Year: 2006

Its Not The Cold, Its The No Humidity

Misty CoastWe are right on the beach and the surf is a constant at 6-8 feet. When you look around you you can’t see it, but look north or south along the beach and you see a mist. We went for a hike along the coast in Ecola State Park and everything was a lush green with sections of the spruce trees covered in moss. Yet my lips are parched and my skin is dry. How can we be surrounded by all this water and there still be no humidity?

If you ever find yourself in Cannon Beach, Oregon you cannot go wrong (with one exception, the ribs) with a meal at Warren House Pub. The available micro brewed beers are great and the atmosphere is just right. For lunch, Pizza ? fetta is worth your time and money, but bring a sense of humor. When Donna asked for the restroom she was pointed to a door labeled “Office” and told it was up the stairs and the second door on the left. We she opened the door she was of course entering right into the rest room.

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Sebring Top Transitions since 09/29/06: 16

Title With A Four In It

Ocean LodgeI just noticed I inadvertently had a streak going and in a lame attempt to keep it going…

Nice drive from Mukilteo to Cannon Beach. We took a side trip that resulted in running into a sign that said “No Outlet” on the Kitsap Peninsula, but did result in a great breakfast at Auntie Barb’s Cafe in Seabeck. I didn’t get to further test out my Moon=Good Food theory in Astoria, OR because the Wombat Moon Cafe was closed on Sunday. We ended up at the Silver Salmon instead and while it was not bad, it isn’t worth a special trip. After lunch we climbed the 164 spiral steps of the Astoria Column for great views of the mouth of the Columbia River area.

We actually made it to our home for the next two days, The Ocean Lodge (the photo above), in time for an afternoon nap. We did manage to wake up in time for a nice little sunset behind Haystack Rock and “The Needles.”

Started up, went down, back up, back down, up again, down again, up again, still up.
Sebring Top Transitions since 09/29/06: 14

Three Hour Shower

Whidbey Island FerryNo it was not a rain shower, but a baby shower. This is what you get when you have a ton of friends, a large family and throw a cook-out slash potluck lunch along with it. They even had a door prize drawing, your fee for your ticket was to bring one pack of disposable diapers.

After saying goodbye at the finish of the party we, along with Donna’s big brother and his wife drove back to Mukilteo and we gave them a tour of the Hogland House. The picture is our view from the room and what you see is the ferry that goes back and forth between Mukilteo and Whidbey Island. Donna’s brother Jim waxed nostalgic for ferry rides (they used to live in Redmond about 15 years ago), so we all hoped in the Sebring and went over to Whidbey. Made a little side trip to the small artsy village of Langely before getting back on the ferry to return to Mukilteo. We had dinner at Ivar’s right at the ferry landing, before sending Jim and Linda on their way to catch a plane back to Houston.

From the B&B’s room notes:

  • …
  • The bathroom light switch is behind the towel shelving.
  • Sea-Tac airport is 45 minutes away on a good day.
  • If you hear voices, piano playing or guests late at night and see no one, it’s just the nuns. The house was a convent for 15 years and occasionally they return.
  • …
Started up, went down, back up, back down, up again, still up.
Sebring Top Transitions since 09/29/06: 8

Two Lunch Day

Hogland HouseOur home for the next two nights, the Hogland House B & B built in 1906. Off the back porch we can watch the Whidbey Island Ferry running back and forth across Pugent Sound.

All righty then, it is around 10:30 PM here in Multikeo, WA and that is around 1:30 AM by my Aiken internal clock. Since we landed and picked up the car we have been driving around, back and forth, both on purpose and accidentally, all over north of Seattle. I’ve got lots of stories to tell, but I’m too tuckered out to type them.

You can’t complain about the airline food in steerage on US Air, ’cause there ain’t any (unless you want to pay five dollars for it. Donna and I bought a Quizno’s sub at the terminal for our lunch. We ate it after the movie, about halfway through the flight and approximately noon EDT. When we landed we set our clocks back three hours, so that after about an hour after landing it was 1:00 PM PDT and time for lunch again. We stopped at a hole-in-the-wall pizza joint and each ordered a slice and a small garden salad.

Started up, went down, back up, back down, up again, still up.
Sebring Top Transitions since 09/29/06: 4

Where America’s Day Begins

Wedding DayAt least that is what it said on the license plate, which segues nicely into…Traffic Court, Agana, Guam, September 29, 1976. The large room is filled with scofflaws awaiting the chance to plead their case on why they weren’t really speeding or why they shouldn’t be thrown in jail for driving without a license. The clerk leads 4 nervous young adults in the back doors, past the rows of defendants and their families, past the tables used by the lawyers, down to the low wooden railing in front of the imposing, still empty judge’s bench. The noise level drops a couple notches as the crowd starts to whisper among themselves wondering what is so special about these kids.

The bailiff enters from the right and loudly proclaims, “All rise!” After a few seconds the judge enters in a swirl of black robes from a door right behind his chair, looks out over the courtroom and gruffly says, “Remain standing.” He then gazes down at the 4 trembling youngsters in front of him and asks in a paternal voice, “Is this to be a double ring ceremony?”

After the judge pronounced the couple man and wife, and as they and their witnesses were escorted back out of the courtroom by the clerk, the bailiff could be heard to say, “Be seated, the first case will be…”

Newly married Brian & Donna Bogardus along with Brian’s squadronmate and his wife, Ken & Helen Tiller walked to a park adjacent to the courthouse and cracked open a coconut to celebrate.

Why am I writing this on September 28th you ask, instead of the actual date of my 30th anniversary, I’ll tell you. Guam is literally half way around the world from here and as such is 15 hours ahead of eastern daylight time, so as I write this at nearly 10 PM on the 28th it is already 1 PM in the afternoon on the 29th and we are a couple hours into our 31st year of wedded bliss. Guam, where America’s day begins and Brian and Donna’s marriage began.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 407

Pesky Pole

pes-ky? [pes-kee]
?adjective, -ki?er, -ki?est. Informal.
annoyingly troublesome

The right field foul pole at Fenway Park has been called the Pesky Pole ever since I can remember. With Fenway’s funky configuration in right field and the foul pole being only 302 feet away from home plate, balls hit in that area are definitely annoyingly troublesome to deal with, but according to Red Sox lore that is not why it got that name.

It is named for 40’s Red Sox infielder Johnny Pesky after an ex-Sox pitcher and Club broadcaster, Mel Parnell, supposedly remarked that it seemed as if a number of Pesky’s homers were hit out near the right field foul pole. Johnny was a solid .300 hitter, but didn’t with a lot of power, swatting only 13 homers while with the FRS and only 6 of those came at Fenway Park.

Today is Johnny Pesky’s 87th birthday and the Red Sox will be honoring him tonight by making it official and dedicating “Pesky’s Pole” with a bronze plaque in pre-game ceremonies.

Other famous people born on this date are Samuel Adams, Marvin Lee Aday and Brian Bogardus.

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 406

The Cat Is Out Of The Bag

Scott on Piano We had promised to visit Donna’s youngest brother and his wife later this year after the “baby to be named later” was born and hopefully named, but when an etiquettely correct invitation came to the baby shower arrived, a plan was hatched. Forget later, Donna and I would show up at the shower unannounced. The eldest brother and his wife were convinced to join the surprise crew and we almost snagged his other sister too. Well, we cleared it with Beth, the expectant mother, but we still wanted to surprise Scott.

The shower is on Saturday and the four of us were getting into the Seattle area on Friday afternoon, so Plan B called for the surprise to happen at an impromptu anniversary dinner for Scott and his wife Beth at her parents house (their anniversary is tomorrow.)

Things were going along smoothly until Beth was trying to get, Mr. Workaholic, Scott to take off on Friday afternoon to get ready for the anniversary dinner. He finally demanded to know what was going on and not being able to lie to him any more she told him that we were coming up. At first he didn’t believe her. Well, I hope you’re pleased with yourself.

I guess I’ll get back at you the only way I know how, post a baby picture of you for the whole internet to see. That’s you sitting on Donna’s lap playing on the piano in New Orleans.

Started down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 404