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?
Thursday, October 31, 2013
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.
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! |
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| They have seen enough football |
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| CWU band was impressive. |
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| 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 |
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| The canyon |
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| 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.
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.
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| Lobster Shooters |
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| cool ship in Miracle Mile Mall |
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| Yet another Ramsay Restaurant. With flames! |
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| ghost casino |
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| empty lots |
 |
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| Lobster on a Stick! |
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| Lobster on a Stick! |
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| 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!!!!!!!
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!!!!!!!
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Crescent Bar Cousin weekend!
My second trip to Crescent bar this summer was a little different. Cap came up from California!
He parked at my place and I drove us over. I decided to put my beach cruiser on the roof rack in case we needed an extra means of transportation.
We arrived Friday evening. We had dinner at the Sand Trap. It was really crowded because of the pre season football game. Oh and I met Bill Wixey, q13 news anchor when we arrived. Very friendly guy!
Anyway, the service was extra bad today. I ordered a Caesar salad. Menu indicated I could add chicken for $3.00. I did not. Of course my salad came with Chicken! sigh...
After dinner we went to Dan and Tonys trailer to get ready for the evening. Dan gave Cap a tour ,while Tony and I prepared the beds.
We stayed up much too late of course. It got really windy later, we went down to the river around 11 and it was too windy.
I joke that every weekend at Crescent Bar is like a tv show. Last episode a few weeks ago, it was all about the neighbors faulty prop. Oh the discussion! heated debates! on and on and on and on and on they talked about his guys prop. The guy who owns the boat wasn't even there. Didn't matter, these people were going to solve the problem. Ha ha. I left early Sunday and missed the ending!
This episode was the Bear! yep, a Bear came down from the hills, most likely because of the fires in the area. The whole park quiclly spread the news from home to home. The game wardens arrived around noon to try to find the bear. They left around 4, empty handed. About 5 pm, the dang Bear popped out of the brush two trailers down from Dan! It was a big bear, 6 -7 feet tall. He quickly ran back into the brush.
The next am the wardens were back. Not sure how it turned out. Also, goflers reported wild turkeys on the golf course. Same as the bear, they assume the animals are lost or displaced from the fires.
On Saturday it was raiing when I awoke. It didn't get nice till around noon. The high was 85 degrees. Last time I was here it was 101. We finally got the boat out on the river around 5 when everyone was coming back in! We toured the river. The wind died down, it was very nice out there. I went swimming by the party beach.. We could see the crowds coming in to the Gorge Amphitheater for the Black Sabbath show that night.
He parked at my place and I drove us over. I decided to put my beach cruiser on the roof rack in case we needed an extra means of transportation.
We arrived Friday evening. We had dinner at the Sand Trap. It was really crowded because of the pre season football game. Oh and I met Bill Wixey, q13 news anchor when we arrived. Very friendly guy!
Anyway, the service was extra bad today. I ordered a Caesar salad. Menu indicated I could add chicken for $3.00. I did not. Of course my salad came with Chicken! sigh...
After dinner we went to Dan and Tonys trailer to get ready for the evening. Dan gave Cap a tour ,while Tony and I prepared the beds.
We stayed up much too late of course. It got really windy later, we went down to the river around 11 and it was too windy.
I joke that every weekend at Crescent Bar is like a tv show. Last episode a few weeks ago, it was all about the neighbors faulty prop. Oh the discussion! heated debates! on and on and on and on and on they talked about his guys prop. The guy who owns the boat wasn't even there. Didn't matter, these people were going to solve the problem. Ha ha. I left early Sunday and missed the ending!
This episode was the Bear! yep, a Bear came down from the hills, most likely because of the fires in the area. The whole park quiclly spread the news from home to home. The game wardens arrived around noon to try to find the bear. They left around 4, empty handed. About 5 pm, the dang Bear popped out of the brush two trailers down from Dan! It was a big bear, 6 -7 feet tall. He quickly ran back into the brush.
The next am the wardens were back. Not sure how it turned out. Also, goflers reported wild turkeys on the golf course. Same as the bear, they assume the animals are lost or displaced from the fires.
On Saturday it was raiing when I awoke. It didn't get nice till around noon. The high was 85 degrees. Last time I was here it was 101. We finally got the boat out on the river around 5 when everyone was coming back in! We toured the river. The wind died down, it was very nice out there. I went swimming by the party beach.. We could see the crowds coming in to the Gorge Amphitheater for the Black Sabbath show that night.
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| Cap was able to get 27 holes of golf in! |
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| John is a golf addict and was glad to meet Cap! |
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| Penny |
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| Beach cruiser came in handy |
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| We are in South Park! |
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| Dan and his beach cruiser |
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| clowning around at the pool |
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