Surprise! Louisa and I just adopted Baxter, a 7-month-old rescue puppy brought to us by Saving Paws of Washington from the recent Oklahoma tornados. Although his story may sound tragic, this supercharged tornado mutt is healthy, friendly, and can tell his friends he outran a 200mph category 5 wind storm. After about a week of acclimation, we all went up to Arlington to visit some of the family at the new house for a traditional 4th of July BBQ.

Baxter at the 4th of July BBQ at the Parent

Baxter’s medical records, our vet, and people we see on the street all have a different opinion on his breed. He could be part German Shepard, part Chow, part Shar Pei, part …

Baxter plays with Louisa at the 4th of July BBQ at the Parent

Nick and dad tossed a frisbee. To be honest, Nick mostly tossed the frisbee and dad chased it across the yard in his flip-flops.

Nick and dad toss a frisbee at the 4th of July BBQ at the Parent

And here we see mom’s pup Daisy (on the right). She and Baxter had a nice time chasing each other around the house and getting their leashes tangled. I think it’s going to take a few more visits to get these two to simmer down.

Baxter meets Daisy at the 4th of July BBQ at the Parent

Baxter plays with Louisa at the 4th of July BBQ at the Parent

More photos from the visit here.

Yesterday was one of the hottest days of the year in Seattle (76 degrees) and Louisa and I were lucky enough to have to have the day off. We started the morning with a nice long run, then grabbed some bread and cheese at the Broadway Sunday Farmer’s Market, followed by a hummus and pita lunch at the Elysian, and finished with a bit more walking and some dinner at home. What a wonderful and relaxing day!

Louisa smiles by the window at the shack in Seattle, Washington on Sunday, Jun. 5, 2011.

Sometimes I find myself in the mood to just take photos, even if I have nothing around to actually photograph. Yesterday I was in one of those moods. I’ll have some interesting photos for you tonight from the next SAM Remix, but for now, I give you Tapi’s toys.

Tapi's dangly dude at the Cabin in Seattle, Washington on Thursday, June 2, 2011.

Tapi's feather at the Cabin in Seattle, Washington on Thursday, June 2, 2011.

Tapi's cat tree at the Cabin in Seattle, Washington on Thursday, June 2, 2011.

More photos here.

Even though it was raining for most of the day, Louisa and I were able to make it out to her parent’s Granite Falls cabin this last Saturday for some hiking, dinner, and coffee. Boy was that a treat! It was a relaxing evening and I can’t wait to go on more hikes in the area when the weather clears up.

Louisa’s mom lead us down to an old railroad track that ran parallel to a river. We weren’t able to make it to the end of the trail because of a slippery rock slide, but we’re planning to try again in the summer.

In front of the cabin sits the old outhouse and woodshed.

As a vegetarian, I will probably never have a proper serving of Manwhich, but last night Louisa and I renewed our relationship with the sloppy joe sauce, tofu style. The whole meal took less than 10 minutes to prepare and left me satisfied. I think this goes without saying, but a sandwich is a sandwich and a Manwich is a meal. It will be several more years before I have it again and even more if I run out of Cholula hot sauce.

That said, you might expect today’s post to include beautiful ketchup-flavored imagery, but you’d be wrong. As tofu sizzles just off camera, Louisa takes a few moments to pose for a photo. Much like the Manwhich, this image is little different and probably not something I’ll try regularly. Thank you Louisa for always being there to humor me.

Louisa poses while Manwich cooks on the stove Sunday, Mar. 13, 2011.

The annual Hunt Family photos are always an excuse to try something new. This year, I had the challenge of balancing off-camera flash with the dim lights of a Christmas tree and the bright cheesy smiles of holiday joy. What did I learn? I learned that putting a SmartWool sock over my flash head decreases the power enough to actually see Christmas lights. Strobist David Hobby would be proud.

These photos are pretty dorky, but so are we. Thanks dad for creating the photo of me. Happy New Year!

The Hunt Family at our house in Bremerton, Washington on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010.

The Hunt Family at our house in Bremerton, Washington on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010.