I woke with the sunrise near 5:30 and rolled over. I started after 7 with the coffee made by the timer built into the fancy coffee maker. I would not drink half a pot, and I have noticed a decrease in my coffee usage. It is a good thing. My weight after the trip is back to 234 pounds, a number I see often. As my friend Scott C suggests, I will have to increase my workouts from walking on trips to something more. My colon is reacting to salads again, which means I will have to be careful with alternative food choices.
I had a question (via text) about travel, and I thought it was insightful from Joan S:
“Do u look for the trips so you can keep traveling or do these trips present themselves
Do u have a goal as to how often u want to travel”?
I find the trips often present themselves, and I have no goal, but I originally imagined traveling every other month. I was even considering renting a room or a small apartment for a month and splitting my time between the house and traveling. A month in New Orleans, LA, NYC, Boston, or Key West would allow for a more thorough experience of the areas than a typical tourist trip. Instead, I am traveling for a week or more, 8 out of 12 months. I prefer ten days and not two weeks (or more). For two weeks, it is a long time to eat out for $$$, and the clothing gets complex (and laundry may be needed).
There are a few places on my bucket list (shipwreck–many in museums, ships in museums, historical sites like Rome, the Dan Brown tour of Rome, and so on) and places I want to try (St. Louis, London, Ireland, Key West). I watch for trips to these places. I often like to visit twice. Once without much of a plan and then back again to see those things that require planning (i.e., cooking/tasting classes, hard-to-get tours, tourist things I missed, etc). I book tours for international trips to ensure I get those hard-to-get tourist spots. Deborah and I did this for Iceland. I expect to do that someday for Rome (I need to take the Dan Brown tour).
Of course, Deborah and I enjoy seeing each other, and that creates a goal to travel more often. I am getting more familiar with the Detroit area, and I like it. It is a short five hours away by Delta’s direct flight from PDX to Detroit, with a pleasant morning flight (arriving around 7:00 pm) and one overnight flight (arriving around 6:00 am).
Returning to the story of Monday, I spent the morning at the laundry mat (the one at 185th and TV Highway), using a pile of quarters from my last visit and cashing a $20 bill; I knew I would be back. It is a hot and sunny day, with temperatures nearing 80°F (25°C), but the laundry is not oppressively hot yet. I have learned that the morning time at the mat is for folks like me with a broken laundry machine (I met a woman doing laundry for her sheets that had a broken machine) or those doing laundry for work. I wanted out before it was oppressively hot!
I use one washing machine for my travel-stained clothing and the few items before and after the trip. One washer and two dryers, and I am out of there in less than ninety minutes. It was $7.50 for the big washer and $1 for each gas dryer. I think two smaller washers are less than one big one, but I hope not to get that involved in this process that I start strategizing.
With the clothing done, I returned home in the EV, spent some time doing various things, and then showered and dressed. At the laundry, I finished the blog, got out some paperwork for church items, and reviewed my transactions in Quicken. I am vigilant for criminals gaining access to my money or submitting charges to my credit cards. My credit cards have been used frequently at restaurants over the last month. But mostly, I try to tap and avoid anyone getting their hands on one. My bank card is not one I use now, except at a bank-owned ATM (ATM fees are refunded to me now that I have my retirement managed by US Bank).
I review my investments, too. My investments for my IRA (once my 401(k) and Susie’s IRA) are running nearly 18% up on an annualized rate since it was moved to US Bank Wealth Management. Mostly, the results are a result of lucky timing (I sold out of the 401 (k) before Trump crashed the markets with his tariffs and other destructive policies — that is not meant to be a political comment, but an observation). My US Bank Wealth Management team then bought low as the markets rebounded using indexes and mutual funds. I am also harvesting (until Trump f**ks that up too — that is a political comment and heartfelt too) higher interest rates.
Lunch is later. I pick up my waterproof pants, which I had shortened to use in Iceland (thanks to Joan S for the pass to their Employee Store, where they are available). They go over my usual pants. I stopped by the food truck park near Beaverton Central. It was hot, so I ordered jambalaya with cleaned shrimp and spicy sausage, and sat outside at the bar, paying $6 for two beers. Natalia from The 649 was there and waved to me. I get to meet her outside of work, and she introduces me to her boyfriend and others. They were also getting lunch at the trucks.
I used my laptop to order an air flight via Delta to New Orleans for the church trip. I gave myself five days in NOLA before the Methodist stuff. The flight was $99 (one way), and I went with the $149 version to allow for changes. I also tried to apply for the American Express Gold card for Delta.
For the Methodist trip, I have not heard from the tour people. I sent them a note. I am unsure of the hotels, travel arrangements, and connections required for the trip. More to follow. But one flight is in place. I looked at hotels, and one of my favorites has rooms for this extra time. Excellent.
After food, heat, and beer, it was time for a nap. I performed a comfortable nap with the AC working at the house after Air VW the Gray took me home without issue from Beaverton Central. I rose in time to watch the rest of Rogue One (I wanted to watch it again after all the Star Wars experiences) and headed to Mexican food with Dondread and Z.
I boarded the EV and soon arrived at Pepita’s Mexican Restaurant & Cantina. We had a nice meal (Dondrea and I both picked Chilli Colorado), and Z enjoyed tacos. We were surprised to see USA Tacos (hard corn shells) and Mexican Tacos (soft flour or corn) as separate offerings. I stuck with iced tea, as I didn’t want to take another nap! I brought a few items for them from Asheville and the Blue Ridge Parkway gift store.
We talked about our upcoming trips and Z’s college fund. I will see about getting one started for Z. In Oregon, the first $180 (twice that for married) is tax-deductible per year (for anyone who contributes in Oregon). This is a 529 program (see here). In other states, the deduction may be different (in many Red states, it is often higher, as the 529 may be used for religious schools — that is what I noticed when looking into this).
After our long dinner and chatting, Air VW the Gray took me home, and I soon was reading about Iceland (thanks, Joan S, for the article) and in my PJs. I slept. I woke up around 1ish with pain in my legs and proved hydration. I got some more water and painkillers, and soon the pain faded and sleep returned.
I slept late as my sleep was disturbed. I dreamed of the dream bus again, traveling a phantom mix of cities (i.e., some Portland, some NYC, some Orange County, etc.), now with a new Asheville section, and I was having trouble with connections and changing buses. Various friends (including Joyce, Eric, and Susie) appeared on different buses with helpful advice. I finally woke from one of the buses, still not reaching my destination.
Thanks for reading.
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