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Going back a bit, Saturday night, I had dinner at Park Stone Wood Kitchen. My lunch was large and thus reduced my requirements for dinner. The staff at Aloft, my hotel, offered a complimentary appetizer card for the establishment. It was just across the street and smelled of wood smoke, and my waiter, Bess, and I had some trouble as she thought the cornbread appetizer too large for one, and I settled for the deviled eggs. They were good, but the whites are lightly breaded and deep-fried?! I had the steak salad. Nearly ruined by out-of-the-refrigerator supply version of blue cheese crumbles and croutons, but the dressing worked, the tiny tomatoes were sliced and wilted in heat, and the red peppers were perfectly cooked. The steak, not much, was thinly sliced and stir-fried to a perfect brown crunch, which matched the wood taste. I was sorry that I did not order a steak there! Wow!

I had stuck to iced tea as my recent experience with leg cramps suggested two beers were a bad idea (I had a beer while writing yesterday’s blog. I also wanted to try the pool. Two women from Seattle were using the pool. It was cool and past the refreshing stage. I managed to swim a few times underwater, but the cold water did not improve as I descended deeper, and I decided not to try to reach the end of the pool underwater. I mostly walked and frog-crawled back.

I recommended that the women try Kells and the Chinese Garden, and maybe the Rose Garden. All of this was off the MAX, which they could take out from PDX. They are headed back to Seattle late on Sunday.

I slept only a bit as I am always worried about not hearing my alarm. I actually practiced the alarm to ensure the phone was correctly set to make a sound;  it was. I was able to sleep on and off as every sound woke me.

I rose at 4ish on Sunday morning to Deborah’s East Coast time posts of her at the Detroit Airport. I soon popped in the shower, shaved, and all of that. By 5ish, I was in the lobby and waiting for the shuttle. It was delayed a few minutes returning a forgotten phone to a passenger. I noticed that the Aloft hotel used a security robot in the parking lot. I had never seen one before; it was impressively large.

I was the first person on the shuttle, and then another group appeared. We stopped at another hotel for a failed pickup (nobody was ready), and then we reached PDX. I soon found Alaska Air, but they had no working kiosks for printing tags for a bag. Instead, I joined a long line of folks to allow an agent to print our tags. I then rolled my bag to American Airlines for them to put my bag on a working belt. I saw the bag made it to the plane in the Alaska Air App later. Hmmm. Yes, strongly leaning towards that Platinum Delta AMEX.

Boarding was the usual process with Alaska, using different words for everything and letters (not numbers) for groups. I got group C as I used their credit card. I sat next to a woman who was heading to California to help a sick relative. She wore a high-quality mask. I offered to wear one (I always carry a few), but she was fine. She is a mechanical engineer and worked on drawings for most of the two-hour trip. About enough time for me to nod off and also read a chapter. I also managed a cookie and a coffee with cream to dip it in.

The plane landed without issue (the most you can hope for in the cheap seats). I was in seat 20F near the wing and blissfully far from the bathrooms. I found my bag after a short walk in John Wayne Airport, and found John there.

Deborah soon arrived, and I met her at baggage claim. We then found a taxi to our hotel, the Hyatt Regency OC, 11 miles away. We stored our bags and headed for lunch at Red Robin, and soon got word that our room was already available. With some food inside us, we were quickly reunited without our bags and began unpacking and so on.

A nap helped, and we both decided not to travel far for dinner. We had never been to a Joe’s Crabhouse before, and we decided to try it out. We skipped the boiled dinner and the vast array of deep-fried offerings and opted for fish plates. Deborah went for a lovely glazed salmon, and I chose another fish, mahi mahi, which was fried but seemed more breaded than fried — perfect. It was a new entry on the menu. The drinks, Patron margaritas, were plain, a surprise. A photographer gave us a memory, and we bought an extra picture.

With the travel and the time change for Deborah, we did not last much longer.

We slept until late for Deborah, 6ish local time.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

 

Already, I must warn you, dear reader, that this blog will be a bit mundane. It’s a travel day to just the airport, but packing and cleaning are the primary focus. I have learned that I-84, MAX, and 216 will all be partially shut down to do, among other things, painting over graffiti. Getting to a 7:40 Sunday morning flight might become complex, and starting at 3 or 4 in the morning does not sound like an enjoyable start for the trip. Instead, I have a room at Aloft at PDX this Saturday night; they offer a 24-hour shuttle, and the MAX (if it is running) is also available just a block away.

Also, the mail never came while I was at the house until about 2:45 in the afternoon. Hmmm. Mom Wild’s card was still in the box with the flag up; I wrote it last night. I brought stamps in my luggage to keep up the daily card to Mom Wild while on the trip.

I rose at 7, having rolled over at 5 and 6 from the bright sunlight. Today promises to be hot, dry, and sunny, with temperatures expected to exceed 90°F (32°C). I started the laundry with the limited clothing and wore just the robe and slippers to wash everything. After making toast with butter and orange marmalade (not a good choice for a diabetic, but it is so good) to go with a banana and coffee already included in my breakfast. The coffee was started the night before, and then the timer started at 7:15. I immediately had a shower instead of waiting until the blog was done. I rinsed the shower of the Scrubbing Bubbles cleaner I had sprayed on the night before, before entering.

By ten, the blog was published, and the sheets from the bed were now in The Machine, and I was wearing the clothing washed after making the bed with the other sheets. I switch them every week.

I also cleaned the sink after finishing my usual morning routine, including shaving. Dressed, I also ran all the dishes and put them away, leaving the dishwasher slightly open to dry out while I was out. The AC was off, and when the Machine was done with washing and drying, I turned down the water heater to low. I killed the fan to be auto (meaning it will not run without the AC and heat, both turned off).

I ordered lunch delivered from Gyro House and had a massive lamb gyro with enough garlic to make me vampire-proof for the day. I could not finish it. As the dishwasher was done, I hand-washed my plate and delivered the wrapping to the trash outside.

I sent a text to Jeff, my fixer guy. He will stain-protect the deck while I am out on the upcoming cooler and dry days. He will look at rebuilding the gate and the locking. The wind is pushing them open and damaging one of them. I also suggested he place a ceiling fan and lights in the two bedrooms (not the office, which will not be improved with swirling papers). He can find time next week, and we will connect later on this. The deck was washed by him in the spring, and I noted that the wood appears to be more open and needs a preservative this season.

An Über came for me at 2:45 and for just over $16 (with a large tip) to the MAX stations, and soon I was riding in a train car headed to PDX. The headache returned with the pollen and my continued reading of Elric stories, as well as doom-scrolling on my phone. Though the news is more interesting of late and less depressing as Trump’s hold on the press and the realization of many that he is not working in their best interests (i.e., an inexplicable $2.7 trillion deficit budget, endangering civil rights for limited if any poltical gain, and nationalizing the National Guard against run-of-the-mill domestic protests). Things are looking up when Fox News was at a loss for how to spin it.

On the MAX was a gentleman dressed in all black, in a steampunk style. I commended him and got an old-style bow. He got off in Beaverton. Later, a woman in a steward outfit got on and we talked about travel for a bit. She told me she has been everywhere in the USA, but only to the airports. Kind of funny. Told her to try to get to the Richmond, Virginia Art Museum (she does mostly East Coast), as it has an extensive collection of Russian Fabergé Eggs.

Soon, I arrived at Cascade Station, got off the train, and rolled my bag to the hotel. There I got a comfy room, and the pool looks lovely. I rested and then came to the bar, got a beer, chips, and salsa, and wrote this blog.

Thanks for reading. The following blog will likely be combined into two days.

Thanks again for putting up with a more mundane blog.

 

I rose on Friday feeling tired from all my broken sleep. Leg cramps (which did not happen today when I did only one beer and lighter food) entered my dreams, and the pain woke me as the pain moved from dreamed suffering to actual waking discomfort. Ugh!

Aside: It does feel like one of the ironic moments. “Please stop the headache,” I ask. Poof. Now leg cramps.

I am just too busy getting ready to be out for two weeks in California with Deborah. We get there the day before the conference begins and start at Disney on Friday. I fly back on Friday, the 20th.

I write a short blog that shares my stories from mundane days before my travel days. The EV is down to 70%, and I try not to be concerned that I have 200 miles of driving until Air VW the Gray. It is still hard not to strive for a 100% charge at all times. After showering and all of that, I board the EV and travel to Beaverton and Cedar Hills McMinamin’s. Scott has a table outside, as it is sunny and warm (with temperatures over 90°F/32°C for the weekend!), and soon our usual waiter brings us our usual beer. We ordered the lunch box, and both of us enjoyed their homemade-style clam chowder (with Pacific clams) and a salad, along with half a sandwich (turkey for me this time).

We talk about family and travel. Scott is headed to dive in a few weeks, and thus we will meet only a few times in the next four weeks (I am headed to Michigan and Iceland just after the 4th of July). We also discussed my discovery that now Boost Solutions for Artificial Intelligence classifiers (for supervised training) are part of the Open Source offerings, and that the examples include Jupyter Notebooks, where you can run and modify them. Things have certainly progressed since the pandemic, and my previous reading and classes, which I taught before the pandemic, have also evolved. I shared with Scott that I have not heard anything from HOPE_16 regarding my offer to give a talk on the same topic. Just a single beer (which was fine with me), we headed our separate ways.

Pastor Steve saw me and invited me to join him and his partner, AJ, to chat. I ordered an iced tea and sat down with them as they placed their order. They were in town, living on the Oregon Coast, and grabbing lunch before charging the EV and heading back. We discussed travel and some changes in their lives (which is their story to tell). They were well and happy. It was nice to get a bonus lunch meeting!

Next, I headed to the Columbia Employee Store; Joan S gave me a pass. It was a short drive, and as I identified myself as a first-time visitor, they gave me a map and instructions on the fitting rooms and other interesting areas. I picked out some shirts and a coat, but they did not fit, so I replaced the shirt with a larger one. I got help and have too-long waterproof pants that I will get shortened before the Iceland trip. I also have waterproof gloves. I also got some socks.

I took my loot home and began the cleaning after having some roast pork. After that I cleaned out the frig and started sweeping and getting ready for some mopping (using swiffers) and then vacuuming. I spent the next couple of hours, as the sun was setting, doing light housework. I restarted the AC for the house for the first time in 2025. I have central air with an oversized unit, which helps prevent it from overstraining or incurring higher costs.

For the reading wondering, while I, a liberal, have not gone solar. I have too many trees that would block a set of hot water or electrical panels. I am also concerned that there are too many con offers, and the life expectancy of the panels is too short. However, I have friends who have managed to make it work. The trees make it a moot point for now.

I collect clothing and pile it next to the suitcase, knowing that it is part TARDIS, and this will fit in there. My carry-on is also a pile of items to be placed here and there. I try to layer it with useful items on top.

I take a break and head to Beaverton’s Salt and Straw, a locally made and slightly weird ice cream shop. There, I try a short-lived tart cherry pie version, which is precisely what it claims to be. Turning tart Oregon cherries into pie and then somehow making that ice cream. Recommended.

I thought about doing the blog at night, but the vacuuming, washing the toilets, shower, and sinks, plus mopping, has me ready to sleep. I read more Elric, continuing on the stories involving the Sleeping Sorceress.

I head to bed and can sleep. There were no leg cramps. The smell of Scrubbing Bubbles filled the bedroom as I got on the dream bus and visited dreaming Portland and other lands. But my memories fade before I can write them here.

Thanks for reading.

If you want to read about my version of Dream Portland, here is my Pay-What-You-Want (including $0): here. The reader can visit my Dream Portland, where bookstores merge with the best bar scenes to serve only the finest drink-stories. But do ask what is in a drink-story before ordering!

While it may be self-serving to recommend your own story, it is still recommended: here.

It is Friday morning as I start recalling Thursday, and the steak dinner, dessert, and beer seem still to be with me. I am up at 6 after a night of leg cramps and multiple opportunities to prove hydration and attempts to remove the leg cramps and headache created more hydration, a vicious circle (or at least a sleep-losing circle). I have only a few days to clean and pack now. I’m headed to PDX on Saturday for a hotel stay, as my flight on Sunday is early.

Thursday started with me rising without a headache to another gray Oregon mist-filled morning. I rose after 7 and started the blog, but I knew it would be a tough day to complete it, as I had church meetings every couple of hours. Additionally, most of that will not be a story for this blog; there is no need to overload this blog with private matters, such as hiring and church staff items. I managed a few paragraphs before I had to shower, shave, and so on. Air VW the Gray was ready for me with an 80% charge. Traffic was still heavy, but I arrived a few minutes before my first church meeting.

We spent an hour talking about paint, flooring, colors, and other refresh items in the fireside room and entranceway of First United Methodist Church in Beaverton. We covered some of the outstanding issues and challenges (such as water leaks) in these areas. We agreed to a general plan and colors (specific tiles and flooring samples will be reviewed later).

Next was an interview for a church position. I cannot cover that here. That took me to about noon.

Dondrea, who was in the two meetings, joined me at Red Robin in Beaverton for lunch. I had the ensalada chicken platter (with one chicken breast) and replaced the salad with fried. I meant to have fries on the side, but it worked for me. I stuck to iced tea as I had yet another church meeting on Zoom at 2.

The meeting at 2 was the S/PRC meeting (for those who don’t speak Methodist, that is the HR committee). We had multiple issues to address, and the meeting lasted two hours. Later, I called and talked to other officials at our church about some of the issues. It felt like I was back to working.

Mariah and I enjoyed a later dinner together at BJ’s Brewhouse. Eric was our usual waiter, and soon I had a few beers while Mariah had a nice red wine. We opted for steaks and even dessert, as I mentioned earlier. We talked about travel and writing. Mariah is interested in the trip in November.

Here is the Southern trip website: here.

Like most liberals, I began to follow the Elon-Trump texting pie fight with amusement—I usually ignore Elon and Trump news, it seems contrived to me. And while the dispute appears real, it has captured headlines, which is the standard operating procedure for Trump. I would not be surprised if we see a big make-up between them next week to create more distractions and control the headlines.

From what I have read, Tesla would do better without the changes found in the Big Beautiful Bill, and with liberals turning away from Tesla, might need those tax incentives after all (Elon originally suggested Tesla would not need them). I reviewed some of the updates related to carbon capture, and there are changes in the bill in the tax treatment of carbon capture. This is bread and butter for Tesla, and while I do not fully understand the changes, this bill is not friendly to EVs and carbon capture, and I expect this will hit Tesla’s carbon credit sales (generated by making EVs). It appears to be a serious effort to eliminate most tax benefits of EVs and tax carbon credit-generated income. I cannot imagine this is good for Tesla or Elon’s holdings.

I read more Elric, and the headache returned. I am not sure if it is the bright lights or the food and beer. I tried to sleep with more stories from reading “The Sleeping Sorceress” by Michael Moorcock in my mind.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

I was happy to rise at about 7 without a headache. The air was damp and cool outside as the Oregon Mist and gray skies replaced our California-like weather of the last few days. Coffee was assembled the night before and was waiting for me. I was slightly time-boxed as I had a church meeting at 2. We were interviewing new potential accompanists for the church; I serve on the S/PRC committee (think church HR if you don’t speak Methodist), and I planned to ask the non-music questions.

I spent the morning eating only a banana and a nectarine with my coffee and writing the blog. I also updated my Quicken transactions, ensuring that I know where every dollar is going. I pool PayPal, AMEX, US Bank, Morgan-Chase, and Bank of America into updates in Quicken and inspect the changes every morning. I am not willing to use just one of the Financial providers and trust them. I also find splitting this up gets me better service. Bank of America disappoints in almost every way, but it does earn Alaska Airlines miles. However, I regret paying $95 a year.  A Delta AMEX may make more sense; I am flying Delta more, and the AMEX website and processes are at least clear, directing you to pay off your balance (unlike the obvious ‘let us charge you interest’ website, which offers no prefiled balance payments, unlike Bank of America).

The blog, which is approximately 600 words in length, was completed and published around 10. I was soon dressed, though I did talk to my neighbors when I went out to post a card for Mom Wild earlier (I send something every day). They were in work clothing while I was still in slippers and a robe (definitely making that ‘retired’ statement). I took the too-large T-shirts to the clothing drop-off (all washed and in good condition) and then visited the SBC Recycling center to drop off the inflatable mattress that had been used only once in the last fifteen years. I missed my turn and had to do a Michigan-like left (a U-turn) to get there. They were happy to receive it, charged me nothing, and were sure they could find a good home for it (or recycle it).

I then headed to Panda Express and waited behind a family, each of whom was getting a separate meal. It took a while, but everyone was smiling as they had two bags of meals. This was then carried to a seat after an ocean of drinks was loaded into cups. I had the three-option combo with a glass of water and enjoyed some of my choices. Others were industrial Chinese-style food.

Next was a church interview, and I will leave those details out as it is private and not really my story to tell. It was more than an hour of listening and asking questions.

I returned home and soon a nap overtook me. I rested for more than an hour and woke, now with the same headache I had had for a week. However, drinking water solved it, and soon, skipping dinner, I was out the door and headed to the church. I was a few minutes early, and we resolved to try Concordia, but with the larger map, as Andrew was joining us. Z grabbed most of the personality cards, while I grabbed the Weaver card and saved my win. Z’s and Andrew’s scores were close, with Z just ahead of Andrew. We all enjoyed the game and know that the score we achieved was when Andrew had to sing in the choir, which would have changed. I believe I would have been in last place, as Andrew was ahead in building, and Z needed just to build to match her cards.

After that, I headed home and made a half sandwich with ham (Italian thin-sliced ham, similar to prosciutto) and cheese. I heated it in butter and added some water to steam the sandwich hot through. It cut it into squares (not diagonally) and enjoyed it for a late dinner or snack.

I was tired and went to bed early. I read some more Elric and liked this story too.