How I Spent My Summer Vacation

THURSDAY - July 24, 2008

We had an ETD of 8:00 AM and were loading up the Subaru at 7:50 AM, right on schedule. We headed out north and west along route 20. The scenery was quite a surprise. Washington is called the evergreen state, but you sure wouldn’t know it by the scenery on this first leg of the trip. Two hours of nothing but wheat fields. I marveled at the completely different lifestyle, wondering where kids go to school, if they do go to school, what do the women do all day? Bake bread? Who do they talk to?! I was reminded of how much I take for granted and made a note to myself to be more appreciative of the things I have.

We entered the Methow Valley, with Debbie pointing out that for years she pronounced it “Me- tho” but the native american pronunciation was “Meh * Tow”. She has frequently skied at Sun Mountain Resort, near Winthrop, so we headed up to the lodge for lunch.

We sat outside on the porch, enjoying a great view. The food was just so-so - I ordered halibut fingers and Debbie ordered a pesto pizza. The service was a little weak, also, but the scenery and the company made up for any shortcomings.

   

After lunch we headed over the North Cascade Mountain Pass. The wheat fields gave way to greenery, and the steeper elevations and twisting and winding roads increased. At one point, as I was grabbing the handle above the window to “hold on” through another winding turn, Debbie asked me if I was OK. I quickly asked if SHE was OK, as she was driving! She said there are occasions of flatlanders getting to this (and similar) mountain passes and they cannot drive. I said that would be me! I loved the expression, “flatlander” and decided that it was a perfect description for someone like me!

Eventually, we made our way to Anacortes and located the Anaco Inn where we had reservations. The Inn was modest, but lovely. I was especially impressed with the cleanliness. Each room also had microwave and small refrigerator, coffee and tea, a table and chairs, spacious bathroom and very clean and comfortable bed. All of this at a very reasonable rate of $79. I recommend the Anaco Inn to anyone planning to visit Anacortes.

For dinner, we decided on the Rockfish Grill and Anacortes Brewery. We called and were told that reservations are not necessary. When we got there, we were told there would be a ten minute wait. The ten minute wait turned into a thirty minute wait and reservations were not accepted. I enjoyed watching the people. Some chose to go elsewhere instead of waiting for a table. It was obvious that this was a local favorite, and there was plenty of local color. I found Anacortes to be pleasant little beach town. There was a decided “Northwest” flavor to the architecture and the clothing worn by many. I ordered the smoked salmon sandwich and a dark beer and both were delicious.

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How I Spent My Summer Vacation

WEDNESDAY - July 23, 2008

Debbie was gracious enough to let me sleep in her bed, which was very comfortable. I woke several times throughout the night, however - strange sounds in a strange place and sunlight as early as 4:00 AM. Debbie was already up and we enjoyed a breakfast that included home made blueberry coffee cake. We headed in to town with Manito Park our first destination. What a great resource for the people of Spokane!

 

After exhausting every aspect of the gardens, we went in to the downtown area, and lunched at the Davenport Hotel. http://www.thedavenporthotel.com/

Very impressive! We ordered the Crab Louis Salad, the signature dish of the Davenport Hotel, topping it off with chocolate cheese cake and fresh coffee.

While strolling through a shopping mall, I mentioned that I would enjoy visiting some antique shops. We left the “new” stores and headed to some very funky fun antique shops. Having mentioned that I was in the market for some lamps, Debbie suggested a store that specialized in vintage lighting. We headed over to West Main Avenue, and stopped in at Revival Lighting. http://revivallighting.com

I bought a great little lamp for my bedroom, and they shipped it for next to nothing.

We relaxed in Debbie’s garden enjoying the evening sun and cool breezes. We drank margaritas and explored the annuals and perennials and vegetables. Debbie cut two large heads of broccoli from her garden, and we laughed at her great heads!

The walnuts were large and green, and Debbie told of what master harvesters all the squirrels are. The apple trees were bearing fruit and the delicate fragrance from the sweet peas thrilled our senses.

We wound down the evening consulting maps and packing bags for the next day’s road trip.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

TUESDAY - July 22, 2008

I woke early in anxious anticipation of a full day of travel. Bags all packed, passport secured and itinerary in place. Lauren drove me to the airport and as we passed under the signage for DEPARTURES, she exclaimed that she was excited for me.

Airport traffic was very light at this hour. The ticket agent at American Airlines was pleasant and helped me when the computer failed to recognize my e-ticket. Seems there’s a glitch with connections to Delta. She consulted another agent and I was on my way.

Sitting at the gate waiting to board, I enjoyed people watching as the seats slowly filled with passengers. Several young men arrived with a woman who had the role of team chaperone. One fellow walked passed me to throw away some trash. As he pulled something from his pocket, several coins scattered on the floor. The chaperone alerted him that he’d dropped something. He gave a disinterested glance and picked up one quarter. She pointed out that there was one more. He shrugged, ignoring the other coin and sat down. I sat looking at the quarter, so that when I got up to throw out my coffee cup, I picked it up. I walked over to the young man and handed it to him. He grinned and said something like “I didn’t have to do that..” and I said that someday he may need a quarter and sat back down. The chaperone quipped about kids these days and we shared a chuckle. Shortly after, we boarded the plane and I took my assigned window seat. As the plane filled up, I saw the quarter kid looking at me and laughing: he was assigned to the seat next to me. We laughed and joked and had a pleasant trip to Dallas/Fort Worth.

Arrive Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) 10:35 AM

Dallas airport was quite colorful. I mused at the snake skin cowboy boots and hats and belt buckles and the shops with Dallas Cowboys memorabilia. I passed a woman in a pink cowboy hat and thought it amusing, until I saw another woman dressed in pink cowboy boots, a pink full skirt cinched tightly at the waist with a big wide belt, a white blouse with pink embroidery and a pink cowboy hat. Wow - quite a number.

Arrive Salt Lake City (SLC) 2:25 PM

I had less than thirty minutes to connect with my flight to Spokane. Barely enough time to use the washroom and get to the gate as boarding was underway.

Depart SLC 2:53 PM

I had the absolute last seat on the plane. All the way in the back next to the toilet. In the seat next to me was a young woman I’d guess to be in her early twenties. She struck me as an athlete - built like a softball player. She was in gym shorts and a rumpled T-shirt, and was all over the place. First she pulled out a book and reading glasses, put the glasses down, pulled out some Tylenol, chewed them down, pulled out an ipod fiddled with that, put away the book pulled out a notebook and began writing, put that away and pulled out another book… and so on. She cast an air of contempt, like she had some chip on her shoulder. She was rude to the flight attendant and wasn’t at all interested in sharing the armrest.

Arrive @ 3:36 pm in Spokane,

Skies were overcast and a brief blast of cool air hit me as I exited the plane. Having been the absolute last passenger to exit, my sister was ready to call me to see if I’d been delayed. We hugged and chatted as we exited the airport. Her house was a short drive away.

Debbie had said that her house was “like a doll house”. It was small, one bedroom, one bath a den, kitchen and living room. Small for Debbie, as she’s always had big houses. Her home was very well decorated, as always - Debbie has very good taste. Her garden was most impressive!

 

Her son (my nephew) Aaron came over with his wife and daughter and we had a wonderful dinner and visit. It was 9:30 at night (12:30 “my time”) and I was tired. I couldn’t believe that it was still light out!! Aaron and family left, we chatted a little more, then turned in for the night.

 

 

 

 

 

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Home!!

HI!! I'm Back! 

Here I am in one of the first photos from a wonderfully grand week in the Pacific Northwest! I am standing in front of Diablo Lake, North Cascades National Park, in North Central Washington State. 

I sure look like a tourist! don't I!

I had a wonderful time, and am anxious to document/ memorialize my week in words, clips and photos.  But wanted to say hello! and that I'm back! 

Watch in the upcoming days for postings of my adventure! 

Got in late tonight, and not sure if I'm on PMT, DST, EST..heck if I know WHAT time!

But, until Next time!

Love to You!!

 

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Funny Stuff!

New  Rules For 2008 George Carlyn
    
New Rule : Stop giving me that pop-up ad for classmates.com http://classmates.com/  !  There’s a reason you don’t talk to  people for 25 years.  Because you don’t particularly like them!? Besides,  I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these  days—mowing my lawn.
    
New Rule : Don’t eat  anything that’s served to you out a window unless you’re a seagull.  People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy’s chili.  Hey, it cost less than a dollar.  What did you expect it to contain?? Trout?
    
New Rule : Ladies,  leave your eyebrows alone.  Here’s how much men care about your eyebrows:  do you have two of them? Okay, we’re done.
   
New Rule : There’s no such thing as flavored water.  There’s a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but without that watery taste.  Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink.  You want flavored water?  Pour some  scotch over ice and let it melt.  That’s your flavored water.
    
New Rule : Stop  screwing with old people.  Target is introducing a redesigned pill bottle that’s square, with a bigger label.  And the top is now the bottom.     And by the time grandpa figures out how to open it, his ass will be in the morgue. Congratulations, Target, you just solved the Social Security crisis.
    
New Rule : The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the asshole.  If you walk into a  Starbucks and order a ‘decaf grande half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one  sweet-n’-Low, and one NutraSweet,’ ooh, you’re a huge asshole.
    
New Rule : I’m not the  cashier!  By the time I look up from sliding my card, entering my PIN  number, pressing ‘Enter,’ verifying the amount, deciding no, I don’t want cash  back, and pressing ‘Enter’ again, the kid who is supposed to be ringing me up is standing there eating my Almond Joy.
    
New Rule : Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn’t make you spiritual.     It’s right above the crack of your ass.  And it translates to ‘beef  with broccoli.’  The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren’t pregnant.  You’re not spiritual.  You’re just high.
    
New Rule : Competitive eating isn’t a sport.     It’s one of the seven deadly sins.  ESPN  recently televised the U.S. Open of Competitive Eating, because watching those athletes at the poker table was just too damned exciting.  What’s next,  competitive farting??? Oh wait!?  They’re already doing that.     It’s called ‘The Howard Stern Show.’

 New Rule : I don’t  need a bigger mega M&Ms.  If I’m extra hungry for M&Ms, I’ll go nuts and eat two.
    
New Rule : No more gift registries.  You know, it used to be just for weddings.  Now it’s for babies and new homes and graduations from rehab.  Picking out the stuff you want and having other people buy it for you isn’t gift giving,  it’s the white people version of looting.
    
New Rule : and this one is long overdue: No more bathroom attendants.  After I zip up, some guy is offering me a towel and a mint like I just had sex with George Michael.     I can’t even tell if he’s supposed to be there, or just some freak with a fetish.  I don’t want to be on your web cam, dude.  I just want to  wash my hands.

New Rule : When I ask how old your toddler is, I don’t need to know in months.  ’27 Months’     ‘He’s two,’ will do just fine.  He’s not a cheese.  And I  didn’t really care in the first place.
    
New Rule : If you  ever hope to be a credible adult and want a job that pays better than minimum wage, then for God’s sake don’t pierce or tattoo every available piece of  flesh.  If so, then plan your future around saying, ‘Do you want fries with that?

Sprouts!!

 

You may recall my mango chutney and key lime fest of a few weeks' ago.  This photo is key limes sprouting from the seeds I saved from the key lime juice.  I nursed these babies, not letting them fall into the trap of all the neighboring critters. 

 

This, on the other hand is a complete surprise to me.  After making mango chutney, I put a half a dozen or so pitts out on the picnic table to dry out.  After a week or so, I ripped off the exterior husk, stuck the seeds in a pot of dirt, and placed it in the shade of a palm tree in my garden.  And forgot about it.  Until the other day, I happened to look, wondering what was growing, there...and then I remembered.  I find this very exciting!  Granted it'll be my daughters and granddaughters who may enjoy the fruits,  but I am just so thrilled to see these growing!

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WaterWorld

Saturday was a great kayak day. The last time I used my kayak, three things happened that caused me to take a recess for awhile. I chose to paddle north in the bay, a different route for me. This called for paddling through the Mooring Field under Matanzas Pass Bridge, past the “Big M” gambling boat and Moss Marine, and past the Coast Guard Station. My destination was Bowditch Park at the north end of Estero Island. http://www.southwestfloridabeaches.com/bowditchpark.htm   At the widest, and deepest portion of the channel, I became caught between two large, identical and very unusual looking vessels that were refueling at Moss Marine. I found out later that these were USCG in conjunction with the NTSA and homeland security, teaching vessel control and water safety techniques to citizens of the Caribbean countries. Yielding to all other boaters, I misunderstood their destination, as one was pulling away from the marina, and the other was approaching to moor. At one moment, I got spooked. The tide was high and strong and I felt very vulnerable. I found out later that it was at that moment when the patch job on the bottom of my kayak cracked. I proceeded to Bowditch, and pulled the kayak out of the water. I removed the plug, turned it over to drain, and was aghast at the amount of water that poured from the hull. I called my daughter to bring the car and the car-top carrier, and drive me and the kayak back home. I went down to the end of the street where I had launched to retrieve my “wheels” - my two-wheel carrier that I padlocked to a palm tree. Well, someone stole my wheels… jerk. The carrier frame was still there, padlocked, but the thief had removed the lynch pins and the wheels. So those were the three things: 1) I got spooked - without a life jacket; 2) the crack; 3) loss of wheels.

My brother repaired the crack with fiberglass, having done a fine looking job. He also went to Northern Tool and bought two new wheels and two new lynch pins, but alas, the carrier was a unique size, and the standard wheels did not fit. I logged on to http://www.coolstuffcheap.com and ordered a whole new carrier (all the time repeating, “jerk”). Weeks went by and many filled with good intentions to test the new carrier and the new patch job. But I had not dealt with number three: I needed a life jacket.

I perused west marine’s website for life jackets. They have come a long way in comfort and design from what I was familiar with. They advertised a new model “for women.” What makes it for women, I wondered, as I always do. Do women have different water safety needs than men? This was “a beautiful lavender color”. Who will spot a lavender life vest in the aqua blue waters?! I got in my car and drove to west marine, and they had the advertised women’s model, and there was seemingly no difference from the men’s - except the color. I was ready to purchase a “men’s” because it was red and yellow (colors life jackets should be!) when my eyes landed on a paddler’s vest. Cool. This was Perfect! I also bought a paddle tether and a couple of new bungees.

I launched at the end of my street, however this time I took the carrier and the wheels with me, and strapped it to the front of the kayak (jerk). I felt really awesome in this nifty vest: It had a pouch on the front where I put my camera, and my lip balm. It had nifty Velcro straps and little rings and things to attach all kinds of gadgets…one being the compass-whistle combination that brother Ken sent. (thanks, bro!). As a matter of fact, I felt as cool as Ken with my new co2 inflatable vest and all the bells and whistles!! I attached the tether to the paddle and fastened it to the loop on the side of the seat and headed out.

I headed south, thinking that I’d stop at the Mound House  http://www.moundhouse.org/  to check the patch - job. All was going very well - not much boat traffic, the sky was partly cloudy, and the water was a bit turbid from all the rain we’ve had. As I got close to the mound house, I was feeling as if I’d “just gotten started” and wasn’t ready to land. I decided I could pull out at Coconut Street (the next known location with a ramp/launch) so I continued on. When I got to Coconut street, I figured, what the heck - I’ll pull out at mid-island marina. I paddled on to what once was mid-island marina, but is now Snook Bight Marina   http://www.snookbightmarina.com/  Because of the renovation, the ramp no longer exists. So I continued on south, keeping my eyes on the shoreline, looking for a ramp or a beach or somewhere other than mangroves, seawalls or rip rap. Judging by the landmarks, I figured I was in the neighborhood of the 6000 block of Estero, or a good four to five miles from where I put in. I was getting closer to Big Carlos Pass, http://www.ecotrail.com/panorama_bcpass_main.htm  and was rather certain that I would not find a beach or a launch along the shore before getting to Lovers’ Key. I decided to turn around.

Well. No wonder all was so effortless and I was just paddling along without acare. As soon as I turned around, I realized I was now heading into the wind and against the current. I leaned forward, and went into high gear paddling. It was at this time I realized that I am a very strong paddler. A friend asked me if I was a strong swimmer, and I answered that I am not. After having answered that way, I reconsidered that I am a strong swimmer, except the breathing part. I can do the side stroke, the breast stroke the back stroke, and can swim very well under water.. But I never got the breathing part down. No doubt I have become a strong paddler. It actually felt good to feel the muscles in my abdomen, thighs, buttocks tighten, to feel my biceps and triceps pushed to the top. Even the muscles in my hands were in high gear. I felt the sweat bead on my face, quickly being dashed away by the wind. I could see the rooftop of the King’s house - a giant gawdy pink structure which sits at the waters’ edge at Coconut Street.

Coconut Street is like many of the streets on Fort Myers Beach - running perpendicular to Estero Boulevard, narrow, and dead-ending at the bay. The difference with Coconut is that the street ends in a very small, old, launch pad. I paddled up and pulled the kayak out. Oh it felt good to stand up!! I pulled out the plug and flipped the kayak over. The problem now was that it was full of gear - carrier and wheels specifically, and I couldn’t see if there was water coming out. I held the end up for awhile, feeling that any amount of water would certainly be drained by now. I looked at the ground under the drain of the kayak, and there was no apparent new flood of water. I was relatively confident that the patch job held. I looked up to see the stern of a power boat on a trailer coming down Coconut. There was a man walking along side. Someone was attempting to launch their boat. It can be done, but it takes skill. The walker was telling the driver to hug the side, etc. (The other challenge, here, is, that to launch, you literally have to back the whole way down the street, as there is no way to turn around.) I hurried to get out of power boat’s way, so I replaced the plug andpulled the kayak back into the water. By now the walker was up to the launch and we greeted. Somehow he felt compelled to give me a push-off. Really, I’m fine… (grrr).

On my return, I paddled in to the Mound House. I pulled the kayak out, and unloaded my gear. I drained the hull, and there was barely a drop of water. HURRAY! Patch job a success!!! I went over to the picnic table, spread out my towel, and downed a full bottle of water. I felt terrific. I felt like I was made of steel. I walked around the property a bit, just to walk. I drank an Ice Tea. It tasted delicious. I checked my BB and it was 4:30. I’d been on the water several hours. I looked into the WSWern sky, and it was a charcoal grey. The smell of rain was in the air, and the wind was picking up. Time to head home.

The last leg, about a mile and a half, was choppy. The seas were kicked up and the wind had increased. Paddling into the wind and against the tide was work, and the bow of the boat dipped and spit with each wave. As I came to the end of Mango Street, I saw several men on the pier. One of them might have been the “jerk”. (There is a condominum complex at the end of the street, with boat slips, picnic area and fishing pier. They post PRIVATE PROPERTY NO TRESPASSING. I’m not sure they can lawfully deny access to the water. I’ve gone on the county plats and they have a conservation land lease from the state - they do not own the land, and I ignore their NO TRESPASSING signs). I paddled close and quickly to the side of the dock , hopped out of the kayak, grabbed the bow rope, and pulled it across the grass, under the chain and on to the public road. There, I strapped the carrier under the boat and walked home.

I had a GREAT DAY on the Water!!!

Tags: Bowditch Park; Matanzas Pass Bridge; Moss Marine; Mound House; Snook Bight Marina; Big Carlos Pass;