UMTravels

The big plan was Sven and I going to on the Boeing Plant tour up in Everett – unfortunately Boeing neglected to change their hours on their website to say the last tour was at 11 (we got there at 11:20). Really – the website said until 6pm – put it on your website if […]

Dropped Sven in Pioneer Square at the Klondike Museum, the smallest National Park in the system – a store front museum really. After the museum he was headed to the Seahawks game. He wanted to see a US football game, though probably didn’t realize exactly how expensive a good ticket at a football game where […]

Did the closing shift at the shop. Barely OK day in sales, but looking back at the numbers from last year, the time between Christmas and New Year’s seems to be a slow time. Let’s hope lots of people come in for bubbles today and tomorrow. We are running some nice specials for the next […]

Another day of stinking up the house. Only three cases left to go… before another five cases show up next week. Here is the progress so far: Swanda showed up a little after 5 for our standard news followed by dinner: Salad Steamed asparagus Steak All while the still was a running. And apparently running […]

Well, the recycling bin is going to be VERY HEAVY come Wednesday. Two more cases down, five to go. Got a late start today because what I thought was going to be a 15 minute errand turned into more like an hour of waiting around. Each run takes 3-4 hours, so there goes the day. […]

Whew! A day off. Time to clean up the Christmas detritus: And time to work on a stalled project, now featuring and indoor location: Ten bottles down, seven cases to go. [211.2]

Cooking up a storm this morning and early afternoon – getting ready for the twentieth something Faerie Gift Grab. Bread from the oven: Chocolate shortbread cookies: Hum. I’m sensing a theme… And lots of other good food to be had: So, what is the Faerie Gift Grab (FGG)? Everyone brings a wrapped present, picks one […]

Well, we know one thing – it gets busy the morning of Christmas Eve at the shop, whereas the afternoon was dead. Next year I think we will try 11-5 (Sunday hours) rather than 12-7 (weekday hours). It was so dead at the end that Jim left about 6:30 and I closed the shop before […]

Just another day of work and food… with work running a little late with a last minute rush at 5pm, leaving me getting home at a quarter to six with guests arriving at six. Luckily the guests got lost and were running a little late as well. The menu: Butter lettuce salad with tangerine slices […]

My turn to open the shop… which means I have time to cook this evening. Too bad I was too lazy to get anyone to join me for dinner. Tonight’s project, personal bacon wrapped bison and lamb meatloaves done in spring form pans for easy removal and serving. The before shot:   Coming out of […]

As I continue to unpack things from the Santa Fe trip (and the Portland trip), I thought I’d document corporate items from a deferent era when sexual harassment was an office game hopefully taken tongue in check rather than tongue someplace else. Exhibit A: A Corporate Buck Buckle (luckily both my brother and I got […]

Out of the house at 5:30, car to the airport off-premises parking, through security, and into the Board Room a couple of minutes before 6am – that might be a new record. I wasn’t expecting to be able to use the Pre line at the airport (expedited screening) since I’m travelling on a one-way ticket. […]

Tuesday at the shop, nothing special, but worth being open for – of course there was a customer knocking on the door as I was closing up, so one for sale for the day. Swung by the bank to pop in a paycheck, means we are caught up with paying ourselves through September. It’s those […]

Nothing like waking up at 8am on a couch. Better than driving home after a few latkes. By 8:30 I was at Thoroughbred Collision in West Seattle, and by 9am I was home back in bed. It was a late night where Jill had to drive two of the revelers home (well, Lucas could have […]

If it’s Sunday, I must be in the shop – well, most Sundays. Sales wise, not too bad, and we had a Sauternes and There Satellites tasting starting at 5:30 – thinking we might want to move future tastings to 5, right after the shop normally closes. Here’s what we were tasting: 2009 Château Bel […]

The masses descended on the apartment around 11 this morning… sis-in-law/bro-in-law/nieces. A whole lot of volume in the place after the last couple of sedate days. More going through the closets and taking things that appeal to them, and the going through of the drug box (oh, those are the same eye drops I use… […]

First errand of the day is in search of a live Christmas Tree – first stop is the nursery where I found this lovely pre-decorated tree: Yes, it is now snowing in Santa Fe. Today’s lunch date is with the Colonels – no Mom though, she’s still not ready for friends, just family. The Colonels […]

Well, today’s big adventure is going out to lunch with Em (my niece, my mother’s granddaughter) for lunch at Café Pasqual’s: Nice an sunny in Santa Fe today. Em went with the trout scramble off the breakfast menu (served until 3), mom with a hugh BLT that came with home fries (so big she boxed […]

The downside of a train with not many people on it… fewer seatings in the Dining Car – tired of her nagging it was mid-way after seven when I stumbled down the hall after telling the Car Attendant NOT to make up the bed as I was planning on using it again. Here is a […]

Up early – but apparently Swanda and BF were up even earlier – I still had 15 minutes before they were due, but outside they are. Me – I still needed to shower. Off to the airport to catch a flight to LAX, then transferring to the Amtrak via the Flyaway Shuttle, where Craig picks […]