"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.

Message from the Chief of Staff

Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2019 9:25 AM
To: VHAWWW-SITE <VHAWWW-SITE@med.va.gov>
Subject: MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF OF STAFF
Importance: High






I inherited a history of heart disease. One of my only memories of my paternal grandmother is when I was about six years old and visiting her home in Tennessee. Late at night, a doctor came to the house. I was shuffled off to bed. In the morning, there was an empty syringe in the ash tray. My dad explained that grandmother had a bad heart and the doctor had given her some medicine. She passed away a few years later.



When I was in college, my own father woke up dead one morning. In the early morning hours, he was reading peacefully on the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table, book in his lap. He never woke up. “Sudden death myocardial infarction.” No ash tray at this point, but also no known heart disease. He had no primary care provider, and never had his cholesterol or blood pressure monitored. He had recently treated his “really bad heartburn” with Maalox. He never received all the routine preventative health care maintenance we have access to and expect today.



You can’t pick your genes or whether your parents smoke, but you can change your diet or behavior, or get yourself to your own health care screenings. Why not catch up your appointments in February? Or take up a healthy habit? Do something good for your own heart.



Click HERE  to go to NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute site to review their February weekly themed chart on ways you can get involved to help encourage and motivate others to get heart healthy! And be sure to WEAR RED on Friday, February 1 for WEAR RED DAY.



For those of you at the Walla Walla campus, consider joining your fellow employees and your community for a short heart healthy walk around the Parade Grounds at 11:45 a.m. (meet in front of Bldg. 86). A WEAR RED group picture will be taken before the walk starts (be sure to come out for the picture even if you can’t participate in the walk!). For our CBOCs, find a way to recognize and celebrate National Heart Health Month this Friday by organizing a short walk outside, around the building or parking lot. And be sure to WEAR RED and share a group picture(s) with Public Affairs.



Let’s GO RED FOR WOMEN and GO RED FOR HEART HEALTH!





Melanie M. Thompson, M.D., MPH

Chief of Staff

Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VAMC

509.525.5200 x26498

Message from the Chief of Staff

Subject: MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF OF STAFF
Importance: High

I inherited a history of heart disease. One of my only memories of my paternal grandmother is when I was about six years old and visiting her home in Tennessee. Late at night, a doctor came to the house. I was shuffled off to bed. In the morning, there was an empty syringe in the ash tray. My dad explained that grandmother had a bad heart and the doctor had given her some medicine. She passed away a few years later.

When I was in college, my own father woke up dead one morning. In the early morning hours, he was reading peacefully on the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table, book in his lap. He never woke up. “Sudden death myocardial infarction.” No ash tray at this point, but also no known heart disease. He had no primary care provider, and never had his cholesterol or blood pressure monitored. He had recently treated his “really bad heartburn” with Maalox. He never received all the routine preventative health care maintenance we have access to and expect today.

You can’t pick your genes or whether your parents smoke, but you can change your diet or behavior, or get yourself to your own health care screenings. Why not catch up your appointments in February? Or take up a healthy habit? Do something good for your own heart.

Click HERE to go to NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute site to review their February weekly themed chart on ways you can get involved to help encourage and motivate others to get heart healthy! And be sure to WEAR RED on Friday, February 1 for WEAR RED DAY.

For those of you at the Walla Walla campus, consider joining your fellow employees and your community for a short heart healthy walk around the Parade Grounds at 11:45 a.m. (meet in front of Bldg. 86). A WEAR RED group picture will be taken before the walk starts (be sure to come out for the picture even if you can’t participate in the walk!). For our CBOCs, find a way to recognize and celebrate National Heart Health Month this Friday by organizing a short walk outside, around the building or parking lot. And be sure to WEAR RED and share a group picture(s) with Public Affairs.

Let’s GO RED FOR WOMEN and GO RED FOR HEART HEALTH!

Melanie M. Thompson, M.D., MPH

Chief of Staff

Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VAMC

509.525.5200 x26498

Seeking Cicely

snow in the vineyards

Judd retired from teaching school Friday and we headed north on Saturday.  We stopped in Yakima at Lance's to examine pop-up truck campers.  Judd's been "researching" on line for weeks already. He had already admired the campers and spoken with one co-owner brother already.  The other brother showed us around this day and was totally a fan of our choice--small, lighter-weight, efficient.  Judd likes that we can put it on a smaller truck which he can use as a go-to-the-dump/haul-the-boat-in-Maine vehicle.  I like that it has a porta-potty and it's name is "Northstar."  Everyone wins.  We left the brothers a down payment and said we'd be back when we have a truck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGEutaSo9to

While reading our Things to See in Washington book, we discovered, by accident, that a tiny town nearby  where we could spend the night, was the town where the old TV show Northern Exposure was filmed. We drove to it.  The Central Washington Cascade mountains appeared out of our mostly foggy drive, all white-snow-capped in the sunset. The sitcom was supposed to be in Cicely, Alaska  but it must have been easier to schlepp a film crew to Washington than Alaska.  The town is about 2 blocks in any direction. Population: 912  We cruised the mandatory saloon The Brick-- famous for being 'the oldest licensed watering hole in Washington." We made a point of checking out the "23 foot running water spittoon" at the base of the bar, but the restaurant was so crowded and noisy a picture was untenable. 

http://www.bricksaloon.com/history.html
We considered having our pub dinner there but when no wait staff attended to us after 5 minutes and a bathroom break, we walked a block down the street to the Roslyn Roadhouse where the locals get their burgers. We were fine.

Our stay at the Timber Lodge Inn in Cle Elum was uneventful, sadly, because the hot tub they have advertised on their web page hasn't been in service for a few years.  We did make use of their complimentary popcorn. We were amazed that with regular TV channels, we could watch Saturday Night Live, LIVE on a Saturday, before our midnight!!!  Time zones are incredible. We're usually 2 weeks and several hours behind.

Sunday morning we returned the 3 miles to Roslyn and had breakfast in the Roslyn Cafe. Good service and good food. Just a 3 hour road trip back to Walla Walla in time for a farewell pizza lunch with Judd's best work-mates.  They will miss him and he's very sad to be leaving them.  But the "honey-do" list I have for him will alleviate his sadness and boredom soon.

now THOSE are fat tires!

downtown Roslyn

Roslyn was a coal mining town

driving from the clear highlands and watching the fog roll up from the valley

not your grandmother's resort

Hot Lake Springs, La Grande, OR

Judd and I wanted a get away for the long weekend. Hearing that we liked mineral springs, a friend at work had recommended Hot Lake to us.  He said to be sure and check out the history before we went. We did.  We were not deterred by reports of hauntings or lack of restaurant.  We portaged our own wine and dinner and our big kid "I don't believe in ghosts" chants and went anyway. La Grande, Oregon sits in a very big valley and it requires going over a mountain pass any which way you go.  I have a phone app to tell how much snow is on which mountain pass and all reports were "clear roads" and a rainy forecast.  We chose the not-highway and went the windy back (scenic) road.  We started seeing snowbanks from the last few snows and in Elgin, the road markers were those orange 10 foot poles already packed with 5 feet of plowed snow banks.  And then the rain switched to snow while we were having tea time at the Elgin Outpost. We swerved into the driveway when I saw the sign that said PIES.  We purchased an entire apple pie and they warmed up a couple pieces to have with our mulled wine.  Judd even ran into one of his students who was out for snow fun. My car has studded snow tires. Good thing too, because we came across several places where you have to carry chains or traction tires to continue over the pass.

We arrived at Hot Lake Spring before 3:00-check-in. Peacocks, guinea fowl and a cat came to greet us. The building looks like a hybrid of an old brick VA hospital and the Overlook Hotel which inspired  The Shining.   We were informed : "We don't do early check ins."  So we asked if we could visit the museum until check-in time. They were very happy to escort us to the theater, an actual theater, with a running movie of how the family met, how the family developed their bronze foundry, how, in 2003,  they unified their family to buy and restore a dilapidated resort from the 1860s which had been, in turn, a resort, a sanitorium, an asylum, and back to a resort.Turns out this month, this family is moving and we're the last visitors to see the museum and art here.  All the personal artifacts are being moved. The only other guests this weekend are a couple volunteers who are here to help pack up things for the move. An organization called Veterans Restorative Care Center is taking it on in a project to help disabled Veterans.

After the documentary, we led ourselves on a tour of the history center/museum--the second floor is the owner's private collection of memorabilia from every war/conflict from the civil war to World War II--many, many old uniforms and guns.  I walk faster through history than Judd so I was done sooner. The third floor is all Native American artifacts. A lot.  More arrowheads than you've ever seen in one place. With our overnight status, we were allowed to roam the halls of the entire resort (unless there was a guest in the room) and explore all the ancient things. We had also seen some You-Tubes during our research of the place, saying it was well known to be haunted. Judd and I were on the out-look for paranormal activities. We creeped ourselves out badly--mostly on the third floor where the old surgery/hospital used to be.  

After check in, we did explore halls and rooms and porches and elevator shafts, looking for ghosts and history. We had been assigned to the Huffman Room as it appears to be the most funkily decorated suite in the house, but the radiator was so loud and squeaky that we asked for a quieter room.  They found us the McMahan room (because the radiator was broken.)  It was perfect and the supplied space heater was quiet as well. Our adjoining room was warm and we could sit and play cribbage at the bistro table or recline in the easy chairs and watch a Netflix movie. We had brought enough noshing to sustain us for dinner.  The other half of that pie we bought at the Outpost helped. All the radiators run on the hot spring water so it must cut down on the heating bill.

About sunset, we decided to try the hot mineral baths.  This was the primary reason for our trip. Turns out about 2/3 of the tubs were not in service.  Our choices were:  the Brick Tub, the White Tub or the Rock Tub. They are all outdoors but the brick one is enclosed in a brick cubicle-- protected from the rain and wind, but no view.  The White Tub is a fiberglass hot tub and tends to be cooler.  The Rock tub is just what it says, about a double sized hot tub area constructed from cemented rocks--looks more au naturel, holds the heat longer.  In fact, they have two hoses running:  they add cold water when the temperature gets too hot.  The water from the springs comes out as 208 degrees! They add the hot hose to the white tub that cools off overnight.  And then they periodically switch the hoses to regulate the temperature.  Judd and I paraded through the lobby in our hot pink and pale pink robes that come with the room.  It was chilly getting there but after 40 min in 105 degree water, it was very comfortable walking back (albeit harder to dodge the peacock poo in the dark.) It was a rainy, foggy night but we could still see the snow on the surrounding mountains and hear some dumb geese who haven't gone far enough south for the winter yet. We soaked upon arrival, twice on Sunday and once before departing on Monday morning amid a slight dusting of snow. However, getting out of the Grande Ronde River valley over the Blue Mountains proved to be the scariest part of the weekend. It was snowing and foggy and a million tractor trailers in various stages of putting chains on or taking chains off were on the edge of the road or going painfully slow in front of us, spraying our windshield with mud.  At some points I could not see one car's length in front of us. But we're back in Walla Walla now, sitting outside in the sun at 42º. We're all chill and exfoliated from our spa weekend.  Not going to let some haunted inn get in our way.

FUN FACTS from the hotel brochure:
"The spring is the largest spring of its kind in the world; it releases 3 million gallons of water a day and fills the 8 acre Hot Lake."
"The mineral waters contain sulfur, calcium, aluminum, magnesium sulfate, sulfides, phosphorous and iron."
"Hot Lake was referred to as a Holy Ground by the Native Americans."
"The elevator in the brick part of the hotel is the second oldest elevator on the west coast."
"The x-ray machine used at Hot Lake pre-dates the X-ray machine on display at the Smithsonian Institute."
"Hot Lake was well established as the Mayo Clinic of the west."
"Under Dr Phy, arthritis, tuberculosis, alcoholism and venereal diseases (especially syphilis) were treated at the clinic."

Judd and I got all healed up from what ails us.......wouldn't YOU like to know?

steam coming off the hot Lake

dead mammals in the Bronze gallery - brown Alaskan bear

opted out of the Huffman room due to radiator scare
My video is live at: https://youtu.be/AZdg89QxhsM

This is where we THOUGHT we had paranormal activity--my camera setting was "live and flickering"

JT enjoying the radiator and salmon in the plainer, simpler McMahan Room (local dentist)

Hot Lake "sanitorium" sign is now Hot Lake Springs

"Rock tub" by gloaming

can't you just image twins at the end of the hall?

Judd admiring the inn keeper's bronze work

Rock Tub gets steamy

our side of the Blue Mountains on our walk around the block back in Walla Walla