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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.

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.

This will be a quick story, since it was mostly just me sitting on a plane or going to and from airports.

Joan S called me, and she had car trouble. I would have to find my way to the TriMet MAX station by bus. Not a problem. I woke before my alarm and was soon showered, and all that, and ready to roll my bag to the 57 TriMet bus towards Beaverton Transit Center. I put on my new backpack, and it seemed heavy at first, and my walking seemed heavier too. I missed the first bus, and a young woman told me the next bus was 5 minutes late when she saw me scanning the QR code for bus information. The bus was about 75% full, and I took a seat near the front with my bag. I managed to get my backpack off; it was trickier than I expected with the bus moving and the front clip, and I slid its special strap onto the handle of my rolling bag. Perfect.

I talked to a young person on the bus who was wondering if I was headed to the airport and where I was going. He also said that he had broken his leg by slipping in the bathtub and was happy to be on the bus and moving. It was a lot of information, but I smiled and mostly listened.

On the MAX, the cast of characters changed. A woman busy on a laptop and in scrubs shared a bench with me. The seat was covered in something. I stood instead. Later, a person gave up a senior seat for me. While not quite that old, I do respect the sentiment and sit.  A man with a large, friendly dog sat next to the woman in scrubs, and the dog and the man became friendly. At first, I worried the woman was annoyed, but she smiled, and they chatted about dogs and seemed happy.

I was feeling off (I would have issues with my colon later at 3AM Michigan time), and watched the scenery go by. The woman and gentleman with the dog left the train downtown Portland, and the car thinned to just those headed across the river and north.

I reached PDX and left the usual excitement and happiness of starting a trip I have planned for months. PDX always feels like home to me. I followed the usual processes and managed not to forget my iPhone at the bag-tagging terminals. I dropped off my bag and cleared my pockets into my coat. I am wearing a light coat, an open Haunted House shirt, and a T-shirt. Layers for this trip. I no longer felt the backpack had any weight at all. I took it off and carried it into security. I put my ID away after using it. My backpack was flagged, and five other bags were flagged too, and the TSA person tried not to roll her eyes as she cleared my backpack without comment or opening it. The person at the controls for flagging was new, the software was faulty (again), or nervous.

I found Grassa and had breakfast there as usual. My pancakes and coffee were cheaper than I expected. They remembered me, and they gave me a discount. I talked to Ned, their manager, who also remembered me. My plans at PDX usually include breakfast or lunch at Grassa. Grassa, for dear local readers, is behind security on the D gate side. Powell’s new bookstore is behind the C gate side. There is a corridor, rather lengthy, behind security that connects C and D. I often use C gate security as its lines are shorter.

I talk to a self-proclaimed process engineer and, as I learn, a chemical engineer (I have met many physicists and chemists in a second IT or management/process career; hard sciences don’t always pay). We talk about Nike and its plunging stock price, and AI and his belief that it is a threat. I covered that (from my 40+ years in IT): IT faces a new shiny object every six months or so. Often, management is just pleasing someone high up until the next shiny object surfaces in a sea of news and over drinks. AI is shiny. He also told me that IT is where good ideas go to die. I didn’t disagree, but I told him I used to slip them in as part of upgrades and maintenance tickets. I also told him management loved having me produce a list of requirements to revise something shiny and include it in our IT environment, but it often didn’t appear before the next shiny object did. Repeat.

After that, I rushed through the blog; I had only an hour for pancakes. They were lovely. Soon I was on the plane, watching the movie Disclosure Day, which was good until the under-edited ending. A bit of grandstanding at the end, with no real resolution. Hmmm. Emily Blunt and Colin Firth were excellent and held the movie together. Colin Domingo and Elizabeth Marvel were also believable. Overall, more like an overpriced TV series than a movie.

I watched a cooking show after that; it was not that good. More flash and less about the food. The plane landed. I got a note from Hertz to go to the desk and not just grab a car. Annoying. I found my bag without issue, and again, removing my backpack on a bus was complicated, but the Hertz bus got me to the desk quickly. It was a short wait, and soon I had a huge SUV, a Dodge, and headed to Deborah’s area. It was 45 minutes, and I was at my hotel.

Deborah was there soon, and we spent some time together. She headed home, and we will connect on Saturday. As I alluded to, my colon decided to store up everything (it was an amazing amount) and release it all at once at 3AM local time. Please note, dear reader, as a colon cancer survivor, I include these stories as they may help those to understand better; 25 cm of my colon was removed. I read a book for a while until everything settled. Yikes!

And 8AM came too soon. Thanks for reading!

 

I am time-boxed here at PDX. Let’s cover Wednesday with interesting events. Yes, I got up, made coffee, had peanut butter on my toast, and did the usual morning things. I punched out the blog; it was rather short, but still, it was a usual day, and creating a great story out of the weak brew of Tuesdays is nearly impossible. It is best to let it be short.

I found my way and got the mail. A new book, firsthand accounts of Lincoln I saw quoted in Erik Larson’s book, The Demon of Unrest, made me want to read more. Something for later. I also have General Hood’s messy book. The rest of the mail was uninteresting.

I put on Slow Horses on Apple TV+ on my laptop, folded the laundry, and finished the few items from the last load. I hate to have dirty clothing, except for one set, when I return. I packed and put the items away. I stuffed more items into my backpack. I ate the other half of the overpriced East Coast Italian Sub I got from Jersey Mike’s Subs. I sliced it into little sandwiches and loved it more that way. I left it cold as it had lettuce.

I packed more, tried on a suit; the vest could hold me and someone else. I picked out a gold Old West vest that matched the tie better. I packed the suit, some black shoes, and a sweater vest in case it was too much or too wrinkled. I got everything into the small roller and suit bag and rejoiced. All packed. Adjusted the straps on the backpack and tried it out. All good!

Later, I joined Emma and Mariah in Beaverton for more food, having tried McDonald’s for dinner, and helped them reach 5th place, and one of the beers was paid for by our success at one round. It was fun, and the food (I tried 1/2 a square of pizza).

I enjoyed updating the spreadsheet for our travel insurance for an hour of copy-and-paste line-by-line. I sent that on for Dondrea to check.

Time!

Thanks for reading. Off to catch a plane!(Yes, I am wearing my gang-colors)

Tuesday was full of usual things, but a few were the usual mundane things you have to do to live in 2026. I started by rising, not quite vampire-like, to an alarm at 6:30, which I ignored until 6:45. I rose then in the dark and reheated some of yesterday’s coffee, took my pills (the morning pills are by habit, taken before coffee, thus the act of making or reheating coffee now includes taking my pills; discipline and habit are important as you get older–maybe even when young).

The sun rises, but the clouds and mist (no rain) are heavy, and it turns from black to gray to almost white. The birds and squirrels seem rushed. The remains of a spider fall onto the toilet seat in the bathroom. I don’t remember using the fan all the time, and the local pest must have moved into it. I must have used it, and it was a bad day for the spider. Oregon in the fall, where you must push back against migrating pests. I have not seen any large ones yet, but there have been fewer large ones with the killing freezes of the last few years.

I wrote the blog quickly because I was time-boxed and wanted to finish and get it out before my day gets busy. I finished, showered, dressed, and all that, and boarded Air VW the Gray, which is now below 60% charge. I am letting it float down as I am traveling far this week.

The traffic is slow after the Hill and a crawl to the tunnel, and I am ten minutes late. Laura joins us, and I managed to do better, but I still lost at another game of Lost Ruins of Arnak. This time I wasn’t lapped and was only thirty points behind Richard, ten behind Laura, and tied with Robin. I was playing an add-on character I’d never played before, The Explorer, and I spent time learning it and leaning into its unique abilities. I loved it and really enjoyed playing; it’s a favorite game.

I played better and found my way. Richard bought cards, mostly tools, and then stockpiled resources to use towards the end of the game. He then used them to run the more profitable second-level sites. I again ignored the tools and played to my strengths to learn the character. Despite tying for last place, I enjoyed the game.

I returned home after lunchtime, with traffic still reasonable. I talked to Wendy at the church, stopped at the Post Office, which had a long, slow-moving line, and I was to buy 100 Forever stamps ($89) for the church. It is not mismanagement that slows the line; people in line usually have complex items to do. You can buy stamps and use the machine for basic mailings and skip the line. I wanted too many stamps; I joined the line. The clerk was happy to supply me with last year’s leftover Christmas stamps, the 2026 version, and squirrels and chipmunks in the snow for non-denomination stamps.

I carried my new stamps to Wendy using my new access (I have tried to avoid having church entry for years; it always comes with extra work). Doug, a visitor from Virginia who attended on Sunday, stopped by and wrote a check for the offering he missed. He had forgotten his wallet on Sunday and felt he needed to help cover the expenses. He thanked us for Dondrea’s sermon and the great music. He said he travels to Oregon often and will be back.

Next, it was time for more Brazil trip prep (19-29Nov, Manaus, Belo Horizonte, Rio) and a late lunch. REI is next to a Jersey Mike’s Subs, and I got a spicy East Coast Italian Sub there. The price was interesting. I ordered a full one (about two large sandwiches), which, with a soda and a bag of chips, was over $30 with a 20% tip. Wow! I got the extra one for lunch on Wednesday. Still a startling amount.

I found someone at REI who let me interrupt them while they reorganized the ropes to cover the backpacks for me. Cotopaxi seemed to have the right mix: a larger commuter backpack. I thanked them, and they returned to the ropes. I was not anywhere near the giant carry-your-life-on-your-back versions for outdoor enthusiasts. Not black, but blue and a color called abyss, which just called to my Dungeons & Dragons thinking and love for the ocean.

I spotted some bug spray, but I picked the wipes because they are easier to pack and less likely to get eye-balled by security. I added a small notepad of waterproof paper and a space pen, then found a friendly clerk who sold me everything. She said she uses the same bag and thought it an excellent choice for the urban and air traveler. The clerk reminded me I could return the item anytime for any reason (including that it just was not what I wanted after taking it on a trip). It was expensive, but nicer than anything I have had before.

I returned home after that and started packing for Thursday’s flight to Detroit. I did the dishes, watched more For All Mankind, and read more. I sent out some emails about church and Brazil stuff. I talk often to Deborah about my upcoming trip and to Dondrea about church and Brazil items.

I regret losing my passport holder with my yellow card containing all my vaccination history. I dropped it at the Morocco airport, and it was never returned. But I know I never had Yellow Fever (scheduled for 22Oct), and I have had the usual shots, including the shingles shot. I was warned off the newest COVID shot, as folks are getting flu symptoms, and I will get it after I return from Michigan (included in the 22nd enjoyment). I will try to update everything else up to my trip to Brazil: shots and more shots.

I called the Hummingbird House and thanked them for all they did for us. It was the calendar day of Susie’s passing three years ago. They remembered us, my visiting most days, and the flowers. It is good to be remembered.

I head to The 649 and find there is no parking. I managed to navigate out of the parking snarl, with some snarling from other drivers who seemed to think I wasn’t moving fast enough or were just frustrated. I avoided hitting anything or being hit, parked far away, and enjoyed the walk back.

It was an election party at The 649 with Kyle and Matt at the bar. It was loud, busy, and happy. I met (whose name escapes me as I write this) a woman for Nike, and we said a few words, but it was busy, and they were there for the election party. I got a beer and sat outside until the crowd thinned out.

I worked on Brazil paperwork, mostly reading what we need to do for our group’s insurance. I had another beer and a cheese fondue with bread and brats. I was surprised how hungry I was. Managing to spike my sugar with the bread and my cholesterol with the cheese and brats. A salad or hummus would have been a wiser choice. It was sooooo gooood.

I returned home, packed and organized some more. I read and soon slept.

Not an exciting day, but one full of actions and promise for trips soon and next month.

Thanks for reading!