UMTravels

Left the bog — the Longhouse Gathering is at the edge of a bog, luckily not many mosquitos this time of year – at 9:30 for a quick ice/bun/wieners run, off the land at 10 with enough time to go home to shit/shower/shave. A good crowd for a three day weekend. You never know how […]

Well, the sun returned to the gathering today – around the same time as people started to trickle in for the big weekend. Hot dogs for breakfast, followed by a little real breakfast of bacon and eggs. Like I said, the first days are a little sketchy on the food front. I made a run […]

Let’s just say the weather changed while I was on the road – think rain – think rain that is sometime Midwestern rain – that heavy cats/dogs/the whole damn barn full of animals. I needed to pick up Boo at noon down in Lakewood (45 minutes in good traffic, an hour today) and because northbound […]

Another breakfast of too much food – this time it was the eggs benedict and the seafood crepe. Whew. More errands before I take Obrad to the airport for his 1pm flight – first up, cigarettes for his buddy in Zagreb – stopped at the Red-X in Parkville — $36.00 a carton – cheap by […]

I ordered WAY too much food for breakfast: From left to right: smoked salmon with caviar and toast points broiled lamb chops and oysters Rockefeller lobster bisque Talk about being full. After breakfast it was off to pick up Obrad in the suburbs after a quick stop at WalMart for a package of black socks. […]

Headed to Kansas City, unfortunately sans upgrade – the problem with flying on a Monday. Got to the Board Room at the airport to find they had remodeled it in my absence… Jill found it claustrophobic, I just found some of the furniture choices “odd”. Flight was on time – and it was on one […]

Guess I’d better get packed… but got to work the shop first. Good day dollar wise, which will make Jimmy happy. Got home, fixed a steak and packed some bags – four bottles of peanut butter in the suitcase, four bottles of wine in a shipper. This, however, wasn’t a bag packed for this trip: […]

Opened the shop today on my regular open/close schedule. Less traffic through the store than usual – and looking at the numbers for this week they were a little light – guessing everyone is trying to squeeze in that last trip before Labor Day and back to school for folks. Popped out a little early […]

Well, it’s been a month since the car has been out of the shop so I can run it through the auto wash – they said I could hand wash it the first month – like that is going to happen. And I had a free wash card. After five cheap ones they give you […]

Spent the day running around town getting some hardware for next week’s Weenie Wagon run – spring clips for holding up fabric, a flag pole holder and plastic pipe for the hot dog flag, chili for the steam table (and peanut butter for Paul and Gail for the Kansas City run on Monday). Then it […]

Well, that seemed to help – the higher heat and putting it in the warming oven to keep it hot while I worked on the sauce. It also helped to have all the ingredients that went in at the same time pre-assembled in small bowls. The outcome: Bliss, eyeing the home grown tomato mozzarella salad. […]

Looking through the freezer I realized I had a tons of veal for scaloppini which would also work for veal picata. A Bing® search popped up a recipe from Emeril Lagasse (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/veal-piccata-recipe/index.html) Followed their recipe (except used olive and peanut oil instead of vegetable oil) and it didn’t turn out too bad. Here it in […]

Well, today’s excitement is a dinner/sleepover date. The downside? He doesn’t have a car or a driver’s license. Lakewood (south of Tacoma) here I come. Hence the sleepover part. I’m not driving 45 minutes after wine with dinner. At least is wasn’t in the middle of winter – 45 minutes with the top down is […]

Well, the plan was work the shop then up to Swanda’s for dinner. Not. Got a call from Swanda with a summer cold which I sure don’t want. Swung by Safeway and picked up a pork chop for dinner – I could have gone to the Turkey Release Party (Jim’s Winemaking Label) but the party […]

Weird traffic pattern at the shop today, but the numbers were there. Go figure. On the way to work popped by the bridge site just in time to see a big chunk of it float down the river: After getting off at 7 it was time for the American Ridge Re-entry Party at Magnatrious’ place. […]

First off, let’s get a better picture of Koral, who at the summer camp in Flathead Lake in Montana, the staff referred to him as Charley since Carol is a woman’s name, unless you are a retired ex-Air Force Lt. Colonel who travels with me. I called him Karol, with a more guttural East German […]

My Polish couch surfer arrived today from Montana – he managed to get a ride all the way to the front door. Not bad. Not the best picture of him – I’ll try and snag one tomorrow. He’s around for a couple of days – leaves Saturday on the BoltBus for Vancouver. Tomorrow he’s off […]

I saw this when I was at Home Depot for some disposable long-necked lighters for the stove and BBQ. Eco-Container – undoubtedly made in China with steel produced in coal-belching plants, guessing it doesn’t make up for using a renewable resource for flooring. Also swung by to check on the apartment building next to my […]

Well, the long string of dinner parties is over until Friday when Magnatrocia (who is going on my birthday ramble with me in September) and Karol, a couchsurfer from Poland who sent his summer working in Montana on some work/exchange thingee. A couple of weeks ago Dan (my ex who is my IT guy) got […]

Slept in late (10). It felt really good. Luckily the BC Boys aren’t early risers either – but were up before me and had the coffee on. Nice treat. They also made breakfast (and cleaned up). VERY good houseguests. Did a little running around in their Tercel (since my wagon is with Mountainé), up to […]