UMTravels

Been staying up later than usual which means getting up later than usual. Must be the couch surfer. A late breakfast, a Safeway run, and at three it was off to pick up the ragtop from the collision place. How’s it look now: Sort of odd shadows on it but it’s a good as new. […]

As I often do with guests I give them the “loop tour” – down to Tacoma, across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to Bremerton then catch the ferry to downtown. Some pictures: Dutch Tim on the right. A birthday boy who bought him a beer on the left. Uncle Markie on the car deck. Dutch Tim […]

Up at 7:30 – which is early for me, but probably not for the rest of you. Car needs to be in the shop at 9am. And it was – as was Jeff’s Lotus as seen below: Dropped the car off, then walked the six blocks or so and caught the number 60 back home. […]

Wow – nice bump from the end of the month – four figures to the left of the decimal point. Nice. While I was at the shop (got out late – last minute customers) I got a call from DancingBear inviting himself to dinner since he was just down the street helping with Faerie stuff […]

Possibly a record winning day at the wine shop, helped along by a wedding order for over $1700 of wine – which they picked up in the MIDDLE of the every Saturday wine tasting from 2-4. Not the best timing, but we’ll take the money and run. Since I opened I was out of there […]

It was a day of errands and puttering around the house cleaning, fixing, printing, binding, and a first step at the garage cleaning and organization – still not able to get the car in the garage, maybe someday. Here are the binders for the next four trips: Kansas City, Mexico, the Birthday Cruise, and the […]

The sunny streak continues. First top down errand is to Seattle Outdoor Fabrics for some interesting neoprene (wet suite material) to make a sleeve for the new tablet – didn’t come with on and with the big screen, worried about getting it banged up. Found some 2mm (the thinnest they sell) in a shocking hot […]

Taxes – not difficult, just annoying. It really only takes about ten minutes to pull my quarterly income from FreshBooks then put the number into the Washington State Department of Revenue site and hit send. No stamps, no envelopes, all electronic. Dinner tonight with Whoretense (who was over Sunday evening for drinks). He was pondering […]

Finally got dates from Obrad as to which days he is going to be in Kansas City for the 40th Anniversary American Field Service students placed in the Kansas City area. I’m not going to that, but I thought it would be nice to see Obrad for a couple of days (Monday through Wednesday). And, […]

Well, I’ve been putting off lots of paperwork for weeks now. The first order of business was dealing with the denial that I got from the National Security Agency (NSA) for any meta-data that they have in their possession with regards to me personally. You can see a sample redacted Freedom of Information Act request […]

Up an Adam to the shop. Got a full day to sell wine and update various blogs with our upcoming tastings and art openings. The usual 5pm rush – I just count on not being able to get out right at five, though tonight it would have been handy since I have an invite to […]

Back to work for me today – but first a stop downtown to look at “Big Bertha”, a giant tunnel boring machine. It’s a WADOT (Washington Department of Transportation) open house. Apparently over 5,000 people showed up for the event – good thing they had food trucks as well. And I even signed one of […]

With the all in one Italian washer/dryer combo I have, it take many small loads to get them to come out dry. On the upside it uses something like $4 a year in electricity. Sheets are done for the guest bed – I’d just moved to whole guest bed mattress into the station wagon for […]

I sort of miss not having to put clothes on until the late afternoon winds pick up, oh well – its back to the city life for me. Lots of loads of laundry and dishes. One final photo from the trip… At the Highway 410 entrance to Mount Rainier National Park – no fees going […]

Last morning in the words. Time to pack up the campsite and return home. Here is a shot around the fire (which burns all day to get rid of the trash): Did I mention the 20-hole outhouse? And a last shot of the hot dog stand: Can’t wait for screws to attach the right hand […]

So nice to get up and not put clothes on while making coffee in the great outdoors… it is so warm that clothes are only needed in the evening when the winds pick up. Don’t worry, no photos of that. But there are photos of the camp site and the Weiner Wagon: And then of […]

Up early (6AM alarm) so I can be out of the house a little after 8, and to the land in time to set up for lunch and the initial run of the Uncle Markie’s Weiner Stand. And what a beautiful day for a drive… With Mount Rainier in the background. A better shot of […]

Good Sunday at the shop…seems we are on a run. Is it “Sunday Sippers” or my sales skills… jury out. Stopped at Safeway on the way home from the shop – last minute shopping at Safeway for: Cheese Brats (to balance out the Ball Park, chicken, turkey franks) Red/white onions Pupu Platter cheese Fish for […]

Well, dinner WITH Roxy, not a dinner of Roxy, though as a vegetarian I assume he’d taste quite nice. Odd day at the shop, can’t wait to see the final numbers tomorrow. Was out of there a little after 4 to pick up the car-less Roxy. Actually, he has a car but his father transferred […]

And we are into the home stretch with the trailer: Just need to run to Home Depot for a tarp and rope/bungee cords. Whew. Sunday after work I’ll do the shopping for: More dogs (have 52 now) Buns to match Chopped red and white onions Everything else is in the fridge waiting, including a couple […]