Author: alohawild

Wednesday Home and Busy

alohawild

I am again using the standard editor and working my way through the new tooling.

I am also rejecting many of Grammarly’s suggestions now. I like my own voice. And yesterday it did scramble the meaning of a couple of sentences that I corrected after posting the blog. Hmmm.

The words ‘so’ and ‘actually’ are still not used by me. I do not like ‘because’ either, but it floats into my writing when Grammarly points out in blue highlighting that the meaning would be improved if I used ‘because’ and not some other word.

I rose early on Wednesday as my breathing was tough and my tummy unhappy. I also needed to prove hydration and thus started at 6. The time changes also had me up too soon.

I started the day early. It was the deep dark of predawn. I had to turn on the lights. I started my adventure of using WordPro and Grammarly to tell the story of my travel day, Tuesday.

At one point on Wednesday, I opened the garage door, and a red-and-green hummingbird flew down and looked me over. Deciding, I assume, that I was not a source of food, it flew up. It did hover and then left. I am not sure my neighbors are not teaching the birds to land on their fingers.

The backyard had three flickers that were eating the windfall apples. I have not seen the downy woodpecker return. There are fewer crows (they often drive other larger birds away), and I am not sure whether the birds are staying or passing through for the winter.

I spent the morning writing and doing the usual tasks of checking all my transactions in Quicken. I also checked, and my weight is up to 244, so it will be back to salads and less beer soon. Email is usually just deleting them. I have also seen more official-looking phishing emails, which I delete without much more than looking at the obscure email address that sent them.

I did get an email from the Social Security Administration that was official but led to nothing more than reminding me I get a cost-of-living adjustment at the end of the year of 3.6%. I logged on and confirmed my number matched theirs. Yup.

I reviewed my United Methodist Volunteers In Mission for, printed it off, and put it with my other papers. I am using a green mailer for my Brazil trip (19Nov to 30Nov2026). I later updated a health insurance reimbursement form for the trip. UMVIM is covering the trip for health trip (and less happy events) for a few bucks each day. Dondrea and I are the official and trained UMVIM leaders for the trip.

With the blog done, I showered, and all that, and dressed. After putting around the house, I headed out to the nearby UPS store in Air VW the Gray. After a short line with folks there to drop off various packages to be scanned and accepted, I was up. A very young woman then got out her stamp and notarized all the UMVIM documents she watched me sign. It was $10 a stamp (two needed), and a few bucks for a scan of the documents on the USB-A drive. Done!

Next, I was going to stop at the church, but Wendy called, and the internet access was out (a frayed cable, according to Jack C), and she was working from home, and various meetings were moved out, too. Instead, I headed to Portland.

I took the usual 26, crossed over Beaverton to Portland, and headed to the Cosmic Monkey on Sandy. There I got the newest Doomquest, #5, from Marvel. I have enjoyed this series. I also found #3 of Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers and ordered #2, which was out of stock.

Ignoring the information above on my weight, I headed to Grassa and ordered a lovely salad (which would be wonderful with a little chicken for another visit for fewer calories) and a vodka pasta dish I previously enjoyed at the airport. A glass of house wine in a small juice glass went well with it. I read the comic books while eating and enjoying everything. An excellent meal and read.

This is too much food but so good; I finished it.

I also stopped at the 1960s-70s retro lighting and furniture store, Lounge Lizard, and managed to resist going retro.


Wendy’s update was a no-go for our meeting, so I headed home by the river on Highway 5; it was a lovely day, and the mountains were out. It added ten minutes, but the trip was enjoyable.

I managed to sit in my comfy chair after getting the mail, after returning home, and nod off for 5 minutes. Wendy called and was happy to meet at the church. I got up, put on my glasses and shoes, grabbed my laptop, and headed to church.

It was a short trip, and I joined Wendy, and we worked out cleaning plans for the church, mass mailing holiday info, and a few other details. We called Dondrea and talked with her too to get things moving. Busy. Busy.

After this, I headed to Ava Coffee and got a London Fog and an apple strudel, cut in half (Emma got the other half). I did more paperwork again and enjoyed my snack.

Next, Lay Days, a brewpub with good pizza, is not far away, and I walked there, got a table, and waited for Mariah and Emma, who showed up just as Trivia for Geeks started. We had pizza and drinks while trying to answer trivia questions. We managed, after an hour of coming in 6th. We had blown a few questions, and some music questions left us lost. Still, it was fun, and the Detroit square-cut, too-much-crust pizza was great (and again a bad plan for my waistline).

After trivia and closing the place at 10ish, we talked about role-playing games, and Emma and Mariah agreed to D&D on Thursday night or another gaming system. We will start with 5.5E D&D and see if we can make it work.

I found my copy of the Kickstarter rework of the AD&D adventure from the 1980s, Caverns of Thracia, to 5E (which is close enough to 5.5E for adventures). Maybe we can use this material to give me a break on writing until we see if this works. I remember the material was fun to play way back.

I got home, read more American Civil War history, set my alarm for an easy 7 since I had a 9ish visit with Doc M, and soon fell asleep.

Tuesday Yet-Another-Travel Day

alohawild

I am using the standard editor for WordPress now, as they seem to be phasing out the “classic” editor. Each paragraph is a separate block of text, and various tags are available to help search engines. I can also code the HTML if I wanted to go more high-tech. And while I could complain about change, as an IT professional, even retired, exploring quantum computing, and having taught AI Python coding, I will try to accept it and even enjoy it a bit.

I am also using Grammarly, and it keeps an eye on my spelling, missing plurals, and misplaced commas. I also pay for the extended version, and Grammarly often wants to rewrite my text. I find the voice it uses interestingly brief (it drops many of my words); I also play a game of finding which word I missed that trips Grammarly into changing my meaning. I often mix ‘what’ and ‘which,’ and I liked the change, for example (BTW, that scrambled sentence is my usual mistake). But the ‘accept’ option often carries forward voice-changing updates I do not want. I often hand key some suggestions.

Dear reader, I was practicing with the editor above, covering my thoughts on these tools and writing in the standard editor. Please let me start the narrative of my return to Oregon from Michigan now.

I rose too early at 4:45 to make my 8:50 direct flight back to Oregon’s PDX airport. I had mostly packed (I did forget a book that got mixed up with the bed sheets) and was dressed and out the door around 5:10. A sleepy desk clerk checked me out. I grabbed a coffee from the machine and saw a light on in the breakfast area. It was being made, but it would not be ready until 6. I would be at DTW by then.

I texted Deborah that I was headed out and took to the fast roads of the greater Detroit area. Unlike Portland, I am always trying to keep up with the 70s, 80s, and higher-speed vehicles. I saw a motorcycle that might have a red shift.

I arrived at the confusing signs and streets of the DTW rental car return process, with construction. It was dark, but I was familiar with the area (I’d been lost here before). I soon spotted a familiar blue sign and found the correct street. I pulled in; Hertz was not too busy, and I soon collected my belongings (remembering I forgot the book, The Heart of the Matter, a gift from the Crescent Bookstore in New Orleans, but I did not like it much). I had filled the tank the night before.

On the bus to the terminal, we were reminded of the $500 charge for taking the keys with us and warned to check that we had our phones and wallets. About twenty minutes later, the bus was about 60% full, and we got off the bus and scattered. I headed upstairs, printed my tag, left my phone, then recovered it, and saw more folks running to find theirs (it seemed like a lose-your-phone vibe on Tuesday morning). I headed into security on that floor. As a Silver Medallion Delta passenger, I can use the line upstairs. I waited in line for a few minutes before they approved me. This time I took off my suspenders, and my backpack and I were approved without extra attention.

The TSA PreCheck person asked why, if I travel so much, I do not purchase their pre-checked process. I replied that I don’t want that much attention, thank you. Dear readers, while friends have it and love it, it seems a bit 1984 to me, and I prefer to be gray with the other passengers. I also fear, yes, that is the right word, adding more of my travel information to security corporations. At the 2600 conference, I heard hackers say the only protection is to be gray and not be noticed, rather than to hide. And once you hand over information (or they just steal it, like Flock cameras), you have no way of knowing who will use it or how much you have endangered yourself.

I may change my mind someday as lines get longer and events force me to other choices. Of course, the T-shirts and hat make me less gray. But they help me look friendly and harmless. Which I am.

Breakfast was at a taphouse with an excellent pancake breakfast and bacon. Too many carbs, but still delicious. It was near my gate and was open. Breakfast was under $30 for one at DTW, not terrible this time, and, like I said, good too.

I rewatched the movie Pressure (a recommended WWII movie), and then napped for a few minutes before watching Mortal Kombat 2 wtih Karl Urban, who made the movie for me. While it is hard to recommend, I enjoyed it, especially Karl Urban’s character learning that his superpower was to ‘act,’ and then fight like a super wirefu character: “I am just an actor.”

The flight wasn’t memorable, and the seat next to me was empty. The aisle person put on a Central Michigan University, class of 1982, and we chatted for a moment. Her son had moved to Portland, and she visits now.

I soon was off the plane, found the restroom, found my bag, and then got on the TriMet MAX to Beaverton. About an hour later, and after some miscommunication that we resolved, Joan S picked me up at Beaverton TC.

I got to the house cold, with the heat still on Vacation setting; I turned it back to the usual heat and set the water heater to the usual setting, too. I went through the accumulated mail, found various notes from my health insurance, Regency, rejecting my CT scan to prove the cancer had not spread–an annual fight, with American health insurance deciding that CT scans happen too often now. I see that I have to schedule my CT in a message from OHSU MyChart, and the appeal went through, and it is now covered.

I unpack (missing the forgotten book) and decide that the house is cold, as is the water, and lunch sounds like a good idea. I head to BJ’s Brewhouse (the food at the local one is better than the ones I have tried elsewhere) for warmth and food. I take a seat at the bar. The cheap options do not appeal to me. I order a large chicken-and-bacon pizza, a calorie- and cholesterol-heavy dietary disaster. I also get a salad (with stupidly high-calorie, high-fat blue-cheese dressing).

I call Corwin, and he agrees to join me for a late lunch. He must walk the dog, Hank (still banned from the house), but arrives after I have already had too much pizza. The red ale was wonderful too. We manage to get 3/4 of the pizza inside of us. Corwin harvests the remaining for future meals. We headed out well fed.

I am surprised to not need a nap. I talked to Dondrea about church things and getting more paperwork done for the trip to Brazil in November. I called Deborah and texted her through all my transitions. It is hard to be separated again, but Christmas is coming soon.

Deborah will likely visit in February 2027. Although I thought about traveling to New Orleans in late January to enjoy the local parades (Krews), I’ll skip that since our trip is booked for April 2027. But, dear reader, NOLA is wonderful in late January before the crazy hits in February: Mardi Gras. Deborah may attend another conference in Orange County in June (back to the Mouse!). In light pencil, for a redo of our July Michigan trip for July 4th-ish timing (our plans were upset by the smoke this year). I also want to consider a new South Trip for the church now that we have done it. More to come.

A Church Council meeting and paperwork fill my early evening. Deborah sent me a goodnight text; we are back to trying to start and finish our days remotely together. I get a few to-dos from the meeting, but it goes well and but eats 90 minutes. While I guess it is good to have a meeting, I always regret the time spent.

The rest of the evening is doing laundry and watching the conclusion of a less-than-satisfying season of Slow Horses. It was more of a Jason Bourne chase than the usual slow spy stories. Still, I look forward to the next season (already planned).

With the laundry done, I read some more American Civil War and then went to sleep. Thanks for reading. I did have a bowl of jarred peaches as a snack.

Sunday Dinner By Deborah and Monday too

alohawild

WordPress has dropped the “classic” editor. I have to relearn my process. 

Dinner was excellent baked salmon made by Deborah. She complained that it was overdone, but I thought it was good. She steamed carrots in a pan with maple syrup and also made plain rice. It was good. Deborah’s aunt had stopped by earlier, and a lemon pound cake was thus available for dessert. It was excellent (but heavy as its name implies). Liam and Donovan joined us at the table (and Zelda the dog kept her nose on my leg for part of the meal, hoping for a mistake or a treat; I wasn’t intimidated).

Soon the dishwasher was running, and I was petting the two dogs, Zelda and Trixie. Deborah moved the dogs, found a spot on the couch, and we watched two episodes of Elsbeth. It was an excellent night to enjoy a meal together and then watch a show. We are usually rushing off to catch the next thing, but today it was slow and easy.

Deborah, who starts early, was tired by 9, and I headed back to the hotel. I did some church emails and checked a few things on the internet. I was in bed about 10:30 reading. I would turn off the light for about an hour and then start again. Read, roll over a few times with the light out, get up and prove hydration, and repeat. I finally got up at 2 and packed my suitcase. Sleep finally took over at 3-4. I just slid unaware into dreams and woke with a start to my alarm.

Returning to the start of Sunday, I rose late, around 8, and immediately showered and dressed. There is no coffee in the room, and meaning that on the other side of getting dressed is coffee. I am motivated to move! The time shift is only survived by coffee.

With the blog done, Deborah finds me at the hotel, and we spend some time together before heading to Dogwoods, a restaurant in Pontiac. There I have salad, and we are both dragging from the late night before.

After lunch, and the memory fades (it is now a second day) for me, I took Deborah back to her house, then petted the dogs, and I returned to my hotel for a bit. A small nap might have happened. I also reviewed some transactions in Quicken (I have gotten too sloppy, and there are many issues), and hoped my room would get cleaned (nope). The IHG is full, and most of the staff is new to me. Things are running a bit rough, I think, with lots of construction and engineers at the hotel for weeks of training. I met at least three people at breakfast or in the elevator who had been at IHG for more than a week.

And I was busy on Monday and did not have time to write the Sunday blog.

Here is Monday’s story told Tuesday at the DTW airport.

Monday finished with me dropping off Deborah at her house and saying a difficult goodbye. At the start of 2026, we were together for weeks at a time, but after July we had three months of separate travel. Even this birthday trip is only a long weekend. But I will be back on Christmas Day and into 2027. We plan a week in New Orleans in April 2027.

I rose early on Monday, Deborah’s birthday, and grabbed a banana and coffee from the hotel, then hit the road, taking 75 North and then 69 Southwest. The highways are mostly 70 or higher, and this slightly indirect route gets you to Lansing from Detroit in only 90 minutes.

Deborah texted me at 7 to see if I had time for breakfast and to be together. Oops, already on the road. I am running early, but I do not want to miss a chance to see Linda (my sister), Jesse (her husband), and Mom Wild. I also have a noon connection with Leta at Panarea Bread. The coffee helps, and I manage the drive without issue in the huge SUV, Air Durango, black with dark windows, looking like ICE or Men in Black, ready.

I am surprised when Nav has me leave 69 at the Laingsburg exit (Laingsburg being my hometown), but I head the opposite direction, and after a few right-to-right turns, I am on Grand River headed into Lansing. I find the place, Anna’s House, but I am 90 minutes early.

I tried to get back to the blog, stopped at Biggby Coffee to get another hit of wake-up juice (with cream), and Linda asked me to pick up Mom Wild (originally, I planned not to see Mom Wild as she gets confused when I call or see her, but Linda thought it was worth it), and I packed up and headed to Haslette Pointe Senior Center and surprised Mom Wild in her room.

We managed to reach the breakfast place before Linda and Jesse. We had a nice breakfast, and Mom Wild was delighted to share a meal with her children and Jesse. Linda and I stayed on neutral topics and Mom Wild stayed calm and less confused.

Parting was sad with tears. But travel means that every hello is also a goodbye.

Lansing, Leta, and Mom.

Leta and I just chatted and enjoyed our company. It seems strange sometimes, as we miss our third, Susie, when we are together, and it is just us. We both try to pretend that we are not missing Susie, but it goes without saying. Still, I had a small bowl of soup and an iced tea; we enjoyed lunch, and it is always good to see each other.

After seeing Leta, I headed to Downtown Lansing, near the capital, and noticed the area seems to be coming back. A Great Harvest has opened, suggesting that at least one corporation thinks the downtown area is worth the risk. Also, the parking now allows for hours of parking. Before, it was no more than an hour, preventing me from even having lunch there. Better.

I parked near the gaming and comic book store and found two comic books to read (they are now $5.99; they are not cheap anymore). I stopped at the Nut Shop, always remembering Dad Wild going there for peanuts, and got a small bag. I ate them while sitting on a bench and read my comic books. I passed on heading to East Lansing and hitting the Curious Bookstore; I have a pile of unread books from my last visit, plus books from New Orleans. It was warm and sunny. A man went through the trash next to me, hazarding the wasps, and I surprised him by giving him a dollar. He thanked me and said that the wasps had just started to be a problem. I saw him collect two cans to turn in for money.

I headed back. After a short stop at the hotel and gas station to top off Air Durango (I had filled it in Lansing too; it is a large SUV and expensive to drive compared to my EV), I returned to Deborah’s house. Donovan made wonderful steaks (I asked him for advice on making steaks; I will have to try his method), and I joined him, Liam, and Deborah for her birthday dinner.

I am time-boxed (my plane will be called soon). I will finish that it was a wonderful trip and quieter than our usual rushing from one side of Michigan, or Utah, or California to another. Thanks for reading!

Saturday Manor Houses

alohawild

It is still hard to rise before 8, and I did not try. I climb out of the hotel bed, find clothes in the suitcase for today, and then head to the shower. There is no coffee maker in the room at this IHG (something that I have yet to forgive when they removed them a year ago), and I resisted making instant coffee. I do all the usual things and take my meds. Text Deborah that I am awake and headed down for breakfast (coffee!) and to write the blog.

The blog was short, as it was about a quiet hang-out day that Deborah and I decided to do for this trip. We have missed each other and want to be together. Deborah headed to the hotel, and we spent some time together before grabbing something quick at Panera Bread, within walking distance of the hotel, and heading to Meadow Brook Hall.

This manor house, built in the 1920s for the Dodge-Wilson family, was donated to create Oakland University. Matilda remained there until her death in the 1960s. The house is mostly unchanged, and most of its furnishings are original. We got a mixed tour, as the manor house was busy with a wedding. We learned there is a behind-the-scenes tour that covers some of the secret staircases and so on. Someday. Our tour guide’s English made us wince a few times, but overall it was a great time to walk through the house. The use of carved wood was amazing. The ability to never leave the second floor, as everything was brought up there, was interesting. I would love to see it again for Christmas and get that behind-the-scenes tour.

We went shopping next. Deborah picked out a new dress for dinner at The Whitney Mansion today. We then split up; I took a nap, and Deborah had a few things to do. I got up around five, got dressed in a suit, and picked up Deborah, who looked stunning in her new dress and shoes, wearing the earrings I gave her and a necklace. We had no trouble reaching the Detroit-based mansion, but valet parking was complicated, since the in and out were the same, onto Woodward. Eventually, I threaded the traffic and got the Dodge handed over.

We had a nice table in the Drawing Room, which we later learned was where people were drawn to after being received in the Receiving Room. The house retained only a few fixtures, paintings, and furniture from the Whitneys’ time there. The house had been a hospital and other facilities until it was purchased as a dream project and made into a restaurant and meeting space. A wedding reception was busy and took up the Ghost Bar on the third floor.

The house was the first to use electricity, and Edison wired it; the few remaining fixtures were also originally wired by Edison. The windows were full of Tiffany glass, but one window was lost in the riots years ago and replaced; while it was a good match, it is part of a set, and it doesn’t quite match. The house was lovely and, like Meadow Book Hall, over-the-top.

James was our waiter, and dinner was marvelous. We had cooked Brussels sprouts as a starter. We ended up taking some home. We both ordered Beef Wellington, and it was excellent. The wines were good, and we each had dessert. The carrot cake (without nuts) was excellent. The Pumpkin Panna Cotta was dreamy.

Dinner was followed by the Ghost Tour. The tour was given by a waiter who had been with the mansion for ten years; I did not get her name. She described many events and was clear that most were not at the house but in the slowly failing carriage house. She described plates, glasses, and other items being flung without cause in the main house, but she said most of that had stopped.

(This is original and was wired originally by Edison)

She gave us a brief house tour, with occasional mentions of a haunting in a few rooms. The house tour was mixed up, as only rooms not in use can be toured. Still, it was fun. Sadly, the ghost bar was closed for the wedding guests’ use, but they sent drinks down, and I sipped them a few times before putting them down. We had steps to climb, and I did not need a drink for that. The leather-impressed wall cover was interesting (we were told it was also used on the Titanic). I have seen some black-and-white pictures of a wall treatment like this. I did not know it was leather.

Our tour took us into a ruined space which was haunted, we were told, and was shown in various ghost shows. Little light balls that, when touched, would light up were placed, and they lit on their own. Our tour guide then talked to the spirits, and they wanted to play, and more things lit up. A special teddy bear for ghost hunting was used, but it did not react. The lights went on and off. Very spooky.

The next area was haunted, according to our guide, by an unfriendly spirit. The room was dark and musty, with lots of cool air movement. It was creepy and perfect for setting you on edge. I often looked for something I thought moved at the edge of my vision. I was strongly affected. More stories were told (I will not repeat them here as they are for the guide to tell, not me).

Having done stage magic and close-up tricks before and knowing my chair in the house vibrated every time the light rail went by on Woodward Avenue, I think I can explain most of it. That and thermal changes could explain some of it. And the power of suggestion in a spooky old building with air leaks can make everything seem real. But it was an excellent show, and it makes you believe. The best stories and magic tricks are like that. Real or not? Take the tour and decide. It was creepy and fun.

Recommended: dinner and a spooky tour of Whitney. Recommended: Meadow Brook Hall for a trip back to the 1920s.

Friday A Whole Day Together

alohawild

It is hard to rise early on this trip. The time difference and the travel seem to weigh on me. Maybe it does every time. But going back three hours is hard. It was 8-ish when I rose and soon found the shower and got dressed. This IHG does not offer in-room coffee makers, making getting dressed the first step to getting coffee. I required substance with time changes!

Kirt (who I called Kevin and was corrected: “After two years, you still get it wrong”) runs breakfast during the weekdays and welcomed me back with a smile. It is the same industrial breakfast, but there was a banana left, which I quickly grabbed. I was running late, and I also had the last yogurt. Kirt closed up the breakfast while I wrote the blog.

Next, I drove over to Deborah’s house, and we were happy to just hang out and be together. We hadn’t seen each other since July, and it felt good to just be together.  The dogs, Zelda and Trixie, were excited to see me, and Zelda insisted I pull on her toy. Trixie wanted petting.

Deborah and I (often done separately, with varying levels of success) planned our trip to New Orleans together, a business trip for Deborah and me plus-one; it will overlap my birthday on the 16th of April. On the way to New Orleans, I will fly overnight and then board the direct flight to NOLA, sitting next to Deborah (yay!). The convention hotel, Marriott, is on Canal Street, on the line between the Quarter and the Warehouse District, but close to the river. This is keeping up my every six-month in-the-Quarter lifestyle.

Deborah and I watched her son, Liam, anchor the Channel 12 afternoon news on Friday. Liam was up at 2-ish to make it to the studio, prep, and all that for the news. Deborah was recording it on an Apple device that failed, and for the online repeat, she got the recording.

We headed to Rochester Brunch House and had a late-ish lunch. I had the corned beef hash and Deborah the sweet potato bowl. The food was wonderful, and the coffee excellent and plentiful, and it was a joy to just be together.

We returned home, and Liam was home (soon to nap) and was getting some food (not sure whether it was lunch, breakfast, or dinner for him after missing the morning). We then spent the rest of the day together just hanging out. Not much to share other than we were happy to not be doing anything but being together. It was a good day.

Deborah wore her new Blake Blue topaz earrings (they match her eyes), and they were her birthday present.

It is hard to tell a story of just laughing and being together. But it felt like time froze, and even rolled back for us. We were younger and happier, and in my memory, we were the only people in the frame, in focus. We were together, and the world left us alone for the day.

Deborah returned home after we had an average dinner next door to the hotel. I went to bed early because I couldn’t stay awake. Of course, I woke at 3 and could not sleep, then woke again at 4 and 5. It is a travel/hotel thing. Then I slept and slept late.

Thanks for reading.