the girlfriend and i did have a good weekend. we drove up to white rock and stayed in a really nice hotel with a view of the water and wind surfers. we walked to all the shops and ate delicious food.

in particular i enjoyed a restaurant called the Deluxe. it was soooooo excellent. if you want to check it out, it might be good to get reservations. we got lucky (twice) since we didn't have them.

another excellent place was Le Vol Au Vent and yes, it was french. and excellent.

next door to the hotel was this little sandwich shop which made an excellent omelet for mary and an excellent sandwich for me. i think it was called Look's Watts Cooking, whatever that means.

we ate at Iguana's Beach Grill and Pearl Restaurant, but honestly i don't remember them, so i would not go back to them unless i couldn't get in to a number of other places. there was one place called a something-something snug and it was run by a scotsman i believe. if there had been more time, and more room in my tummy, i would have checked it out.

it was a fun time and thank goodness it's just across the border so i can avail myself of that good food whenever i take a notion! eight minues my friends, just eight minutes to a little bite of heaven!

o beautiful for spacious skies ....

this country is so beautiful!! in case it's been awhile since you thought about our national parks or the various terrains here for us to enjoy, give yourself a treat and go here. then scroll down to the 23 pictures at the bottom and take a lovely little vacation!

back home

our little vacation was very nice and just the thing to relieve tension and stress. the 100-year old house we stayed in was decorated beautifully, but i was displeased by several things (soap container in downstairs bathroom was almost empty, overhead light in downstairs bedroom kept not working, there were no pans in the kitchen -- skillets, but no pans -- plus a few more things) so i would not recommend it; i mean after all, the owners in the multi-million dollar house next door weren't as giving and conscientious as the place we stayed last year or the year before, so phooey on them. the girlfriend didn't have the objections i did, but hey.

we spent time in anacortes and found a FABULOUS restaurant called ADRIFT. if you're ever in anacortes, for god's sake you need to stop there and eat. the place next door was also supposed to be very good -- gard-a-deli or something like that, but we didn't have a chance to stop there.

the library in anacortes is thriving and is open every day of the week. our library has truncated hours and isn't open in sundays, so i was jealous of the anacortes libray.

we drove down to oak harbor (kinky downtown area) and again found a good eating place -- seabolt's smokehouse seafood & deli. that's where i found the three micro-brewery beers, in cans (from colorado), that i brought back to the hubby. i don't drink but the husband offered me a sip and i thought the scotch ale was particularly tasty. we drove on south through coupeville and freeland, then headed back to the beach house.

we got there on monday and explored anacortes, stayed-in on tuesday and read all day since it was grey and dreary, went out and played in sunshine on wednesday, then packed up and played in sunshine on the way home on thursday.

we stopped at the coop in mt vernon where i transferred the girlfriend to her hubby. i also picked up some sticky rice and checked out the boobies of one of the checkers. she had tattooed landscapes from several beloved places she had lived as she was growing up. it was colorful but strange in the extreme and i was reluctant to stare and observe her statement, since i'm not a man (girlfriend's husband got the story).

we had gotten our flu shots, which we try to do when we're out in late september, a pretty good haul of used books, got caught up on family and problems, and ended up having a really great time! yay, girlfriends!!

oh yeah!

the girlfriend and i are heading off on our annual get-away today. we're heading over to a beach house and will spend four days talking, reading, eating, shopping, talking, exploring, walking on the beach, and talking. it will be fun!

on schedule

the girlfriend and i are planning another get-away this year. in fact, we'll be getting away at the end of this month. we'll do a little shopping, a little exploring, a little walking along the beach, a little reading, and plenty of talking. it'll be fun!

one more trip ...

well, that's all for now. i still need to post the resort trip but it's going to take time to go through the pix and with all the overtime i've been working, it's a weekends-only kind of thing. and then things keep getting put into my weekend time. drat! but i hope to get them up soon -- it was an incredible get-away!

girlfriend's getaway

our annual girlfriend's getaway was really nice. we drove south to a lovely little place by the water. it had incredible views and was only about 8-10 minutes from poulsbo. we drove into the driveway in the late afternoon ...

and the back of the house faced the water ...

their yard was full of lovely flowers and bushes ...

and they had several seating areas, walkways, and patios ...

this dusk-time view was serene and beautiful ...

the getaway

the girlfriend and i had a good trip down on hood canal by poulsbo. we got to watch a submarine go past the house three times, accompanied by two coast guard boats, a tugboat, and two container ships. it was interesting and intriguing. i'll post pictures when she sends them to me -- we used her camera since i forgot mine.

we did some shopping in poulsbo, ate at a really great restaurant (although some of the reviews i read later really dissed it -- we loved it), and explored port gamble. the weather was good with some sun and some sprinkles.

the house itself was lovely and just right for two people or two couples. it had two bedrooms with queen beds and two big bathrooms, a nice-size kitchen with tons of pots/pans/dishes/glasses/spices/etc, two couches and two chairs with t.v. and a music system and music, a dining table and four chairs, plus lots of windows and two decks with a beautiful yard in a very quiet neighborhood which made everything pretty darn great.

you might want to try it sometime.

here we go ....

the girlfriend and i are going playing tomorrow. we take off once a year and go find something interesting to do. sometimes we take a week, sometimes just a weekend, but every year we've gotten together for the past 15+ years. it's always fun, sometimes elegant, sometimes muddy.

this year we're renting a house on hood canal. if it rains we'll probably stay inside and talk, read, talk, eat, and talk. if it's nice we'll probably visit poulsbo, maybe kingston, maybe suquamish, maybe agate point.

it's a relaxing time with no expectations other than kindness and support. everyone should be so lucky.

the 5th dimension sings...

wow! is that a cool picture or what?!

pixar's new movie, Up, tells about a house which gets lifted into the air by a huge bunch of balloons and the adventure takes off.

this article analyzes whether it would truly be possible to do that. it's an interesting concept but they don't touch on what kind of/how strong the strings would have to be. to me that is just as interesting. i mean, with that many balloons would ordinary string work? would it have to be as strong as spider web string? does altitude make a difference?

fairy tales are so much simpler than science.

take a deep breath and blooooooowww ...

it seems like there's just no time anymore to play. work makes me tired. so i am behind in relating all my fun experiences: listening to bagpipes and eating haggis, enjoying the weekend with my older son, dau-in-law, and grandaughter, forgetting things i wanted to relate.

slim jim, from work, and i went up into canada to a fundraiser for several bagpipe bands. there were about 320 people there and we had a really nice dinner plus all kinds of dessert. the meal was a salad, mashed carrots-and-turnips, mashed potatoes, and a huge roll of roast beef. plus, traditional haggis, of course. i've always heard about haggis and this was the real stuff. i knew it had oatmeal in it so i had no qualms about trying it. i just refused to remember what else was in it. it had an interesting taste -- not quite like anything else -- but it wasn't bad and slim jim and i both had seconds. i mean, why not.

there was a silent auction, too, and slim jim and i both came away with stuff -- i mean, it was a fundraiser and we were surprised that people weren't doing more bidding. so it was great for us -- he came away with a bunch of coffee and i got a bunch of kitchen stuff -- teas, dishtowels, candy, utensils, etc.

i totally enjoyed listening to the bagpipes!! there were three different bands, one of them a youth band, and it was just very satisfying to watch and listen to all that energy! yay scotland, forever!!

but the cutest part of the evening was the 4-yr olds doing scottish line dancing. if you ever get to see that, you'll love it. they were even good! all the dancers were good and it was easy to see why none of them were overweight!

all-in-all slim jim and i were glad we went (the husband doesn't like to leave the country) and plan on going again next year. yay, fun! forever!!!

once-a-year

for our annual trip this year, mary and i went to port townsend. i had this thing about wanting to ride the train, so i took amtrak from bellingham to edmonds, got off, met mary, got in her car, drove around the block to get in line for ferry tickets, and 10 minutes later we were on the ferry which, nicely, is right-next-door to the amtrak station. thirty minutes later we got off the ferry and took a lovely 30 minute drive to port townsend. life doesn't get any better than that.

we stayed at fort worden which is a big, beautiful campus with old buildings, some of which are for admin purposes, and some of which are rentable -- duplexes, little houses, rv and tent sites, and a hostel.

we stayed in a little house which had a kitchen, living room, bathroom with shower and towels, and three bedrooms. the kitchen was fully equipped, all we needed to bring was the food.

the weather was perfect -- sunny and around 70*. we checked out the whole fort worden area including the castle (a three-story stone house which can be rented but has only 1 bedroom), the lighthouse, and the observation balloon building. the balloon building was a real stumper -- it is about 3-stories tall with huge doors on one end and several balconies on one side. we finally found the info which explained it was used to house observation balloons for three years back around 1918 and that it is now a pavilion. no further explanation, however, as to whether it's used or rentable or what. very curious building.

we shopped in port townsend (the fort is on the outskirts of town) which has lots of wonderful shops and eateries. there was a health food store for provisions and a goodwill for books.

our favorite eating places were Victorian Square Deli (underground) and the Landfall Restaurant with a gorgonzola and carmelized onion burger which is absolutely to die for!!!

i decided i really liked the town and when i came home i told the husband i thought we should move there. he readily agreed. so as soon as this housing market shows some energy, we will revisit the issue and get serious about maybe making a change. i expect it to be no sooner than 2-3 years, though.

an excellent vacation and one which recharged our batteries. yay for girlfriend get-aways!

coming right up

the girlfriend and i are taking our annual trip this weekend. we used to be gone for a week, but we're both so popular these days that it has been cut back. friday i'm taking the train south and when i get off the train i'll head next door to the ferry, meet her, and off we'll go into the wild blue. then we'll head back to civilization on monday, do some final things, and go our separate ways.

i expect to have a lovely time with lots of catching up, eating of wonderful foods, reading, and touristing.

next agenda: scotland!

cool trip

our friends who the girlfriend and i stayed with last year, up and decided to take a cruise to alaska. not being able to do that from south dakota, they flew to vancouver and commenced. a cruise wasn't enough, so they when they were finished with the cruise, they headed to hawaii.

they will have been gone a month -- i can't wait to hear about their trip! hope the northern lights put on a display for them!!

i hated flying before but now ...

since we are going to be flying back to say good-bye to my dad, i decided to check out the latest info on airport passenger screening.

there's a 3-1-1 policy in effect regarding liquids/gels in carry-on luggage. i thought the best blurb was here: http://www.tsa.gov/assets/pdf/311-insert.pdf

permitted and prohibited items are explained here: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm

locks which are allowed on your luggage made by safe skies here: http://www.safeskieslocks.com/
or travel sentry here: http://www.travelsentry.org/products.asp (can be found at the rite-aid right here in our tiny little town.)

i overheard one of the higher ups the other day talking and he said, "the policy is zero-tolerance." so i would suggest we all plan ahead, take a lot of time and bring a good book, stay calm and unruffled, be polite to everyone (especially the tsa people), and of course act intelligently. even if you hate it.

medicine

my friend from south dakota is a caregiver for her mother and brother. that labor of love is extremely wearing so it was with great delight that the husband and i received a post card from her and her husband from cancun! from there they will travel to belize!

excellent plan, pat -- way to go! i hope your journey is refreshing, soothing, and fun!!!

danger, will robinson...

in addition to any concerns a person may have about flying (terrorists, mechanical failure, storms, birds, etc.), there are additional concerns about the motel or hotel in which you stay.

this article talks about lice, bedbugs, athlete's foot, and more.

this web site gives info about current bedbug reportings.

hmmm ... motorhomes and retirement sound better and better.

oh, wait .....

two birthdays

we drove down to the Young Married's house yesterday to help them celebrate their birthdays -- J's was on the 6th and L's was on the 7th -- her parents and sister arrived shortly after we, and we all proceeded to have a really good time!

after snacking and catching up for several hours, we seven piled into our new odyssey and drove over to The Keg for an excellent meal!!! apparently they don't take reservations so we had a bit of a wait (45 minutes) and then after we were seated we had another bit of a wait for our meal (25 minutes) but it was worth it! i had the filet mignon with blue cheese and garlic, and a twice-baked potatoe. oh. my. god. it was sooooo excellent, which was the opinion for everyone else and the selections they were served.

afterwards we returned to the house for lemon cake and strawberry cake, and the opening of presents. i lamented forgetting the camera so i didn't get any pictures of our fun. L's tummy is actually starting to pooch out a little bit (it's 8 weeks), and in spite of her ever-present nausea she held up real well. and it was good to see lulu again since she's had to work everytime the other six of us have gotten together. we finally said good-bye then drove home in the rain, but it was a pleasant drive in our new car.

what a really excellent day!!!

wooo... wooo... wuhwooo...

i just got back from a neat trip! i took THE TRAIN from bellingham to seattle -- what a blast from the past! i think the last train ride i took was back in the late 50's when we went from st. louis to oklahoma city. trains had bigger seats back then, but today's amtrak isn't too shabby.

i met up with my girlfriend, R, then we ran errands and had lunch before heading over to the Bodies exhibit. what an intriguing bunch of stuff to see! i understand there's controversy surrounding the acquisition of some (one? all?) of the bodies, but controversy seems to be everywhere these days, so pass me the salt.

at any rate, the exhibit was very interesting, particularly the display about blood vessels! wow! pure art! and the body has 62,000 MILES of blood vessels! whooooaa...

anyhow, it was interesting, overwhelming, and educational -- i recommend it to anyone who has ever thought, "Hmmm, just how big is my liver?"

on the train ride home, it was dark outside. the seats were comfortable (two per side, unlike the airlines), the leg room, er, roomy, the food very reasonably priced, the bathrooms bigger than the airlines, and the ambiance peaceful. there were tv monitors overhead and after the movie, the train route with our position on it was posted and updated as we flew down the track, along with tidbits like, "You can see Chuckanut Bay off to the left" which i took at their word since it was dark.

the car ahead of mine was dimly lit and i could fairly clearly see two of the three monitors -- the connecting doors were clear glass with white cross-hatches. all of a sudden i noticed the monitors in that car were slowly sliding away to the left. seconds later we made a shallow turn. seconds after that the monitors slowly slid back to the right. it was hilarious and i enjoyed watching the whole scenario several more times before i arrived at my destination.

all-in-all ... grab a book and take the train!

movie watching

for awhile we were absolutely riveted by the poirot dvds done by the bbc. we not only watched all the series plus the longer movies (all starring david suchet) but we watched them twice!

now we have a couple of new dvd interests: Foley's War and Midsomer Murders.

Foley's war stars Michael Kitchen, Honeysuckle Weeks, and a couple other regulars. The cast is totally excellent and the stories are intriguing.

Midsomer Murders is interesting, but for whatever reason i don't care for John Nettles. His sidekick is cute (Daniel Casey) and the stories are okay, but it generally isn't quite as good as poirot or foley's.

still, the costumes, cars, locales, etc. are excellent in all three series and definitely worth watching. have fun!