"Blog" from the past........2004!

Pre-blog, I would write in journals--real paper.  There is a journal for milestones in each kids' journey. But about the only other time I had to journal was on vacation.  In sorting through memory boxes and photos, I came across this trip in 2004.  Here is my "paper blog" post. WARNING:  heavy use of the -

6.20.2004  on Bahia Resort Hotel stationary, San Diego, CA

The day after the Father's Day American Lung Association Trek (the 1-day-short-aborted-trek secondary to complications--complications like pouring rain; Day 1 with fattest tires on the road; Day 2 complications like my "trick" knee doing tricks; complications like shuttle-man-Frank blowing us off then denying it in public.  So, Judd and Kelcy biked form Colby to China on Day 3 while Ryley and I blew bubbles at trekkers from Garrity's driveway (and then we called it a day.)

Monday a.m. (6/21) Judd departed with the boys to Orlando via Portland about the same time Mo and I departed for San Diego, via LA, Detroit, Manchester, NH. Judd was probably enjoying Florida sunshine about noon-- o and I were almost enjoying the first "day" of summer at midnight when we arrived in San Diego.
6.22- Bahia resort
6.23- Happy B.day Malindi--Surf diva!where Malindi and I took surf lessons. Mission Valley shopping, Old Town
6.24- Uncle Brent's

6.25. Friday morning - Malindi and I slept in late (almost 9:00!) My efforts to not have my trek-scratchy throat turn into a cold didn't work so well.  My daily echinacea and mealy zinc lozenges kept the cold out of my nose/sinuses but now I have a little dry, wheezy cough. We've come to Redondo Beach this morning to dry out, rest, recuperate.  I thought I was wiped out due to old age and failing stamina, but Malindi confided in me that she too is wiped out. It's the late nights, jet lag, 110 bike trek miles before the surf lessons, many miles of mall shopping, brain-shaking, belly-aching roller coasters at Knotts Berry farm.  I just don't know if I an take it anymore!  It's good we're leaving this wacky state today.

We have noted, and commented often, at the ethnic and cultural diversity here.  This morning we went to buy churros (the sugar-coated Mexican donut sticks fresh out of hot grease) but it was an Asian woman who served us. Whole strip malls may be in Spanish of Vietnamese with courtesy sub-titles in English if you're lucky.  During some waiting-in-line games, we don't even recognize some of the accents/languages!  So cool!

Yesterday, Brent took the day off to take us to Knotts Berry Farm.  I hadn't been in about 20 years and recalled only the train ride through the mother-lode mountain and the old western motif. It has changed keeping up with the parks-es [sic]--three dollar bottle water--gift shop--and the mandatory fast rides: the Boomerang (all purple and chartreuse like Malindi's outfit,) the Xcellerator, the drop-your-stomach-and-run thingie that I refused to go on but that Malindi and Brent bonded on and, my personal least-favorite, the Ghost Rider--a really excessively long, rickety, wooden, old-fashioned roller coaster after a really long,old fashioned, hot, sticky, hour-long, snake-winding, standing in line with the two thousand song-combating campers in various team colored t-shirts. 

Sunday, Mo slept while I went to one more half day of conference.  We did manage to squeeze in some quality shopping yesterday morning.  The skies are the bluest blue in Seattle. No June-gloom here. After my conference, I took Malindi out to dinner (fresh seafood) and a movie ( Dodgeball.) We had dessert at Cold Stone.  Did I tell you about this creamery concept?  Uncle Brent turned Malindi on to this west coast chain of ice cream concessions.  They have a counter of presumably froze (or cold from below) marble. They take paddles, not really scoops, of made-fresh-daily ice cream in sizes of "Like-It," "Love-It," or "Gotta-Have-It." Your selected slab of ice cream is placed on the marble. You may then make a Cold Stone original combination of "add-ins" OR add in your own choices of one, two, .....five, whatever, candies, brownies, nuts, fruits, etc. You r server, warding off certain repetitive motion injuries of the wrist, works/pounds/folds your "add-ins" to the slap, working two paddles in harmony.  Your concoction is then scooped into a waffle cone or waffle bowl or waffle dipped in chocolate and nuts.  Mo likes to add whip cream and a cherry.  I like to add a spoon and 3 napkins.  So, for about $11, two people can have a small "like it" lunch.  After a late movie, you may have to stand in line for 20-30 minutes to be served--the line winding around the ice cream boutique like it were a carnival ride.  WoW! What a trip.

6.28.04
Yep--we're at Hotel Monaco, Seattle.  Jeremy the hotel manager and Clint the concierge have taken personal care of our every need.  Janyce (Mike Gee's sister) is an HR consultant big wig here and she had our room stocked full of treasure for our arrival: Seattle hats, shirts, candies, Monaco-signature goldfish, stuffed and for the tub.  By accident, returning guest Ms.White got truffles and a bottle of wine.  When I called reception to let them know of the error, the exemplary staff said "Oh keep the Chardonnay and chocolate--we'll get Ms. White her own!!)

Janyce took us to lunch at Salty's in Western Seattle.  It was across the bay so you could look across the water at the city and skyline (i.e. right where Meg Ryan stood in the street in Sleepless in Seattle, deciding whether to get Tom Hank's attention.  Janyce has also arranged for a limo to take us to Prodice for a *fancy* dinner.  Meanwhile, we took a shuttle from Westlake (shopping) to have Belgian dip at Dr. Evil's lair (the space needle.)  The monorail is down secondary to fire.  Lindi was mortified that I gave a homeless dude $5.  Well, I meant to give him $1 but that's all I had in my pocket.  Unfortunately, the stop lights are so long that the street people can look you right in the eye for a long time and hawk their wares. In this case it was a "page of poetry by homeless children."  I was about to ask how homeless children had the wherewithall to have their poetry published on yellow card stock, but by then, the light was changing.  I've said, "No, thank you," to the fifty other homeless, but it's getting harder.

Did I mention, the day we were en route from Redondo Beach to Seattle, we met our famous Hollywood star?  I elbowed Malindi in the LA airport that the lady behind us in line played a nurse on TV.  Initially, I thought she was from Scrubs but quickly recalled it was ER. She sat across the aisle from us on the plane with "her man." Malindi appeared stressed that I might actually approach her as is my wont.  After the flight, Lindi and I were deciding which carousel our Air Alaska luggage would arrive on .  We'd had quite the ordeal at check-in when Northwest and informed us they didn't fly to Seattle (despite my self-made internet itinerary.) So, we read the fine print harder and schlepped our luggage, getting heavier by the mall, to Air Alaska.  After tagging our 2 bags, we had to carry them, ourselves to bag security Once upstairs with our carryon, they told me I couldn't fly with my swan-nose scissors (scissors the size of a hummingbird were a terrorist threat--what was I going to do, barge into the captain's cockpit and trim his nose hairs???!) Anyway, I had to go back DOWN to luggage security and put the 3 inch scissors in a 24 inch box and submit them through security.  Of course, now I had no photo ID to get back through Security, having left my purse, my ID and my 16 yo daughter upstairs all alone for safe keeping.  Happily, the worst thing I had to negotiate getting back UPstairs was the Catholic nun, in starched whitie-tighties asking for $$ to spread the Word and keep kids off drugs.  That done, I found Malindi and my sharp-free carry ons and made it to Seattle.  At carousel #1, there was no luggage action so I left Malindi looking cool, and moved on to carousel #2. Behold! the actress-who's-name-I-can't-recall  SO, I strike up a casual conversation:
"Aren't you that famous actress who plays the nurse on ER?"
"Well, I'm Ellen Crawford (shakes my hand) from ER, I don't know about famous."
"Are you in Seattle for work or play?"
"I'm going on a cruise for my husband's parents anniversary. How about you? Are you from LA or Seattle?"
"I'm from Maine; just visiting the west coast."

Turns out, she had just been to Lewiston, ME for a play with her husband. We made small talk and Malindi was jealous. Okay, no next time I see ER, I'll look for her name.

The other celebrity of a close encounter was Macy Gray. We'd just sen a poster that she was due to be in concert Sunday pm. When Malindi was getting "products" at the cosmetics counter of Nordstrom's, the clerk said Macy had preceded Malindi earlier in the day. Whoa--we're traveling in the fast track!
6.30.04 - town care to the airport for the long trip home.

Pictures of old pictures aren't very clear.  
 M² and M²  at the Space Needle.   JT, RT and KT arrive in Florida.  2004

Sip, Stroll and Snack Walla Walla

What to do for a mid-winter jicker**... the Walla Wallans make up wine tasting events. For our Presidents' Day Saturday afternoon, there was the Sip, Stroll and Snack. For our $10 each passport, we could walk through downtown and stop at any of 6 participating wine or spirit tasting rooms.  Some businesses were providing snacks.WW is going to do it again, every second Thursday of the month May through September. We went to one old reliable tasting room (Browne) and then made a point of going to 5 new places.  Some tasting rooms pair their wines with cupcakes.  One was pairing with popcorn. We were surprised the distillery with 5 tastes of gin, vodka or whiskey. (They had the still right out back, standing up like a bunch of giant piccolos standing on end. The decorative Western motif sported wall hangings for purchase. We stifled our shopping for tchotchkes. We're downsizing.

Other tasting rooms  included Locati Cellars, Barons' Winery, Truth Teller Winery and Sinclair estate Vineyards.  We are still practicing so can't always tell a Malbec from a Syrah.  But we can tell what we like and what we don't. We still make up tasting notes that conflict with the sommelier's notes. " AND, I'm still a sucker for a cute label. I think the place I had the most fun was the Truth Teller. They give their wine clever names and descriptions.

At Sinclair Estate Vineyard, I got away with playing the baby grand piano (for the first 4 bars of about 3 songs I remember) and I got asked back by popular demand (i.e. the couple who had just come in missed my rendition of Blue Moon.) 

Then we were off for big Presidents' Day sales.  No trucks or mattresses. All I wanted was a swim suit to replace my hot tub-eroded-over-the-last -5-years suit, so we stopped at Macy's.  We again appreciated the bizarre storefront architecture (below) but were deflated by the lack of choices. We fled so we could shop Lands End or LLBean on line.

Here's a shirt we didn't buy.








**a terrible storm, from "I had trouble in getting to Solla Sollew" by Dr. Seuss, 1965

lazy weekends

   We have not ventured on a road trip for the last two weekends. With only about 18 weekends left before we leave Washington, we're on planning, purging and packing mode.  we watched a couple episodes of Marie Kondo's Tidying Up to get inspired.  We poured good Washington wine. We spent last Sat/Sun going though every file/saved bill/ work-related paper in the office and shredded about 3/4 of the paper and filed neatly what we think we'll need.  "I'll never use THAT lesson plan again:" Recycle!  "I don't know why I saved that VA quality report:" SHRED!!  This weekend we're going over every photo, film, CD, and album : the goal is downsizing. We have SO MANY duplicates and SO many shots of treetops or rocks or blurs.  We're still not digitalized, debating whether we should scan them ourselves, or splurge on some mail-away company to do so.  I think we've agreed to just kick the can further down the road and get what we've archived to Maine to do later.   At least now we know where things are by year.

  One of Judd's missions this week was to prank his two work wives/co-science teachers at the middle school. We left them each a personal Dr. Sheldon Cooper.  Judd no longer has school keys so we went in early in the a.m. and found the housekeeping staff.  They were into the secret.


   

 

 

   For Superbowl Sunday we indulged in some awesome new-to-us recipes: BBQ chicken cheese dip and "world's best bloody Mary's, heavy on the garnishes." Frozen tomatoes make really good ice cubes. The best part of the whole game was watching the puppy bowl at half time (and Judd's crab-stuffed mushrooms.) The neighboring ducks enjoy frolicking in our creek every day.
 
   And Winter Storm Advisory!  It actually snowed in Walla Walla.  About 4 inches slows the whole town right down. We're holding out though, we still haven't bought a shovel.