wash.

"It's kind of great to have it happening nearby," Scott said. "We're kind of along for the ride."

Before 1980, St. Helens was promoted as "America's Mount Fuji" and known for its conical symmetry - a perfection that sprang from its relative youth. It hadn't been through an Ice Age or subjected to millennia of erosion.

"The former summit of the volcano ... was a big lava dome that was sitting on the volcano like a scoop of ice cream," Scott said. It probably dated from the 16th century, when the peak was rebuilt after a period of explosive activity in the 1480s. "It was by far the youngest volcano in the Cascades."

There'd been eruptions in the St. Helens area for hundreds of thousands of years, but for centuries they only produced small lava domes, Scott said.

Volcanic eruptions don't always build a big central edifice, and St. Helens didn't start producing the lava flows that built the mountain until about 4,000 years ago, Scott said.

"It's done just about everything in those 4,000 years," Scott said. "Throughout its history, it's had this penchant for big explosive eruptions."

The mountain emerged over a rift basin, "a crack through the crust," as geologist John Pallinger at the Cascade volcano lab put it.

Far below the surface, movement in the St. Helens seismic zone - caused by shifting in the blocks that make up western Washington and Oregon - interacts with tectonic plates that form the earth's crust.

To the north and west, the Juan de Fuca plate is diving under the continental shelf - creating enough friction and pressure to melt rock, said USGS scientist Craig Weaver at the University of Washington. A big arc in the plate causes it to shove southeast under St. Helens while the fault line, trending north and west, is buffeted by action that starts with the Sierra Nevada plate to the south.

Youth and an explosive temperament make St. Helens a special structure, Scott said.

"If we'd been around 12,000 years ago, we might think Mount Baker or Mount Adams were quite special. That's when they were active," Scott said.

The dome is a brittle stone skin over hot, fluid magma. If the lava extrusions continue, the dome will eventually fill the crater and magma pushing out to the surface will spill down the outer flanks of the mountain.

"It's not unlike piling gravel up. You get a nice cone with 25-, 30-degree slopes. When the lava dome gets larger and material's cascading down all sides of it, it finally fills the crater rim and starts flowing down the flanks," Scott said. "That's one way you create those smooth symmetrical cones."

But there's no way to tell what's going to happen next at the mountain, now the focus of a busy tourist season as a result of the anniversary and recent activity.

"Basically we have the same possible outcomes as from Day One," Scott said. "It could go away over next six months - or it could go on for years, decades, centuries."

St. Helens has a near-twin on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, a 9,455-foot peak called Bezymianny. It was believed to have been extinct for 1,000 years when it exploded in the mid-1950s - torn apart, like St. Helens, by a lateral blast through its collapsing summit. Both were left with large, horseshoe-shaped craters, open on the north side.

At Bezymianny, "that lava dome started growing almost immediately. And it's been growing most of the time, so it's almost filled the crater - the top of lava dome is above the rim," Scott said.

After St. Helens, Mt. Rainier Poses Greatest Threat

Photo copyright 2005 Cleverpup

May 16, 2005

By KOMO Staff & News Services


ORTING - In the shadow of Mount Rainier, a father pushes his son on a squeaky swing set. A small dog sleeps undisturbed in the middle of a dead-end road. The tall firs lining the main street whisper in the spring breeze.

One day, the peaceful hush of this small town will be broken by a rumble that sounds like a thousand freight trains. If everything works right, sirens will wail and the town's 4,400 residents will have less than 45 minutes to evacuate - or be buried by an avalanche of mud and debris tumbling off the flank of Mount Rainier.

Scientists know that Mount Rainier, an active volcano, will one day awaken as Mount St. Helens did in 1980. It could gradually build up and explode, or part of it could simply collapse, perhaps with very little warning. It could happen in 200 years, or it could happen tonight.

"People get burned by these kind of events because they think it can't happen in their lifetime," said U.S. Geological Survey vulcanologist Willie Scott. "We can't rule out a flow of troublesome size being generated almost at any time."

A mudflow would likely be troublesome indeed for Orting. Two rivers, the Carbon and the Puyallup, drain off the mountain, hug the town and converge just beyond it, putting Orting squarely in the mountain's strike zone. The town was built atop a 500-year-old mudflow that buried the valley 30 feet deep.

Construction crews working on new housing developments for Orting's growing population have dug up massive tree stumps - the remnants of a forest buried there the last time Mount Rainier hiccuped.

The USGS ranks Mount Rainier as the third most dangerous volcano in the nation, after Kilauea on Hawaii's Big Island and St. Helens, both of which are currently active. Other studies call Rainier the most dangerous volcano in the world - not just for its explosive potential, but because of the 3 million people who live in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metropolitan area. At least 100,000 people live on top of old Rainier mudflows that have solidified.

Dawn So is one of them. When she moved to Orting from SeaTac two years ago, she didn't worry about volcanos or mudflows. She was just looking for a good place to raise her children and open a quilting store.

"I wanted to have my kids in a better school district, a smaller town," she said. "I like to let them play in the front yard without having to worry about them."

She and her children have planned their escape routes, and she's confident they could get to high ground in time. But she doesn't spend much time thinking about Rainier's threat.

"It's such a highly improbable situation," she said. "Disasters can happen wherever you're at."

Disaster could strike in at least three different ways. The mountain could go through a Mount St. Helens-type buildup, with magma rising in the mountain's core and then exploding, literally blowing Rainier's top and sending mudflows crashing down on the valleys below.

Or, the magma could build up inside the mountain, never explode, but still trigger mudflows by weakening the rock and melting glaciers.

Or, part of the mountain could simply collapse without any magma buildup, weakened by centuries of hot, acidic liquid coursing through the rock. Scott said the west flank of Rainier, overlooking the Puyallup River valley, is the oldest part of Mount Rainier and thus the most likely to collapse.

In any case, rock and mud would mix with melted glaciers to create a flow with the consistency of concrete, moving as fast as 50 miles per hour. The mudflow would sweep down the valleys, picking up trees, bridges, and whatever else got in its way.

Most of the mudflows - also called lahars - from Mount Rainier were triggered by an eruption, Scott said. But the most recent, the Electron mudflow that buried Orting 500 years ago, didn't seem to follow that pattern.

"Maybe it was just a gradual weakening," Scott said. "That one sort of keeps us honest."

About 5,600 years ago the Osceola mudflow blanketed about 200 square miles northwest of the mountain. The flows reached as far north as Kent, a Seattle suburb, and drained west into Commencement Bay, now the site of the Port of Tacoma.

The risk of catastrophe every couple thousand years hasn't stopped brisk development on ancient mudflows. But as scientists identified Rainier as a threat in the decades after Mount St. Helens' eruption, government officials and citizens have begun preparing.

Last week, federal, state and local officials gathered at Fort Lewis for an exercise called "Cascade Fury III" - simulating the emergency response to an earthquake, eruption and massive mudflow from Mount Rainier. Later this month, Orting schools will practice a drill familiar to most students by now - evacuating and walking two miles to higher ground.

Chuck Morrison has been lobbying for years to make that walk faster and easier. He wants to build bridges and a path so Orting students can evacuate to a bluff about a half-mile away, rather than hightailing it across town.

This year's state budget includes $1.7 million to start engineering and planning the project. Morrison hopes to get more money from the federal government and private donors to finish the "Bridge for Kids."

Some locals have welcomed his activism, while others roll their eyes.

"Don't keep talking about that mountain! I'm sick of hearing about it," said James Nunnally, 69, whose family moved to Orting when he was 4. He'd rather see the state spend money on roads to handle Orting's growing number of commuters than on a pedestrian bridge.

"It's a farce," Nunnally said.

Morrison shrugs off criticism. A Tacoma resident, he made the pedestrian bridge his crusade after falling in love with Orting's rich railroad history and scenic beauty. He understands what draws people to a volcano's backyard.

"This place is gorgeous," Morrison said, standing on the edge of the town square, the mountain shrouded by clouds behind him. "I would love to live here."

For More Information:

vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Rainier/

Chihuahua Pillow Print

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Horse study

This is a watercolor, watercolor pencil and ink study of a galloping duo. Painted on hand made paper with Deckle edging. Just listed on Ebay ready for your bids!
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New Art

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