UMTravels

Up at 4:30, even before my alarm. Considering how late I went to be, not pleasant.

By 6am I had the car parked at MasterPark, bags checked, through security and into the Board Room for my usual pre-trip nosh.

Got to the gate around 7 to find an offer I couldn’t refuse: take a later flight and get a $300 voucher. By the time it was all said and done, that also included 2000 extra frequent flier miles, and $16 in food vouchers.

Back to the Board Room went I, to take a two hour nap on the couch. I probably could have used another hour, but there were oysters on the half shell calling me (and a bowl of clam chowder) at Anthonys — how nice to be able to have fresh oysters while waiting for your plane. And the view from the restaurant is stunning.

Lots of time to kill, so I’ve been trying to finish (after USA Today, the Seattle Times, and the Wall Street Journal) Graham Greene’s The Quiet American. You could call it historical fiction (set in the early 50’s in Vietnam while the French were fighting and the Americans just starting to meddle) or a story of romance and betrayal. It’s twice (1958 and 2003) been made into movies should you want the easy version. My version is a British reprint from 1957 which interesting enough contains a broadsheet in the back for the upcoming book club offers for October 1957.

I think Jameson will enjoy it since there isn’t a lot of nightlife in Tahoe unless you count the casinos.

Amazingly, I managed to snag another bulkhead aisle seat similar to the one I gave up on the morning flight. Add a couple of glasses of complimentary white wine (Horizon offers complimentary beer and wine on their flights) and even the severe choppiness of the approach to Reno didn’t spoil the fun.

Bag number three off the carousel, used the time to do the paperwork for the rental car (a Chevy Aveo with 245 miles on it, and no plates, just a sticker in the front window).

One stop at WinCo for food and wine, a call to Jameson to grab whiskey, and by 7pm I was checking into the WorldMark Lake Tahoe, Jameson having arrived a few minutes before me.

Dinner was those little lamb t-bones, grilled asparagus, salad, roasted garlic bread, and a 2008 Bogle Petite Syrah.

After dinner entertainment, the hot tub.

Good thing I brought two suits! And a good thing there was a glass surround as the winds are peaking at 35mph which made the drive up the mountain in a tiny econo box (with crank windows) interesting.

Late into the night talking, I miss being in the same city as Jameson but I’m not ready to move to Tahoe where snow flurries are expected tomorrow (June 1^st).

[230.7]

The promise of “the tower will be fixed within 24 hours” turns out to be patently false. For most of today my connection has been up about 20 minutes out of every two hours. I bit the bullet and signed on with Qwest-CenturyLink for their 7mbps service after enduring a connection from ClearWire that has slowly deteriorated over the last two and a half months. It was so bad that I finally just tethered my cell phone to my laptop.

New service live on Friday after I pick up the modem at the apartment.

The downside of tethering? It means that when I went to go print postage (which requires an internet connection) I’d have to print the envelope, then log-on to the wi-fi in the house, then log off to print the next one since it wasn’t capable of dealing with two signals at once.

Other than a frustrating computer day I got a couple of samples generated for one of my clients offering a couple of different adhesive options, moved a bunch of stuff out of the office and hallway in preparation for guests coming in from out of town, and invited myself to dinner at DancingBear’s place with the excuse of dropping off the call to be posted and mailed.

Apparently strange things happen when I invite myself to dinner… it turns into a full blown Memorial Day BBQ for eight. Luckily the challah I brought was separated into eight rolls, not that we needed them with the rice, potato salad, baked beans, brisket, burgers, two types of sausage, regular salad, and I assume I’m forgetting something. Quite the spread. Thanks DB!

My plan to pack for the trip to Reno before dinner got put off until after dinner with all the internet delays. It will be amusing to see what I show up in Reno with — I do remember packing a bunch of frozen meat.

[230.7]

No sure what’s up with my gut today, other than it’s not happy. All I want to do is lay around, and the gathering isn’t the most conducive place to do that. I want my warm bed, to that’s where I head around nine this morning.

By 1pm I’ve popped my head back above the covers and complete the last 22 Gathering Calls to print, fold, stuff and seal. Mick, oh Mick, where are you and when can I drop them by for you to post as I’ll be out of town next week.

Called ClearWire about my internet connection bouncing up and down like some hooky on an old spring mattress, they say 24-hours and it will be fixed. If it’s not stable tomorrow it’s time to order high-speed DSL from Quest, now CenturyLink. Odd, on the hill I used to have DSL with Quest, and when I was on Lopez Island, I had it with Century, now maybe I’ll have it with both! Hopefully they ended up with Century’s business model and customer service. Considering the number of people here in South Park who are suffering the same fate I’m surprised they haven’t gotten it together to fix a tower (12^th and Barton in Georgetown) that has been flakey for the last 2.5 months or so.

Uncle Markie at the Breitenbush gathering circa 1984:

That would be me with the bandanas on, front row. Just to my left (in the photo touching my foot) would be MoonSong (maid, contractor, masseuse). 1984 would be the third winter gathering held at Breitenbush Hot Springs. I recognize a bunch of other people in the photo, though a handful or more have departed this plain.

All this nostalgia got me thinking about all my old black-white photos which I digitized some years back and now…

Circa 1979 somewhere between Paris and Orange in our leased cars, camping and studying through Europe — The Art History of Ancient Rome and Greece. In twelve rolls of black and white film, one shot of me. Lots of stone gods and goddesses.

Maybe tomorrow we will continue this trip down memory lane. But tonight I’ve thawed out a honking steak with a baked potato, that should stabilize my Delhi Belly. And speaking of Delhi, I should have digitized all my India and Nepal film before I sold my film scanner. Oh well.

[230.3]

More last minute printing while packing for ??? number of nights away.

I was delayed because my internet provider, ClearWire has my internet connection bouncing up and down like the bedsprings under a hooker.

When I finally got out the door with the top down it was after noon, and by the time I was at the Longhouse Gathering it was a little after 1pm, a few crumbs left from lunch and everyone headed towards Heart Circle — something I couldn’t imagine doing just driving in, and then unloading, as it were.

So that left me sitting at a picnic table and starting to fold and stuff. For a while it was me, but as with Tom Sawyer, soon, others were showing up to fold, stuff, seal. Many hands make light work.

Today’s picture is from dinner (pasta with marinara sauce, salad, garlic bread) with a little wine that the rubber chicken seems to be drinking.

After dinner was the talent show — I’ve posted pictures on Facebook for those of you interesting. Well, I posted all but the ones that didn’t meet Facebook Standards. I think it’s the first time in a while that there was a full-fledged talent show at the Longhouse gathering — thanks to the Venusian’s for constructing a stage.

I was able to snag a spare tent for the night, but it seems that I forgot to pack socks. I didn’t want to set up the tent I brought as it’s a bit small, so it was a relief to find an open spot. We’ll see if I spend another night celebrating in a peat bog just off the highway.

[229.4]

The meeting was planned for 12:30 ran until 3pm, but at least it included BBQ and wine for lunch!

Ask to be a Queen, and you are…

Thanks Susan.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent finishing printing the announcement for the Summer Breitenbush Gathering. Should you want to go, here is the link to the registration form.

http://www.hippysweatshop.com/register

By sending most of the announcement (aka, call) electronically, we save enough in postage and printing to fully sponsor 3-4 more participants. Now I just need to get the 374 envelopes stuffed. Saved even more money by using up all the bits of legal size paper laying around from the old print shop, even including the envelopes (I love the fact my HP4100 has a dedicated envelope feeder on it).

And dinner… a repeat of lunch. What the Barbeque Pit calls a half pound of ribs is enough for both lunch and dinner.

[230.2]

Work during the day… you have to love inhaling 3M Products that have a huge VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) content. The test will be ready to truss up on Saturday, and then mail off.

Still working on cleaning stuff out of the office, well, I got one box out today. One a day for the next two months and I’ll be done.

Because of yesterday’s passport posting, my dear friend Susan did this little graphic ditty:

I’m thinking “Queen” would have been more appropriate, though the photo in the upper right hand column evokes visions of my dead brother who once had a mustache style very similar.

Dinner tonight was a couple of pork cutlets with some wilted spinach splashed with sushi rice vinegar.

And for those of you who don’t know how Radical Faerie Gatherings and Heart Circles Work, here is a really bad/humorous take on the process:

[228.5]

A pleasant surprise today when Swanda asked me over for dinner — it had been too long, but with each other’s travel schedule, not all that surprising.

A lovely meal of Copper River Salmon (the first of the season for me), baked potatoes, chive flower challah, and a nice green salad washed down with a bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay.

And another surprise at the apartment, three letters from the Department of State (no, I’m not a spy):

• My new 2011 Passport
• My new 2011 Passport Card
• My old cancelled 2001 Passport

Why they couldn’t put them all in one envelope I know not why.

Here is a rundown of my passports, amusing to look at the old photos of me:

And now the new “Passport Card”

[227.3]

Nothing like spending a sunny day in the yard — working. I finished the mowing that I started last night after dinner. Add getting out the weed whacker to do the edges and then the blower to blow off the sidewalk — it’s actually looking pretty good. To me it’s humorous that the person who was supposed to do that last week is coming to dinner tonight along with a friend of his.

Of course, dinner for vegans requires a run to the store for vegetables, in this case Portobello mushrooms, zucchini, squash plus a little extra firm tofu to marinate for the grill. Add a loaf of caraway rye to the mix and a little bbq’d pork for me and you have a fine meal.

It’s what happens after the meal that matters:

At least it was fun.

[230.7]

I am rooming with a Rhino. A sweet Rhino, but a Rhino none the less. Clueless would be another phrase. If folks are sleeping, maybe you might want to not let the cabin door just bang on its hydraulic closer, or maybe change your clothes at the end of your bed rather than slamming against two sets of bunk beds. But in the end, I can put up with anything for a weekend, maybe.

Maybe that’s why I keep going back for naps either morning or afternoon. On the upside, considering the number of old men in bunks, the amount of snoring is minimal, and mostly coming from one of the twenty something’s who sleeps on his back.

More forgotten items:

• Earplugs
• Sleeping pills
• Happy willy pills

But today looks like it might be sunny all day, which means I might make the return trip in the sun with the top down as well as the trip north.

Breakfast was bacon, pancakes, scrambled eggs, fruit salad… damn, I could get used to this!

I couldn’t get my head around the Heart Circle this morning, so I swept out the cabin as part of the “closing camp” procedures.

Lunch was tortellini in a tomato cream sauce, a Greek salad, toasted French bread.

And after lunch we were on the road. We? I have a ride partner back to Vancouver. A buddy of mine for about 30 years, Columbine. It is one of those relationships where years may pass between encounters, but the connection is still alive.

Dropped him off, no trouble at the border, one car in front of me… but even the “regular” lines only had a dozen cars in them.

Stop in Mount Vernon for gas and groceries then home… to find… the lawn not mowed. Bummer. Guess that deal isn’t going to work out. Good thing I didn’t pay in advance.

Steak and spinach for dinner — lots of iron! And then lawn mowing after dinner, you never know what the weather will be tomorrow. Got most of it done, but need to do the last bits of mowing in the morning (ran out of light) and the edging to make me happy.

And now for those pictures of the weekend that I promised!

[? ? ?]

Bacon, waffles, hot strawberries, whipped cream for breakfast. Who knows what I will weigh when I get home.

Did the shower thingee after breakfast, using the shirt from the first day as a towel. Roughing it in the woods.

And the aforementioned (well, yesterday) Heart Circle from 10:30-12:30 or for me… I made it until about noon. It’s not rude if you leave between speakers. I had problems at Microsoft with meetings that last over an hour, apparently I’m not over my inability to hold focus for more than an hour.

For lunch it was chili, vegetables and dip, chips, salsa. Damn, this isn’t Breitenbush, there was MEAT in the chili!

Having missed my morning nap, it was time for an afternoon nap. It wasn’t until after I was on the last of my final cocktails, made from whiskey and Diet Coke… with no ice, that I found behind the bathroom complex… an ice machine stocked with 40 pound bags of ice. Just hours too late. Had I not gone on a little walk up one of the trails and discovered a giant old growth tree I wouldn’t have notices the big box labeled “ICE” on the return walk.

Dinner was mashed potatoes, sliced roast beef, carrots … but no salad. Wanted salad. Need greens.

After dinner was the talent/no-talent show. The talent/no-talent show is a staple of the Faerie Gathering. Poetry, music, drag, dance, skits… I guess you will have to wait until I post the pictures tomorrow or the next day.

With all the fresh air from the mountains I’ve been going to bed around 10pm, which isn’t really like me, but tonight it was delayed with the notice of impending death and or dementia of someone I’ve known for 30 years, but not on a regular basis. It still isn’t easy.

And it didn’t make getting to sleep easy tonight.

[? ? ?]

The sunshine of yesterday has been replaced by liquid sunshine… no wait, overcast and drizzle is really what it is.

Wow, this really isn’t Breitenbush (home of the gathering that I have most often gone to). Breakfast is scrambled eggs, sausage (with real pork in it), hash browns and fruit salad… and COFFEE. And tons of everything. No running out of the main dish at these meals.

The downside is that after that heavy breakfast I went back to bed. So much for Heart Circle (search on Heart Circle in comments for description).

Lunch was a tomato basil soup with these wonderful melted cheese, turkey, and tomato on a bagel, I went back for seconds.

Dinner was scalloped potatoes with ham. Again, more seconds.

A little croquet after dinner, and an early bed for me. Pictures will come on the last day. No way to upload here.

The gathering is an interesting mix of old faeries and first time faeries and among the “elder” faeries, a couple from the early days, even before me.

[? ? ?]

Erick was supposed to be early… but a dome light left on left him to arrive to do the lawn well after I’d left for Canadaland. Good thing there is a combo lock on the side gate and a key box by the back door.

Having left the house at a little before eleven, with a stop at the Seattle Architecture Society in the base of the Rainier Tower downtown (to pick up two copies of “Seattle Architecture — A Walking Guide To Downtown” that I bought off a Groupon coupon). Amazingly the parking was a snap with a 30 minute zone with my car pointed towards the northbound I-5 entrance.

Tried to stop at the Safeway in Mount Vernon for gas, but it was a clusterfuck with several pumps out of order and no order to the chaos with cars coming in from every direction. That left the Costco in Bellingham as a gas stop — and it only took two exits for me to find the right one.

At duty-free, my favorite sales clerk was on, apparently only Monday-Friday which is why I missed her when I came up with CaddyDaddy (aka Rich) for his birthday celebration. Two more glasses to add to my collection with the purchase of a 40oz. Jim Beam White Label. It’s a good thing as well since SuperModel is coming in September to pick up all the airline logo’d glassware from my trips.

One car in front of me at the border, and they just waived me through. Something about the bag of duty-free on the front seat screams “good tourist”.

The plan was to arrive at Faerie Camp exactly at 5pm which allowed for multiple stops to track down a USB to Mini-USB cable to charge my phone. Brought the tiny laptop, but forgot the connecting cable for the phone. Forgotten item number one. Forgotten item number two, a towel — which means using dirty shirts to dry myself off after my morning showers. Forgotten items number three — any sort of “fun” clothing for the gathering — all I brought was butch outdoor stuff. Forgotten item number four — a camera, other than the one on my phone.

Got all checked in and unpacked in the cabin. Five bunk beds and one single per cabin. Just like summer camp except we are all 20+ years older. Odd thing is that a couple of the Canadian Faeries actually DID go to summer camp here.

And here is the Evans Lake Forest Sanctuary just north of Squamish, which is just south of Whistler in lovely British Columbia, Canadaland.

As faerie gatherings go, this is a bit of an odd one as we are being served MEAT in the dining hall (with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free available). The meal was your basic pasta in a red sauce (with some sort of ground animal), a Caesar salad, toasted French bread, and little mini-pumpkin pies for dessert. Looks like I’ll be sleeping soundly tonight!

Faerie 101 was at 8:30 (half of the guys here have never been to a gathering before, and we all need to know the Camp 101, like, boil water order so use the jugs) followed by the opening ritual.

All in all, with the sun out all day, and a little bit of a sun burn on my arms, face, and neck — not a bad way to start a gathering.

[229.1]

Early to bed, early to rise, it might be that three hour difference that my body is feeling.

Early text to Surf Betty, he left his list of measurements for my martini glasses and pilsners that he blew 20+ years ago, brought him by early before work.

Then deal with all the email, the news, the shower, in an effort to get the car to the tire shop before 10 so I can have it for the afternoon. The downside of having the South Park Bridge closed (one of MANY) is that I have to drive through the industrial area of south Seattle which are loaded with crap that falls off junk trucks, and gets stuck in my tires. Apparently Surf Betty and his ex-wife also suffered from the same issues when their studio was in Georgetown (north of South Park, across the Duwamish River see below).

The grey area at the bottom right hand side is Boeing Field on the East side of the river (the Duwamish). The grey area on the left of the river is the “sliver by the river” that Seattle refused to annex when it grabbed South Park because it didn’t want the South Park Bridge, a known decrepit bridge even 50 years ago. My house is just to the left of the left grey section near the top of the small diagonal street known as Dallas Avenue. Click on the map and you will be transported magically via the big interweb to the City of Seattle site describing all the Seattle neighborhoods. I find it cute that the map is truly up to date since it doesn’t show the South Park Bridge.

So what’s all this butch stuff about, it’s not like I changed that tire. No, but I did fix the lawn mower which died before my latest couple of trips. Took apart the safety switch on the handle (it’s electric). Nope. Damn. 12 screws to take off the cover over the electric motor. Look! A wire that had burnt out. That would be an important wire, one of the two that goes to the brushes. Time for the soldering iron and a really sloppy joint, but luckily there is a plastic plate that bolts over it to keep it in place.

Next up, since I’ve got it up on the deck and it’s sunny, time to sharpen the blade. And what better to sharpen a blade, my Kirby vacuum cleaner with its Handy Butler attachment which has a knife sharpener (too small) and a grinding wheel (perfect) in addition to a tap for a flexible shaft drill bit (which I reamed out the holes on all the stove burners during its rehabilitation).

I haven’t used this (ever, I think) as a vacuum, but it makes a great portable bench grinder. And CHEAP.

Scrambled eggs and DVD’s for Rich’s mother followed, then out the door to the apartment to check for packages, a stop for BBQ ribs at 26^th and Cherry (1/2# for $7.50, which was 7 ribs for me, 3 saved for later), a tour of possible buildings for rent for another project, a business meeting with Jimmy at EVS held between visits from wine wholesalers… let’s see, two samples from number one, four samples from number two, two from number three, six from number four… maybe I should have been spitting. Then groceries and a swing back to the buildings for pictures and second impressions, finally ending up back at home feeling like I really need a nap. Oh well.

A quiet dinner tonight with me, myself, and I. Halibut over a bed of wilted spinach. Well, that was the thought until I started freezing stuff from the Safeway 30% off rack… I decided on the left over ribs sauted with a little bacon and red wine vinegar.

And an evening of packing for the next trip, well trying to, more like stacking things next to the suitcase. Crap. I needs sheets and a blanket.

No time in the morning since the Landscape Dude comes to tame the lawn with the newly fixed lawnmower.

[231.8]

Even though the flight isn’t until a little after 12pm, being a little over an hour from the airport makes for an early morning.

Charlotte to Newark = hour late leaving, hour late getting in, I originally had a 2.5 hour layover, so no problem.

Newark to Seattle = no upgrade, but the seat next to me open, forty minutes late leaving, twenty minutes early getting in, guess there was a spare hour (and a tail wind).

Interesting tidbit from the Newark/Seattle flight: a bunch of the members of the Mountlake Terrace High School Jazz Ban on their way back from the Essentially Ellington Competition in New York City over the weekend of the 14^th. For more information, click on the banner I swiped from their site:

Two Seattle area high schools placed in the top three (Roosevelt High School at number two and Mountlake Terrance at number three) and two Florida schools taking First and Honorable Mention. Oddly (for me and Jill) Garfield High School didn’t seem to be entered, and they routinely run away with national honors including Ellington 1^st Places in 2003, 2004 and 2009. It is an invitation festival so who knows. Garfield is participating in several other festivals (Lionel Hampton, Reno) this year.

Another interesting tidbit from that same flight — the flight attendant refused to let the wife of the guy int he middle bulkhead seat join him because “people in this row paid more to sit here” — because the plane was oversold he got split from his wife and put into the “premium” row. Personally, I was happy to have the center seat free when he moved to the window seat, but I did have some sympathy for him (told him it was a $60-80 upcharge).

The reasons for all the delays in flights today was nasty rain storms in the Northeast. When I checked in they asked if I wanted $300 in future travel for my seat. HELL YES, just get me home at some point. Unfortunately with weather, enough people missed their connections that it wasn’t needed. DAMN.

I got back to the house a little after 9pm to meet Surf Betty to look at his new glass blowing projects. He hasn’t blown glass in 23 years so his failure rate was higher than he’d like on the goblets he was making for a nieces wedding.

After that is was deal with the mail and worry about tomorrow. Time to fix the slow leak on the passenger side front tire, do some laundry, pack for the next trip, fix the lawn mower, find someone to push it since I have grass allergies, and basically try and put the house back together.

[? ? ?]

I love travelling with these folks. It’s like we are all in leisure mode which we are.

Some of the Spanish Moss that hangs around the trees here:

And Eric’s private elevator with three stops (garage, 1^st floor, ladies lingerie):

Our dinner tonight (bacon wrapped pork tenderloin):

And the timed dinner shot:

All the fun ends tomorrow.

[? ? ?]

We have goals today:

• Breakfast
• Reading
• Blogging
• Writing Postcards
• Brown Liquid Run (booze)
• Sightseeing
• Dinner
• Movie

Mission accomplished, though to broil the steaks we had to use another Kondo Kooking(TM) trick. No broiler pan was provided so my idea was to lay them across a bunch of forks.

Not a bad way to make do of a bad situation. And here is a shot of the Colonels on the Boardwalk.

We tried to watch a movie after dinner: Hereafter with Matt Damon. Kate got a third of the way through, Eric made it two thirds of the way through, and I toughed it out. It wasn’t worth the effort.

[? ? ?]

Wake-up call for 8am. That means I got 7 hours sleep. Crawled back into yesterday’s clothes and it shows. Went downstairs for the complimentary “hot breakfast” and was amazed to find that it really was a hot breakfast. Waffles if you wanted to make them, eggs that were oddly bland even with obvious burnt marked on the bottom portions, very good biscuits and gravy and all the usual cold stuff. Back to the room for reading, resting, and waiting for the Colonels.

The Colonels arrived a little after 11am and off to Charleston proper we went. First stop was lunch at Hyman’s Seafood (since 1890).

Massive menu, but we all ended up with various PoBoys after the fritters and calamari appetizers. I had the Charleston Lumb Crab Cake PoBoy, Kate had the broiled scallop PoBoy (about 12 big scallops on that thing) and Eric had the shrimp PoBoy (with about an ocean of shrimp on it — see below).

And a group shot of all of us courtesy of Ashley (oddly enough, a male, though most likely a gay male).

After lunch, a little walk about. We definitely needed it after the quantity of food they serve.

By mid-afternoon we were on Edisto Island on the South Carolina coast with stops at the vegetable stand for some outstanding farm tomatoes, and the Piggly Wiggly for last minute supplies of coffee, Diet Coke, postcards, and a stunning pink “I’m Big On The Pig” Piggly Wiggly t-shirt.

A lovely late meal of steak and baked potatoes. Good to see the Colonels after too long an absence.

[? ? ?]

Out of the house, UPS box in the mail, to the apartment and onto the Light Rail to the airport and all checked in and through security by 10:45 in the morning. Not bad considering there were only two lines at security open and one of the woman in front of me was TRULY clueless. Full size toothpaste, full size shampoo, full size conditioner. I’m guessed too cheap to check a bag and two clueless to know the rules. I should have chosen the line with the two small children in it. It might have been faster.

Nice to be up front for the long leg of the trip to South Carolina. A nice lunch, a few drinks, one in the pocket for late tonight when I check into the Ramada. Most of my hour plus layover was consumed by coming into the end of D concourse and walking the mile or so to the end of B concourse (including a little train ride). I would have been screwed with a short layover, at least I had time to pick up a BBQ Beef sandwich from Harlan’s half way through the walk.

And speaking of the walk, I ran into this mock-up as I deplaned:

What this confirms to me is that the mock-up I was seated in a couple of weeks ago for the “how much pain can you deal with” test at Boeing. Looks like the 787 will be two-three-two seating.

But then when I go hunting around for economy mock-up pictures I get this:

Which is three-two-three seating. Who knows. I’m just glad that all my flights were running on time.

The Houston to Charleston leg was a regional jet, so no first class. Seat 1A, but no first class. After the drink carts came through (double scotch on the rocks and a Diet Coke on the side, pocketed one of the scotches for later) I munched my sandwich and continued reading Lee Child’s 61 Hours. A great read for the airplane, I’ll have to look for other titles of his.

It was midnight by the time I’d gotten my luggage, gotten a cab, gotten checked into the Ramada.

Fixed myself a double, checked email, read a little and went to bed.

[228.5]

Nothing starts a day like a Depot Dog (a German Sausage from Home Depot) while picking up new washing machine hoses. The old ones had these spill stop valves in them, that, was stopping ALL the water flow. Not much fun installing them when my middle finger on my right hand has a huge gouge out of it from an Amtrak sliding door and me trying to be a gentleman.

And speaking of train maladies, I picked up this “hack” while down in Portland, I blame on some old guy in another sleeper who was hacking up a storm. Meanwhile I’m taking acetaminophen and mucinex. I DO NOT want to be flying across country tomorrow hacking.

Speaking of flying tomorrow (to visit the Colonels) I got a lucky surprise when I went to check in on the Continental website… they upgraded me to first class. While not unusual on Alaska, I figured that if it took a half-an-hour conference call between United and Continental just to get me into priority seating with my United Premier card, I wasn’t counting that I actually got onto their upgrade list (which is another perk of Premier status).

Spent the day packing, doing a couple of loads of laundry, ignoring the lawn mower, and preparing for dinner with Swanda. But alas, no dinner with Swanda, it’s been a tough week for him, and I’m fine with having another quiet night at the house before the hubbub of travelling.

The real question is which bag(s) to take on this trip. Got two commuter jets to deal with. Pack a bag? Take some wine? Or maybe just rearrange the liquor cabinet. Sorry couldn’t get a shot of the ice machine.

Actually, you can see the top of the ice machine to the right. Joe Fico, if you monitoring, those are the shot glasses from your wedding between the martini glasses. 6-burner Wolfe stove is underneath the liquor. Is that a wise idea?

Now if I could have gotten the office put back together. When is the next company coming?

[230.8]

My own bed. My own schedule. The joy of it. The joy of a couple of people free days.

Couple of eggs with toast for breakfast, garlic chicken and phud thai for lunch, the leftovers from lunch for dinner.

Pick up a package, try and make it fit in the computer, get a return tag, put it back in the box to put in the mail tomorrow.

Hassle with the washing machine, yet another thing to fix tomorrow.

Check on the lawn mower, electric and it doesn’t start, yet another thing to fix tomorrow.

Watch a little TV and go to bed, for there is work to do tomorrow.

[232.0]