UMTravels

Well, out of bed at 9am for a little coffee. Got to see if the stove (yes, I said stove) will fit in the van. I am looking for a gas stove, and Jon has a Wolf six-burner stove sitting out in the upper field (rusting).

About 10am the rain finally stops — and I grab a tape measure. Yes, it will fit. Pictures below:

I actually got it out of the weeds and into loading position (think physics — tilt and pilot on point) by myself. Getting it into the mommy van is not going to happen by myself.

With the troops (Jon and Norma — Norma doesn’t usually do these projects — but she really wants the stove out of the upper yard) assembled, we figure it will be easier if we take the back hood thingee off — and it will have to get sandblasted and painted anyway, so out comes Jon’s new 18volt Makita Hammer Drill. It makes mincemeat of the screws holding it on — mincemeat in that they come out without any bolt loosen-er!

With the stove in the van, it’s time to shower, pack the rest of the crap in the van (clothes, computers, Christmas gifts, that would be the 3 C’s of Christmas?) it was time to hit the road.

First stop, the home of Seven Surfboards and it’s owner Bryan. I’ve lost touch with him over the years and it seems odd to not swing by when he is only three miles off US101. Downside is that he wasn’t home, probably with Dad and little brother in Lake Oswego.

Second stop is the Tillamook Cheese Factory (and tour, and store). I’m a total sucker for packaging lines — cheese, beer, bread, doesn’t make much of a difference. They have a really good self-guided tour that ends in …. wait for it …. the shopping opportunity. And $27.00 later, I’m out the door with salmon, oysters, cheese curds, horseradish, and, of course, cheese — some of theirs that I’ve never had, such as the white extra sharp ages, and some of their herb-ed cheeses.

Didn’t get to the WorldMark Seaside (I’ve been here before — and I think in the same room!) until almost 6pm — by the time I had a scotch in my hand and the national news on the tube it was 6pm. Laundry — clothes muddy from stove loading and traveling, thinking about dinner, dealing with work emails, and, of course, the blog.

Dinner of a marked down t-bone with salad — and that horseradish! Think I’ll try the Beringer Old Vines Zinfandel — which is a switch for me since I don’t buy Beringer because their wines are inconsistent among their vintages (but it was on serious sale). And here is the link to their website.

And maybe a dip in the hot tub after dinner and a little more work. Of course, the there is a 30mph “breeze” over the hottub that gives you that ice-cream freeze before and after sitting in the tub. Brutal. But the water was warm.

And here is the data rate…..

or with the stick on antenna….

now mind you…. I had three bars to start with, and now it’s five bars. More testing required.