We are in the bustling burg of Marathon, Ontario this morning. We've been following the upper edge of Lake Superior. Some wonderful views along the way. We even had to slow down because of a black bear crossing the highway. Kind of startling to come around a cornor and see a bear crossing the street. He must have been use to it, he didn't even look back at us, just headed off into the brush.
We spent most of the day driving. Nothing much to report today. Have to look at the map to see where we might end up this evening and what sorts of things there are to see along the way.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Lots of Bugs
Driving through Idaho and Montana we ran into lots of bugs. It sounded like heavy rain hitting the car.
International Falls
Lot of traveling, not a lot of time to blog. Here are some of the places we've visited over the last couple of days. More detail to follow....
Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump - Designated a World Heritage Site by the UN. Very interesting, all the detail that went into a sucessful hunt. And what they had to do to process the kill after to help them survive the lean winter months.
MooseJaw The Chicago Connection The end of the Soo Line railroad
Stopped at a Motel that had wireless internet connection, except for some reason we couldn't pick up the signal.
To Winnipeg. Drove through town and decided to move on. Stopped at a little motel along the highway. It was only later that we woke to the sound of trains passing on the other side of the highway.
Here we are in International Falls Minnesota. It turns out there are no falls here. They were covered up when they created Rainy Lake back in 1905. So, the second thing to see is the KOOCHICHING COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM and BRONKO NAGURSKI MUSEUM. I learned about Bronko as a youngster. Living in Milwaukee Wisconsin, learning about the history of the Green Bay Packer was part of daily life, just like eating. Bronko Nagurski was retired by then and living in International Falls. One of the NFL greats. A very very tough guy. The weather report on the local weather station used to report on the temperatures in International Falls. Always seem like the coldest spot in the country in the winter.
Having trouble with the pictures. I was able to post a bunch on Flickr Click on the bolded Flicker and it should take you to them.
We're headed for Saulte Saint Marie today. Driving around Lake Superior. Should be some beautiful sights. With luck, I should be able to post somemore tonight.
Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump - Designated a World Heritage Site by the UN. Very interesting, all the detail that went into a sucessful hunt. And what they had to do to process the kill after to help them survive the lean winter months.
MooseJaw The Chicago Connection The end of the Soo Line railroad
Stopped at a Motel that had wireless internet connection, except for some reason we couldn't pick up the signal.
To Winnipeg. Drove through town and decided to move on. Stopped at a little motel along the highway. It was only later that we woke to the sound of trains passing on the other side of the highway.
Here we are in International Falls Minnesota. It turns out there are no falls here. They were covered up when they created Rainy Lake back in 1905. So, the second thing to see is the KOOCHICHING COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM and BRONKO NAGURSKI MUSEUM. I learned about Bronko as a youngster. Living in Milwaukee Wisconsin, learning about the history of the Green Bay Packer was part of daily life, just like eating. Bronko Nagurski was retired by then and living in International Falls. One of the NFL greats. A very very tough guy. The weather report on the local weather station used to report on the temperatures in International Falls. Always seem like the coldest spot in the country in the winter.
Having trouble with the pictures. I was able to post a bunch on Flickr Click on the bolded Flicker and it should take you to them.
We're headed for Saulte Saint Marie today. Driving around Lake Superior. Should be some beautiful sights. With luck, I should be able to post somemore tonight.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Fort Macleod
We proceeded north to Glacer Nation Park. There was a lot of road work going on most of the way there. At times we were driving on temporary roads made of gravel. We stopped for lunch at this view point over looking Flathead Lake.
Shortly after that we became part of a convoy of vehicles behind a pilot car going over a streach that had just been resurfaced. That slowed us down as we went around the lake.
Glacier National Park was next. We took the Road to the Sun route across the mountains. We timed our vacation just right because the Road to the Sun is closed most of the time because of ice and snow. It opened completely on Friday, 23 June. This is a two lane road that winds through the park. Past the mountain lakes and up the mountains to Lassen Pass and over 6000 ft. That road was mighty narrow at times! But is was worth it. Spactacular views!
Shortly after that we became part of a convoy of vehicles behind a pilot car going over a streach that had just been resurfaced. That slowed us down as we went around the lake.
Glacier National Park was next. We took the Road to the Sun route across the mountains. We timed our vacation just right because the Road to the Sun is closed most of the time because of ice and snow. It opened completely on Friday, 23 June. This is a two lane road that winds through the park. Past the mountain lakes and up the mountains to Lassen Pass and over 6000 ft. That road was mighty narrow at times! But is was worth it. Spactacular views!
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Missoula Montana?
We made it out of town yesterday, finally, shortly before 11. Lots of last minute details to attend to. We hope we didn't forget anything that is absolutely necessary. We ended up taking both back seats out of the Rav4 for the extra room for everything. We don't have a kitchen sink, but it seems like we have everything else... Once we get on the road we made good progress. Up the Gorge to Boardman. It was a beautiful day for traveling, brigtht and sunny, nice view of the river most of the way. The river getting progressively higher and higher as we passed each dam. Each of the three dams was spilling water, hopefully enough for the fish to fight their way upstream to spawn. We turned right to Umatilla and onto Pasco. Another right heading toward Spokane. Lot of farm country. Miles and miles of fields being plowed. Not sure what crop is grown there, I'm use to fields of wheat and corn this time of year. Anyway, we hit Spokane right at 5:00 and Friday rush hour traffic. Wasn't too bad, never having to stop completely. Spokane is right at the state line. It didn't take but maybe an hour or so to drive across Idaho. We started to hit some hills and mountain passes there. Trees, lot of trees in that part of Idaho. Green! A welcome change to the brown fields and rolling hills with sage brush in eastern Washington. We stopped for dinner somewhere around St Regis and were pleasently supprised to find that Montana is one of the few states that doesn't have sales tax yet. On the way to Missoula, an engine warning light came on. Its the one that actually looks like and engine. The owners manual said that basically, something is wrong, take it to a dealer to have it checked. Great! Just what we need on the first day of a driving vacation. The car still seemed to run fine, so on we went. Like we had much choice but to continue and hope it wasn't something serious. We got to Missoula, found a hotel and checked in sometime after 10 (Mountain Time, one hour later than Pacific Time) This morning we found the only Toyota dealer in Missoula and took the car in. Normally they only do oil changes on Saturday, but they found somebody to plug the diagnostic module into the car and run the tests. He noted some error codes and went off to find out what the problem was. It seems that there are a couple of sensors before and after the catalyst part of the emission control system. It seems that the information they were sending to the car's computer wasn't what was expected. So it turned on the warning light. It's ok to drive. It just might be letting out a bit more than it's suppose to in the exhaust system. What a relief. Considering what could have happened.... We thanked the mechanic profusely and were on our way. North to Glacier National Park and on to Canada.
It's late. I will post more in the morning. But first. I have to show these pictures of our winshield. Going through Idaho and especially through Montana we drove through clouds of bugs. Huge bugs. Lots of Bugs. Bugs committing suicide on our windshield.
At times it sounded like heavy rain hitting the car. This is what it looked like in the light of morning
It took a bit of elbow grease to clean that off!
It's late. I will post more in the morning. But first. I have to show these pictures of our winshield. Going through Idaho and especially through Montana we drove through clouds of bugs. Huge bugs. Lots of Bugs. Bugs committing suicide on our windshield.
At times it sounded like heavy rain hitting the car. This is what it looked like in the light of morning
It took a bit of elbow grease to clean that off!
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
The excitement is palpable
It just isn't that often you get to use a word like "palpable", you have to exercise every opportunity.
palpable \PAL-puh-buhl\, adjective:
1. Capable of being touched and felt; perceptible by the touch; as, a palpable form.
2. Easily perceptible; plain; distinct; obvious; readily perceived and detected; gross; as, palpable imposture; palpable absurdity; palpable errors.
Only a day and a wake-up until our vacation starts. Three weeks worth. It has been almost 20 years since I've taken that much time off all in one streach, other than being unemployed, that is. Last time it was a trip to London, Paris and Washington DC. The capitols of three of the worlds most powerful countries. Quite a contrast. Old world vs new world. But that was then, this time, we are going on the grand tour. Up into Canada, turn right and drive until we hit Montreal. Visit with the family then head south to Atlantic City,take another right and drive across mid America. Lots to see along the way: America's Biggest _______ (whatever....)
It's getting down to the final preparations. One more load of laundry before we can pack the socks and underware. Three weeks is a lot of clothes. I've been filling the ipod with music and audiobooks. We have the electric cooler for the car, to keep the liquids and snacks cool and fresh. It's hard to remember everything... camera, binoculars, laptop, books, magazines, asprin and assorted pills and medications, maps, umbrellas, jackets and sweatshirts. We even have a couple of collapsable chairs just in case we need somewhere else to sit. Q-tips, dental floss, nail clippers. All that good stuff that you have at home but want with you on the road if you need it. So much to remember. So much not to forget.
palpable \PAL-puh-buhl\, adjective:
1. Capable of being touched and felt; perceptible by the touch; as, a palpable form.
2. Easily perceptible; plain; distinct; obvious; readily perceived and detected; gross; as, palpable imposture; palpable absurdity; palpable errors.
Only a day and a wake-up until our vacation starts. Three weeks worth. It has been almost 20 years since I've taken that much time off all in one streach, other than being unemployed, that is. Last time it was a trip to London, Paris and Washington DC. The capitols of three of the worlds most powerful countries. Quite a contrast. Old world vs new world. But that was then, this time, we are going on the grand tour. Up into Canada, turn right and drive until we hit Montreal. Visit with the family then head south to Atlantic City,take another right and drive across mid America. Lots to see along the way: America's Biggest _______ (whatever....)
It's getting down to the final preparations. One more load of laundry before we can pack the socks and underware. Three weeks is a lot of clothes. I've been filling the ipod with music and audiobooks. We have the electric cooler for the car, to keep the liquids and snacks cool and fresh. It's hard to remember everything... camera, binoculars, laptop, books, magazines, asprin and assorted pills and medications, maps, umbrellas, jackets and sweatshirts. We even have a couple of collapsable chairs just in case we need somewhere else to sit. Q-tips, dental floss, nail clippers. All that good stuff that you have at home but want with you on the road if you need it. So much to remember. So much not to forget.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Good Friends
A nice day, today. A bit overcast this morning for my walk with Bailey. Not too hot, not too cold. Here is a nice rose we saw along the way.
The color is a bit washed out. I have to figure out how to fix that in the pictures I take with my camera phone. That or else start taking the regular camera with me. This was the best of the lot of the flowers we saw. Most are a bit past peak bloom now, starting to wilt and droop.
We took Max, the local lightrail, downtown with some old friends this afternoon. Our destination: Hubers for a light snack and libations. Max dropped us off a block from Waterfront Park. There was some sort of festival going on, lots of people, food vendors and live, loud music. We didn't find out until later it was the Get Your Pride On, a celebration of "diverse" life styles. We headed to Hubers to relax and visit. Fred is under going chemo and radiation therapy to combat a recently diagnosed aggressive cancer. He had several lumps removed from the lymph node area under his chin a couple of weeks ago. Several more started to grow but it appears the radiation has beaten them back, for the time being. This is the second strike for Fred. He has been fighting lymphoma for years with some success but this latest is a new cancer. Fred has been losing weight because, as the doctor says, the cancer is eating him up. He has a dietitian working with him to try to maximize the number of calories he eats. He doesn't have the best of appetites now so when he does eat they want him to pack it on. As you might imagine, his spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, literally. He's got a bum leg because of a knee wound that knocked him out of the Vietnam war. He relies on his cane now, more than ever. And he's been carrying it around for years. It hasn't always seemed like was needed in the past. In the end, a good time was had by all. There were lots of interesting characters from the Pride celebration to observe on the ride home. It is simply amazing all the different ways humans can (and do!) express themselves.
Next week at this time we will be on our way to points east! It's time to do some serious packing and planning. Making lists of things to take, things NOT to forget. We have a small electric cooler that plugs into one of three cigarette lighter outlets in the Rav4. We will have cold drinks and healthy snacks along the way. This is really getting exciting. We are still working on the route to Montreal. More homework with the road atlas!
The color is a bit washed out. I have to figure out how to fix that in the pictures I take with my camera phone. That or else start taking the regular camera with me. This was the best of the lot of the flowers we saw. Most are a bit past peak bloom now, starting to wilt and droop.
We took Max, the local lightrail, downtown with some old friends this afternoon. Our destination: Hubers for a light snack and libations. Max dropped us off a block from Waterfront Park. There was some sort of festival going on, lots of people, food vendors and live, loud music. We didn't find out until later it was the Get Your Pride On, a celebration of "diverse" life styles. We headed to Hubers to relax and visit. Fred is under going chemo and radiation therapy to combat a recently diagnosed aggressive cancer. He had several lumps removed from the lymph node area under his chin a couple of weeks ago. Several more started to grow but it appears the radiation has beaten them back, for the time being. This is the second strike for Fred. He has been fighting lymphoma for years with some success but this latest is a new cancer. Fred has been losing weight because, as the doctor says, the cancer is eating him up. He has a dietitian working with him to try to maximize the number of calories he eats. He doesn't have the best of appetites now so when he does eat they want him to pack it on. As you might imagine, his spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, literally. He's got a bum leg because of a knee wound that knocked him out of the Vietnam war. He relies on his cane now, more than ever. And he's been carrying it around for years. It hasn't always seemed like was needed in the past. In the end, a good time was had by all. There were lots of interesting characters from the Pride celebration to observe on the ride home. It is simply amazing all the different ways humans can (and do!) express themselves.
Next week at this time we will be on our way to points east! It's time to do some serious packing and planning. Making lists of things to take, things NOT to forget. We have a small electric cooler that plugs into one of three cigarette lighter outlets in the Rav4. We will have cold drinks and healthy snacks along the way. This is really getting exciting. We are still working on the route to Montreal. More homework with the road atlas!
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Flew the Coop
This is the guy thats been living in the rafters under out our deck. He chose today to try out his wings, or else is parents "gently encouraged" him to leave the nest. He found his way to the base of an overturned wheel barrow just out side our computer room. We watched his mom feed him berrys a couple of time before we went out and took pictures. He froze when we approached, just like he was still in the nest: If I don't move maybe they won't notice I'm here....
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
A Walk in the Park
Sunday was a very nice spring day. A bit sunny, a bit windy. Warm in the sun, cool in the shade, the breeze refreshing. We took Bailey for a walk at Dawson Creek Park. It's part of a high tech industrial area. A park with walkways, several ponds and a stream connecting them. All man made, several of the ponds have fountains in them. Ducks and geese abound as do the signs that they are NOT to be fed.
Several trees that form a canopy for a small bridge over the stream
The stream from the bridge and below, Bailey slacking his thirst, or reloading to make his mark on more of the park
I took all of these pictures with my camera phone. I'm not quite sure why the color is hosed. I need to explore the photo manipulation tools available to see what can be done. It's pretty neat to be able to whip a camera out of my pocket and snap pictures when you come across something interesting. Get a lot more pictures. Don't have to talk as much that way, just show them the pictures.
We are making our plans to drive to Montreal later this month. ROAD TRIP! We got a 1G memory chip for our regular camera so we won't run out of room. We've been buying extra batteries too. This is going to be fun! Our next door neighbor told us not to miss the Head Smashed In Buffalo Head Interpretive Center outside Fort MacLeod Alberta. How can you go wrong with a name like that? Going to take lots of pictures....
Several trees that form a canopy for a small bridge over the stream
The stream from the bridge and below, Bailey slacking his thirst, or reloading to make his mark on more of the park
I took all of these pictures with my camera phone. I'm not quite sure why the color is hosed. I need to explore the photo manipulation tools available to see what can be done. It's pretty neat to be able to whip a camera out of my pocket and snap pictures when you come across something interesting. Get a lot more pictures. Don't have to talk as much that way, just show them the pictures.
We are making our plans to drive to Montreal later this month. ROAD TRIP! We got a 1G memory chip for our regular camera so we won't run out of room. We've been buying extra batteries too. This is going to be fun! Our next door neighbor told us not to miss the Head Smashed In Buffalo Head Interpretive Center outside Fort MacLeod Alberta. How can you go wrong with a name like that? Going to take lots of pictures....
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Field of Blue
The rain woke me this morning. That's but a minor inconvience when it comes to Bailey's Saturday walk. We found this going on in the side yard of a cornor lot. Not sure what they're called, but there were a lot of them. It catches the eye: a carpet of little blue flowers. Rain is expected the rest of the weekend, after an absolutely beautiful Thursday and Friday.
Figures.
Donated some more platelets yesterday. I'm rapidly approaching 23 gallons worth of donations (whole blood and platelets.) The process takes longer now that I have lost weight. The hemaphersis process takes whole blood out of one arm, mixes an anticoagulant into it, spins out the platelets and other blood components they want and pumps the rest back into your other arm. The anticoagulant will make your body tingle, especially around your lips and cheeks. Calcium binds with the anticoagulant agent and neutralizes the effects. You get your choice of Tums or Citrical. Boy, those Tums are awful! How long the aphersis process takes depends on your bodys ability to handle the anticoagulant, and thats a function of body mass. The less body mass, the longer it takes. So, while you're waiting you get to watch cable tv or a movie. The Red Cross recently got a bunch of CD players, so now the choice of movies has increased. Yesterday I watched an old Jet Li (kung fu type) movie. This movie was so early in his career that the actors spoke chinese and it was subtitled in some other asian language as well as english. As you might imaginge, lots of action. I mean LOTS of fight scenes. And they seemed to go on forever too. I have no idea what the name of the movie was or even when it was made. But, the plot of the movie was revenge. And a love triangle. You have to use earphones for whatever you watch. They block out all the other noises around you and allow you to concentrate on the story. For someone with a good imagination it can help you forget you have needles stuck in your arms for a couple of hours. It's always a bit disconcerting to walk out, get in your car and fight rush hour traffic after being in far away, exotic, fantastic places and situations. As you can tell, I favor the action/adventure/comedy type movies while donating. A little excapism as well as an opportunity to watch those movies I might want to watch but I know P has no interest at all in seeing. Like kung fu movies....
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Ma Nature in all her glory!
The weather reminds me of the Allen Sherman song Camp Granada, where, in the mandatory letter to home, he bemoans the weather and lists all the hardships of being at summer camp only to say at the end that it's stopped raining, the sun is shining, forget everything he just said.
It's spring.
Volatile weather is the order of the day (hour?) Haven't had any hail yet, but it's just a matter of time. Had a couple of thunder showers already, a very rare occurance for this area. Usually it just rains. Harder or softer, rain, and more rain. The warmth and rain have roused the grass out of the dormant stage. It's alive! It's growing! As are the weeds, but that's a different battle.
It's spring.
Volatile weather is the order of the day (hour?) Haven't had any hail yet, but it's just a matter of time. Had a couple of thunder showers already, a very rare occurance for this area. Usually it just rains. Harder or softer, rain, and more rain. The warmth and rain have roused the grass out of the dormant stage. It's alive! It's growing! As are the weeds, but that's a different battle.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Two 10 pound bags of sugar
I haven’t made new years resolutions for several years. Just never got up the enthusiasm for that sort of thing. My weight has been creeping up ever since I stopped doing the treadmill every morning. I’d started it to control my weight after I stopped smoking. After a year or two, the extra sleep in the morning seemed to do me more good than the sweat and effort of walking a couple of miles before I was really awake. My back has been sore for a while, you know, the kind where you get out of bed and have to walk bent over for a while until you limber up enough to straighten out. I concluded that the problem with my back was that it was too far away from my front. That and the fact that I stopped wearing belts because 1) my pants weren’t about to fall down and 2) the belt buckle tended to dig into that part of my stomach that hung over it.
The company I work for, Applied Materials, is big on employee wellness, with weekly and monthly Wellness Tip emails, discounts at health clubs and the like. It was through one of those programs, a company discount at www.selfhelpworks.com that I stopped smoking. As part of the run up to last new years the Wellness Tip email offered suggestions and support for the various, generic resolutions people tend to make. It mentioned a discount for the Living Lean program at that same web site. I signed up before I could talk myself out of it. I started the program on New Years Day, and I am happy to report that I have lost 20 lbs and am well on my way to my target weight. The program consists of 12 short audio visual segments you access from your computer. The key is to recognize that you have a choice every time you go to eat something. You work on recognizing the choice and reinforcing the desire to choose what is best for your short and long term goals. It works for me.
In other news, some one was out enjoying the nice weather we've been having lately. Here is what Bailey and I found on our walk yesterday
spring
The company I work for, Applied Materials, is big on employee wellness, with weekly and monthly Wellness Tip emails, discounts at health clubs and the like. It was through one of those programs, a company discount at www.selfhelpworks.com that I stopped smoking. As part of the run up to last new years the Wellness Tip email offered suggestions and support for the various, generic resolutions people tend to make. It mentioned a discount for the Living Lean program at that same web site. I signed up before I could talk myself out of it. I started the program on New Years Day, and I am happy to report that I have lost 20 lbs and am well on my way to my target weight. The program consists of 12 short audio visual segments you access from your computer. The key is to recognize that you have a choice every time you go to eat something. You work on recognizing the choice and reinforcing the desire to choose what is best for your short and long term goals. It works for me.
In other news, some one was out enjoying the nice weather we've been having lately. Here is what Bailey and I found on our walk yesterday
spring
Monday, March 13, 2006
Monday Question
What did you do this weekend?
It is a common Monday morning question.
Friday, on the way home from work, I listened to an interview of James Howard Kunstler, author of “The Long Emergency”. He talked up his new book about the changes that will be forced upon us as oil supply dwindle and demand outstrips supply. He thinks we are definitely in the end of the oil era and will start seeing oil shortage changes as soon as 10 to 15 years from now: more regional and local focus product wise, as the transportation cost for goods makes prices prohibitive for many of the goods we take for granted today; urban sprawl contracting again, as transportation costs for goods and customers increases; smaller houses that are more energy efficient.
One of the phrases he used in the interview was “recreational shopping”. It was, I thought, a nice phrase. It rings true.
Utility is an economic concept that talks about the satisfaction, or utility, gained from consumption a good or service. I remember one of my instructors talked about how, for many people, the true utility in buying a product comes not from the product bought, but from the act of buying. That is where the true utility of money exists for many today: Recreational Shopping!
What did you do this weekend? We did some recreational shopping.
It got us out of the house, into the malls and shopping centers along with all the rest of the suburban shoppers. And there sure were a lot of us!
It is a common Monday morning question.
Friday, on the way home from work, I listened to an interview of James Howard Kunstler, author of “The Long Emergency”. He talked up his new book about the changes that will be forced upon us as oil supply dwindle and demand outstrips supply. He thinks we are definitely in the end of the oil era and will start seeing oil shortage changes as soon as 10 to 15 years from now: more regional and local focus product wise, as the transportation cost for goods makes prices prohibitive for many of the goods we take for granted today; urban sprawl contracting again, as transportation costs for goods and customers increases; smaller houses that are more energy efficient.
One of the phrases he used in the interview was “recreational shopping”. It was, I thought, a nice phrase. It rings true.
Utility is an economic concept that talks about the satisfaction, or utility, gained from consumption a good or service. I remember one of my instructors talked about how, for many people, the true utility in buying a product comes not from the product bought, but from the act of buying. That is where the true utility of money exists for many today: Recreational Shopping!
What did you do this weekend? We did some recreational shopping.
It got us out of the house, into the malls and shopping centers along with all the rest of the suburban shoppers. And there sure were a lot of us!
Sunday, March 05, 2006
My Walk With Bailey
I got a new phone last week. As you will see, it has a camera. It is much easier to carry and use for quick snapshots. So, I thought I'd give you a sense of what was happening around our neighborhood this weekend. It was dry, luckily, and mild. The birds are back and the plants are starting to wake up to a new season....
This is the primary view when we go for a walk. It's his best side....
Even though February ended just last week, we are already seeing signs of spring.
and signs of another kind too. I always expect discolored water when flushing....
This picture didn't turn out so well, but you can still see that these trees are going to really bloom this coming week.
Little patches of color starting to push their way out of the ground.
A small bridge spans this mighty waterway. It's part of the path that cuts between two neighborhoods on the way to the dog treat store. There was a good two feet of water flowing in this stream during the January monsoons.
Such vibrant color!
As with just about every neighborhood around here, they are squeezing more and more people in. Where do they all come from???? This little area, less than an acre, is zoned for 18 units!
Daffodils are usually the first to announce the beginning of the new season.
We came around a corner and this was the fanfare that greeted us. Sending out the message loud, bright and clear.
These guys may have been hidden by the fence, but they aren't bashful. They were strutting their stuff!
This is the primary view when we go for a walk. It's his best side....
Even though February ended just last week, we are already seeing signs of spring.
and signs of another kind too. I always expect discolored water when flushing....
This picture didn't turn out so well, but you can still see that these trees are going to really bloom this coming week.
Little patches of color starting to push their way out of the ground.
A small bridge spans this mighty waterway. It's part of the path that cuts between two neighborhoods on the way to the dog treat store. There was a good two feet of water flowing in this stream during the January monsoons.
Such vibrant color!
As with just about every neighborhood around here, they are squeezing more and more people in. Where do they all come from???? This little area, less than an acre, is zoned for 18 units!
Daffodils are usually the first to announce the beginning of the new season.
We came around a corner and this was the fanfare that greeted us. Sending out the message loud, bright and clear.
These guys may have been hidden by the fence, but they aren't bashful. They were strutting their stuff!
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Changes
What is this all about?
http://www.dwr.com/contestcorkaward.cfm
Thanks to New Skool for point this one out.
In other news: it’s raining!
It has been raining, it’s raining now, it’s going to continue to rain for the foreseeable future.
A month into the year and 1/3rd of our annual rainfall has already fallen. The reservoirs are filling up nicely and we are accumulating a nice dense snow pack in the mountains. I don’t think there will be a water shortage this year.
Friday was the last regular work day of the fiscal quarter for us. We were greeted with an email from our corporate bosses that our building is one of several in the company’s world wide inventory of building space that is to be sold to cut costs. It’s no secret that our building is under utilized. And there has been talk about trying to lease the excess space. But the announcement caught our local management by surprise. There were a couple of hurried conference calls before we were all called together and the facilities manager told us what he’d been up to and what his plans are for the near future. Ideally, we would like to sell the building and lease back the space we are using right now. We would get out from under the maintenance, upkeep and taxes on the portion of the building we don’t use. Reduce our expenses considerably. That’s at the top of the possibility list. At the bottom is the question of how far will we have to go to find just the right amount and kind of cleanroom space to fit our current needs and future needs along with office space for the rest of us.
And, if that wasn’t enough, Friday was the last day the Cafeteria served hot meals at work. Starting Monday a “roach coach” will be stopping by to supplement the extra vending machines that are supposed to be installed. I normally take my lunch but have gotten used to supplementing it with a cup of soup every so often. It’s good to have something hot on these cold, rainy days. I guess its time for Plan B.
http://www.dwr.com/contestcorkaward.cfm
Thanks to New Skool for point this one out.
In other news: it’s raining!
It has been raining, it’s raining now, it’s going to continue to rain for the foreseeable future.
A month into the year and 1/3rd of our annual rainfall has already fallen. The reservoirs are filling up nicely and we are accumulating a nice dense snow pack in the mountains. I don’t think there will be a water shortage this year.
Friday was the last regular work day of the fiscal quarter for us. We were greeted with an email from our corporate bosses that our building is one of several in the company’s world wide inventory of building space that is to be sold to cut costs. It’s no secret that our building is under utilized. And there has been talk about trying to lease the excess space. But the announcement caught our local management by surprise. There were a couple of hurried conference calls before we were all called together and the facilities manager told us what he’d been up to and what his plans are for the near future. Ideally, we would like to sell the building and lease back the space we are using right now. We would get out from under the maintenance, upkeep and taxes on the portion of the building we don’t use. Reduce our expenses considerably. That’s at the top of the possibility list. At the bottom is the question of how far will we have to go to find just the right amount and kind of cleanroom space to fit our current needs and future needs along with office space for the rest of us.
And, if that wasn’t enough, Friday was the last day the Cafeteria served hot meals at work. Starting Monday a “roach coach” will be stopping by to supplement the extra vending machines that are supposed to be installed. I normally take my lunch but have gotten used to supplementing it with a cup of soup every so often. It’s good to have something hot on these cold, rainy days. I guess its time for Plan B.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Greetings!
I got a summons in the mail today:
Greetings:
You are summoned to serve as a Juror in the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for Washington County.
I haven’t had much experience with juries and jury duty. A bunch of years ago I got called for federal court jury duty. I wasn’t selected and the whole experience lasted maybe three hours. It gave me my first look inside the federal building in downtown. Pretty nice place, the rooms are big enough for the serious purpose they are used for.
A couple of years ago, two or three, I was called for this very same circuit court in Washington County. That time I reported, sat through the juror orientation, got selected for a trial to start in the afternoon. They let us go for the several hours until we would be needed. I walked around wonderful downtown Hillsboro and eventually bought a book of Damon Runyon stories: Little Miss Marker, The Apple Lady, all the characters and stories that were later turned into movies. I went back to the courthouse and started reading. Before too long, the Court Clerk came in to dismiss us, we weren’t needed after all. It seems the defendant was playing a little chicken with the prosecutor. The defendant blinked. He took the deal offered, what ever it was, to avoid the trial. We (the jurors) were no longer needed to dispense justice. The rules of jury duty, for circuit court at least, say that when you show up and have been dismissed by the court clerk, you cannot be called for another two years. Well, it must have been two years for me.
This time, if I do get selected for a jury, I hope I at get to see the inside of a courtroom at least.
In other news of the Northwest: it’s raining. It has been raining for a while, it’s raining now and it’s forecasted to rain for some time to come. All this rain has exceeded the runoff capacity of our back yard.
This is the view out our downstairs patio door a couple of days ago.
Even the birdbath was surrounded. It was like the levee broke or something....
Please note the fence in the background with the nice layer of moss on the bottom. Thats one of the ways you know you're in Oregon.
The water recedes fairly quickly, especially since we took out the swimming pool. All that new dirt soaks up a lot of water. About six or eight years ago we had a period of heavy rain followed by an unusually warm spell that melted most of the snow pack in the hills and mountains. That pushed the rivers over the flood stage. We had our own problems with the lower floor of the house flooding. But, we survived.....
Greetings:
You are summoned to serve as a Juror in the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for Washington County.
REPORT ON FEBRUARY 03, 2006
I haven’t had much experience with juries and jury duty. A bunch of years ago I got called for federal court jury duty. I wasn’t selected and the whole experience lasted maybe three hours. It gave me my first look inside the federal building in downtown. Pretty nice place, the rooms are big enough for the serious purpose they are used for.
A couple of years ago, two or three, I was called for this very same circuit court in Washington County. That time I reported, sat through the juror orientation, got selected for a trial to start in the afternoon. They let us go for the several hours until we would be needed. I walked around wonderful downtown Hillsboro and eventually bought a book of Damon Runyon stories: Little Miss Marker, The Apple Lady, all the characters and stories that were later turned into movies. I went back to the courthouse and started reading. Before too long, the Court Clerk came in to dismiss us, we weren’t needed after all. It seems the defendant was playing a little chicken with the prosecutor. The defendant blinked. He took the deal offered, what ever it was, to avoid the trial. We (the jurors) were no longer needed to dispense justice. The rules of jury duty, for circuit court at least, say that when you show up and have been dismissed by the court clerk, you cannot be called for another two years. Well, it must have been two years for me.
This time, if I do get selected for a jury, I hope I at get to see the inside of a courtroom at least.
In other news of the Northwest: it’s raining. It has been raining for a while, it’s raining now and it’s forecasted to rain for some time to come. All this rain has exceeded the runoff capacity of our back yard.
This is the view out our downstairs patio door a couple of days ago.
Even the birdbath was surrounded. It was like the levee broke or something....
Please note the fence in the background with the nice layer of moss on the bottom. Thats one of the ways you know you're in Oregon.
The water recedes fairly quickly, especially since we took out the swimming pool. All that new dirt soaks up a lot of water. About six or eight years ago we had a period of heavy rain followed by an unusually warm spell that melted most of the snow pack in the hills and mountains. That pushed the rivers over the flood stage. We had our own problems with the lower floor of the house flooding. But, we survived.....
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Baby its cold outside
Baby, it’s cold outside! We’ve had a high pressure system over us for a couple of weeks now. It’s been cool and clear the whole time. We’ve had cold air from the east flowing up the Columbia River gorge and spilling into the Willamette Valley the whole time. There has been lots of frost everywhere in the mornings. Except for the lack of snow, it reminds me of the cold I experienced in the mid west where I grew up. (Why, I had to walk five miles back and forth to school everyday in snow up to my neck, uphill, both ways!) The forecast calls for a change, starting this evening. The warm front coming in off the ocean is finally going to displace the cold. It’s bringing some moisture too. That is where it will start to get interesting. If it starts to rain before all the cold air is moved out we could get some nice freezing rain. It’s supposed to start with the rain early this evening. I doubt that it will be warm enough then to keep it from freezing when it hits the ground. The water in our bird bath has been frozen all week long. The squirrels have broken out their ice skates to get around on it!
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Black Friday plus one
Cool and crisp and damp out this morning. Just back from taking Bailey for his walk, or was he taking me for my walk?.... It rained yesterday and some last night. Temp is in the mid 30’s. No wind and the morning fog is being burned off early by the sun. No clouds this morning. It was cool out, especially in the shade, but nice in the sun. Steam rising off a lot of things that the sun was warming up: roofs, fences, mailboxes, cars, even a few bushes. Kind of eerie watching steam rise off a bush. Kind of like it’s on fire.
We avoided the crowds yesterday, the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday. Today we’re going to stare danger right in the face and head downtown to Saturday Market, do a little shopping, stop for some refreshments at Hubers and do a lot of people watching. The best entertainment around.
We avoided the crowds yesterday, the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday. Today we’re going to stare danger right in the face and head downtown to Saturday Market, do a little shopping, stop for some refreshments at Hubers and do a lot of people watching. The best entertainment around.
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