Thursday, December 19, 2013

Grandmas breakfast casserole recipe

3 cups sharp cheddar grated
1 lb sausage
5 slices bread buttered on one side and cubed
4 oz green chilies
4 eggs
2 cups milk
3 qtr teaspoon salt
3 qtr teaspoon chil powder
1 tsp pepper

layer, bread, chiles sausage, then pour eggs milk over bread

chill over night

9x9 baking dish

350 one hour. 

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

My Mother asked me why I like living on Alki





Sunset



Sunrise, waiting for the bus


Monday, December 16, 2013

The Sentencing

I had nearly forgotten about the sentencing date.

Saturday am I was up watching the news, not really paying attention, and then I was jolted back into the reality of the trial I served as a juror on.  It was on the news!

I saw the victims mother testify before the judge before the sentencing. She was not present during the trial. It was noted that she lives on the East Coast I believe.  She spoke to the judge, asking for a long sentence for the man who took her daughter.

They showed a quick view of the people in the benches. I saw the lady to testifiied about her injuries. She was the one who got in trouble by the judge a few times. She spoke to the judge about her hardships since the Defendant had no insurance.  She claims to have $30,000 in medical bills and wants him locked up.  How will she get compensated when the man is in jail? 

After I watched the story on the news, I checked the web and Seattle Times had a  front page story. It claimed that the Defendant had several other Reckless driving convictions and at the time of the accident,  he was on house arrest for domestic violence.  His wife testified on his behalf at the trial. 

Many of the victims family members and friends are outraged at the Judge for suppressing the marijuana evidence.  The defendant could have had a much greater sentence if he was convicted driving under the influence. 

I still believe that the Judge did the right thing in suppressing that evidence. We saw that he did have marijuana in the car, but no method of using the marijuana was presented. No pipe, not even a lighter was found in his car.  In an earlier news story, it was said he had undigested marijuana in his system. None of the police officers or first responders who iterviewed the defendant at the time had any reason to belive he was impaired. As one comment on the Seattle TImes said, 'he wasn't stoned, he was just stupid".  Yes I believe that to be true.  He was driving recklessly, as he has apparently done many times before.  

Later that afternoon I heard on KOMO am 1000, the lead in for the story was "Man high from smoking marijuana gets 4.5 years in vehicular homicide"  Ok so that's a completely false headline. This is why  dislike the media. They sensationalize every story.   can't we we just have the facts, even if they are not as exciting as the made up story?

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Holiday dilemma again

For the last few years, Crista has been trying to break the family traditional Holiday schedule.

Last year,  Mother informed her that she has emphyzema and would probably be leaving the planet soon.  Crista did an about face and hosted a wonderful Dinner.  Due to a light dusting of snow however, the Everett family did not come.

This year a month before Thanksgiving, Crista announced that she would be hosting Thanksgiving at her house, and her Christmas dinner would now be on Christmas Eve.   The problem of course is that those are both the Dinners that Mike has prepared and hosted for the last 30 years.

I decided that I would not attend Cristas Thanksgiving. I would take the girls to Mikes.  I rarely see the Mustelss and the kids have not seen them in several years.  Crista was not happy with me making my own decision. We had a discussion and we agreed that I would come to her house for Thanksgiving and she would host Christmas dinner instead of Christmas eve.    I praised the compromise!  It made me so happy that my sister and I could compromise and put our Mother first.

Thanksgiving went off pretty well. I enjoyed spending the Holiday with my mother. I missed seeing the Mustells.

The first week of December rolled around. We placed a dinner order with the WAC, Bronwens employer. Part of the arrangement with Christmas is that I bring the dinner. All we have to do is heat, plate and eat.   Crista announced a new plan.  She is not going to have a dinner on Christmas, She is having an open house.  Cinnamon Rolls and Ham will be available as an appetizer.

The deal is off.  I was lied to.

Mother is very upset. She is still negotiating with Crista.  I feel she will cave, as she just doesn't have the strength to fight Crista every day.  We considered having dinner at my place in Seattle, but I think it's just too much for her.   Plus, my place is not much bigger than Moms.   Other ideas are renting a home for dinner or having it at a Restaurant.

No deal is reached as of yet. I am going to propose the girls and I come over in the AM and eat a traditional Breakfast Casserole. We can spend a few hours, then I will bring the girls home and go home and spend Christmas with Bronwen. We have spent one Christmas together in 11 years.  I had never even considered it before, as I believe the Holidays are a time when you put others above your needs, but apparently our family isn't doing that anymore.   It is a Holiday of ME this year.  Me me me.  

I will update once we finalize our plans.  But, needless to say, the Family Tradition is broken, as well as the Family. 




Jingle Bell Run 2013

Kelsey and the Kats was back for their fourth year in a row at the Port Orchard Jingle Bell run to support Arthritis Foundation.

Last year we placed in the top 10 fund raisers and got a nifty scarf as a prize!  I left it in the packaging unti this year when I presented it to team captain Kelsey!

We had a pretty good team line up. Crista and her family. But then Maddie had somehting else come up, that being a trip to Leavenworth with her new bf.   Crista did not want to participate this year, but I suggested it would be nice to support Kelsey, and, its minutes from her house.   She agreed and signed up the whole family! We basically met Konstantine last year at the walk. We were excited to have the whole crew back again.  They no showed.

Mark Michael signed up to walk. We were planning on car pooling, but Kelsey and I decided to hang out before hand. Mark decided to not come due to cold and the change of plans.  Kelsey recruited her mom, step dad and brother to join us this year and they were planning to do something together after the walk, so before the walk was time for Kelsey and I to spend together.

We were going to take grandma out to breakfast but she was not up to going out, so we brought her breakfast in.

We arrived around 12:30. One hour before the walk. It was around 30 degrees, with wind coming from the North, right off the water. It was COLD.  We bundled up for a few minutes and headed to the registration. Dawn and family were already here.   We registered and then watched the costume contests and other activities.

Before the official walk, we took a walk through downtown Port Orchard.   We decided this was enough this year!  Just too cold. Kelseys joints hurt her in the extreme cold.

It was great to have Dawn and family join us this year.  Hope they join next year too.

Final tally was $500 raised, minus Dawns fanily registration, which has not shown up under our team yet.  My boss agreed to match up to $250, but he threw in $275 instead!

Kelsey and the Kats 2013

great costume

Kids 1k run






Friday, November 29, 2013

Thanksgiving 2013

This year we broke tradition. The Petersons celebrated at Cristas house and the Mustells at Mikes. The split falls mostly along which side of the Puget Sound you live, with myself being the exception.

I was disappointed at first, but as important as Tradition is to me, spending Thanksgiving with my Mother is more important.

I wanted to go to the storage unit so I decided to leave my house, drive around through Tacoma, load up at the Storage unit, then pick up the girls around 1.

I left at 9:45. Traffic was very light despite heavy fog in most areas. I made record time, so I dropped by and visited Mark M before getting the girls.

Met the girls before 1 and we were off to Cristas. I brought the Christmas cards and pens out and asked the girls to sign them.  What?  Today? was their reply.  Considering I won't see Jessica again till probably Christmas, it's our only chance.  She agreed and the kids got the cards signed.  We talked about adding a family letter this year as well.

We arrived at Cristas and brought with us Konners birthday present. The girls gave it to him right away. It is a Spiderman Dart board with a launcher that shoots plastic balls with velcro.   Big hit.  It's just spring loaded so it is not dangerous.

Maddie introduced us to her new bf Mitch.  Everyone was there from this side of the water.  Mathew got everyone drinks. I had too much soda.

Dinner was good. Jay made the Turkey.  Maddie and Mitch  brought green bean casserole and cornbread pudding. The second dish was Mitchs recipe.  I don't think anyone of us had ever tried it. He explained that it was made of canned corn, cream of corn, sour cream, butter and corn bread mix.   Bronwen said she has seen it baked before. Id like to try that.  Bronwen was at work today.

Mashed potatoes, green beans corn bread pudding, dinner roll and Waldorf Salad which was a tasty surprise dish! 

We were stuffed. We did not even stay for pie. It was past 4, and the kids had another dinner to get to! We said our goodbyes and hit the road.  It was a nice Holiday.


National Adoption Day - Welcome Konstantine to the family officially! November 22, 2013

Crista and Jay offered to adopt Konstantine last year.   After a year of paperwork, the adoption was ready to be official. They participated in National Adoption Day.

The event was at the Kitsap County Court House.  Bronwen and I went to witness the adoption.

The room was packed. We were in the very last row.  The Judge came in, the courtroom rose and the Judge instructed us to sit.  He then explained that since this was not an actual court case,  he was going to ignore court room protocol, because this is a celebration.

The Judge explained what was to happen, that each family would step forward when called and any family or friends can approach also. He talked about the history of adoption and what it means to these kids, he started to choke up.  He then talked about the assignation of Kennedy, as it was the 50th anniversary. He also slipped in a lot of jokes! 

We watched as new famiies were created. It was very moving. Many of the children being adopted were special needs kids. I cannot express how amazing these selfless parents are to take on a life time of care and support. I am so unworthy.  These parents are saints.  After each adoption was final, the Judge gave each kid a stuffed animal and the Boys and Girls club put together gift bags for each child!

The entire event was just fantastic. I had no idea going in what to expect.  Crista and Jay were the last family called,  out of 5 families I believe.  I moved up behind the bench to get pictures and video.

After the event, we all went downstairs for cake and juice.

It was so great to be in a courtroom with tears of joy instead of the despair I witnessed on jury duty. I only wish I was in a position to adopt a child myself.  However, I suspect that the parents who adopted today did not consider themselves when making this choice.

The Family approaches the bench

Mathew sat with us

After the ceremony, Families and children were encouraged to come up for pictures with the Judge.




Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Jury trial day 6

We are all back in the room at 9 am sharp.  Everyone is tired, no one slept well last night.  We decide to see where we all stand this am.  I stated that the last thing I want to do is send this man to jail, but if I take my personal prejudices out, emotion out and follow the juror instructions, I have no choice but to find him guilt.  Everyone agrees that no one wants to send this man to jail, but we have a job to do. We are now down to two who are on the fence.  

We ask them to tell us why.  Both cannot discuss without heavy tears. One person is very quiet, hardly ever talks, but we let her talk. She takes many breaks to get her composure.

One juror uses his work skills to create a chart to describe the cause and effect.  He writes up the diagram of every action and the reasons behind each action.  One undecided is decided now. We are down to one.

We go over the legal definitions over and over again. We decide to take a break. The mood is quite somber.    We are getting nowhere it seems. We take a break.

One thing the defense said in the closing arguments, can you look your friends and family in the eye and tell them this is your decision?  How will you feel about this next week? Next year?

The last hold out goes the bathroom. She comes back and is very quiet. Crying quietly.   We agree its time to get back to it. We go around the room.  The last juror is convinced that the man is guilty. She cries, nearly everyone cries. I am teary, but not weeping. We call to the bailiff for more tissues.

The presiding juror signs the form. We call the Bailiff again and hand her the form. We now have to wait an estimated 30 minutes to get everyone in the courtroom. No one says a word. Silence for nearly 30 minutes.

We are called into the courtroom. The presiding juror hands the statement to the Judge. She reads the verdict. I can hear his wife crying. I don't want to look. I don't look toward the back, I don't look at the defendant. I look at the Prosecutor. She is crying.

The Judge starts with Juror one. Is this decision your decision. Yes. Is this decision the decision of the jury. Yes. She asks each of us this question.

We are now excused back to deliberations. Again silence. We get our electronics back and are told the Judge is  going to address us.  We begin to open up about things amongst ourselves. The things we couldn't really discuss before. I brought up the fact that neither the Prosecutor or the Defense attorney knew how to use the video play back. It was very clunky.   We wondered out loud what his sentence would be. Who was in the room.

The Judge comes in and thanks us and gives us all a certificate.  She tells us that due to the nature of this trial, we are eligible for counseling sessions provided by the county. She tells us the sentencing date is Dec 13 and we are welcome to attend. At this point, I have no intention of being there, but I am very interested in the sentence. I believe the Judge will take leniency, but,  she told us it has to do with his prior record.  That was never entered into testimony, so we have no idea if he has a record or not.
We are told that the attorneys are outside if we wish to meet with them. I chose not to. Several others did stop to talk. I could do it next week, but not today

Ms. Temple. Today your received your justice.   We found the defendant guilty of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault.

Monday, November 18, 2013

jury trial day 5

We finaly get back into court after four days off.

The Defense calls the first witness. A mechanic. He testified that the defendent brought the car in 8 months before the crash. The mechanic was not able to diagnose the car, recommened taking the car to a dealership
Next up was the wife. She said she was scared to drive the car and described one time when it pulled to the left.
Final witness for the defense. A friend of the defendant that says he drove the car a few times and  had issues with it.

The defense rests.

After lunch we get into the final closing arguments. Nothing new of course, just a rehash. Both sides delivered a good closing argument.

Now it was time to send the alternate jurors home.  The Judge calls out the numbers. I am #9 remember.  First she calls 5, then 7. Ok, I get the pattern. Odd numbers. I am ready to go home. #10. I am going to have to do this.

The judge sends us back to the room, but not to deliberate yet. We come back out a little later and take our seats. The bailiff hands us each a big document. These are the Judges rules for the Jury. It describes our role and the legal definitions of the charges.  She reads them to us one by one. It takes a while.

We finally get back into the deliberation room. The bailiff takes all our electronics. We now have to elect a presiding juror.  Everyone is looking at each other, no one steps up, so I do. I nominate Martha.   She was floored, but accepted. Martha strikes me as an organizer. She also talks a lot and loudly.

We decide to take a quick poll to see where we all are at.  I state that I am ready to vote guilty.  Most do. 4 jurors are not ready to call it guilty. We go over the evidence again, and ask to see and hear some video and audio recordings. These must take place in the court room. We ring the buzzer for the bailiff. She comes in and gives us a Questions form. Martha fills out what we want to see. We asked to see four things. 20 minutes later the bailiff is back. They have agreed to let us hear one thing only. The taped interview at Harborview with the Defendant.   The Defendants family are the only ones in the pews.  As we listen, the Defendant is crying in the court room.

After this is over, we go back in to the deliberation room. It is getting close to 4. We are not going to get to a decision today it appears. The bailiff knocks to come in and then tells us the Judge is going to give us till 4:15 today.  Great, all that does is makes me miss my bus.  We agree to sleep on it, come back fresh tomorrow

Jury trial day 4

After a day off, we came in. The weather was nasty so I came in an hour early and got some work done
The Bailiff informed us that the Judge was still sick, but was going to see if we could get through the day. We asked the Bailiff if we were on schedule and if we finish the trial the next Thursday, would we have to come in Friday for deliberations?  yes and yes.

The Traffic Collision Chief continued his testimony. We finally got the see the video footage. However it was not very easy to see. The cameras are private property owners and not really intended to watch the street.  I felt this was the strongest the Defense had been in trying to make the videos not credible. But fact is fact. We can see one car in a different lane than the witness testified being in. Several members of the jury gasped.


Frankly I learned this back in day two. It is clear that people in shock are just not going to be able to describe accurately what they have been in. Every single witness had different accounts of the same wreck. Only a few things were described by all witnesses.  People are fallible, we need facts.

 Early in the case, it was learned that the defendant admitted to the police at the scene that he uses Medical marijuana. He takes it orally and has not taken it in a week. There was no toxicology report, no officer statement that he was on drugs.

When they rolled the car over, a prescription bottle of pot fell out. It was 1.11 grams. There was no method of consuming the pot found in the vehicle. What is the Prosecutor trying to do? No evidence that he was under the influence at all.

The last Prosecutor witness took the stand before lunch. The Judge let us know that this would be it for the day, so we will not break for lunch.  The witness was a car expert, who deals with car crash investigations. Another man with decades of experience. He convincingly shot down the Defenses main argument that the car unexpectedly lurched into the other lane.

Jury Trial day three

Today was by far the hardest day.  We started out the day by interviewing the last witness to get hit in the accident. She had a pretty good view of the whole thing. She couldn't even get her name out without breaking down in tears.  Then she said something she wasn't supposed to and the Defense lawyer jumped up and shouted Objection and the Judge ordered the jury out of the room.

We came back in 20 minutes later. The witness was still on the stand. I was sure they had kicked her out, but there she was. She tried again, but had a real hard time on the stand. The Judge has been very friendly and seems very genuine and nice. This witness was trying her patience.

We were addressed by the Judge when we returned and told to not consider the blurted testimony we had heard when making our ruling. Ok. so just unhear stuff.

Later we had the crime pathologist come on and describe the victims injuries in graphic detail.  I heard a muffled sound, I looked over at the Defendant and he was openly weeping. I realized this is probably the first time he has seen this report.  It really affected him.

We ended the day by hearing from the chief of the Traffic Collision Investigation team. This man has so much experience in car crashes. He discussed the way cars collect data. From the air bags to the brakes, you can see what the car was doing before the crash. Wow, like a planes black box.  Thank god, lets get to the FACTS. I can't take much more witness testimony.

At the end of the day, the Judge informed us she is sick and was not sure if she would be in the next day. We were instructed to call in at 6 am the following morning. 

Jury Trial day one - two

The Jury selection process went 2.5 days. I was picked as juror #9 and that never changed.  We finished up the selection and went into to Witness testimony. The Prosecutor called a witness who was in the car crash.

After the testimony, the Prosecutor has no more witnesses for the day. We got out at 2 pm! We were off Thursday and Friday.

Day Two
Monday am we were to meeting in the 9th floor East hall. The court room is on the West end of floor 9. They don't want us mingling with anyone from the trial, so they keep us on the other side of the floo and when it's time, the Bailiff takes us and escorts us into the Jury room.  On the way in, there was a young black male who was talking  He got animated when he realized we were the jury, as I walked in, I heard him say  "please have sympathy, don't take him away".  yikes. So now, we meet on the 8th floor and sneak up the stairs. We still have to  walk close by the door where witnesses gather, but no issues with witnesses or friends since.

Day two was more of the same. Witness testimony from the crash. A few police officers testified. and the Traffic collision unit testified about how they use the survey tools to determine what happened. Since this wreck had so many cars there are a lot of witnesses.

A lot of heavy emotion. This crash affected so many people. Many witnesses break down on the stand trying to recount the event. Even a seasoned police officer testified and it really affected him. That surprised me. He has seen this a million times.

I can't help but notice that many witnesses after testifying, stay in the court room.  They want to see how this turns out. 

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Jury Summons

A month ago I received a jury summons in the mail. I  had mixed emotions. I had been called in Kitsap county many years ago, and was one of the first excused from the selection process.  I didn't think the results would be any different for this one. However, I did get a little nervous about the fact that it was Superior court. What if I get picked for some month long trial?

I arrived at 8 am Monday morning and checked in at the Jury assembly room. The room is big with several hundred chairs, as well as desks in the back and an overflow room that looked like a remote work station.   The room was already mostly ful, I found a seat with no neighbors and grabbed it. Soon every seat in the house was taken.  Free wifi is provided as well as a break room with a refrigerator and microwave for those who bring lunch.

Around 8:25 the orientation began. I realized then and there that the times we are given include a 25 minute buffer for those who can't get places on time.   She went through the rules and the processes and gave us some history too.  in 1956 the State  passed a law giving jurors $10 a day for thier service. That rate has not changed. No cost of living increase for Jurors!  maybe we should strike? ;)

A real live Superior Court Judge came out and talked for a while, Discussed the history of juries, dating back thousands of years. Some ancient cities had public trials in which the entire town was the jury! A time when Hung trial probably had a slightly different meaning!

They explained that what would happen next is, we fill out our juror information card and when they need a jury, the computer automatically and randomly spits out the names of the people in the room.

The first case was called around 9:10. 40 people for a 12 man jury.. Wow.  40 minutes later, they called another set of 40. Then again with another set.  I'm still a free man.  Then she comes out and says thatsa all for Superior court today, but they are going to use us to fill district court juries. Great I thought, A nice 2 day trial. I wasn't picked.  Break time. We get 20 minutes. I left to get Tea.

After break she calls out another set. Bingo. I'm called.  She then says, anyone not called, you are free to go home.  I was told to take an 1.5 hour lunch and come back at 1:30.  At 2:45 she comes out and tells us the case I was picked for is not going to trial after all.  I am free to go, be back tomorrow at 8:45 am.   You have to be available for two days. If not called or picked for a jury at that time, you are free. Half way there.

Tuesday am. Same story. We all sit around, but no orinetation today. We all were here yesterday.  9:15 they call out a Superior court selection.  I get picked #9. She calls out a total of 90 jurors. 90??? uh oh.. somethings up. 
She asks for the first 45 to proceed to the 9th floor.  We get up there and the Bailiff is waiting for us.  She has us line up in numeric order.   We enter the court room and the first 15 are seated in the jury box and the remaining 30 are in the wooden pews in the back.

The Judge reads off the rules, mainly what are the legal reasons to get out of the jury.
1.  Missing a life event, like a baby birth or a wedding.
2. Financial hardship to you, not your employer.
3. Medical reason.

We are sworn in and the Defense and Prosectution begin to ask if anyone has any of these 3 reasons.   Here we go.. let the show begin.  Tons of hands go up.  When its over, at least 15 of the 45 are gone.  We go back down to the jury assembly room. It is almost 11. I know they are never going to even get the 45 other jurors seated before lunch. But they try and we have to sit there. Finally we are let go for lunch at 11:30 and back at 1:30. I went over to the office to check in and Prashant and I went for lunch.

After lunch, we all get called in. Enough have been excused that we fit into one group. There are about 65 of us. The Bailif changes up the lineup slightly, but I am still #9 in the same #9 spot.

We get into the room and there is more talk and we get to hear the charges.  One person pulled the liberal card.  She claimed she felt it was unethical to send someone to prison. The  Judge stepped in and explained that we do not have anything to do with that. Again, our job is to decide the facts, we don't sentence. The Judge excused her anyways.  Two women start crying. bam, they are gone.   A bunch of people whine about work and losing hours.  Some may be legitimate but some sounded suspect. I wanted the Judge to remind everyone we are under oath, but it probably didn't matter.

The next am I am stuck in the worst traffic I have seen in two years. I left my house at 7:30 and am in danger of being late.   I got in a few minutes late, but thanks to the buffer, I'm plenty early.

We get called shortly after 9 am. We all go up to the 9th floor to meet the Bailiff. She puts in a different order again, but I am again #9 in chair #9.  She is reading of the numbers, and its she is up to about 35 of the 70 remaining and she stops calling numbers. I am too close to the front to make out what is happening in the back of the line.  After a few minutes, about 30 people head for the elevetors. They are done and suddenly we are down to 35 people left!  Odds are changing fast.

We take more questions from the Defense and Prosecutor.  I shared some personal experiences.   It is almost 11 now and they decide they are ready to make the selections.

At this point, they back fill the few empty seats in the juror box and then start the process. They can only excuse people in the jury box, so they kick one off the out of the box and the next person in line in the pews moves to the box.   Soon its down to one chair they keep filing and canning. I'm pretty sure my fate is sealed now. Is it too late to talk more? I could add a few things!   oh my.. its getting real.  The Defense says he is content with the box, the Prosecutor lets a few more go and its over. I am on the damn jury. I felt it wasn't that they wanted me, but didn't not want me enough.  Luck of the draw. If I had #46, I would have been done with Jury duty at this point.

But that didn't happen. The trial is expected to go until November 14. Wow...  I'm still kinda in shock about the whole thing.  I have questions. Can I be impartial? Can I be a good juror? Can I pay attention during hours of witness testimony? Can I keep my emotions in check during the testimony.  I don't know. They don't ask these questions beforehand.  I believe I am about to learn a lot about the court system and myself.

I cannot share details of the trial of course, but once it is completed I will post about how it all went down and my jury experience. 

Oh, and the bright side? I didn't get picked for the Jury of the trial that is to last two months.  wow.. how can anybody do that?


Monday, October 21, 2013

Homecoming Weekend! Oct 11 - 12

Both girls have homecoming on the same weekend!  So I decided to make a weekend out of it.

Friday night I took Kelsey to the Bainbridge High Homecoming. Bainbridge was playing Eastside Christian. It was not a good game. We stayed for the half time festivities and then headed to Seattle.

We left my place around 9 am and drove East to Ellensburg. We  used the directions to get close, but Jessica had to come find us. We parked and went to see her dorm.

She is on the top floor of Quigley dorm.  There is a skylight in the hall right in front of her door! I thought it was fabulous!  The room is small, but enough room for two busy students. Her room mate is Riley, a freshman from Burien.  They are learning to get along!

After the tour, we went to lunch at the Ellensburg Pasta Co. It was pretty good. Everybody ate a good lunch. After lunch we went and checked in to the hotel. Then off to the homecoming game.

There was a good crowd on hand to see the CWU Wildcats take on the Dixie State Bobcats. Dixie state is a small school in South Utah.

The game was pretty sloppy, but the Wildcats managed a last second win that we did not see! 

We toured around the rest of the campus after the game. We saw where she gets her meals and bought hoodies at the store.

We took Jess to the Fred Meyer for room supplies. Snacks and Halloween decorations!

We then went for a drive. Jess has not been down Canyon road yet.  When we were younger, we used to float the river and camp along the Yakima River outside of Ellensburg. We drove down the canyon. The fall colors were great.  There are all these red (crimson) bushes aling the hills. I wonder if this is how CWU and WSU picked the color Crimson for thier school colors?

We went to dinner at a new place that opened up across from the Safeway.  We had a lite meal before sending Jess off for her Homecoming activities. She was working the dance.

The next am we ate a hearty breakfast and hit the road.  It was  a long weekend and Kelsey and I were anxions to get home and get ready for the week

I look forward to our next CWU visit.

The BHS band performed a medley of Star Trek songs.


color guard with Star Trek costumes!

yikes, no field turf in Division 2!

They have seen enough football

CWU band was impressive.


Bike pump and tool station! I love it! you can mount your bike on this thing and all the tools are connected to lanyards. Neat idea


The canyon


Crimson!





Friday, September 13, 2013

Vegas Sept 9-12 2013

Back in February I was calling the Denver Embassy Suites to make a reservation for a business trip.  After I booked a room, they asked me if I was interested in hearing a Hilton promotion.  It caught me off guard, and I said ok.

It was for a timeshare pitch for Hilton Vacations.  $200 for three nights in Vegas suite. I said no. Then they came back with $150 for three nights, plus 2 free show tickets, 2 free buffets AND a $200 gift certificate to be used at any Hilton property. Basically one free night somewhere. I said yes.

Then reality hit. Bronwen has no vacation left and this trip has to be used by end of the year.  I figured it was over, I gave a nice $150 donation to Hilton.  It is a timeshare deal, so Bronwen has to come with me.

Miraculously the WAC closed the kitchen for a week to redo the tiles. The trip is on!!!!

We flew out on a sunny September Monday at noon. We arrived in early afternoon, got checked in an headed out for dinner. We were at the North end of the strip. Between Circus Circus and Stratosphere. We walked towards Circus Circus, crossed the street to the Riviera and then decided to eat at the Peppermill.  This place has a lot of history for me. as you can read about here. http://craigonearth.blogspot.com/2010/04/spring-break-in-vegas.html.

Suddenly the skies opened up and we were trapped in the Riviera!  Lightning strikes were all around, I am pretty sure we saw one hit the top of the Wynn. Flash and thunder were instantaneous!  It was wild. We waited 15 minutes and made a break for the Peppermill. We got a little damp and the a/c made it kinda cold, but the good ole Peppermill is as it always is, excellent.

After dinner we walked back home.  The Hotel has only one bar, by the pool. It was closed at 8 pm due to weather.   B wanted to stay in and rest, so I took a walk to the Stratosphere.  It was farther than I thought along a deserted Strip. This end of the strip looks like a ghost town. Many large casino projects ran out of money before they could complete them.

I walked around the Stratosphere  and then headed home and checked out some gift shops on the way.

The next am I got up early and walked over to the Circus Circus for the buffet. $13.99.  I went straight to the omelet bar and got a cheese, jalapeno and onion omelet. I then went to get hashbrowns and found that they were diced potatos. Lame.

The buffet was ok. I got enough to eat but I wouldn't go back.

B and I decided to get a daily bus pass for the Deuce and use that to get up and down the strip.  Bad idea.   We slogged down to the Mandalay Bay and saw the Shark Reef. After that we had to head back for our sales meeting.  The bus took over an hour to get back.  It was a nightmare.

The sales meeting was not that bad. Bronwen didn't like it, but my mind was made up well before the pitch began.  The salesman used a note pad and a pen to scribble complex mathematical equations on how we save so much money by spending $40k initiation fee and up to $3000 a year in fees and taxes.  Uh uh...

I wanted to grab his pad, draw $50 x 3night + 2 free show tickets + $200 voucher = MY vacation plan, thank you very much.

Frankly, we were not thrilled with this property. At the first sign of rain, they close the pool AND the only bar on the property. There is NO other place very close to here. The bed was way too soft. The A/C does NOT turn off. The A/C in the hallway and elevator bank on our floor was set to about 38 degrees. The water pressure in the shower was bad, the shower door didn't shut right.  Oh and no Robes and slippers! lol.

After we got out of the presentation, we headed out to see the Conservatory at the Bellagio.  I never realized there was an off season in Vegas. This is it. The Conservatory was a pile of dirt and trucks. A sign indicated it was undergoing a seasonal change.  Sigh.

We walked  over to the Planet Hollywood to get our show tickets. On the way, lost as usual, wandering through the Miracle Mile Mall,  I spotted something wonderful, Lobster Me!   A lobster fast food place. We ordered a Lobster shooter, which is a bloody Mary with Lobster meat in it! YUM!

We found the show and got our tickets. Then off to the Spice Market Buffet at PH for dinner.   The Spice Market was great! We ate sooo much!   After the buffet we tried to walk off the food to prepare for our show.

We saw Vegas the Show. It was about the history of the city. Dancing and singing the classics right up to the modern times.  It was a great production! I wish we could see more shows like this!

After the show, we went to see the Sirens at TI. Treasure Island fighting ship show. It was fun, but I liked the original show better. It featured more high flying acrobatics and diving and less skanky half dressed dancing hos. The classy restaurant that was along side the water and show is now a Senor Frogs.  At least TI is consistent in their attempt to be trashy!

On our last day, we got up and headed to the pool.  It was a little overcast, high 70's.  We went to the big double hot tub and had it to ourselves for most of our time. The sun came out and we went over to the pool for a while. It is a nice pool. I bet it must be just packed on weekends and holidays though.

After the pool, we went to Circus Circus to see the Circus performance. A silly clown did some tricks with a rope and wheel. Very talented whatever you call it.  Then a lady did some arial acrobatics. It was a decent free show!  We went up to AdventureDome after that and found it is closed on Mon-Thur through the slow season... sigh.

We left to find dinner. As we were leaving a quick tour of the Luxor, we were stopped by a Luxor staff who asked why we were leaving!  B of course stopped to talk, I tend to just keep walking. She pointed to the mezzanine level, asked if we had been there. Nope. So we said we would check it out. Upstairs was a restauraunt called Rice and Company. We looked over the menu, decided to move on, then turned back and got a table. It was a good call. The food was great. B had the Phad Thai which comes with Chicken and Shrimp. Excess in my opinion, but she said it as really good.  I ordered an avacado sushi roll and the Seared Ahi app.  The sushi was decent, nothing spectacular, but it was a simple roll. Sushi seems to be  specialty here. The seared Ahi was amazing. Served on home made won ton crackers with a delight of garnish and sauce. Very very good.

That night we saw a comedy show at the Riviera. 2 for 1 coupon got us in for $10 a piece. I want my money back! ha ha, no, it was worth $10, not much more. We did witness what can happen when you perform a magical act when you pick an incredibly dumb woman to participate. Best joke of night, as the act was falling apart before our eyes, he says, "if anyone is recording this, would you please post it to endofmycareer.com"!!!!

Next up and last up was a trip to downtown. Historic Vegas.  We got there just in time for the 11 pm laser show. WOW. how lasers have changed since Glenn and I were there in 2001!  It was very impressive, a Doors Tribute.  We ate crappy pizza from a small pizzeria.  We went to find a Keno room to relax and play Keno. I can't remember what casino it was, Golden Nugget I think. It was closed...

El Cortez was the next stop. Here I played some slots, my favorite, Wheel of Fortune, I hit two wheel spins, won back about $50, leaving me down about $100 in gambling.  Cash out.

The last morning we went back to Peppermill for breakfast. Amazing!

I want to come back when the Wheel is done. Yep, our Seattle Wheel looks like training wheels to this enormous, world's largest Wheel under construction now.

Some observations:
I can't see a damn thing! All the casinos, restaurants and basically anything in print is too small and too dark to read. I felt half blind most the time.
So many foriegn tourists here. I really hope they travel to other parts of the US. It would be a shame to think that this is many foriengners only vision of the US.
 Vegas needs to do something about the ghost casinos. They look creepy. Tear em down or help someone finish them.

Lobster Shooters

cool ship in Miracle Mile Mall

Yet another Ramsay Restaurant. With flames!

ghost casino

empty lots



Lobster on a Stick!

Lobster on a Stick!


Even MGM is under construction!













Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Labor Day Weekend

What I thought was going to be an uneventful Holiday weekend, was anything but....

Friday we attended our first Open House.  With our own eyes, we now know what 300k gets you in Seattle.. diddly squat!   After the open house I met my old ship mate and now real estate agent at Bamboo.  We talked houses, real estate and swapped old sea stories from what seems like a different life now.

Late night, but up early to go to my Sisters house to help move Maddie. When I got there, they had already left on a moving run, so I spent an hour catching up with my Mother.   Eventually Crista and gang came back and I went over and helped them move the last few heavy stuff up the stairs.

When we got back, Jessica had arrived. She got to spend some time with Grandma while we made our way back

We then had a picnic.  Mom made her potato salad which was great!  They forgot to get any meat alternatives, so I had a veggie sandwich and some potato salad. It was good.

Jessica wanted me to drive her to Anacortes on the spur of the moment!  After a few minutes thought, I said I would.  Bronwen was planning on dinner with Kevin for his birthday, so my schedule was mostly free. I was planning on spending the afternoon and evening on the couch watching college football!

Jessica and I had a nice drive. We had a not so nice lunch at Anthonys in Anacortes. My fish and chips were pretty lame. Jess had a burger.

I dropped Jess off an hour before the next sailing to Friday Harbor. but I was tired and ready to hit the road.  Traffic was light on the way home. I got home around 9:30.

I parked on the street and when I got out of my car, I could hear Kevin, Shana and sister Lindsay loudly talking in the unit.   I joined the party, but went to bed an hour later or so. To my relieve, the next morning everyone was gone!

Sunday, B only worked half a day. I went shopping, did some chores until she got off work.  We took the beach cruisers out for a ride to Jack Block park.   That evening, we went and watched the sunset. Then Kimmi and Amber showed up...

Kimmi just graduated from Whatcom CC. They have been planning for a long time to travel after graduation. So far, they have travelled from their old house, to our spare room!

Kimmi was not quite as ready as he thought he was.  They have way too much stuff. And on top of that, his damn engine light came on....

Sunday night before bed I invited Kimmi and Amber to breakfast the next am to celebrate his graduation.  I told them that we will leave early, 8ish.

The next day, I had to practically drag the kids out of the house. We arrived at the Chelan diner around 10:30. I was starved!

Breakfast was good.  After, we went home and everyone relaxed until Davey showed up with a load of Kimmis stuff!  More stuff.. They took that stuff, and brought it to Pauls in Ballard. They also had stuff to leave with Kevin.

As they were leaving, I told them they could join us for taco dinner later. Kimmi said he wanted to hang with Kevin. I said that is fine, but do so at his house, since we just hosted them the night before.

B and I went out to get a drink and at 6 pm,  Kimmi, Amber, Kevin and Shana were at our house for dinner. sigh.....

Tuesday AM, no one sleeping in living room, that's good. I haven't gone to sleep with B since last Thursdsay.  I have not spoken to my real estate agent or mortgage broker. I have not looked at house listings once...   I am disrupted now.

Ok, so now we are past Labor day, but I'll keep going as the story has not ended yet.

B and I did get a chance to get some plants for our deck planter. We went to True Value in Admiral on a neighbor suggestion. WOW, they are really wonderful there. Very knowledgable. she spent 15 minutes with us at least helping us pick out the right combo.

Tuesday I went to work.  When I came home the place was empty of people, but very full of Kimmis stuff. Even more stuff has now ended up in the living room.  The spare room was not ready, we had no advance notice, so the room is full of bikes. I let the piles of clutter in the living room slide for now.

Kimmi said he is taking car to his mechanic on Wednesday.   I hope they find the time to get rid of some of this clutter too!

Wedesday am. Back to work for B. Back to gym schedule for me When I went down to the living room at 4:50 am There was a kid in the living room..   Alki, we have a problem!!!!!!!