Author: alohawild

I tipped the ice cream seller who had found my lost phone and held it until I could pick it up. I was ecstatic that I had the phone back and had already run through in my mind the consequences of losing it mid-trip at Pike Street Market in Seattle. I realized I didn’t have it when I went to take a picture of the ferry at the dock. The dock is about an hour’s slow walk and three flights of stairs from the Market to the water level in Seattle. Ugh!

I made it back in less than thirty minutes, stopping only when I had no choice. As fast as I could go without running. I checked the men’s room, then the first store, and was elated to recover it. I then went up the hill and walked down Post Alley to Kell’s (the whiskey place opens later). I usually visit the one by the Saturday Market in Portland. I had lots of water and a gin and tonic (my hands were still shaking a bit from the exertion; it is a lot of hills and stairs). I finished with ginger ale. No food, since after that workout I was glad my lunch had stayed down. Feeling better, I walked to my hotel, grabbed my bag, and took an Uber (which I could order since I had my iPhone). For $18, including tip and tax, I reached the train station an hour before boarding. I watched them board the Empire Builder. I rode it all the way and didn’t enjoy the mini-room or full room on the way back on the southern train.

But my chair was comfortable, and a young person sat with me, taking the train only halfway to Olympia. We both watched shows on our devices, my laptop and the young person’s iPhone. I walked to the Cafe car and got a Diet Coke, a bag of chips, and a cheese-and-cracker kit. It was two cars away, and I was jealous of the folks who snagged a table in the car for the trip. But the lack of cigarette smoke, drinks, and 1940s dress style spoiled it a bit (and it should have been in black & white). For just under $12, I picked up a few goodies to take back to my seat. I looked for my red bag to find my way back, since all the young people seemed to be dressed in black, and I wasn’t sure which person I was sitting with. Hmmm.

My WiFi failed about halfway back to Portland, and I will have to remember to download some movies for the next trip. I was bored for about an hour, but I could have read and then returned to my find at the map store in Pike Street Market, on Brazilian customs and manners. It covers Brazil’s social history by region as an introduction and as a way to explain customs and manners. I am about 1/2 through the book. I read it at Kell’s and during other breaks on Saturday.

The train arrived, and I grabbed my bag and headed into the dark streets of Portland to catch the MAX, which is only a few blocks away. I wanted Southbound but got on the Northbound tracks, had to backtrack, and finally, after about ten blocks (it felt good to move), I was outside the arcade, Ground Kontrol, and caught a MAX there.

My iHop card recharge failed, meaning I could not board and pay. AMEX is being rejected. After some fiddling, I got the Visa to work. Ugh! Not a place to be getting out your wallet and flashing a platinum card.

That one dropped me off two blocks from Pioneer Square, and I soon spent 15 minutes waiting for a Red MAX to Beaverton. Joan S picked me up in Beaverton and drove me home. Thanks again, Joan S. Everything was in order at the house, and I was soon in bed reading Sherlock Holmes and nodding off.

The morning started with me ignoring my 6 alarm and rising around 7. After showering and all that, I grabbed my laptop. Three Gals is a food joint in the Pike Street Market that has been there since 1912, and I had lox and an everything bagel. Sadly, I saw they use a bagel-like bread product, not their own, but the salmon, veggies, and so on were excellent. I finished the blog at their table, then walked around the market, marveling at the Saturday tourist-filled crowd and the number of tour guides leading people through the sights.

I headed to Seattle Art Museum and enjoyed the art and French Impressionist. They also had a printing workshop on the foruth floor and I did “Go Wild Seattle” for their wall. It was a nice couple of hours (and 1/2 off when showing my State Hotel room key).

On Saturday, I saw salmon being thrown in one of my passes through the market, and the crowd was very pleased, with iPhones raised. It seems to be a Saturday event. Or maybe there was a sudden fish sale, but it was still nice to see again.

As I mentioned, I stopped by the map store, found a book on Brazil, and picked up a few other items. I wandered the other places I missed, and soon looked for lunch. The usual places were mobbed, but Pike Street Grill let me in without a wait, since they have single- or two-person tables. There, I enjoyed fish and chips, but with salmon (it could have been a bit crisper, but it was still excellent). Big slabs of salmon with the usual generic fries and good coleslaw.

I then used the men’s room and lost my iPhone. I walked all the way around the market, then took the new cement and plant park path that leads to the piers. They are lovely and recommended. I saw that all the tour boats were out (imagine discovering your phone missing on a boat trip; I shudder at the thought) and wouldn’t return in time for me to avoid rushing. I enjoyed a long walk. Food was everywhere, and I was glad I had already eaten!

And here, at the end of this story’s circle, I discovered my phone was missing.

Thank you for reading.

 

I was disappointed to learn, after boarding, that you have to get train 503 or 508 to get a new train, and I instead had an old train (500 there and 509 back), and thus, in some view, the trip was a failure. But Seattle is always excellent to visit, and the Pike Place Market never disappoints. It rained the whole day, the usual Pacific Northwest Misting. My hat and coat kept me comfortable, but I did get damp; I often left my coat open, didn’t wear gloves, and my wrist got wet. Still, it was a comfortable day, and Seattle (and Portland) always feel more real when they are damp and misty. I did about 10K steps on Friday.

I rose with my alarm at 4:15 and wondered after a while why not 4:30, as I was showered and dressed by 5-ish. Joan S was there at 5:30 for a short trip to Portland Amtrak Station. Thanks, Joan!. We passed through all the lights with care on TV Highway in the morning, knowing that, after I made my payment, they are booby-trapped with cameras for both missing the light and speeding through it. It is easy, in the early morning and on empty roads, to forget and just dash. No selfies were taken on this trip!

Joan S dropped me off and found her way back without incident, and I was there just before 6 for my 6:45 train, but they do not open until 6. I found the men’s room, sat, and wrote part of the blog using my iPhone for connection. I soon looked up, and there was a line. I joined the line. Minutes later, we boarded. It was train 500, and it was not a new train or cars. But it wasn’t dated (though some duct tape on the ceiling didn’t impress me), and the seats were comfortable and spacious. It would be good to bring your own water, but it was on about three hours, and I managed to skip the Cafe car.

Michael, yes, the same as my name, sat next to me; he puts together traffic plans for events like oversized loads for a living. He told me Washington State seems never to finish its road expansions. It is often difficult to move heavy items to neighborhoods there, even newer ones. After a few stops, the train paused a minute or two at each to pick up new passengers, and we both read or watched something on our devices. The train was completely full; nobody got an empty seat next to them.

The WiFi, while provided, was of no value to me. My iPhone, on the moving train, could not keep a clear connection. I put away my laptop. I also found the swinging and vibration made it difficult to read. I was getting a bit of motion sickness when I read. This had not happened before and might be a result of losing 1/2 my balance “hardware” to the brain tumor. Instead, I nodded off.

It was a nice, comfortable trip, even with the motion issue. I will see if I have that again on the trip back. The conductor reminded me that phone calls cannot be made in seats and must be made in the car’s vestibule. Oops.

I took a $32 taxi ride (with tip and tax) to the Pike Street Market (mistaking it for Portland’s name, Saturday Market, and corrected that). I walked through the market with my bag, which grew heavy as I went on (I will be switching to a backpack for the next trip). Now, fish are only thrown when someone buys a whole salmon, and the crowd mills around and often leaves disappointed. I walked the first two levels of Pike Street Market before deciding that bouncing around with my red bag was likely to cause an issue.

I stopped at the Crumpet place, finished the blog there, and enjoyed a London Fog and a crumpet buried in Lemon curd. It was nice to be back.

I walked up the hill to my hotel, The State Hotel, and learned that for $50 I could have my room now; the staff and I agreed the $50 would be better spent at a bar. I did leave my bag.

I returned to the market and walked all the levels, found a book, and enjoyed being there again. I decided that lunch was a good idea. The usual places were packed, and I had been there before. I tried a new place, Copa, which was on a second level, and it served South American food. It wasn’t high enough to see much beyond the roofs. There I had an average paella for too much money, which I will admit was the last item the server suggested. I would bet their stews and other items were better (and cheaper). Next time!

Stuffed, I needed to move. I took the stairs down to the piers and paid $50 to visit the Seattle Aquarium, which had recently grown to include a whole tropical building. I hadn’t been here in thirty years, but I remember liking it. The first two buildings (Pier 59 and 60) focus on local sea life (and some river life, including some very cute river otters).

The new building, not a pier, was magnificent, and the water was filled with colorful fish; the invertebrates were kept in small, separate tanks. As a former aquarium keeper, I know that mixing fish and invertebrates eliminates many treatments for the fish. Also, the invertebrates are often food for the fish. On the pier, the Pacific huge walk-in tank did have them, and that impressed me. Of course, it is easy to get more, since they are all local. Keeping the water cold, not warm as in tropical tanks, is the only challenge (only an issue for a few warm months, if any). For personal tanks, chiller systems are now available. If I lived on the coast, I would be tempted to collect a few locals for a tank and often return them.

I returned to the hotel, stopped at the bar, and got a Spanish Coffee to warm up. I went up to my room and took a few hours off. I let my coat dry. I switched soaks.

I chatted with Deborah. I will see her next weekend! I was feeling a bit off. Lonely. I walked, and that went away, and then I met some self-declared foodies at the bar when I went to the hotel restaurant, Ben Paris. We talked about travel and food. They are retired Americans who, of some means I could detect, now travel the world as foodies. Seattle is one of their favorite American cities. They now reside in Turkey (I assume they have a Golden Visa) and retain a small home in Colorado near family. The duck and dessert (I left them to try my Opera Cake before they ordered one) were declared near-perfect. We shared some experiences, and I advised them to visit the museums in Amsterdam and skip the Red Light District (except to peek at it; it’s impressive from a distance).

I went to bed early, skipping the local music shows, which was good as I was tired from the early start. I read. As often happens in new hotels, I had a few wake-ups, but I managed to sleep. I did not get up at 6 with my alarm but I did start at 7.

Thanks for reading!

I rose closer to 8 than 7 and had lunch with Scott W and Brad J, but there was no rush. I made coffee and opened a packet of tuna fish kept cold in the fridge, with some slices of cheese for breakfast. I wanted more protein and fewer carbs. I ate this while I wrote and did my usual morning tasks: checking in with Quicken, reading (mostly deleting) email, and reading the news (The President has been making extreme statements to fill the news coverage; I do wonder what he is trying to cover up this time).  Nothing holds my attention for long.

I invested most of the morning in writing the blog. I also started to pack a small bag for my Seattle trip on Friday, returning on Saturday. This is mostly to avoid forgetting something important. I leave the duplicate cables, toothbrushes, and so on in my travel bag. This usually prevents me from missing anything. I buy a new travel-sized tube of toothpaste for each trip; often, I have a spare.

I managed to finish the blog before I needed to start rushing. I showered and all of that, then headed to Cedar Hills McMenamans in Air VW the Gray, now a purchased car with a bank loan, and was soon the last to join, with Brad and Scott running early. We had a table outside, as it was another July-in-October day.

It has been some time since all three of us were together. Scott W and Brad J had done an ad hoc hike the day before; they had talked about connecting for a hike the last time we were together. We talked about Deborah and me and our planned or recent travels. Scott W updated us on some more changes at Nike. We were all well, and we talked about good health news for some others. All great.

I then stopped at Walgreens to get some travel supplies and a few items for the house. I then returned home, took a very long nap, rose, folded the laundry, did the dishes, and watched the newest Slow Horses episode while I did all these tasks.

I finished packing my bag for Friday’s Seattle visit. I reboarded Air VW the Gray and headed back to Cedar Hills McMenamans, getting there at 6:30 to find Jack and Dondrea already there. I seemed to be running a bit slow all day. Dondrea also had them move us to a room, though a group was doing karaoke nearby. We all even sang along to one of the songs. It did not bother us.

We talked about people working themselves to death and trying to find peace or a place of refuge. We asked whether the church, besides all it does, needs to provide peace or refuge from the noise of our social media-drowning world. One answer was that the food pantry and the work we do are a source of peace for the workers. While it would be nice to have peaceful walks or moments, much of Methodist peace is serving food, providing it for those who need it, and being here at the Heart of Beaverton as a place of help. An answer I did not expect, though I might still schedule a “walk with the trees” at the nearby arboretum.

I had two Old Fashioneds, a calzone, and plain coffee. I was safe to drive and relaxed. Just meeting and thinking about how to help brought me peace.

Peace to you, dear reader.

I then drove home, read, and then nodded off. I set my alarm for too early to catch my 6:45 Train on Friday.

Thanks for reading,

 

It rose closer to 7, then 8, and it was another unrelenting sunny I-cannot-believe-it-is-October weather. LA is looking at three-digit temperatures. A hurricane is spinning up in the Gulf. Climate change has been harsh in October so far. Not that I am asking to return to the endless wet darkness of the 1990s and 2000s.

I recalled Monday on Tuesday morning and composed a narrative. As often happens before my trips, the days are mundane, and Tuesday and now Wednesday are almost boring. I read books and write to add something interesting to my day. I might have to bake something!

But dear reader, do not be dismayed. I have a train ride to Seattle on Friday, then back to Portland later on Saturday. I also leave for a long weekend for Deborah’s Birthday the next weekend. We will be offloading the mundane soon.

I wrote and published the blog before I had to rush. I enjoyed a long, hot shower without rushing, then got dressed and all that. I boarded Air VW the Gray and checked that it was unloaded of games and extras. It is headed to the mothership to be inspected and for the dealership to help me cover their expenses with an investment in my vehicle. I learned that every 10K there is an “optional” $660 alignment process, which does not involve only the tires but involves checking all the radar, vision, and other systems that align the car to the road and prevent it from hitting things. And the tires too. Cleaning the AC and wipers finishes the bill.

I decided to wait for the car, and my appointment is at 10:30; I was 15 minutes early. I waited until noon to learn about these extra items, then headed to lunch to spend 90 minutes on them (it turned into two hours). I decided, based on cash flow and having to get another down payment for a new car, that I would just keep the ID.4. I asked the dealership to sell me the car. The service person, Jenna, added that to the paperwork, and I headed out.

I found wings and potatoes at Prime Tap House and Taylor, getting her graduate degree while doing a part-time bartending gig, got me a red Irish-style ale and my food. I read my book and enjoyed my lunch. It was a good walk there and back, and I felt better.

The EV was soon finished, but no word from sales. Hmmm. Jenna from service, frustrated, grabbed me a salesperson and all but made them sell me my car. I waited two more hours, with the time occasionally punctuated by a form to fill out and sign. Yes, I enjoyed a boring two hours as they ignored me and hoped I would go away. Apparently, they would not make a commission to sell me a car I had already leased, and nobody wanted to do the paperwork (there was nobody there in the sales area but me for most of the time). I was at first amused, then bored, and finally threatening to leave. Finally, a sales manager showed up, told me a five-more-minutes lie, and after fifteen minutes, I got to sign a pile of paperwork and turn down an extra $500 warranty on my EV. I left with an envelope full of paper that suggested I now had a car loan somehow lower than before. I got a discount somewhere that nobody bothered to tell me about. And the payment was lower than I expected. It was with a local Credit Union, and I asked no questions, as I always pay the loan off in a year or two.

The dealership did not wash the car, but they did vacuum it. I was sad to see the dune sand gone, but I know how to get more. I drove home, found the mail, and was disappointed that President Trump had sent only one check to discount my Obamacare health insurance. As a liberal, I think I should get some more money to cover the cost of having to listen to the threats to let Iran bomb us on the West Coast, or turning his golf course into a Presidential Retreat, or other stress-inducing comments for us on the left. I think a check a day would make this relationship work better, say $488, the low-end of a day stay at Trump Hotel NYC.

Mariah and I met at BJ’s Brewhouse and blew the President’s previous check on ribs for dinner. We chatted and talked about travel and cars. I could tell she was disappointed I did not buy/lease an EV Mustang during a midlife-crisis move. It was a nice night. We both, spending the check from the President, took ribs home.

With that, I returned home in the newly purchased EV, read for a while, and then went to sleep.

I woke a few times, and finally rose after sunrise to another bright I-cannot-believe-it-is-October day.

 

 

I rose after 7, having ignored my 6 alarm and risen an hour later. It felt like only minutes more. I made coffee and some toast from the wheat bread I made in the bread makers a few days ago. I smeared peanut butter on it and cut it into squares. With that and my meds taken, I returned to my office to watch a gray morning while I typed and composed a narrative for Monday.

Later, I would hear a loud thud. In the late afternoon, I found a small to medium-sized dead bird on the deck. It is always sad to lose one this way, and window strikes are always a surprise. The bay window still gets window strikes after more than twenty years, but this is the first time I have found a dead bird. I can see a few feathers on the glass. It always makes me sad.

On birds, I saw a scrub jay and other larger birds I have returned, along with hole-drilling flickers and downy woodpeckers. Fall is here. The squirrels, now that the apples are fermenting, are enjoying the apples. I saw that some of the windfall had been enjoyed by little nibbles. The murder of crows is missing. I do not know what happened to them. When I would leave the car outside in the winter, they would decorate it. I believe their absence has allowed the other birds to return.

I wrote and completed the blog, but I am now running late to travel to Portland to Richard’s for the continuation of the role-playing board game, ISS Vanguard. I was 8 minutes late, with James even later. Robin, a woman who plays and owns lots of games, is joining us:  Richard, James, and me. Robin was not familiar with the game. I noticed that as you explain a game, you suddenly realize how much you have learned and understood. This is a massive game, and it has an app to control it. It fills the table and overflows onto other drink and food tables. We also save the game and leave much of it set up in the pocket under the wooden gaming table cover. We all help Robin play as our new fourth.

The game takes about 2 hours and change to get to the away mission. Many reviewers like this administration, and Robin watches me as I handle the card process for this play. We have many hours of this process now, and I have a handle on which cards are what and where they are in the box they are stored in. Robin, I can see, is not sure what type of game she had joined (endless SciFi administration), but then we put away all of that, and then get out the planet stuff, load a ship, fly down, and start exploring the planet–in effect, a whole other game built inside of the administrative game. This is very immersive, and today’s planet is interesting and full of risks. We have advanced in the game, and the risks are higher. Without going into details, we didn’t finish the whole challenge after discovering a world within a world. We don’t have the supplies to do both. We do finish our objectives and missions. We also have some ‘rare’ items to help with research for the next play. I won’t be in Beaverton until near 4, after dealing with a traffic mess on the way back!

I stop by the church office; I have a borrowed key and now a fob for the door system. My back regrets the four heavy boxes of cards for the church mass mailing. We are trying to re-invite Beaverton back to First United Methodist Church. I carried them into the post office, and the 4,000+ are now on their way to the good people of Beaverton.

With that done and accepted, I headed across Beaverton, thinking about a Ford Dealership, but instead decided to handle my missing lunch, and with dinner coming up now, a burger at Shackshake seemed a good solution. Fries, too. I then watched the Battleship New Jersey YouTube video (I had my earpods) while eating, took a call from Rev. Anne, and agreed to stop by.

At Anne’s place, I replaced the printer cartridges in their HP color printer. There is a trick: you have to close the scanner to open the printer and replace them. They were in the wrong order, and once I corrected that, it all worked. I took out the toner from the other printer, the black-and-white one, and showed Anne how to remove it, along with the drum that might need to be replaced. I found that shaking the toner and the printer would keep it going for another few months; I shared that with her.

The cable was also fritzing. It is Comcast, and I know this one: new batteries in the remote. If you lightly strike dead batteries, they will generate a short-lived charge by reviving the chemical reaction for a moment. I was thus able to bring the remote back to life for a moment and saw the Comcast warning that the batteries were dying on the now-working cable-controlled screen. Anne was relieved not to have to call Comcast, and we replaced the batteries, and all was good again. We chatted about other things for a while, and then I headed home.

I watched more of For All Mankind season 5 and sort of liked it better. I read more new Sherlock Holmes material and soon fell asleep.

Thanks for reading.