UMTravels

Made the kids (the Global Freeloaders) breakfast this morning. Luckily they are meat eaters (unlike her mother, who is a raw food vegan), then off they went to explore the city (Pike Place Market, etc.) while I started working on the timeshare.studio403.com website to hawk all the timeshares that The Colonels are tired of. 50/50 split of any of the sales, so that’s some motivation for me right there.

Well, I figured out a use for the rolley cart thing – use it for what it was designed for, a computer stand. Solved two problems – how to clean up enough space in the office for the kids to sleep and how to get them internet access while they are staying here without using one of my production computers.

This is the All-In-One computer that is running Windows 8, which I still have to become comfortable with the new interface. Me thinks it will be a hard sell for Microsoft on anything other than touchscreens. Interface looks like a giant cellphone screen.

Before heading to the tasting made a loaf of bread to go with dinner. Invited the Freeloaders for BBQ tonight.

Tonight’s wine tasting is from Barrique Imports and features some really nice appetizers supplied by the importer. A huge surge of a crowd a little before six and then not much. I left at 7 to come home and cook, Jim stayed until 7:30 when he closed up.

Nice dinner with the kids but I think two nights is enough. Luckily they are headed to Olympia tomorrow.

[211.2]

Today’s errand is to pick up all the things that I bought yesterday at the UW Surplus Sale.

Thanks Swanda for the use of the car.

And reassembled (the printer that is):

And the rolley cart thing:

Still no idea of what I’m going to do with these things. That’s for another day to decide.

Today’s big excitement is dinner at Swanda’s with Wonderfool. But, of course, before dinner there was some rearranging to do first to take some of the “hospital” look out of the apartment and turn it back into social mode.

Steaks under the broiler was my cooking contribution, deviled eggs and cole slaw was Swanda’s contribution, and Wonderfool did the moving that I couldn’t having stressed myself earlier getting the printer out of Swanda’s van.

Got home around eight and my Global Freeloaders arrived about nine. Two 19-year-olds from Lansing, Michigan that flew to Fairbanks and are hitchhiking back to Michigan via San Francisco. Ambitious to say the least – especially the AlCan highway.

[212.6]

Danger Will Robinson – it’s UW Surplus Sale Day, and I even found a free parking space.

How dangerous? Five pink cones flashlights:

$1 each – for the gathering parking lot folks, or maybe a talent show act. Also picked up a rolling computer table thing to see if it works better than my present one ($10 – forgot to take picture), and then there is the $150 behemoth…

Yep, it’s a beast. 4 and a half feet tall. No wonder I have to borrow Swanda’s car to get it home tomorrow (or Thursday). Took forever to find an only picture that had both the top and bottom, but not the mail bins on the side. 32 pages per minute up to 11×17, networked and duplexer. Big new toy.

What seemed like half a chicken for dinner, though lots of leftovers.

Tomorrow is another day – apparently for moving large equipment.

[212.3]

OK – that’s a line from Jimmy that he screened onto some t-shirts we have in the window at the shop, but it does talk to how my day was.

I showed up at 1pm for a Bordeaux wine tasting that didn’t start until two – I went home for twenty minutes of work and came back. At least it was a nice day for a ride with the top down, the hell with wasting gas.

We tasted 31 Bordeaux and nibbled on some nice appetizers at Ten Mercer, a restaurant that Wonderful will never go back to after they brought him a bloody steak (he ordered medium to well) and there was no time to send it back because we were headed to the opera. It was years ago, and I think we got a free dessert out of it, but no matter. Never again for him.

Vintages ranged from 2006 to 2010 with the majority in the 07-08 category. Old enough to start drinking, young enough that they can hold for many more years in the cellar. Here is what I swallowed:

• 2008 Chateau D’Assault (St. Emilion), though that was an accident, $19.59 wholesale
• 2009 Chateau Clos Mannou 1850 (Medoc), not for sale, just for tasting, assume $85 wholesale
• 2007 Chateau Rieussec (Sauternes), $89.95 wholesale

Next stop was at a wine wholesaler who is going out of business (as evidenced by the eviction notice on the front door). But first I have to get through a traffic back-up:

Objects of interest:

• Century Link Field (i.e. the Clink) is the two white arches
• The white blob to the right of those is Mt. Rainier
• Continuing to the right is Seattle’s new waterfront Ferris Wheel – think London Eye

After battling traffic I just headed home for a nap – the wine (6 cases squeezed into the Miata) can wait until tomorrow.

Salsa marinated flap steak with salad for dinner, accompanied by the 2007 Sodovino Lewis Vineyards Syrah. Yum.

Spent the evening trying to figure out a holiday trip for Bliss and I. Was thinking the train from Vancouver – Edmonton then flying home (late August) but that’s when he is recovering from surgery. Next thought is Coast Starlight in a sleep from Seattle to Emeryville to see Mark and Onyx, then flying home. That could be early July or late July ($400 per person). Looked at WorldMark stuff but finding even two nights together in a two bedroom place anywhere drivable is just not possible.

Will keep checking.

[212.5]

A slow morning and it isn’t even the weather.

Open the shop at 11 and the big event for the work day is the Artist Reception for Nadia Hakki from 3-5pm. Unlike other artist receptions this was mostly low-key with not much wine swilling. Odd mix of characters including these two little old ladies with a passion for Italian aperitifs who ended up buying some of our vermouth and a couple of bottles of port after much conversation.

With the artist reception that means we (Jim and I) were both there for the end of the day which enabled me do duck out a little before 5 to head home to make dinner for Jill and her mother.

The menu:

• Salad
• Roasted bell peppers on the grill
• Hunks of salmon
• Hunks of boneless pork ribs

The guests:

• Me
• Jill
• Murphy
• Mom
• Bliss (last minute invitee)

Nice meal – ladies (and Murphy) left early leaving Bliss and I to look at calendar for possible summer adventures. After Bliss left Missy came over for her check (helped us set up QuickBooks) and to sample the two different Vermouths from the shop.

For some reason I’m a little tired tonight.

[213.1]

Errands:

• Trader Joes for lettuce, salad dressing and to see if they have booze (no)
• Bank to deposit work check and check from last week’s odd job with expenses

Work:

• Showed up at 1:30
• 2-4 lots of folks through
• 4-6 nothing other than friends handing out
• Couple of people before close

After:

• Party at Jill’s place to celebrate her graduation
• Home by 9:30

And fixing old posts, here are the odd things I missed in the posting for Thursday – what I checked as luggage:

• Two bottles of whiskey (one Irish Single Malt, one Lismore Scotch)
• One bottle of Arthur Bryant’s BBQ sauce
• Belt Sander
• Box of sanding belts
• New Mexico license plate dust pan
• And the kicker – the picnic table

Closed it looks like a hunting rifle case – hence TSA opening it (and the bag with the booze and the sander in it), and the picnic table open:

I’m thinking perfect to add to my camping gear for Longhouse/American Ridge/Breitenbush – now to figure out how it fits into the car. Might be time to make some custom bags that nest. Guess I’m going zipper hunting now that I have a new sewing machine.

More work tomorrow.

[211.8]

Back in the saddle quickly as I work all day at the shop today. Once a month I work a Friday to keep our hours balance 2/3 (Jim), 1/3 (Me). Friday’s are hectic with all the wine that was ordered on Wednesday showing up. I figure there were eight different deliveries today.

Before I forget – yesterday when I came home I was greeted by four newspapers on the front walk – apparently my subscription Wall Street Journal is continuing for who knows how long. Wonder if I can still put in cancellations for the future even though it says I’m expired.

Dollarwise a good day at the shop. Even Wednesday and Thursday were good days (which is welcome, but rare). Heres to opening the trend continues through the weekend and beyond.

Business was so good today that I didn’t get out of the shop until 7:30 since people kept wondering in and buying things – I had to open a second tasting bottle at 6:45 (and we normally close at 7)!

The lateness of getting out of there meant dinner at 9 tonight – grilled salmon and the last of my lettuce. Off to Trader Joes tomorrow as I have Jill and her Mum coming on Sunday after work for dinner.

Better get to bed.

[213.5 – the difference between analog and digital]

Time to say goodbye to Fanta Say.

The view from seat 1A – which is not first class, just bulkhead (American regional jet).

Bumpy getting out of Santa Fe, slow to get drinks to us, but friendly enough service. Got to LAX (Los Angeles) on time, which didn’t really make any difference since I have a five hour layover before leaving for Seattle on Alaska.

Off to the Board Room I go for salad, then meatballs in marinara, then more salad. Guess I won’t be needing dinner.

Shared a little conversation with a guy headed to Anchorage who had his video camera, computer and cell phone confiscated during a 4-hour immigration incident. He says they said he’ll get them back in 30 days after they have gone over them looking for illegal activity. Not the sort of guy you usually run into in the Board Room.

Back in Seattle and home around 12:30am. Makes for a long day.

[208 – analog]

I have some exciting news from Santa Fe – my parents just put 10% down on a 2-bedroom condo in an assisted living facility (El Castillo). They are on track to take occupancy sometime in July though my father will stay at the house until it sells because he is a paranoid security freak who doesn’t trust empty houses even when his daughter-in-law lives next door.

Here are some shots of the place:

Main entrance (above).

Grounds for their building. Unfortunately you can’t see the burbling koe pond behind the trees.

The living room (yes, their actual unit but staged with someone else’s furniture).

And the all new kitchen with stainless steel appliances and apartment sized dishwasher.

Looked at one other unit that was on the first floor with a back door to a deck – WAY too many entry points for riffraff for my father. The unit they chose (they had seen before) has just one entry point and it faces the courtyard (rather than a historical alley with modern graffiti).

Honesty, I thought that they were just looking at a new unit that had come up and to see what I thought of the place – I wasn’t expecting my father to write a large check (though I’m glad he did). Mom has the furniture picked out that is going from the house to the condo, including most of the artwork they are taking – now they just need some muscle after they pass the medical portion of the process which so far is going well – mostly they want to see that they are still independent and able to function on their own.

Pluses of the new place:

• Weekly laundry service for all sheets and towels (you strip beds and bag, they return washed)
• Weekly maid service (leave your sheets out and the maid will make the bed)
• One hot meal a day included (buffet style so you can choose your portion size)
• Security patrols evenings and weekends when most of the staff isn’t there
• A decent deferred payment system while your house sells (another 10% pushes it out another three months, next 10% pushes it out another three months, next 10% pushes it out another 6 months)
• First 30 days in care unit free (on-site)

Downside:

• The buy-in
• The $4K a month in maintenance fees

Dad was pretty quiet most of the evening – long day, exhausted, just made a major life decision. By the time dinner was over (shrimp, hashbrowns, salad) and Mom was in bed and it was just Dad and I talking I sensed a little more calm returning.

Now I have to fit a belt sander in my checked luggage… and did I mention I now have another item – a portable picnic table? Thank god for two free bags.

[210 analog]

My first full day in Santa Fe this trip. A mid-day run into town to take Mom to the doctor for a TB test (required for moving into El Castillo). Dropped her off, did a booze run to Trader Joes, picked her back up and we were home in under an hour.

More things going back to the Northwest in addition to yesterday’s list:

A stack of albums, including some 78’s of a very young Tony Bennett

My grandfather’s rotary dial phone (they had never upgraded to touch-tone)

Dinner tonight over at Jennifer’s house—sausage, brats and grilled vegetables.

Walking home, this was the view:

And in this one you can see the smoke from fires burning in the Jemez Mountains:

[210 – but analog so who knows]

Headed to Santa Fe today. Going through the parent’s house with an eye towards acquisitions.

So far I have dibs on:

• Two massive Cerwin-Vega speakers (to match the other two I got from the parents years ago)
• Sewing Machine (my current one is my mother’s college graduation present sewing machine)
• Belt Sander

But first I have to get there.

Off to the airport at 4:30 –flight is too early to park at the apartment, so it’s off to MasterPark I go.

For some reason no TSA easy-check line for me yet. They must be rolling it out based on how much you’ve flown this year. The Pre program from the TSA allows folks (like me) who have Nexus cards and Global Entry to leave on our belts, shoes and light coats, and keep the toiletries and laptops in our bags. Looking forward to this. More information here: http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/escreening.shtm

Flight to LA on time, love the new Board Room at LAX. Alaska moved terminals to be closer to Delta (though not their other partner American). A couple of drinks and an espresso later, it’s off to find the connecting bus to the American Eagle terminal. 25 minutes later a bus (rather two) show up. Good thing I allowed plenty of time (it me after all, and those who travel with me can only chuckle).

Flight to Santa Fe on time with Dad there to meet me.

Couple of hours later remnants of the Ortiz gang arrive. Kennan, Karen and the foreign exchange student are all hiking and camping for the next couple of days – which is bad timing since its dumping rain at the moment, which might mean snow in the ski bowl where they are hiking. The remains of the gang are Jenifer (sis-in-law) and Emily (niece). Marvelous rib-eyes off the grill tagged with margaritas, salad and chilled golden beets. Normally it would have been wine with the meal – but we needed to finish off the pitcher of margaritas my mother made for happy hour.

No Margarita for Dad or Emily as Em isn’t twenty one. She did flash her fake ID which is scannable and truly a pro job (for $300 for two of them I should hope so).

Should have taken a picture of the back of the card as well since it has all the machine readable stuff on it.

I’m not sure I would have whipped this out in front of my mother when I was her age.

Add a couple of more things to my “taking home” list:

• Press proof of the cover from the first Sign of the Times (framed)
• Dustpan made from a New Mexico license plate
• Insulated cooler designed for the Miata, though not sure how it will work in mine
• Palm sander (need new rubber pad)
• All my report cards from growing up (expect several posts once I’m home and they are scanned)

That’s it for today – off to bed.

[213.0 but before morning routine]

A quiet Sunday at the shop. Good thing yesterday’s totals were good (as were Friday’s, but that’s more from billing the wine club sales).

Closed up at 5… was thinking of staying later, but with as slack as the day was, why bother when packing for the trip awaits me.

Odd things in my checked bag:

• 3 external hard disks (one for Mom, two for Jenifer) that I made out of the hard drives I salvaged from their dead computers
• Bottle of Vermouth (for mom)
• Bottle of Pinot Grigio for Jennifer
• Bottle of NW Wine Academy Zinfandel to share with everyone

Think 35# bag. I’ll fill up the space on the return leg with liquor and belt sanders.

Put some boneless country-style pork ribs (not sure how they can call them “ribs” when they are “boneless” in the convention oven for tonight’s meal.

Tried to go to bed early as 4am comes early.

[212.2]

And yet another day of the Wall Street Journal. The test will come next week.

Busy Saturday at the shop, which is good.

SalamanderHellBender stopped by the shop a little before 4 for the tasting and at 4:30 we were off to the hood for a cocktails and a steak dinner.

Nice weather for BBQing.

I’d enclose a picture from last night, but my sense of propriety prevents me.

Maybe I should rename him SalamanderHellHound.

[212.6]

As of today, Washington State is out of the liquor business. Look! Booze right next to meat.

Of course that means that the price has gone up, though I haven’t checked Costco yet. Most of it is additional taxes:

So, even with the Tequila being 30% off, by the time you add almost $8 in taxes….

Was originally supposed to work today, but with it being the first, that means wine shipments get run through – something Jim is getter at than I. Instead I puttered around town dropping off the power washer to Jill and hitting various Safeway discount racks.

Quiet evening.

And oddly enough, the Wall Street Journal was on the doorstep this morning.

[212.3]

The end is here – for my subscription to the Wall Street Journal. I went in to update some suspend notices only to find that today is the last day of my subscription. Since they only allow the use of airline points for NEW subscriptions I guess I’m going to do without. Cold turkey as it were. If I can’t take it I might try a 30 day sample of the WSJ online, maybe on the Ken Doll (Kindle Fire).

Just a pretty lazy day around the house – didn’t leave until the house until 4:30 when it was time to head to Swanda’s place for dinner.

Nothing really shaking today – I did make a train reservation for late August. My buddy from Vancouver is arriving on a Monday to do some shopping at Filsons, then heads to LA on the train the next morning in a sleeper – and I thought it would be fun to book the room across the hall from him, which required a phone call (which I dislike) to Amtrak as you can’t specify cabin assignment when booking on-line. GREAT customer service at Amtrak at 10pm at night, actually ended up chatting for a bit after the reservation was confirmed – must have been the whiskey talking — and not sure why it was $111.90 when on-line it was $115. How’s that for a run-on sentence. I think I’ll try the new bus service for the return trip – BoltBus which is a joint venture of Greyhound and Peter Pan lines. They are out of the Northeast but have recently started Express Service in brand new wi-fi equipped busses between Vancouver, Seattle and Portland (no intermediate stops) dropping off at the International District in Seattle and 6th and Salmon in Portland (ViaRail station in Vancouver).

[210.8]

Another 4.5 hours on the project today and it is done (8 hours total):

Seven days worth of bagged clothing. All fits into one purple tub (thanks Swanda for the donation of the tub years ago). A set of bedding fit nicely in a garage bag — too bad I forgot the pillow that was in the trunk instead of the cockpit of the car. Oh well.

Dropped it all off a little before five and stopped for ribs on the way home at The Barbeque Pit on Cherry (a little east of 23^rd). I love their math – I ask for a ½ pound of ribs and I get a box that weighed (yes, I waited to eat any until I got home) in at 1#, 11.7 ounces – and the styro container only weighed .5 ounces. Even though the price went from $7.50 to $8.50, that’s a hell of a deal. I’m guessing that they don’t weigh them at all and go by look. Trust me, I’m not complaining – that’s dinner tonight and lunch for another day.

And for all those followers who keep hearing references to The Radical Faeries, here is one of the best articles I’ve seen:

http://www.xtra.ca/public/Vancouver/Radical_Faerie_Camp-12057.aspx

That’s it for today.

[210.7]

Well, I’ve picked up a little side work for the next couple of days. It seems a friend has a recurring case of scabies – never pleasant. In an effort to keep from reinfecting himself he’s asked for the following:

• (7) Pants (33 or 34×31 or so)
• (7) Sweatshirts/sweaters (L)
• (14) T-shirts
• (7) Briefs or Boxers (32″ classic Jockey/L boxers)
• (2) pairs flip flops
• set bedding (queen fitted, top, light blanket)
• towels (wash cloth/bath towel)
• pillow and case
• (7) lengths of cotton rope 48″ long (for a Jethro style belt)

Each of these items sealed in Ziploc bags, two bags for each day: day clothes, night clothes. Seems that the little buggers die in 7 days without a host.

$132.07 later (Goodwill) all I have left is the rope, flip flops, pillow and bags.

Oh, did I mention that all this stuff has to be washed in scent free detergent. Good thing I’m having dinner with Jill and Murphy (the Wonder Dog) tonight – that’s one more washing machine to coopt for the big load of jeans and sweaters. Add the load I have in my machine and the load in Swanda’s machine, I should be done tomorrow afternoon.

Great dinner: steaks on the grill (brought back to life with fresh propane), asparagus, eggplant – yum.

And the last project of the day, sanding and oiling a section of Black Locust to see if Bliss wants these slabs for a hallway table.

Finished and unfinished above. End grain below.

Oils up nice.

[211.4]

I tell you, you go out for some Tung Oil and air hose fittings and come back with that and four bags of charcoal (on sale) and a 2’x2.5′ neon sign for the back deck ($50).

Guess I need to change my name to Uncle Bobbie.

I did finally get the air hose reel installed in the garage (why I needed the air hose fittings).

That should help with all the flats I get from living in a neighborhood that not only has the transfer station (for garage) but multiple scrap metal recyclers.

Quite night at the house. Nice.

[211.6]

Well, while working Sunday, this showed up on FaceBook:

My friend who caused the ruckus, or the TSA who caused the ruckus now has a line of t-shirts and other things to add to his legal fund. Click on the graphic above to purchase one.

At the shop it was a closing reception for the current artist on display with a decent turnout, a couple of more artwork sales, and decent Sunday sales.

After work I finally got around to drawing up plans for making a kick plate for my Wolf range that came without on. This is what I sent off to my buddy in Portland for the kickplate:

And for the plasma cut on the front panel.

It will be painted matte black and there will be an aluminum panel behind the plasma cut to give it this 3D look. I can’t wait to help make this – looks like a Portland trip in a couple of weeks.

That was my day.

[212.2]

Today’s theme is Spring Cleaning. At the shop we are closing at some odd and ends at an additional 10% off, and our wine tasting this afternoon is all closeout wines from one of our distributors. Lots of good bargains.

As for me, I’m doing some spring cleaning at home in anticipation of the June 1^st state exit from the liquor business. Last night I took care of emptying five bottles of scotch:

Yesterday I took a couple of partial bottles to the gathering to finish those off. Spring cleaning is so rough.

One of the wines we have on markdown (though not on the tasting) was a lovely 2001 Camp Nuble Rioja Reserva for $11. Wow, what a wonderful old bottle for not many dollars. It’s the last of it we will see I believe so maybe I’d better pick up a couple more bottles:

Went perfectly with the steak and slaw dinner.

[212.0]