Author: alohawild

I rose before 7, and the coffee, Zabar’s (pronounced zay-bars) roast from NYC, had been ground and made ready, and the timer started brewing as I rose. Today I was busy meeting Scott for lunch, the church’s monthly HR committee (SPR/C for those who speak Methodist) meets online at 2, and then I was meeting the folks working on the refresh of the church entrance way, fireside room, and kitchen. I was busy writing the blog, writing a card to Mom Wild (one is being returned as I forgot to write the street address on it), reading email, updating Quicken, and generally getting the morning tasks done.

Just a reminder, dear reader, I use Quicken to consolidate all my finances, and all transactions are downloaded and aligned. This allows me a clear view of my income (currently limited to interest and dividends), my retirement investments, which are managed by US Bank Wealth Management in an IRA, and the cash I manage. I have some money in stocks and Treasury Bills (these are the short-term instruments offered on TreasuryDirect.com). I update my balances at least monthly by hand for Treasury and IRA, just the balances. This protects me from criminals, but I have been fooled by one email, and I got lucky. So, please be cautious.

I wrote the blog in my office, showered, did the usual things, and was ready early. I read more of the Strategy & Tactics new quarterly magazine, as this one is about the American Civil War. I stopped my subscription, and now buy them when they are a topic I am interested in. I find them at Barnes & Noble (getting my discount). This issue, Rosecrans Vs. Bragg #31 Fall 2025, covers the lesser-known battles in Tennessee. This is known as The West in those days. It can be argued that the ACW was won in the West, and the finish was merely a grinding away of the Confederate forces remaining in the East until they were too weak to continue (see #27). I find S&T ACW issues some of the best military history reading. I like the way they tilt less towards emotion (though it is hard not to enjoy Shelby Foots’ mystical account of Gettysburg, Stars in Their Courses), but more towards the hard facts and troop placements — for gamers and re-enactors.

I boarded Air VW the Gray and headed to McMinimans at Cedar Hills to meet Scott for lunch. We had both been traveling with Scott, enjoying Paris, and were surprised by the story of the French Kings trying to attach themselves to God through relics and myth. Dan Brown was not the first person to rewrite history to better fit a story! We discussed investments, and Scott is still comparing his approach to investing with that of a team doing the same. I am happy with the 10+% earnings (after fees and withdrawing $10K) for the year. Scott and I talked about me selling the house and using the investment value to cover rent; it works financially, but I am not ready to move to apartment life. I like the space and options (and my roses).

Scott and I enjoyed getting caught up and will meet again in two weeks. After that, I headed to First United Methodist Church, and Wendy, the Church Administrator, let me borrow the Pastor’s office for the SPR/C meeting, which lasted about an hour. We have many to-dos as the church year is starting again, and the previous calendar year ends.

After that, I met with a contractor and our designer for the church refresh project. I am primarily a tourist, though I did help with a few questions. With that meeting done, I went home. I had some pizza from yesterday, still cold, and watched another episode of Wednesday, which does not disappoint.

I then travel to Market of Choice and then the 185th Corner veggie stand. I have a long list, written, and am shocked by some of the prices @ MoC, but in the end, the three bags of groceries were less than one dinner with friends, me buying. The veggies did not break $50 and were excellent.

I also bought some special items from MoC and coffee from 185th. This knocked the price up, I am sure (almond flour, for example). I plan to cook and bake over the next nine weeks before my trip back to Michigan on October 10th. I want to do some French-style items.

I put away the items and then watched a second episode of Wednesday. I was tired, but it was not that late, and I wanted to write some code, do more prep for class, and maybe work on some writing. I wanted to do more, but rest was required, and I wanted the cough to stop. Instead, I put on my PJs and read more ACW until I found myself dreaming the text and not reading. I was soon asleep.

I woke twice to prove hydration, making me wonder if my A1C is back up. I will try to keep the carbs down and the walking going. Though those bake goods may mess with that a bit…

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

I rose late, after 8, on Wednesday. The day was overcast, but it was still, and with an intense heat we sometimes experience with cloudy skies, like an oven. I have a cough from traveling and allergies. I need a few more days of going slow; the trip in Michigan was a whirlwind, and two four-hour-plus flights in less than a week.

I finished the laundry from the trip and, though I still find a sticky spot here and there, most of the spilled jam from a wayward Monte Cristo sandwich in my carry-on is cleaned up. Deborah informed me that the blog from Tuesday (about Monday) had a few typos, but it was understandable. Sorry, dear reader! But it is more important to publish even with typos. I was tired and wrote that blog mid-travel.

I wrote over 1,300 words on Tuesday at my office in Cheatu Wild, describing my return to Oregon and my first partial day back. I started the last load of laundry from the trip and later put away all the clothing. I got a card out to Mom Wild with a picture of us taken by Deborah last week.

With the blog published and the clothing done, I boarded Air VW the Gray and headed to BJ’s Brewhouse. I took a seat in the newly remodeled bar. It looks more like a sports bar now than a microbrew-centered one with the taps along the wall. Rachel is my bartender, a youthful-looking woman who I would card to be at a bar, but soon I have their excellent red ale (which needs no updates), and the new lunch menu is introduced to me. The chicken parmesan with what I would call overcooked pasta is soon before me. The sauce and chicken are well done; better than the usual industrial chain restaurant version. I chat with Rachel about her name and how it appears, spelled differently, in a Sherlock Holmes story (‘Study in Pink’ in the newest version in the series Sherlock). She is intrigued, and we also talk a little about WC Fields, whom she has not heard of, but liked his line “I often cook with wine, and some often makes it into the food”!

I was thinking of WC Fields, and he is my spirit animal for presentations (he learned that juggling and jokes get you nowhere if the audience is not involved, and faked being drunk so they thought he would drop something). I was writing my notes for my class on Sunday and expanding on what I will say and what areas to cover. I get 45 minutes for all Biblical history next Sunday. I will stop about 900CE as that fits the next Sunday better about the history of denominations.

I had a salad and ice cream, and my bill was not even into the thirties. Not bad. I stopped by Barnes & Noble with no intention of buying a book, but rather to pick up my usual magazines. I was tempted by a Roman warfare edition of Strategy & Tactics, but I would want to buy that with the game. I saw a new book on the US Constitution that was a cleaner-looking version of the Idiot’s Guide to the US Constitution, and I got that too.

I returned home, read, and then napped for a while. I woke with a start, not knowing where I was, and panicked that I needed to get to a flight. I did not recognize the living room. I had slept in the chair at first. I think I did not wake all the way and dreamed a different room when I woke. When I finally opened my eyes, I was home. I had a very Dorothy or Silver Key moment.

Back in this world, I collected my books for the class, some post-it markers, and started to identify facts for my discussions. Again, I wanted to avoid anything that people can search for or learn in a good documentary. I found a frozen pizza and made that for dinner. I watched the last Pirates movie, having now re-watched them all. I started the new episodes released this Wednesday, for well, Wednesday. I watched just the first episode, and it was excellent, with a surprise appearance by some returning cast members.

I headed back to the EV and The 649 Bar. Stephen was bartending, and I had a coffee and a shot of amaretto almond liqueur with it. I reviewed the history I was covering, including dates in my notes for completeness (which I will share), even though dates can be obtained from a Google search. I included notes about existing artifacts that agree with the Biblical text (mostly). I need to add more prophets and judges in my notes. I managed to get nearly there. Just a few more hours and I will be ready.

I talked to Dondrea earlier and agreed to have a longer service (I am the Lay Leader) as Kickoff Sunday has a lot to kick off. I sent notes about the refresh work and will meet to discuss some of that on Thursday. One tray of wraps from Costco should work with water and some fruit for Sunday’s class lunch. The class may be heavily attended, I was warned.

After more organizing, it was time to head home. I had a too-large and too-microwaved piece of bread pudding for dessert to finish at The 649. I soon arrived in the EV, was too tired to do much, and soon was asleep again. I woke a few times, and each time I knew where I was. Like other dreamers, I dread that deeper dreams, but still want to explore those other lands. Next time, it will be de-calf, if I want to have a chance to meet Mr. Carter.

Thanks for reading and dreaming with me.

I woke with my first alarm at 4:45 Michigan time and managed to shower, pack, and be ready for Deborah to pick me up before heading into work and taking me to the Detroit airport. I made a mistake, I put the leftover Monte Cristo sandwich in my carry-on, and the jam leaked into my bag and made a mess. I would be sticky with jam for the trip.  I did eat the last scone with the coffee I made in the Keurig in my hotel room. Instead of a messy sandwich, I usually find a cheese and fruit tray in the grab-and-go at the airport. I should have stuck to that. Food will involve many mistakes on Tuesday!

It was an easy, early drive into Detroit on Highway 75 and then 94, and we missed a flipped semitrailer event that happened later in the morning on 75 inbound! I tried to get some photos, but Deborah took better ones with the sunrise.

With every ‘hello’ comes a ‘goodbye’ when you travel, and though I will be back in less than six weeks, it was hard to say goodbye to Deborah. When I plan my trips, I never fear the goodbyes, as the hellos let us reconnect and seem to be full of light and colors. When it is time for a goodbye, I never think, though often it may be, it’s the last one. I think only happy thoughts of the next hello.

I managed to make no mistakes, such as forgetting my iPhone at the DIY bag tagging and drop-off. You put the phone on the glass to scan the QR code on the electronic boarding pass. You then get the tag, which means you must remember to take the black on black device, in my case, which you will not see.

(I did not get in the wrong line. This really brings it back home. This is the security line at Detroit.)

Transitions like tagging and security are places to lose things. I have seen, not me, passports left there in Turkey! I put everything in my carry-on now after they check my ID. I was halted and rechecked for carrying my ID in the scanning Machine. They had to check it was real and not a weapon (!?), but did not check my hat that time. I try not to think about this too much. My suspenders stayed on this time, and my back and side were hand-searched. I was happy it was limited to those areas this time.

Once through, I headed to my gate. I chatted with Deborah, who was still driving, and we agreed that I would need to walk to A23, as the train would take me too far. I walked through three sets of gates and found mine. The airport was just waking.

Cat Cora Taphouse opened soon, directly across from my gate, and I sat at the bar. Sue was the bartender, and we agreed on the peppers and cheese omelet with bacon, sourdough toast, and coffee. I watched her make four, using a special spice from a box, Bloody Marys, and two folks had beer, ‘it is not just for breakfast,’ for breakfast. My breakfast was good.

The bartender was busy but still friendly, and I learned that they were out of most Coke products. They did not have deliveries on Labor Day, and now they are short. Sue did not comment that Labor Day should not have been a surprise. I enjoyed my breakfast, started the blog, and time disappeared, and soon it was time to get to my nearby gate.

I watched movies and a series for the four hours and change that the Delta direct flight takes to get from Detroit to PDX. I can’t remember the film (it was something I had seen before, and I might have nodded off a few times), but I found season three of 100 Foot Wave, about surfing the huge waves. The music is by Philip Glass, and the camera-work, combined with the repetitive and slightly non-tonal phrases of Glass, mesmerized me. I actually continued to watch until the plane was taxiing in Portland. I did get a cup of coffee with their excellent cookies, and later, ginger ale with ice.

I deplane the usual way and find PDX welcoming. The carpet is there to remind us that even the carpet design means something to us locals. The wide terminals never feel crowded, and there are ample seating options. Food is the street price, excellent, and the goods are also sold at street prices. No ripping off of travellers in friendly PDX! The high ceilings and the wood everywhere say, ‘welcome!’ to us locals. The stress of travel melts away as I collect my bag and head to the TriMet MAX light rail.

My laptop, sticky, is out on the MAX, and I write and publish the blog on the train. And I enjoy a $2.80 trip home and board the 57 bus, transferring for $0.00, and then getting off at the strip mall by my house. These doors have to be pushed (in NYC, you simply touch them and they automatically open) to exit the bus. I rolled my bag on the sidewalks for ten minutes until I walked down Clarion.

I am home in the morning, and I am hungry. I unpack and start the laundry. Corwin had, with my permission, had dinner and even swore at the house. I run the dishwasher with his dishes (happy to see them in the dishwasher). I board my EV and take Air VW the Gray to Gyro House, where I have a large lunch. I am taking my still sticky (it took three tries to get the jam off the case and the laptop) laptop and updating transactions and reading too much news.

I return home and head to Beard’s Framing and pick up my new framed posters in the EV. I stop by the gaming store after getting the lovely framed items, and see that they are not busy on Tuesday mornings. I learn that the area gets busy around 6, and they have contests on some Tuesdays. I looked at their Discord server, and folks were looking for games. I might see if I offer some board games on Tuesday morning-early afternoon and see if anyone shows. More to come.

I ordered terrible Chinese-style food from a place I had heard about and even requested a partial refund because some of the order was incorrect. It was expensive too, and I thought it would be good for leftovers; I will regret that decision.

I was tired and managed to get some laundry done; one load remains, the dishes were put away, and the mail was delivered. Deborah told me to just sleep, but I stayed awake until 10. Some of my stamp purchases from the auctions arrived, too. These are the ones I bid on while traveling. Mostly used federal duck hunting stamps. Something to fill in a few places in my album, as long as I can get them at reduced prices. Again, I like used stamps as they are real to me. Unused, while pretty, seem less alive to me. A used stamp was expended, recovered, collected, and now offered to me (often having, at this point in time, having passed three or more collections). I am just the steward of my collection.

I watched some videos on YouTube about ships and games. I watched the less-than-stellar Pirates movie, “Strange Tides.” I was watching them all again.

I got out the rules for Burning Banners and will try to learn and play this expensive board game soon. It is a Fantasy hex-based wargame. One of the few. I did not get far before I was nodding off and was asleep around 10. I woke a few times, confused what time it was, and woke late on Wednesday with no memory of the dreams I knew I had.

Thanks for reading!

I rose at 6:45 and made coffee. This time, the room was not made up yesterday, meaning I drank the rest of the coffee I had bought, little pods for the Keurig. I had a scone also from Lansing to go with it. Deborah soon replied and was dealing with some work items. We would not share breakfast together at the hotel. I also started to put things in my suitcase as Tuesday was a travel day. Not packing yet, more piling.

I wrote the blog in the hotel room, turning off the AC, which blows directly on the workspace. Ugh! I wrote it all in my PJs.

I showered and all of that. I decided on a T-shirt as we were headed to the Michigan Renaissance Festival near Holly, Michigan. It would be warm and dry today. Deborah arrived about an hour later, and I had finished breakfast by then, having already decorated her birthday trip with flights and hotels. I am trying to be there for two weekends, as Deborah will be working during the week, and she coordinates Adult Education in the current cut funding for whatever-it-was-because-it-is-education mode of the Trump administration (F**kers!). I hope to get a weekend and spend her birthday weekend together (we have a romantic weekend in Saugatuck planned with a wine tour).

We spend the morning together, and then head to Holl, Michigan, stopping by McDonald’s for lunch. We park and are routed to the far end of the south parking lot. It is a long walk to the entrance of the festival. We order tickets online, still discounted, and get scanned and soon walking in the large circle that is the experience.

It is a rocky and uneven walk. Not an easy place for wheelchairs. There is more food than I expected and not all of it themed (those roasted turkey legs are ubiquitous). The crowd is large, and at least a third is dressed up, though it looks more like a time-traveling market (with SciFi, as I saw at least one Mandalorian). Faries (of all kinds) were quite prevalent.

Zoltan the Adequate did a good magic and fire-eating routine, and I would love to steal his dove routine. His escape routine from medieval-looking cuffs was entertaining as he would point with a hand that was somehow unlocked and then back in the cuffs a moment later as if nothing happened.

Harmless Danger Jugling was terrific, though we only caught the last of it. Next time, I will plan to watch more shows! I skipped the jousting as I am not a fan of horses in general, and clashing horses, even less. The magic shows looked fun, and there was glass blowing and other sports, more my style.

We had some mead and some nuts as a snack.

We did not have a physical map (and the map had few details, and when acquired, did not help much), and we wandered in a circle completing the loop, I think three times. I picked up a few items that I could not find elsewhere. There is always something unusual and special besides the usual expensive dress-up items.

It was a pleasant afternoon, but I found myself coughing from the dust and allergens. I would do it again.

Next, Donovan, Deborah’s son, agreed to join us at Camp Ticonderoga, which is the bar and restaurant for a local golf course. They decorate with lots of antlers and even elephant tusks! We enjoyed a meal on the porch, and were only a little bothered by wasps. I got a Monte Cristo, which I would regret taking with me, as the jelly spilled in my gym bag. I am sticky while writing this. I have to clean up my travel items and bag when I reach home! It was a pleasant meal.

Next, we watched a new Matlock episode. The season is over, but we have not finished it yet. It was good to get back to it, and it was nice to sit and just hang out and pet the dogs. After that, Deborah dropped me off at the hotel, as I had an early start for my travel home on Tuesday.

I set my alarm for two alarms. Sometimes I miss the first one. I packed and went to bed with everything ready for my travel day.

Thanks for reading!

 

I rose around 6:45 and made coffee. The hotel room needed to be cleaned, and the coffee replenished; I prefer that my hotel rooms be cleaned and restocked with towels, coffee, and other supplies daily. It would be cleaned later in the morning. I started on the blog and would finish it around 8. Breakfast is offered in the lobby until 10, and Deborah would join me there towards the end, and then we would spend the morning together.

We were hungry around noon, and Deborah thought the Red Ox outside would be a good choice. She finds the sports bar too noisy, but the porch is lovely, and the food is a step above the usual sports bar fare. We had salads and water. I try a Malbec from Argentina, but it seems a bit flat. Deborah sticks to soft drinks.

A cardinal, a red bird, lands in the area, and it looks like summer is still going strong. A yellow jacket reminds us that we are outside, but only one appears, and it can be easily waved away. We chat with a manager, and Deborah’s birthday, on 19 October, is available, with a cost of $12 per person for pizza and soft drinks, which seems fair. Deborah will check with a few folks, but it looks like we have a site for the Party now, the Red Ox patio (they have heaters).

We did have Sanders’ bumpy cake with ice cream for dessert.

Before this, Deborah and I had arranged a two-day stay in October at a romantic hotel in Saugatuck, Michigan, with an all-day wine tour. Initially, we found that everything was already booked. The vineyards and hotel combinations were all booked already. I then tried to book everything back-to-back, and that worked. I discovered that the Saugatuck Inn had a nice room available, and then I booked a tour with pick-up at the hotel.

We will then travel to East Lansing for her son’s play and spend the night at The Graduate Hotel, an old favorite, before returning to the Greater Detroit Area to celebrate her actual birthday at The Red Ox. I created a TripIt trip to hold all the details. I can see from the TripIt representation that I have all the days correct (no missed days for hotels or events scheduled in the wrong week). I managed to overbook one hotel, but it was not clear until TripIt showed the conflict.

We spent a few hours at Deborah’s house petting the dogs, Trixie and Zelda, and then headed out to have dinner with a friend. It was a ninety-minute drive each way, but we enjoyed just chatting, and the 75 and other highways were comfortable in Deborah’s hot Mini Cooper. The Mini was recently updated with new shocks and brakes, making it more comfortable.

Next, we watched This is Spinal Tap, which I had never seen. It is funny, but strange to me.

I returned to my hotel. I was starting to get sleepy. There, I ordered the Divine Right board game extension on Kickstarter. The board game dates back to the 1970s and was sold concurrently with the original versions of Dungeons & Dragons by TSR, the company that published the game until the 1980s. It is a guilty pleasure.

And with that, I soon was in bed reading more of the book, How Ireland Saved Western Civilization. I would say the chapters on Irish thinking are less interesting, but I would still recommend the book. I stopped as I reached the last chapter.

I was able to sleep until 6 this night. I am changing to the time zone with only a day left of my stay. Oh my.

Thanks for reading!