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Today we had an easy start, reheating the food from dinner and some bagels. We kept the morning lazy, and since I had written a two-day blog, I did not need to write. Coffee was waiting, and Deborah and I just had a nice morning together.

[Sorry, I am late delivering this]

We packed a day-trip bag for each and were soon on the road westward to Astoria. I had planned to go through Washington State, but my Nav had other plans. We also saw three coffee places and were sure the next one would be our stop, but of course, the next one was at Astoria. The trip was non-eventful, and the EV started at 100% and was at just under 60 when we arrived. We could, with no safety return and charge at home, but I will pay for a charge in Astoria to keep us safe. At the tallest, the passes were covered in snow and mixed precipitation, with my wipers going nonstop. No slipping, and I did not switch to mountain mode. I carry traction devices (a kind of tire sock), but I did not feel the need to use them.

I did carry a heavy coat, boots, and gloves in Air VW the Gray. You have to always assume the worst when crossing passes here. I never had to put them on.

It was the winding two-lane with blind spots and no shoulder (kind of a cliff) on Cornelius Pass Road near home that scared Deborah the most. It was not too busy, and no jerks were going stupidly slow or fast (or both). The passes and Highway 30 were easy.

We arrived, found coffee, and went to a cafe after parking a block away. We shared a hummus plate (and got regular hummus after we got the curry version in error). I had a Sazerac that left me slurring my words. Wow! We walked that off, and I found some excellent books I wanted/purchased at GodFather Books. We then tried a few antique stores. I found some overpriced (I thought) keys removed from typewriters and bought “Shift Freedom” for us. It seemed to speak to our times.

Another bookstore with a TARDIS and a TARDIS fairy door for sale (purchased), plus signed books that made Deborah happy (details withheld, as some are gifts). The kind clerk, possibly the owner, pointed us back towards the Superclub for dinner.

Dinner at the place was excellent. Deborah had the halibut, and I had the fried oysters. I skipped the prawns as I am seldom impressed by them, but they were highly recommended, and I might have missed out. I like my New Orleans style, at best. I like them peeled and cleaned, too.

It was an excellent night.

The hotel I didn’t mention, the River Walk Inn, was average and seen better days, not great, and the price, $78, was OK for what we got. A very average, slightly renovated, older hotel. Our room was small and was a bridge construction theme, with a blown-up copy of the plans on the wall, bridge parts, and even a locker that was not-as-clean-as-a-hotel room-prop as I want. Hmmm. The fireplace was just a fire-like light panel above the fridge and the microwave above it (no, really ). It was OK, and the breakfast on Thursday morning was OK, industrial. The price is right, and if you want to save some $ and be near the tourist railroad, not bad. But not as clean as we like.

We then returned to our room. We rose with the sunrise the next morning.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Today, Tuesday, I have my laptop back with a new screen and connecting parts. The entire assembly must be replaced due to screen cracks caused by a fall. There is a $99 AppleCare fee for breakage (about $800 without it). Given that Apple’s replacement-level laptop is priced over $2000, it is reasonable to pay $100.

There was a little drama getting it back. Apple sent me the tracking number for the Apple, and it was finally delivered on Tuesday, but not at the house, but at Best Buy, where I turned it in for service. Hmmm. Deborah and I headed there in Air VW the Gray after lunchtime. We had a larger breakfast and a second breakfat including a bagel with salmon and cream cheese. No reason for lunch. The Best Buy Geek Squad, after a short wait, informed me that I was at the wrong Best Buy (I remembered I had been running late and had gone to the one closer to Beaverton).

Note: Difference between nerd and geek here.

I arrived at the correct Best Buy; Deborah made no comment, and I waited now longer. Soon, using my paperwork from when they took it, I brought in this time (which has a barcode), and they found it and returned it to me. I later learned that they had to give me an appointment and then fulfill the appointment to return my machine to me. Very much like the ticket processing we did at the shoe company. The Apple laptop was intact and booted with my data. Yay!

Next, using the Colombia Employee Store pass Joan S gave me, we drove a few more miles in Beaverton to the edge of Portland and visited the store. I had been there once before to pick up waterproof gear for our Iceland trip. There I found a sweater for 50% off and also a plaid red shirt (I don’t have one). Deborah found an excellent pull-over sweater, a new coat, and the shirt she had mailed. Columbia lets you send items at a discount; Deborah and I were impressed by the equipment and how well-planned the story is.

We took a quick trip to the house with our loot, then headed to decarli (always in lowercase). The wine, food, and dessert, our alternative for St. V day that we missed, was wonderful. I had the short ribs, and Deborah had the bricked stuffed chicken. They were both wonderful, and I would order the chicken next time as the flavors were excellent and complex; the beef was great. Well maybe. All of it was good, and we finished with sharing and apple crisp. A great meal and decarli’s was running a bit low key on Mardi Gras (and no New Orleans specials on the menu). It was grand.

 

We returned to the house, and I began writing this blog while Deborah read, then slept. The time difference is hard at night once it is dark. Your body wants to sleep (I remember from my trips).

Returning all the way to Monday, Deborah’s plane arrived at 12:35, and I met her at PDX at the stadium with roses. All went well on her trip after we had to replan and rebook parts of it. We found Deborah’s luggage without issue and, unlike last year, we took Air VW the Gray back to the Pearl District in Portland. In 2025, it snowed, and we took the MAX back to Beaverton. We found lunch at Dechutes Brewery Public House (Deborah remembered it from her last visit). We then explored Powell’s, including the Rare Book Room (where you can also find unique items such as posters, signed books, and music, though not always at high prices). With just one book and a full lunch, we head back to my home.

Deborah is worn out from family events and travel. I make a dinner of NY Strips with polenta (plain) and steamed carrots (also plain). The steaks are seasoned with salt and pepper and finished in a smoking-hot skillet. Neither of us can finish the steak. It is sliced up the next morning and reheated for breakfast. Scrambled eggs to go with it. We have some fruit too.

And that covers enough for the two days. Off to Astoria tomorrow.

Thanks for reading!

I ended the day reading more of Hail Mary and really enjoyed the story. I am about 3/4 of the way through the novel and can recommend it. I set the alarm for 1:30 and soon fell asleep. I woke with my alarm, and sent Deborah a text, and she replied. She was dressed, and the Uber had arrived. All good. Later, I got a note telling me I should be asleep, and I did fall back asleep (though my skin rash, which was improving, kept me awake for a while). I dreamed of traveling and making connections.

Before this, I was home after 6 from watching the Bollywood spectacular RRR at the Hollywood Theater in Portland, Oregon. Though sold out, there were some seats left on the edges. The center and all good seats were taken. RRR is loud, full of dance moves, and incredible special effects with CG animals. It is amazing, three hours long, with a break before the story swings onto a different arc. It is a brain cookie, more like a whole dozen brain cookies. The huge screen, sound system, and padded chairs made it all work.

After we said good night, there were seven of us, and I headed to Happy Planet and had their Thai-style tofu for dinner with an iced tea. I had popcorn and a beer at the Hollywood Theater; I kept dinner light. After that, I walk a cold four blocks to Air VW the Gray, parked in a neighborhood on the street. The sidewalk was blocked in two places by groups of less fortunate people who seemed to be waiting for a shelter to open. Other people and I respectfully walked along the street, leaving them their space.

Deborah and I texted and talked as she packed and finished up her family events that had delayed her visit until Monday. She was happy now; it was over, and now it was back to her winter break from school. She is a teacher. Everything was set for her to catch a Delta flight on Monday morning to Portland via a connection in Seattle.

Note: Connections are easy from Seattle, with hourly flights to Portland (and back). If I cannot do Seattle, Salt Lake City is another good choice, as it gets you 1/3 of the way across the country before you connect. When stopping at SLC, flights take three hours each to cross the entire USA. I prefer a direct four-hour flight to Detroit.

Before RRR (so amazing), I was at church. I arrived about 10:45, and the tables and chairs were already out. I carried in sandwiches and wraps from Costco for folks before RRR (there is no time for lunch as traffic is often messy inbound to Portland on Sunday for reasons I cannot understand), and anyone else who wants a sandwich/wrap. No homeless folks appear today, but we were ready with extra sandwiches. Something I think we should offer every morning, but it would create more work for the hospitality team, who already have a lot to do in the morning. With more volunteers, maybe. Our church’s local vision: “Here at the Heart of Beaverton: Christ Calls Us to Feed Our Community: Body, Mind, and Spirit.” Being Methodists, it is no surprise that food is part of our vision. Maybe we can get to sandwiches with the coffee. Maybe offer them before the service, as needed. No reason to listen to our message and be hungry.

The sermon was by Ken, our pastor, and he called it “Broken Courts, Broken People.” The focus was on the arrest and trial of Jesus (Luke’s account, 23:13-25) and how an innocent man was sent to his death. The focus was on the system and its failures, and when we imagine the story, we can see ourselves as the good guys, but when the system of justice is broken, there are no good guys. Are you the officials, the Romans, the people shouting to free an agitator and condemn an innocent man? Do you deny your association with an innocent man as you are afraid (Peter). We are headed into Lent, and it is time for contemplation for churchgoers. But it is also Mardi Gras on Tuesday, and I am missing the Big Easy.

After the service, we had cake, coffee, juice, and sandwiches.

Before this, I rose with the sunrise. I had pumpkin pie with my banana for breakfast. I wrote the blog and tried to organize a few more things at the house.

And that takes us to the start and end of the blog for today. Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

With limited plans for Saturday, I rose with the sunrise to a gray day wtih only a hint of blue in the broken clouds. The Oregon Mist and some light rains had returned to the Greater Beaverton Area. My legs hurt a bit, and all the dust had me sneezing and taking my inhaler more. There is no game at Richard’s, and I will miss Tuesday because Deborah arrives on Monday. It was likely a quiet day with me picking up things and cleaning this and that all day.

I found the coffee made, liberal fair trade from Whole Foods. I haven’t seen any fair-trade coffee at Costco, but I keep looking (they carry it in pods, and I am thinking of switching to that when I decide to slide to one cup of coffee a day). I ordered more Equal Exchange brand coffee on Sunday.

With coffee and a banana, I headed into the office, the window now cleaned of streaks, and wrote the blog, did a few tasks, and managed to publish the blog by 10:30. I folded the laundry and got it put away. I did the dishes and then headed to BJ Brewhouse to meet Joan S. We met there for appetizers, and Joan gave me a pass to the Columbia store for Deborah and me to use. We talked about computers and our experiences in AI. We talked about house items (we both have paid for work on our homes). We spent a few hours talking and eating.

We went out in separate directions, and I headed to the bagel store, but they closed mid-afternoon, and I had crossed that line. Hmmm. Next, I headed to Costco on a Saturday. Not a pretty or calm sight. Soon, I was being hustled here and there as folks rushed and pushed to get what they needed. I find few smiles at Costco from the customers (the staff is always friendly), just intense get-it-over looks. I found sandwiches for tomorrow (for those headed to RRR with me at 2PM and three hours long). I pick up a few other items (too much cream cheese and lots of bacon). Two bags of bagels. I escaped Costco for less than $100!

I take my single box in Air VW the Gray back to the house. I unloaded and headed back out. It is after five, and I’m driving to Great Clips for an update to my look. I am looking shaggy. They remove that, leaving me looking more organized. It is even shorter than I usually get, but still, it looks better.

I am tired, and it has been a wacky day. I decide to break a rule and watch a SciFi show on the stationary bike. I am finishing the episode from last time. I also chat with Deborah before she goes to sleep. It is always good to start and end our days together.

I collect the end of the ham, just four slices, and three of sharp cheddar, and slice a bagel, toast it, and then broil the bagels (and this time not setting them on fire or carbonizing some of the bagel). I enjoy my broiled bagel, ham, and melted, slightly browned cheese. I read more of Hail Mary and really enjoy the split of the storytelling.

I head to bed early, and now I have trouble sleeping, so I read for a while. I decide not to assemble the coffee as I might sleep in with this crazy staying awake. I have to admit, I am too excited to sleep. Deborah is visiting soon. Yay! It has been six weeks since we saw each other.

At 11:45, a car alarm goes off. I hop out of bed. Grab my flashlight (the extra heavy one), turn on the lights, and walk out of the house with the light and flash it at all the cars and the street. Nobody, but if there were any shenanigans, they saw me pop out and look for them. I have two cameras still in the boxes. Hmmm. Air VW the Gray is in the garage.

I finally sleep and dream about AI and programming with Joan S giving me input, but Deborah in my dream pulls me for a walk in dream forests, I think. The dream is all blurred now. But I like this version.

Thanks for reading.

The day started with me rising with the sunrise. I was sure that when I got my pills last night, I was again recording when I take them to avoid missing a dose, and that I assembled the coffee. Nope. I made coffee. Collected the chocolate croissant I made a few days ago, a banana, and headed to the office. The cute Raspberry Pi 500 with its matching screen and mouse awaited me. So strange to be running off an SD Card. The new 500+ version, besides having, like this one, the computer board built into the keyboard and all the ports moved to the back, also includes a solid-state hard drive. It seems so extravagant after all these years of SD cards, at about $400 for everything! But mostly out of stock as folks like me cannot resist them.

Note: With me traveling about 1 out of 4 weeks last year, I have found less interest in things and more in experiences and people. Also, seeing places where history unfolded, or shipwrecks, has been a focus. I have missed some boardgame updates and some improvements in computers and AI, but I have no regrets, quite the opposite. Climbing wet and insane steps to waterfalls with Deborah in Iceland is certainly better than a new Raspberry Pi. Really.

I wrote the blog and was mostly done around 9:30, but then got distracted by doing laundry (it is Friday, laundry day), picking up a few things here and there. Deborah is coming to visit for a week on Monday (delayed by family events). Deborah, who was beset by family events, did call me before things got going, and we agreed that an upgrade for the flight was a good idea, as her week had been tough with family events, rescheduling, and even a broken doorknob.

I finished the blog, got the mail, and published it. I also watched the next installment of ShipHappens as they continue to fix up a small WW2 wooden-hulled warship. I stuck to short videos, though those geology lectures are fascinating. Makes you want to walk out to some rocks with a hammer and sign up for another degree in local geology. But that would mean giving up traveling; I will just be an armchair geologist (in the same way I climb mountains, in books).

I received the written denial of my CT scan to ensure that the colon cancer has not spread. I used to get these from UnitedHealthcare, denials of service (that is a computer joke), and I will now apply for an exception with Regence. It is frustrating as the return of the cancer, if it comes back, if quickly spotted, will likely be a quick fix or (more likely, unfortunately for those who have colon cancer) an opportunity to enjoy a quick spend-a-thon with the few years I would have left. Colon cancer once spreading is hard to fight as it responds poorly to chemotherapy; at least that was the story four years ago. There has been a ‘moon-shot’ spending from Obama, Trump’s first term, and the Biden Administration on cancer, and the treatments have drastically improved in the last five years. But not getting a CT scan seems a bad plan. My doc and I will see about getting this approved (I believe they may have mis-coded, too). The spending is being cut now by RFK and Trump 2. Hmmm. Growl.

Lunch is more fish sticks (“Fish fingers” in Doctor Who) wtih potato pancakes. All frozen products from Trader Joe’s. It just required some parchment paper on a sheet pan (technically, a 1/2-sheet pan). I had this with tarter sauce and sour cream. I read for a while. I finished up the laundry and organized a few more things.

Somewhere in the afternoon, I bake a pumpkin pie using my family’s off-the-can recipe. It is perfect and familiar. I have a warm piece and then one after dinner. Corwin has one (as does Hank the Doggie, as pumpkin is OK for them).

I also have a liberal fit and joined the Justice Department’s Freedom of Information process (you have to have a user) and filed a request on a clearly improperly redacted image from the Epstein Files (Jack had the image on Facebook). I am not good at protesting, but I can file paperwork and run tickets (ask anyone about my gate-keeping at the shoe company). My request, with the image attached, is now a FOIA request: FOIA-2026-01756. This is not my first one. I declassified some records about a relative of mine who expressed disaffection with WW2 (he was pro-Nazi), but was cleared by J. Edgar Hoover’s investigation (before he became head of the FBI and served in the Army) that he was not a spy or traitor. As a family member, I paid the cost of declassification, copies, and processing, borne by the agency that took over for the now-historic Army Counter-Intelligence Group that conducted the investigation. For the new request, I pointed out that the law already required them to release the information, but I was willing to toss in $100 if they needed it. So yes, I am raiding a tiny bit of Pam Bondi’s budget. Hee Hee. I might have more requests soon. I am retired, but I still love a good ticketing processing system (thinking of you, Tim, and your protests).

Corwin stopped by with his new dog, who seems neurotic (more cat than dog-like). The doggie ran around the house, mostly panicked that it was loose. It became happy and relaxed when on a leash. Corwin washed the windows that had been splattered when he cleaned the gutter for me a few weeks ago. So for $70, I had the vacuuming done, the toilets, sinks, mirrors, and floors mopped, and the windows are clear again. Not a bad price. Corwin, who needs $, has been hired to repeat the inside housework for $50 a week. I needed this done, and I am not finding the focus (or the desire) to clean. Corwin has asked that, at some point, I will withhold the payments and invest them for his future. Corwin, reading some investment literature, has learned the effects of compounded interest and reinvestments. He even used DRIP in the correct context. Berkshire Hathaway’s fractional investment DRIP seems to be his thought. Now there is a theory I can get behind!

Somewhere in the day, Air VW took the Gray to the local US Bank machine, got out $ for Corwin, and paid him. It was the only time I left the house, except to visit the mailbox. Corwin then dusted while I cooked. He dusted for his dinner.

Corwin looked hungry, and I had two NY Strips that needed some cooking. I had not planned this, so they had not spent the day in salt and drying in the fridge, but I could still give it a spin. I baked them at 200°F until they reached an internal temperature of 120°F. I, smoking-hot, cast-iron skillet finished them (next time I will add more salt, as a salty crust works well). Frozen green beans (again from Trader Joe’s, as I was running out of veggies). I also had frozen, oily, and lovely garlic bread from Whole Foods that I reheated to a gooey, happy mess. I have a recipe for focaccia bread and I will have to make that next time when I have better planning. Alton Brown’s NY Strip process was excellent, and no grills or broilers. I don’t have a smoker, but I am slowly leaning toward it. Alton Brown suggests smoking at low heat and to an internal temperature of 120°F. He also uses a remote sensing thermometer (my birthday is coming up; hmmm).

(NY Strip ala Alton Brown, gooey garlic bread, and green beans)

Dinner was lovely and deep into meat and protein, but I did raid the bread multiple times, ruining a high-protein diet, but it was soooo gooood. There was actually some left over. We watched, with Hank the Dog in the window on a heated blanket, finally calm but watching from his perch, more of The Agency. Corwin is not that attentive, and I call Deborah and we say good night and I let her know (after a second call) that I have a romantic hotel room in Astoria (for $75 not the $320 St V-hiked price, a nice reservation at decarli’s (always in lowercase), and even tickets to tour the only Wright House in Oregon, Gordon house in Silverton. Yes, we have a plan again.

Corwin heads out, and I do the dishes. After reading more Hail Mary, I like where this SciFi goes, and it is within known science. I am back at the Raspberry Pi and watching YouTube, and somehow it is 11!

Another day that ran away like sand through my fingers. It is strange that days when they were filled with Zoom meetings at the shoe company seemed like pages of a book that just turned (sometimes it felt like a wind of events was blowing the page turns instead of me turning the page). Now each day is real and full of things, and runs by so fast. But I find meeting with people, playing games, writing, and living all seem to melt the day like warm, melting butter running through my fingers: Delicious and comfortable and ready to bake some nice memories. Still, it seems very pleasant, even the health stuff.

I read for a while in bed, but it is later, and I soon nod off while reading and put the Kindle away and sleep. Dreams come, but are now forgotten or just fragments. I believe I was in dream Portland with Deborah, walking the streets, and considering places to eat or visit.

Thanks for reading!