Breakfast with Kelsey and Pirates landing!

June 27th

Kelsey and I met for Breakfast, since we did not get to meet up for Fathers day.  We stopped at Rite Aid and picked out a small notebook to start our trip journal, then on to Elmers for some breakfast

Over breakfast we discussed our dining option and went over the trip details.

After breakfast we wandered around the Poulsbo farmers market.  We didn't see anything we wanted today.

We stopped at the Day road farm and  found we missed the last  of the strawberries by an hour.  We went by two hours ago on the way to breakfast.. darn.  But, we did buy two cups of Raspberries.  yum!

Kelsey gave me  a beautiful hand made Fathers day card with an original poem!  Best ever! 

I dropped Kelsey off and went home to see Pirates land!

This year, they changed the festival.  First off, no signage or promotion whatsoever.  I did not know until Saturday AM that they were not landing until afternoon this year and that afternoon I found out there were four bands! 

B and I walked down around 1 pm.   The park West of the Bath house, the breakwater part, was full of vendor craft booths! This is new.  B found a birthday present for Kevin.

We saw a band play.  They were playing original songs, so that was entertaining.  We walked around and then finally saw the Pirate ship.   But alas, what is this?  ANOTHER Pirate ship awaited their arrival and a sea battle ensued!  Again, this is new and we had no idea!   The two ships circled each other for 10 min or so,  shooting their cannons at each other.

Finally the Seafair Pirate ship broke loose and began to make their way towards shore. There were NO cops boats or Coast guard boats to help and the later start time led to many more boats anchored off shore.  It took some time for the pirates to find a path to land.

After they arrrived, we headed out.

We came back down an hour later to watch the band we thought was best.   But, they didn't come on.  I guess their schedule was not accurate.  We watched the rockabilly band instead from the beach.   No beer garden this year, so we brought our own!

This festival was so much bettter, yet due to lack of promotion and media coverage, no one knows what went on, besides the thousands who saw it with their own eyes.

Cabaret

Bronwens sister invited us to join them at Tacoma Little Theater to see Cabaret.

We arranged lunch plans so we could be sure to leave after the play, since it's hot and a Sunday afternoon and my back was acting up.

B picked The Schwinn as our meeting place. It is an old refurbished warehouse or something. The space was really impressive.  It was not too busy, we found plenty of room for the large group.

After lunch we went to the theater and my dire predictions came true. An old brick building, baking in the sun, with no air conditioning and a packed house. Ugh, it was sooo hot.

The first part was 1hr 40 min!  I was ready to walk.  But, I had a sip of water and back in for act II which only lasted 30 min or so! 

The performance was pretty good.  The theater was nice, great sound, a real orchestra and decent lighting.  I had never seen Cabaret before. 

SIFF!

Each year we try to see one SIFF film.  This year, it  caught us by surprise. We found a movie on one of the last days to see after work.   It was a Palestine film, part in English, part subtitled, called "Love, Theft and Disagreements"

Bronwen and I showed up early as lst year we barely got a seat together.  To our surprise, the crowd was low.  It was 80 degrees out.

We had a good seat, wiht the director sitting behind us!  Kinda ackward when the movie is over and we ran for the exit, opting not to stay for the Q and A. 

Frankly the movie wasn't great. It was interesting to see a movie filmed on location in Palestine, but the story was a bit weak.

Afterwards we grabbed a beverage at the new Parlor comedy club which was showig the NBA finals on TV!  I quipped "it used to be a sports bar, now it's a comedy bar, showing sports on tv"

Craig goes to the gym - A new chapter

Monday am, I checked my email as I was getting ready to hit the gym.   I read an email that came in just before midnight.  As of today, we no longer have a gym membership!   I don't always have time to check my email before going to the gym, thank goodness I did this morning!

So, today, I tried out the "gym" at Century Plaza.   Lame.  But, I did feel like it was my own private gym for 10 minutes before someone else showed up.  

I even used some weights this am, which I have not done at Golds in months.  I do like being able to see outside. It's on the 3re flloor and the windows open to Pike street.   Good early am people watching!


No tv's on the individual machines, so I listened to Kiro on my iphone. I'll probably try to use this time to listen to podcasts that I rarely have time for.

Will see how it goes.   I am a bit disappointed, with no notice and a much lesser facility, but I'll survive.  its not about me.. not one bit.

What does Fourth of July mean to you?

Bronwen and I discuss this every year, but this year it is more relevant.

I grew up with community 4th of July celebrations for as long as I can remember.   We moved to my grandparents in Kingston when I was in Kindergarten. I recall riding on the Kingston Yacht Club parade float with my sister. My grandparents were very active in the club.

We did the Kingston thing for a few years, then moved to Edmonds.  I can recall riding my bike in the parade one year. My mom, probably with her hands full of Crista, brought me and my bike to my Aunt Helens house in downtown Edmonds.  My bike was decorated with red white and blue ribbons.  I don't recall much of the actual parade though.

We moved to Bainbridge Island after that.   From early on, I was a part of the Bainbridge "Grand Old Fourth".  My cub scout troop was in the parade one year.   It was just a part of our lives, a part of every summer.  I remember one year my neighborhood friends mom  set up a booth to sell pottery and how Kenny and I helped set up but mostly ran around and did our own thing.

Once I graduated High School, the 4th became a reunion of sorts as we wold see our friends who had moved on, or friends we simply didn't see much.  

I became close friends with Glenn after high school and started attending his 4th of July event afer the parade every year.  We would all watch the parade, then go to Glenn's where his mom, Doris would make enormous amounts of food. 

We got older, and began a new tradition of drinking margaritas during the parade in the parking lot of San Carlos.   The Bennett sisters, who also had their own 4th event, would always show up.

Even after getting married, and having kids, the traditions continued. I can remember Jessica, barely able to walk yet, swinging wildly on Glenns laundry pole.   We would play crochet in the backyard.

Eventually I wasn't married anymore. But the traditions never stopped.   One year my girls and I marched in the parade dressed up as Girl Scout cookies to promote their girl scout troop!

I split my time with their mother and always made time for them on the 4th.  We would walk around and see the booths and decide which snack we wanted.

The last few years has been guy time for the 4th.   I moved into a house right down the street from the parade and hosted parties every year with my friends.  One, the first year, was the biggest.  Classmates Mike H, Doug T, Rob V, Jim, Mark K and Kyle came over!  Along with Winslow friends and even Jessica!  It was a lonnng day.  The time between parade and fireworks is really long!

Now,  living back in Seattle, I still make the trek every year.   Last year I missed the 3rd Street Dance, and was a bit disappointed that many regular friends I see were not there. Minsters and Bennetts both were not there.

This year, my kids are not going to be in Winslow for the 4th.   This is how our yearly discussion started this year and lasted longer.

Bronwen grew up in the city of Seattle.  They had no community parade, or booths.  They only had the Fireworks.    Her fourth of July experience is being at home with family, Dad making a huge meal in the patio.

Neither is wrong of course, but my community 4th's have been a huge part of my life, as well as one of the best parts of my life.

While writing this, my friend Mike who moved into my old place in Winslow, emailed me to tell me he won't be home this year for the 4th!    So the wheels are falling off as I write this!

I believe that Fourth of July IS a community event. It's a time for us to come together and celebrate our independence and a time to see friends and acquaintances we don't see often enough.  Parades, food and craft booths, music,  dancing and of course fireworks,  are the American way to celebrate.

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge - April 18, 2015

We met up with Bronwen's sister and her husband, Marci and Carl, for a saturday walk and lunch


We met at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge  only after we got lost and ended up first at Millersylvania State Park.


The wildlife refuge was very big. Long boardwalks out over the estuary.   You could see Tacoma Narrows bridge in the far distance to the North.

After a few hours of walking around and watching birds, it was time for lunch! We ate in Lacey at the Lemon Grass. It was Thai food.  I for once did NOT order Phad Thai, opting for Singapore Noodles instead.  It was pretty darn good.

Millersylvania State Park

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

48th birthday

I realized that I do not recall what I did last year for my birthday!  doh!

This year was a bit rushed since we were in Silverdale all weekend for Maddies wedding.

I went in to work as usual, had a meeting at 10.  The meeting got rescheduled for 11:30.  Half way through the meeting I saw a facebook post from Falafel Salam that their product was going fast!   I worried if I would get there in time for my birthday Falafel.   The meeting ended and I ran to my favorite food truck.  I made it!  I had my Falafel!  It was spectacular!

That evening, I had proposed going to Blue Moon burger for a blackbean burger.  But after eating the Falafel for lunch, I didn't really want a burger.   So, we skipped that part and went to El Chubacabra.

Mike was there, we had a fun time talking to Mike more than we ever have.    As it was time to leave, I asked Andrew for a birthday shot of Tequila.  He delivered!  It was a nice tequila.

We went home and ordered a pizza from Olympic Pizza since they were so kind as to send us a menu in the mail.   The pizza was ok.  Not great but it worked.

So that was my birthday.  I attempted to play Civ V but I lost a crucial member to barbarians so I just shut it off.

Bronwen got me a card from the WAC.  She really wanted to take me out to dinner, but I didnt want that.  I just wanted to stay local.

In the next week or so, we will go over to Grandma's for breakfast to celebrate my and moms birthday.