<p>Polar Bear was chosen as today’s ambassador for the great stuffed animal collection. While we’ve been experiencing some really heavy rains recently courtesy of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineapple_Express">Pineapple Express</a> today wasn’t so bad. I’m a bit of foul weather junkie so this weather suits me for the most part.</p>

<p>My daughter loves to toss leaves into water, ducks love to storm to thrown food, perfect.</p>

<p>I, like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Berenstain-Bears-Doctor-First-Books/dp/0394848357">Papa Bear</a>, rarely get sick, but this week is the exception to the rule – I only went into the office twice and with no animals.</p>

<p>“Gus wants to go on the ‘big boat’. He hasn’t been in a long time.” And so Gus spent a slow, rainy, start-of-winter day with me. I like Gus and I wanted him to have a good time but nothing much exciting happened. Sorry buddy.</p>

<p>My addition to fall color photography.</p>

<p>The amount of time spent volunteering has been one of the great changes in our lives since moving. For me, it’s usually either maintaining the forest trails or helping with farm work on behalf of the <a href="https://www.friendsofthefarms.org/">Trust for Working Landscapes</a>.</p>

<p>My silence of late is attributable to having spent the better part of last week at <a href="http://www.ebay.com/">eBay</a> attending the <strong>Next-Generation Distributed Systems Summit</strong>. I was fortunate, in time and invitation, to attend, meet some really amazing technologists and learn a Tremendous amount (thanks <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blueberries-Picture-Puffins-Robert-McCloskey/dp/014050169X">Little Bear</a>). I’m still consolidating my final notes and thoughts on…

<p>Bainbridge Island loves Halloween.</p>

<p>When it rains, it pours – literally and figuratively. I left the house today in a pretty steady rain, managed to get about a mile from home and then stopped. My rear tire, fine on Friday and over the weekend, went flat! After a quick cyclocross run home, Pig and I made the next boat. Ugh.</p>

<p>In need of some sun, sky and water, we traveled to one of our favorite places off Island – <a href="http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/washington/preserves/art6363.html">Foulweather Bluff Preserve</a>.</p>