Pardon the copy and paste, but a personal letter seems like a great dual post:
Spent my birthday in St. Thomas, in the US Virgin Islands doing absolutely nothing but eating and looking out at the sea. Here are a couple of representative pictures that I haven’t end had time to blog yet.
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Lots of stairs, often called for the cart to haul me up the hill, since I was at the top. My unit was the lower protruding balcony, and the final shot is of Thursday when the rains came in heavy, and the power went out for 20 minutes while they got the generator running and switched back to island power about 4 hours later.
Got back the night before Will and Solus showed up to spend the night before heading off to Dublin on their honeymoon. Lovely dinner, and great to reconnect with Will on a more personal level. The next day we all went to the airport together, first picture below, in the lounge.
Then it was off to hang out with Paul in Yucca Valley, which is north and west of Palm Springs by about 45 minutes.
Paul and I have known our AirBnB host since she was a kid living at the Last Resort up in Hansville with her parents. Paul got the last car off the rental lot which is why we ended up with a muscle car. Host is also an accomplished accordion repairperson and performer, equestrian (hence the horses). $200 a night, but well stocked.
Couple of shots from our day trip to Joshua Tree.
To be honest, the back-to-back trips between chemo sessions was a little taxing.
Brother Jon showed up last night for a couple of nights before he goes off to India and Nepal for a month of “work”.
My next trip is to upstate New York to see a mansion that friends bought – that should yield some wild pictures for you.
This week we are off to a wedding! And because it’s a wedding, the is lots of STUFF to pack:
And because I’m flying United, it’s a different lounge than usual:
Yes, I got into the domestic United Club using my foreign airline status. To do that, they changed (without asking) my mileage plan from United to Air Canada, which resulted in double credits for the flight (both United and Air Canada), so it didn’t ruin the bonus I was getting because I hadn’t flown in a awhile and they were bribing me. Here is what the final total looks like, with explanations.
On United:
9/14/2022 Inflight Compensation Miles 3,750 miles (because my power outlet didn’t work)
9/14/2022 Mile Play – Flight booking 3,900 miles (the bonus for their promotion)
9/14/2022 United SEA – DEN 3,824 miles (miles and bonuses)
On Air Canada:
15-Sep Uber Airport 42 miles (because my Air Canada card is linked to Uber)
15-Sep United SEA-DEN 1,532 miles (I get class of bonus miles for first, but not elite bonuses)
15-Sep United DEN-SAF 303 miles (actual miles from here down)
18- Sep United SAF-DEN 303 miles
18-Sept United DEN-SEA 1027
The end math is 11,474 on the United account and 3,207 for Air Canada. Would have done better on just the United miles with bonuses, BUT the lounge passes would have been $100 for coming and going. I’ll take this as a win.
And I know that only I care about this, but it’s how I get all those fancy seats on long-haul international flights.
Saw this retro livery by my gate (sadly not my plane):
And once on board, here is something I haven’t had on a domestic first in a dogs age:
Followed by lunch in the air:
And to the lounge in Denver:
And onto Santa Fe…
Spending the first night at my brother/sis-in-law’s AirBnB.
The next day, it is off to the historic El Rey Motel on Cerillos where the wedding is:
I’d books a room with two queen beds and ended up with a king in the loving room, and a spare bedroom with a queen, and no real use for it, sadly.
Here are some shots of the wedding rehearsal dinner/cocktail hour:
I stayed up late!
And in the morning, there is a breakfast food truck/trailer that was amasing:
And then the festivities roll around:
And the official portrait:
Wedding done, the party started!
The next morning, a massive breakfast brunch out in Eldorado:
And back to Jon and Norma’s AirBnB after dinner with Cyn and Lawrence at their BnB.
About three years ago, I was on a quest to find a world clock with the ability to display four time zones at a glance to help with my ever-present travel bug.
I’m too cheap to pay the $750 to $1000 on the vinyl lettered one:
And REALLY too cheap to spend the $1700 to $2000 for the ones with LED cities:
So, down the rabbit hole I go.
VERSION ONE: Four matching analog clocks.
Pros:
Easy to read at a glance
Cons:
Tags too small to read the city
No clue if that’s AM or PM
No clue what day it is
No automatic adjustment for daylight savings time
If you were wondering why one of the clocks is half an hour off from the others—say hello to India. Just to make it fun, Nepal is fifteen minutes off of India.
VERSION TWO: Four matching digital alarm clocks.
Pros:
Shows AM/PM
Shows date
Shows day of the week
Cons:
Doesn’t show city
Limited viewing angle (like only when I’m sitting on the couch looking directly at it)
Doesn’t automatically adjust for daylight savings time
Eventually moved to next to my desk and added city tags.
VERSION THREE: Three mismatched laptop and tablets resting in the garage (was testing proof of concept before I fired up another on)
Pros:
Shows city
Show AMPM
Shows day of the week
Automatically adjusted for daylight savings time
Cons:
Day of the week too small to read at a distance
They seem to want to keep updating themselves
Not sure if the fourth one will fit up there
VERSION FOUR: electro-steampunk esthetic Windows 10 stick computer and some custom programming by my buddy Dan.
And the back side with more details:
And, I got the touch screen working on the screen, so you can scroll down to see the day of the week, the weather in each of the cities, and a ticker with commodities prices, which is an homage to my dear confidant and his families business.
In its early construction phase:
And in its final home:
And yes, the 31-line 1A2 phone works., including working lights, flashing when you put someone on hold. A little overkill for a VOIP (voice over internet protocol) phone.
As does the limited-edition Fischer-Price Bluetooth Chatter phone. Yes, the eyes go up and down when it rolls. The rotary dial works by spinning and includes the # and * keys! Even has a speakerphone button on it. It was $60 plus tax when I bought it last November. They did one run of these. Now $166 is the current high bid on eBay for a new in box. $300 plus $12 shipping if you want one immediately. I purposely threw out all the “apple-quality” packaging to resist the temptation to resell it.
So, long story about my world clock fetish. At least the latest version adjusts for daylight savings time, and I can reprogram the cities (well, Dan can reprogram the cities).
Different starter when you are on an evening flight!
Maybe I should be headed to Germany, not Hawaii…but alas, I’m in coach to Kona, though moved seats to have the middle open and me at the window.
And some window shots:
Dinner arrives – ordered the Protein Platter, and the rest comes as benefits of Elite Status:
Interestingly, they now are serving a sparkling wine that we used to carry at the shop (albeit, not in cans). It is the Saint Vincent, which is made by Gruet out of New Mexico:
And as we go into evening, more pretty shots:
Made it to Kona in one piece, just to buy some coffee and a post card, sadly, no post cards for sale. VERY small airport:
And back onto the plane, but this time up front:
And this is what I look like under the mask….tired.
More food…
And thankfully sleep.
Got home at 7am in the morning, but with Alaska Gold MVP for next year, so it was all worth it.
Time to go back to racking up status for 2023 – and off to Juneau on the milk-run go I. This route used to be serviced by a “combi” which had the first 15 rows removed to make room for cargo. Now, it’s just a standard 737, but with 3 stops between Seattle and Juneau. I took it for old-time sake.
I actually found my post from December 2009, it is here. Had to dig up the pictures since they were stored on a server that is no longer active, so I’ll just put the pictures here:
No windows up front, and from the inside, there is a moveable bulkhead at row 15:
And should the pilot or co-pilot need something from the back, the can open a little door and pass it through.
These days the plane looks like this:
Started the day off with the usual in the lounge. Caesar (a Canadian Bloody Mary with Clamato), everything bagel – but now they also have scrambled eggs and sausage. NICE ADDITION.
No First-Class upgrade, but at least I’m in Premium (extra legroom and free booze):
It’s an hour and a half flight to the first stop, which is Ketchikan.
There is time to get off the plane (and buy a postcard), and see the airport:
Seems to be a thing in Alaska airports.
So, on the first leg there was drink service – nothing more than water and CheeZits at each of the next stops.
Here are the flight times:
Ketchikan = 1.5 hours
Wrangle = 20 minutes
Petersburg = 10 minutes
Juneau = 30 minutes
Next stop Wrangell, where my friend Salamander was raised (miserably, apparently):
Then Petersburg where we maybe go to 2,000 feet above land. No getting off as you’d have to go back through security.
And then onto Juneau, with some nice scenery along the way:
More animals in the airport in Juneau…
And then to grab the shuttle to the Travelodge:
Needless to say, stock photo as it was overcast and drizzly.
Fortunately, this was a points stay, because, well, this is what $200 a night gets you in Alaska. And the view – apparently there is a glacier in the distance:
That said, because of the flight schedule into/out of Juneau, it’s a 24-hour hotel shuttle. Other notable features are an on-site Mexican restaurant, and several MASSIVE freezers to store the fish you caught so you can fly it home.
This will give you an idea a where the airport is located – and they do offer a free shuttle to downtown…
When I say 24-hours, here are the flights south to Seattle for a typical day…
1:30am
5:20am
7:10am (1-stop)
8:20am
10:24am(1-stop)
1:06pm (3-stop milk run)
1:10pm
6:28pm
10:24pm
That’s a lot of flights – and it’s a good thing since I decided I didn’t want to take the milk run home. At check-in online, they let me choose a different flight (and still get Premium seating, though a middle seat). It left 5 minutes earlier than my old flight but got in 3 hours earlier.
And the kicker is that a couple of hours before departure, they upgraded me to First-Class! Elite status has its perks.
Well, this trip started with a hiccup, and a cancelled first night out of town, so I used the day to rest up, with a little “mental health” trip over to the Museum of Flight to just sit in the Pavilion amongst the planes. It is an incredibly calming place for me.
Later in the day MB came up to join me on my trip to Whistler – last minute substitution, but I’ve been meaning to spend more time with her now that she is partially retired.
It was a lovely dinner before retiring at getting out of the house at 8am – we are planning a LEISURELY drive north – including time to see the outside display at B.C Vintage Truck Museum, sadly, only open to the public on Saturdays:
And I’m not sure if the graphic matches the message:
Off to Whistler we go!
And the condo is ready for us at 2pm – normal check-in is 4pm:
In the morning we had a little breakfast, and headed out to the hot tub (we were too exhausted last night to tub, but MB did swim in the afternoon):
Did a little shopping later – and in the odd Canadian Sign category:
Not sure WHY Kraft Dinner gets its own line.
Then it was a stroll to the dog stand I love:
And then we were at Zogg’s Dogs!
I must have been hungry to not photo my own dog! Lots of dog covered poutine going out the window.
Did get dinner photos!
Free rosè from last week’s points run!
Sadly, I needed to get back to Seattle for an immovable appointment, so, back on the road we go!
And then – hour delay getting through North Vancouver, followed by an hour wait at the border with only ONE lane open for Regular and one for Nexus (which MB isn’t, YET).
And my haul from Duty Free!
Well, it was a fine couple of days in lovely Canadaland.
Most of you know about my mileage runs (flying someplace just to fly home usually on the same plane), but this week I did a points run for Wyndham Rewards points.
How it works in this case, is booking a Bonus Time stay at one of the WorldMark resorts that also has a sales center in it. Yes, time share presentations, but I’m already an owner, so they are slightly more gentle. I booked one night at The Camlin in downtown Seattle, and then the next night up at Birch Bay. Each was $80 a night, plus tax, plus $20 parking in downtown Seattle. So, all in about $200.
First up, The Camlin. Studio, SMALL. But it’s one night and I’m here for the points!
Love this building, but here is my room:
And the lobby:
So – when I checked in, got my key, they sent me to the concierge desk where they “made the pitch” to attend the “education” update. They started with 2,000 WorldMark bonus points, which is a joke, can’t even get a night for that, and they’d want to charge you housecleaning. I said I wanted Wyndham Rewards points – they offered 15,000. My response was 30,000 or it’s not worth me getting out of bed for. 30,000 it is!
Value of those points? He says they are worth 1.1 cents each, so they value them at $330, Wyndham says they have a “Verifiable Retail Value” of $390. At the end of the post I’ll show you what I used those first points on!
Went to the presentation at 10:30 Tuesday morning, the points arrived in my account before I’d left the presentation, saying no to more points.
Then I took off for Birch Bay!
So, the guy at the concierge desk at Birch Bay was a little green, and said he said he didn’t have the power to offer more than 25,000, and I said, sign me up for a 10:30 slot and call your boss for approval. They time share business works in both directions for the hard sell!
Much larger room (one-bedroom as opposed to studio), so a little more room to spread out, even if just for the night:
I was only in there for a few minutes before I was back on the freeway headed north – to visit Will and Solus for dinner, then come back before dark – don’t think I’ve ever just popped over the border for the day.
At the rest stop:
And along the road:
Lovely dinner up north ONCE I GOT THERE. Stopped for Caesar Mix (Bloody Mary with Clamato that the Canadians are famous for).
But one of the main bridges was closed due to an accident so it doubled my time. Did see this lovely Lambo with an “N” sticker, which means, New Driver:
New Driver with a lot of change rolling around his pants.
Was having such a lovely time at dinner, ginger pork and several side veg, that didn’t even get a shot of dinner.
Was back south by 8:30 (hour door-to-door with no traffic) – watched a little telly before crashing out early. Can’t drive the distances like I used to.
Morning I was at the “Presentation Center” where they eventually brought me my chose of breakfast – I went for the Kolaches:
Could have been a little warmer (I blame WorldMark for being slow in picking them up), and a little more mustard, but tasty! Rooted By The Bay is the coffee shop that has them.
Headed home after the exactly an hour presentation (new record for short) with another 30,000 points in my account.
So, let’s do the math:
Out-of-pocket: $200 Points received after two presentations: 60,000 Worth at least $660 (according to the Points Guy)
That alone, not a bad ROI, but I needed a hotel in Waikiki next March for two nights, and usually the Ramada is 15,000 per night or lower $200’s. Wyndham Hotels go for 7,500, 15,000, 30,000 points a night depending on location and quality.
This is what I scored….
Two nights, studio apartment at the marina (the one Gilligan left from on his three-hour cruise), 500 sq.ft., full kitchen, 15,000 points a night. I haven’t seen that property in the system since the pandemic!
Retail on that unit, $348.00 a night, so $696.00 total.
And I still have another 30,000 points to book worth at least another $300. Woohoo!
To be honest, it is rare that I get that good a redemption, but gotta brag when I do.
It must be summer in Seattle – everyone is showing up!
Well, the first isn’t a guest, I was the guests – but these are dear friends from the wine shop that invited me for cocktails!
Not the best picture but shows the joy in the evening.
Then, my “nephew” from Nagoya, Japan and his wife Yurika roll into town for a night before heading to Sequim and family…
And Julian showed up with something I’d ordered over a year ago in Japan, that honestly, I’d forgotten about, but was so happy to see. It’s a JAL Happi Coat of the same design that John Lennon and the Beatles wore in a publicity shot in the 60’s:
And nothing says welcome back to the USA like BBQ and mutant corn….
And the mutant corn…
The other ears for fine, but this one – definitely mutant corn.
Next up on the hit parade is a long-time buddy from Athens, Greece – well, when we met he was living in Paris. In town on a four-hour layover just to see me! He’s also an aviation geek, so off to the Museum of Flight we go.
There was it ritual exchange of aviation related stuff – those his are coming by mail. He got the other Happi Coat for his collection.
Several days later Julian was back for an overnight – Yurika is off with a friend overnight in Bellevue. I pulled out all the stops for dinner – as a thank you for all the times he has hosted me in Nagoya.
Yep – 48-hours in the sous vide.
And finally ready to serve…
What a fantastic dinner if I don’t say so myself – Julian definitely did!
In Japan, they say you are born Shinto, marry Christian, and die Buddhist. That is, as a new baby you will go to the Shinto shrine for purification, when the time comes, you’ll likely get married in a big building fashioned to look like a chapel and say vows in a wedding dress and tuxedo. And when your number is up, you’ll get cremated, and your family will give you a Buddhist funeral. And if you’re lucky your children, and grandchildren will pray for your soul in their butsudan and at every Obon. But in the intervening years, from that first purification ceremony until the day your remaining family all gathers in black, if you need a wish granted or a prayer answered you go to a Shinto shrine. Do you have a big exam coming up, and you need to pass? Go to Yamada-Tenmangu Shrine. Did you just make a business deal and want it to succeed? Go to Fushimi-Inari Shrine. Or do you want to start a family? Go to Tagata-jinja Shrine.
And that is exactly where we were headed at 10:00 AM on March 15th, 2018. Uncle Markie and I were on the train out toward Inyuama, the site of feudal wars between samurai and home to Japan’s oldest castle. But we weren’t going for the grandeur and history of feudal lords, we were going for the penises, and tradition, but mostly the penises. Convenience store bag in hand Katie met us on the train as we left the city. And I introduced her to my Bon vivant Uncle Markie, who isn’t really my uncle, that’s just a name that everyone calls him, including now Katie. She opened her convenience store bag and the morning started. Drinking on trains in Japan isn’t illegal and it’s hardly frowned upon, people just don’t usually do it, save silver-haired men and groups of foreigners. And with Uncle Markie in tow, we checked both boxes. So, a little after 10:00 we opened our 9% canned grapefruit cocktails. Next stop – Tagata-jinja Shrine.
The Penis Festival, actually called Honen-Matsuri, is a Shinto festival that has taken place in the same city in Japan for over 1,000 years. In its essence, it is a Shinto festival that celebrates prosperity and hopes for a fruitful bountiful harvest. In its display, it is a festival that provides free sake and parades a seven-foot 800 lb. undulating wooden penis through the streets of Komaki. If this is a wholly solemn and spiritual event, then the alcohol, commerce, frenzy, and fun are wildly out of place.
As we arrived, we passed Liquor Mountain whose line, at just before 11:00, already extended far out the front door. The parking lots on both sides of the street had been converted into vending stalls and food carts. Like most festivals in Japan, the standard clamshells of yakisoba noodles or paper cups of karaage chicken were everywhere. But unlike most festivals in Japan, so were the penises. T-shirt vendors- penises, varied banana vendors-penises, and candied penises, penises, and more penises.
It could seem odd, but it would take some great deal of time before we were penised out. Ring the penis bell of prayer? Yes! Give some money as an offering to the Gods? Couldn’t hurt! Rub the steel testicles for good luck? Don’t mind if I do! By mid-afternoon, young women in kimonos were offering free sake and parading the street caring wooden penises the size of a Sheltie (it’s seen as good luck to pet the penises; so, everyone pets the penises).
By late afternoon mochi cakes, supplied by local vendors, and mostly inedible, were being tossed from the rooftops. And the penises were winding down. With a mochi unsatisfying, only so much room in our stomachs for chocolate bananas and penis candies, it was time to go.
And though it was a Thursday, a day followed by Friday: a day in the working week, we felt it unjust to let it end so soon. The all-you-can-eat & drink yakiniku restaurant was a short few stops away. So, we did: all-you-can-eat & all-you-can-drink. As we paid and left the restaurant. Markie stumbled into a trip, that became a fall. And a drunk 62-year-old man hits the ground pretty hard. His pants ripped and his knee bloodied he asked us if we could just leave him there. Leave him there blocking the front entrance to the restaurant? No. No, we would not. Plus, you don’t follow up a penis festival with all you can eat & drink just to end it in a parking lot. Tomorrow was going to be hard, but I could see the cat paw of the Maneki Neko Karaoke (Inviting Cat Karaoke) sign from where I was standing, and we were doing some goddamn karaoke.
Normally I don’t do mileage runs in summer. Too many crazy clueless travelers – and pissed off angry, entitled, travelers this Summer of Revenge Traveler…but here I am.
And here I am a few minutes before opening:
That is my carry-on for the day. Reading material and room for snacks.
That is a Virgin Mary that I’m taking on the plane to add vodka since the bar doesn’t open until 6am, which is when I’m boarding. Sadly, no Clamato.
Leg One:
Sadly, no jet bridge, lots of walking:
But a nice sunrise view from the window/aisle seat:
And inflight service in First:
Welcome to Boise for the first to two turns:
Complete with beer by the can in the gift shop – don’t worry, there was some in the cooler as well:
Overall, a really nice airport, and now an Alaska mini-hub with direct flights to Seattle, Austin, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, and others. And add a distillery gastro pub:
On their online menu, they had a Rueben with KimChee that sounded excellent. My back up was the fish tacos, sadly, neither were on the menu – when I learned from the waitress that neither were on the airport menu, just in town.
That said, she said the chef could whip up a version of fish tacos (deep-fried rather than pan fried cod)…she often has chef make it for her employee meal since he makes it for his.
It was STUNNINGLY good, and the right amount of food for flyinig (i.e., no fries)
After a couple of hours, it was time to return to Seattle:
Back in Seattle, and back in the lounge:
And some excellent plane spotting:
Love the “N” Alaska Lounge for its comfortable furniture, excellent cocktails, and the STUNNING views.
And time for round two, and I found some Calmato in that lounge – they wee down to a couple of small cans. Supply chain issues (they should go to Safeway, who has it):
And more views:
And bang, I’m back in Boise, but this time, it’s a straight turn-around, but with a ¼ mile walk to the terminal and back:
Yes, it was Monday’s number.
But there was a problem with our plane. The Accessory Power Unit wasn’t working for air conditioning on the ground, nor could their mobile units in 95+ degree outside temps, which meant the plane for 45 minutes on the ground with everyone in their seats and 90 minutes on the ground also with everyone in their seat. It resulted in me using my less than clean snot rag from my back pocket to keep the heat cramps at bay, barely:
Please notice the expression. Couldn’t even finish this, had to switch to Diet Coke:
But…some views, including both a Boise and Seattle sunset, along with finally being able to get a decent shot of Mount Rainier:
Addendum:
Couple of shots at the chaos that was baggage claim — 16 carousels of hell:
And where I was by 10PM:
End of Addedum.
The things I do to keep status on Alaska (and OneWorld).
Time to finish the rehabilitation of the guest bedroom and bathroom (and clean up my own bedroom).
Have company coming in from Nagoya (Japan) and then Athens (Greece, not Georgia).
First up, finish the guest bedroom from its previous life as an office. First up, stiffening the bed for TWO guests:
The front section has four filing cabinets, the back, store for my distilling containers.
Then the permanent dust ruffle to hide the storage area, and then, violá!
OK, there was a bunch of work on the rest of the room as well!
And since I’m having guests….
And then it was on to the bathroom to finish the medicine cabinet, started a month ago.
The last project I printed on the 42″ wide printer, was the tail end of some sign vinyl I had. Keeping with the Japanese them of the bathroom (and living room), I found some on-line images:
Then with the shelfs I made months ago back in place…
And filled:
Then the shower curtain, freshly washed but showing water stains at the bottom:
So, time for a color coordinated shower liner:
Oh, and did I mention that the deck faerie showed up to finish (mostly) his work!
Another week, another train? I should be so lucky. Just a little mid-week getaway.
Had some Amtrak points, so splurged on the Roomette for the 4 hour trip:
Was surprised when there was actually a MENU in my room. Those haven’t been available for YEARS. Printed time schedules still aren’t available.
The view are always lovely from either side:
This is also my first trip using the new Tacoma Port Defiance Cut-Off they debuted years ago – for one day. Several people (three) were killed on the inaugural run when the engineer was distracted by people in the cab and didn’t see a slow to 30mph sign and blasted through at 80mph. Oops. Guess we will call that “dead man’s curve”. Story here.
Also means stopping at the new Tacoma Station that it shares with Sounder service:
I did manage to get a shot of the curve, and the axles were definitely grinding even at 30mph.
We are passing over I-5 – which is where parts of the train ended up.
Fortunately, they slowed down today.
Had my porter serve me my lunch in my room – they had a Monte Cristo on the menu, took a chance on it.
Came with a blueberry white chocolate cheesecake.
Almost on time we were in Portland.
Caught a Lyft to the WorldMark Portland Waterfront Park…
First afternoon I had my old friend Dan by. We tried to reconnect in 2019 during the last heat wave, then the pandemic. But here we are:
Good to catch up after almost 30 years!
For dinner I had takeout from LeChon, a South American place next door that I love. The place was PACKED when I went to pick up my order. Variant? What variant?
I got the shrimp ceviche and the brisket empanadas. Yum.
Late morning the next day it was off to “owner reeducation camp” which netted my 30,000 Wyndham Rewards points which I promptly turned into a night in Juneau as part of a mileage run and one night in Denver on the way to my nieces wedding. Basically $350-$400 worth of hotel rooms.
The next afternoon, it was Leo SFS as the guest of honor:
Thursday found me back at the train station in Portland, in the Business Class lounge:
Train was a couple of minutes late coming in, but not bad.
Used the Business Class $3 off coupon to grab what is probably one of the best nuke breakfast sandwiches I’ve had.
No full Business Class car, just 14 seats separated at one end of the café car.
It was a good trip. Celebrated with a Caesar and some chips when I got home:
Three nights close by at the airport, and I’m lending them my Escapé to avoid a $1200 car rental for 10 days. Ouch!
Even picked them up at the airport and fed them dinner.
The next day found us at the Museum of Flight with Jonathan taking a day off:
And there was a HUGE team polishing the airplanes!
What a fun day. I left early, the rest stayed for the new telescope images on the big screen in the auditorium. I had dinner to prep!
Smoked scallops and octopus as an appetizer:
Savory cinnamon rolls for dinner.
To go with the lamb off the grill (plus a salad):
The next night was seafood based:
And trying out the new placemats I laminated today – they were just paper placemats from the Crowne Plaza Madrid Airport from my trip to Spain in March.
Made little nibbles with bay scallops and bacon in pie dough:
Plus a little ceviche with a shot of vodka and Clamato:
Travel time again! This week is Rialto Beach on the Washington Coast outside of Forks, Washington where friends have the Quillayute River Resort with my old housemate Greg.
Taking my serger and a bunch of fabric to Linda, who, with Chip, own the lodge.
First a stop in Sequim to have lunch with MariJo and Robert.
Huge portions – they split this Dinner Salad:
Don’t know where the photo of Greg and I’s split Rueben with green salad went – but it was definitely enough for the two of us.
Got to the resort a little after 4pm (check-in time):
I like #6 because it has windows on three sides:
The couch in the living room folds out to a twin – and Greg said it was comfortable. I took the King.
Full kitchen, so we brought all our breakfast stuff, and bags of kibble for when we are out and exploring. For dinners, our lovely hosts are cooking – with me showing up with big bottles of wine!
That is a magnum of Spanish bubbles in the background of the pounded chicken breast – plus there were these walnut puffs to start with!
Thursday’s dinner was another stunner!
Slow cooked beef ribs, a sinful potato dish, and a magnum of Châteaunuef-De-Pape from the shop. And an amazing panacotta for dessert.
During our full day at the coast we went exploring on Rialto Beach. I had thought about the Hoh Rain Forest – then Greg reminded me that it was summer and we’d have to get there at 8 when they opened. NOT. Rialto Beach it is:
STUNNING. A much let crowded than the Hoh. Here is a nice panorama of the beach:
Friday it was back to the city so I can work the weekend, with a stop at Lake Crescent for a selfie:
But first a stop at Sunrise Meats in Port Angeles. I didn’t know about this place, but Jim and Greg do.
I just got sausages. Jim got smoked pork chops and some sausage. Greg just sausage. Everything is done in-house, including their smoked salmon and cod.
The debate was ferry, or driving back around. A blockage on the Hood Canal made driving around the best option:
Which meant back over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which I always love:
And because I’m a little geeky, decided to see what the connection speed on the bridge was.
Wish I had this at home!
Made it home by 4PM, before the majority of Friday traffic.
I built it over a decade ago; well, my maid at the time, MoonSong, built it from my design.
It had seen better times…
Yep, time for a rebuild!
Not that I needed an ADA ramp when I designed this, nor do I now, it just seemed silly to step down two steps, and then step up three steps to get to the front door. I like that it feels like I’m on a dock, just over sidewalk and lawn rather than water.
Probably could have gotten away with saving more of the structure, but it was dead on both ends.
And every construction site needs a dog – this would be Bodie.
And soon it was taking shape:
And before long, decking!
And seen from the side, you can see the “dock” effect.
A big shout out to Seth and Mathew for spending their Saturday date weekend rebuilding my deck.
What was left from the materials I purchased? Four 6″ pieces of 1×4 cedar decking an about 6 feet of 2x6PT. Damn good planning on my part.
As a reward, we all chowed down on a Jambalaya that Dan crafted (who lived in New Orleans for a hot second), along with some gluten-free cornbread:
Even with the four of us “growing boys” we only got through about half the massive amount.
Apparently, we were having too much fun to get pictures of the dinner!
That’s it from home this week, next week is the Washington Coast.
Starting to wind up the Grand Canadian Adventure. Another night in Vancouver before heading north. But first we have to retrieve the car:
And back downtown to the Ramada on Granville:
We were SERIOUSLY early to check-in since our train was on time, so Dan went to explore, and I took to a chair in the lobby.
And then the fun began. Houseless transient with only one shoe on, came in sat down, started eating, and spitting, and throwing things on the carpet. THAT cleared out the lobby.
I sat in the car for a bit, headed back in when the police showed up, the staff was professional (as was the officer), and they comped me breakfast next door at The Morrissey.
Just what I need, another full-size American breakfast! And this is the half order.
He even tried to find the fixings for a Caesar, but the liquor was locked up. I tipped well because he tried (and it was a free meal).
Shortly after, the room was ready (and the lobby sanitized):
Was a little surprise that they had THREE different kinds of full strength coffee for the morning:
Popped down the block to a thrift store I know (as did my train car attendants). Dan had found a bunch of stuff that he wanted. Alas, nothing for me:
Took a bit of a nap, but by mid-afternoon I was ready for a snack – off to Delish by the WorldMark that I usually stay at:
Happy hour burger and happy hour couple of dollar discounted wine, and a good book.
With taking our own paths today, Dan and I’s feeding schedules were seriously out of whack. He went out for Korean Chicken about a mile away. I eventually wandered to the sushi Dan had found for his lunch.
Not bad for about $22 CDN with tip. About $17 USD – and came with miso soup! I provided the wine.
Lazy day with checkout at 11am, headed up to Whistler.
With a stop in West Vancouver for lunch…
Dan got the salad sub, me, not so much.
Back on the road:
Stopped at Nesters in Squamish for supplies for the condo, and check-in almost had our room ready a couple of hours early…
And dinner was had!
Nice to be able to cook for ourselves – and cheaper!
And breakfast as well!
Dan headed off early in the day for the mountain to explore the Mountains (Blackcomb and Whistler). I was grounded by a swollen foot from something I hit on the train.
I was able to hobble to the store an pick up a couple of things:
And I did get a dog at Zog’s:
And some random shots around Whistler Village:
Dan, on the other hand, got some BEAUTIFUL shots up on the mountain.
He even ate at my favorite (but not cheap) restaurant on the mountain – Christine’s:
That would be the Wagu Beef Burger. Yum. I miss eating there.
Not being up on the mountain this year isn’t the easiest for me. Pre-Covid I was up on the mountains three or four times a summer. Sigh.
But, enough complaining – I’ve got dinner to cook.
The leftover chicken, some peas, some pasta, some Alfredo – enough to feed and army!
And another breakfast that looked like the first!
But with a Caesar!
Returned to the city early because of an immovable appointment, but we had to condo booked through Friday, so no dreaded 10AM checkout – more like3PM.
Photo stops on the way off the mountain:
Stopped in North Vancouver for a glass of wine, and to see Will and Solus’ new two-bedroom condo, down the hall from their current one-bedroom model.
After a quick stop for duty-free and a burger, it was back home before dark, barely.
Guess it’s time to have my brother visit since I’m way overstocked with rum!
And a thank you our train car attendant Tyler, who happily snapped my picture.
Actually, we have two attendants. Tyler is in training under Josh.
We are staying in the Monck Manor car…
And here is our initial room (Cabin For Two in VIArail speak) setup:
After we got rolling, I ask if they had any tables available – something I learned from a previous trip – and they did!
MUCH BETTER.
And they even made us lunch and dinner reservations – what a great crew:
Turkey wrap for Dan, an interesting version of Ginger Beef for me.
Starting off in the prairies, it looked like this…
And we have access to one Dome/Activities and a bar car dome at the end of the train known as Park Car which is bullet shaped at one end that is open to the public after 4pm. Earlier it is just for the Prestige Class customers who have paid a little over $11,000 CDN for rooms with double beds, unlimited liquor, card key access rooms.
If you are curious what Prestige Class bedroom look like if you are willing to pay through the nose…
Soon it was time for dinner:
Dan went for the chicken, I went for the prime rib – which was the most amazing prime rib I’ve had in a good long while.
More pictures from after dinner with the bed pulled down for the night:
Yes, I took my cheesecake to go.
And some CN Company Cars (for railroad executives to travel between their cities) that I spotted as we were pulling into Edmonton.
It was an early night for both of us, and against all odds we ended up in Jasper on time…at 6:30am!
And the inside of the station…
Before I got off the train, I’d had a little granola and yoghurt with a little old French lady from Bordeaux who spoke little English but I gleaned that her daughter was an au Pierre in Seattle, had another daughter in Vancouver as well as Toronto, and that she was her for a week. She managed to learn that I was a Merchant de Vin.
Because of the 3-hour stop in Jasper, it was a Continental Breakfast early, and then at reboarding at 9:30, it was a Brunch menu until 1pm.
I had the boys deliver me the Transcontinental Breakfast:
And I saw a mountain goat (missed the bear sighting)!
When it comes time for dinner, I get the lamb. Dan has graciously given me some alone time today.
Salad starter:
Lamb Chops for dinner:
And the boys (Tyler and Josh) brought me a split of the Lemon/Raspberry Cake, and the Strawberry Cheesecake.
Last stop of the night was Kamloops, which, as a train station, doesn’t have much to recommend it, but it is the City of Tournaments (hockey, judo, curling, etc. – knowledge courtesy of Tyler)
And damned if the train wasn’t EARLY into Vancouver – supposed to arrive at 8am, and it was in the bloody station by 6:30 – but unlike Amtrak, the staff stayed on and served breakfast at the standard time of 6:30 to 8:00. And in the room, no less!
And our morning view…
Breakfast in a non-moving car, a nice change.
Not sure why my Caesar isn’t in that shot, but it was good!
And the final shot from the train journey, Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, BC.
Well, after a week of work around the house, it’s time to hit the road!
First, we have to get over the border:
Might as well play the license plate game on the way:
With a stop at Burger Master…
Sadly, Dan doesn’t have NEXUS, so, here we are in line…
First stop is the La Quinta in Richmond, near the Vancouver Airport:
With a rooftop deck, sadly, no tables, chairs, umbrellas:
And the tiniest pool/spa I’ve seen in a hotel:
From the roof I spied a good choice for dinner, Mr. Bro – a Korean restaurant. Richmond is FULL of Asian restaurant, you couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting one – but Mr. Bro it is!
When we got there, the place was packed – a good indication with so many restaurants within blocks.
Complete with sushi-like mark it yourself menu:
Food was GREAT!
I got the Bibimbap, Dan got the grilled cod.
An early night because an early morning flight, and needing to move to car to long-term parking:
Conveniently across from a light rail station to the airport – and the train is free.
Before long, I am back home (meaning an airport lounge):
Before our 8:20am flight…I used 77,000 Air Canada miles to get us to Saskatoon in Business Class:
Complete with a second breakfast. I had two servings of the lox and egg on an English muffin in the lounge:
Why yes, that is a Caesar. Air Canada has spicy Clamato on its planes.
Mostly on time into Saskatoon, grab luggage and off to an Uber to the hotel:
We are at the Ramada, and because I’m a Wyndham Diamond member, they upgraded our room if we were willing to take a King over Two Queens (there is a joke in there someplace). Top floor, but the oddest layout I’ve ever seen. Maybe they should add a foosball table like the WorldMark Austin (see post here):
And we are connected to the largest indoor full flight golf driving range in Saskatchewan.
Mid-afternoon found us at the bar downstairs, ordering something called Perogy Nachos:
Needless to say, a nap afterwards was needed.
And dinner was MUCH HEALTHIER:
Off to bed because tomorrow will be an exciting day!
The shop got broken into a couple of weeks ago – broke the door glass, and they grabbed the cash, and the change drawer – not a bottle of wine missing or broken, and we got a free brick out of it.
Couldn’t find a replacement change divider online, so I just built one in the shop out of wooden wine box tops. Wood and a pin nailer!
And then was the making of the bed extension for my extended house guest…
And because I needed to use the big printer in the same bedroom, decided to build a storage rack from wooden wine boxes:
And why not rebuild the inside of my medicine cabinet in the bathroom…
It will eventually have a Japanese city scene behind the shelves – hence, need access to the printer.
Didn’t get that done before it was time to leave town and travel again.
After a night of rain, the sun came out in the morning, mostly.
After breakfast on the deck we headed across the road for a .7 mile “hike”. They said half an hour, for me it was a stroll, more like an hour.
When the area was originally settled, these were touted as “healing waters”. From the NPS website, “Human and natural history come together in the forest and meadows of Longmire. View bubbling mineral springs and explore a replica of an early homestead cabin. Discover the plants and animals that call this area their home, including deer, birds, and beavers.”
After the hike, we packed up and headed home…running low on food about halfway back.
Random exit with lots of “food” icons on the highway sign and we found ourselves two miles off the freeway in Auburn at Sushi Konami.
Highly recommended. Not the cheapest, but half the folks eating were of Asian descent, which does say volumes to me.
Got home, and the rain started up again. Sigh.
As a final note, finished two pulp fiction novels on this trip. A Father Dowling mystery with a theme of Stained Glass, also the title (Ralph McInerny), and Like A Dog With A Bone, dog trainer detective (Lee Charles Kelly). Highbrow literature all around. Had forgotten the joy of slowing down and reading for pleasure. Nothing like the mountains.
You look great Mark Stephen Souder! Glad the wedding was so joyful.
This makes me so happy!