2010 - January into March
  
 
oct-dec_2009_95.JPG (420259 bytes) January 2
Ayako Kimura and Ai...
 
01_2010_01.JPG (387615 bytes) Sunday, January 3
Ai-chan at Factoria...
 
01_2010_02.JPG (359381 bytes) Tuesday, January 12
At Microsoft Studio-C... Amy looks over from her "space" into my cube. Working with Amy is most always a wild experience...
 
Friday, January 15
Chunhee and her sister Hae-Sun dropped by with a birthday cake...
 
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01_2010_09.JPG (152364 bytes) Monday, January 18
My workmate Jeff "Mountain Dew" Panza and his collection of Dave's Insanity Sauce...
 
keiko_fuji.jpg (499626 bytes) Tuesday, January 19
Keiko is more beautiful than Mount Fuji and all the flowers that surround it!
 
Saturday, January 22
With Chunhee and her mother along the waterfront at Edmonds, WA...
 
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Saturday, January 30
The Washington Sportsman's Show at the Puyallup Fairgrounds... with Chunhee...
 
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Sunday, January 31
 
01_2010_23.JPG (634131 bytes) Everett, WA... on a hike...
 
01_2010_25.JPG (445899 bytes) At the Bellevue Uwajimaya...
 
Wednesday, February 3
Facing east from Studio-C, toward the Cascade Mountains...
 
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02_2010_05.JPG (474849 bytes) Friday, February 5
Picking up my birthday package (from Sister Jan & family) at the Redmond Pony Express. The package arrived a little late but the contents were mysteriously doubled!
 
"Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit - Look who's here!"
 
02_2010_06.JPG (560442 bytes) Saturday, February 6
Saturday morning biscuits & coffee in Bigfoot with a new birthday tablemat on the table...
 
Saturday, February 6
Hiking with Chunhee at Twin Falls / Olallie State Park...
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A sad email from Sister Jan...
 
From: Jan Hamilton
Sent: Monday, February 08, 2010 4:22 PM
To: Steven J. Thompson
Subject: Re: Olallie State Park

Wow - we are all glad she was not standing there when it fell!
 
We have some sad news - Cindy Lou Who died this afternoon. She had really gone downhill in the past 24 hours so we were not surprised, but still very very sad. She was not a cuddly cat but we know she loved us in her own way. She had been more a part of our lives in the past few months than in a long time, she actually seemed to be getting better but then took a turn for the worse. We have had to say good bye to Slash, Smithers and Cindy recently - I feel so bad for Will and Ryan. Matt will miss her working on his plans with him everyday, too.

Anyway- just wanted you to know. I hope you have a good week. Any word on your final day with this job and any plans yet for that time off?

Jan
 
Cindy was a fine kitty and I know how much Sister Jan's family will miss her...
 
 
02_2010_19.JPG (395646 bytes) 02_2010_20.JPG (422789 bytes) 02_2010_21.JPG (457425 bytes) Monday, February 8
Bill Noonan was in town on Microsoft business and we caught up on a little pickin' in Bigfoot before repairing to our dinner at Daman's in Redmond...
 
02_2010_22.JPG (411963 bytes) Tuesday, February 9
Facing west from the 4th floor of Studio-C toward the Cascade Mountains and observing a fog over Lake Sammamish...
 
happy_birthday_rossi.jpg (562548 bytes) Friday, February 12
Happy Birthday Rossi! My workmate Thuyly Nguyen's young son...
 
Saturday, February 20
Hiking with Chunhee at North Bend...
 
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Thursday, February 25
I brought my Gibson Dove in to work for several of the local pickers to check out...
 
02_2010_31.JPG (247395 bytes) Jon Trost grabbed a G-chord and then went off on an improvisational journey...
 
02_2010_32.JPG (432143 bytes) Lab man Ron McHaney finger-picked a couple of old folk standards as sweet as could be...
 
02_2010_33.JPG (518941 bytes) Lunch with Amy in Bigfoot...
 
Monday, March 1
 
02_2010_34.JPG (294611 bytes) 02_2010_35.JPG (303069 bytes) Nathan, barista in the Studio-C Post Alley. I had many an interesting early morning talk with Nathan on my way to the lab... many subjects covered, but mostly guitars...
 
02_2010_36.JPG (314612 bytes) 02_2010_37.JPG (74386 bytes) With Scott Barker. In this shot we're standing at the Studio-C 4th floor Starbucks iCup coffee machine where we held many a good chat.

I later put a little PhotoShop on the shot for a profile pic...
 
02_2010_30.JPG (432792 bytes) And speaking of Scott Barker... he's a fine cartoonist!
 
Tuesday, March 2
 
03_2010_01.JPG (364475 bytes) 03_2010_02.JPG (329606 bytes) As another Microsoft contract reached its end my teammates treated me to an "end of contract" lunch at the Mandarin Buffet in Redmond...
 
03_2010_03.JPG (302643 bytes) Back in the office, Eric Wilder presented me with a cake... Teresa looking on...
 
03_2010_04.JPG (439962 bytes) 03_2010_05.JPG (311327 bytes) 03_2010_06.JPG (266991 bytes) The end of the contract reached... walking out of Studio-C to Bigfoot... parked at Camp Commons... and looking back at Studio-C. I'm fortunate to have worked some good contracts over the years, and this was one of the best...
 
Thursday, March 4
With my friend Nee-chin and little Emily at Marymoor Park in Redmond...
 
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Friday, March 5
 
03_2010_26.JPG (259934 bytes) 03_2010_27.JPG (220209 bytes) 03_2010_28.JPG (254632 bytes) 03_2010_29.JPG (163251 bytes) Southbound on the I-5 in Seattle... Mount Rainier to the southeast, Bellevue to the east...
 
03_2010_30.JPG (268100 bytes) On the 520 Floating Bridge east bound, toward Bellevue...
 
 
03_2010_31.JPG (244931 bytes) 03_2010_32.JPG (285279 bytes) 03_2010_33.JPG (337695 bytes) 03_2010_34.JPG (361935 bytes) Saturday, March 6
Eastbound on I-90, approaching Mount Si...
     
03_2010_35.JPG (327018 bytes) 03_2010_36.JPG (308849 bytes) 03_2010_37.JPG (338333 bytes) Monday, March 8
Ai, Kanako, Bigfoot, and Aya. These gals lured me to a sushi shop in Redmond for a surprise "farewell" dinner, as Aya and Kanako were about to return to Japan...
 
Cascade Mountain Man Rendezvous, March 13,  2010
 
03_2010_38.JPG (327694 bytes) 03_2010_39.JPG (771506 bytes) Wednesday, March 17
With Nancy at Crab Cracker in Kirkland...
 
Rainbow over Eastgate, in Bellevue...
 
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In that last shot the rainbow appears to be touching down just about on top of the Trailer Inns RV Park in Bellevue where I've been camped of late...
 
03_2010_40.JPG (436576 bytes) Friday, March 19
Transferring data from the old Sony VIAO (black) to the new Sony VIAO (white). My break between contracts was well underway, with a long stretch of time to be spent at the Trailer Inns RV Park in Bellevue, WA...
 
Hong's Wedding, March 20, 2010