Raincharm’s Weblog

What was that big yellow orb. Unobscured by clouds.
Sunscreen required.
So nice to sit out in shorts and a t-shirt.
And then need to move into the shade to cool down a bit.

OK – has winter really been that long in Seattle??

Yes! I checked the weather for Seattle tomorrow on our return.
Surprised? NO! 50’s and rain.

Well, it is supposed to get into the 70’s on Saturday – so there will be something to look forward to.

Some pictures from our walk today – before the camera battery died.
I have relatives with “real” cameras, and these are just a point and shoot with limited zoom.
But here they are.

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We saw a pelican, osprey, blue heron, ducks, meadowlark (we think), redwing blackbirds (lots of them), small yellow birds, and a rabbit and a snapping turtle. Some of them are in the preceding pictures. Some are not, and some will not be recognizable for what they are. But it was a very enjoyable walk, and if we lived here this would be on a frequently visited list.

To complete the day there was lunch at Coopersmiths.
They make their own beer, so this was sort of like visiting another brewery, although the tour was very limited, and I don’t think they have any horses.
Then the aforementioned time in the sun, followed by dinner and more chatting. (I will admit to missing a bit of the chat as I struggled to stay awake. Too much sun.)

Off to bed as tomorrow we must arise in time to head back to the dampness we call home.

The highlight of today’s wild west adventures was touring the Fort Collins’ Budweiser factory. Carl, Doris & I partook of the 1 hour, 1 mile tour and beer making lesson. At the end Carl also pointed out that I was drinking beer before noon. WELL IT IS A VACATION. I tried Land Shark, Carl had Shock Top and American Ale. Both Carl & Doris also sampled the Bud Light Lime. And the Clydesdales are really big. Jackson was the horse I was closest to, and he was huge.

I know for sure this is at least the 2nd Budweiser tour I have been on, with the other in St. Louis. But I am sure I remember another tour of a liquid refreshment plant. One where the can loading machine stuck and things were piling up together. (Help me out here family folks.)

Carl and I were planning to tack on a separate walk after the tour, but when we completed our taste testing it was pouring rain. So back to the ranch for lunch. We also mended pants and sorted CDs through the afternoon.

Then it was time for dinner. Leg of lamb, potatoes and peas with mint. Jeanne and Steve certainly know how to put on a dinner.

Basically we got to spend the day with family – chatting and catching up. Really the point of the whole vacation. Family = Bob, Doris, Jeanne, Steve, Carl & Jay. Good times.

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When we arose this morning (more than once actually) it was raining.
Seattle? Feels like it, but it doesn’t look like it.

We eventually made contact with the Colorado contingent of the Harms family.
Lunch, talk, sharing of pictures, and then – the sun came out.

At least for a few minutes.
And when it wasn’t sunny, it also wasn’t raining.

I put on sunscreen and sat down.
And then lay back and closed my eyes.

I did not fall asleep, but actually was able to relax my cold repelling instincts for a moment, and feel the warmth.

Then we went and visited a friend, chatted longer than our allotted time, were late for dinner, and are now ready to recharge for tomorrow.

3 days, 2 countries, 1 province, 2 states.
I have had a bit of trouble remembering what day of the week it is, and who will be where when, and who has tickets to what game and is going with whom.

We had a car ride, plane flight, baseball game, and now spending a “quiet” night.

Car ride was from Ashlan – to the airport.
She is staying home, sort of – with her own spreadsheet version of what is happening when.

Plane trip – about 2-1/2 hours to Colorado.
Just enough time to watch a soccer game.
As it turns out the UEFA Championship game was on TV, starting when we took off, and ending when we landed. A very pleasant way to spend a flight. It was also a total surprise that we would get to watch a game, and a great game. Manchester United vs. Barcelona. Very nice foot-work, if you like that in a soccer game.
We also got our first trip through the new scanning machine. No problems at all, and no searching or patting down. There were several folks being patted down, but I am not sure they went through the scanner. They were apparently very thorough pat downs. We decided that the pat downs were OK, but it would be better if they were screened from those of us sitting around putting our shoes (and casts) back on.

Baseball game – Rockies vs. Cardinals.
Rockies prevail 15-4. After the 1st inning it was 6-0.
Let’s just say that there were very few tense moments in the game, and one particularly interesting play. Man on 3rd, infield “hit”. Really a Fielder’s choice, as the play was to pick off the runner who broke from 3rd, and let the batter get to first. Except that in the rundown between 3rd and home, the pitcher managed to run into the runner (or visa-versa) when he did not possess the ball. So it is interference with the runner, and the runner scores. [And the other runner ended up on second.]

that was way too much information, but it has been a busy day and I am tired, and do not want to edit.

We will be getting to visit with inlaws and b&s-in-laws tomorrow. And here at the energy sapping high elevations, we need our sleep.

We drove up this morning – no problems at all, although the border guard did take Ashlan’s student Visa (since she is no longer a student).

Brunch at Jethro’s. Great food.

Then off to locate a cap and gown. At which point Ashlan left us, and Carl, Katie (Ashlan’s Vancouver roommate) and I went to find the auditorium.

Ashlan and the Chancellor

Yes, we were seated behind the stage.

Following the ceremony, it was outside to enjoy the view.

Proud Parents

Then, what to do? Why – eat of course.

Dinner was at the Twisted Fork.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. So much food, and sooooo good.
We are trying to regain our ability to move around right now.

I have recently noticed a trend where I hit the ground when I was not intending to do so.

When I play soccer I will occasionally hit the dirt. Or more recently, turf.
This is not usually expected, but it is also not unexpected, and most likely involves somebody else helping to propel me downward. Most of these instances are followed by a whistle blast, and somebody is penalized (only very occasionally am I that somebody).

But within the last week there were 2-1/2 instances where I met the ground.
Nobody was helping me down. (Or up for that matter.)

The first instance can be blamed on a newly manicured and edged lawn.
As I was looking back to admire and comment on said lawn to Ashlan, who was walking next to me, I tripped over a curb. The curb was really just a sidewalk joint. But this sidewalk joint has a vertical grade change that could easily be mistaken for a curb. My palms took the brunt of the fall, with scrapes and general pain. The pain has dulled, and the scrapes have healed, well almost healed.

Just as I was starting to forget this occurrence, my inability to stay vertical was brought back in a jolt. I was at a soccer game, but the game had not started. I thought, “I’ll warm up, and reduce the potential of injury from a pulled muscle.” So I started to job on an adjacent patch of grass. Only after a few steps I was falling.

I thought my knees had buckled. Indeed my knees took this fall, as my hands never made it out in front. I did have running pants on, and I looked and felt like I was five again. Grass stains on my pants, and scrapes underneath.

This one was a bit off-putting as I did not really know why my knees had buckled. Ashlan suggested I try running again, on the turf. I did, and once again I almost fell. But it was really my ankle that was buckling – not my knee.

I will admit I did not play the game, or really try to run again that afternoon. I have walked – with no problems, and eventually I will run again. But for now I am just wondering if this is part of the arthritis or just getting older. I am not ready to be slowed (more than I am already – see getting older).

But I do not have the time to deal with this right now – so onward at a somewhat slower pace.

Fifty miles and four printers later, I have finished my chore for the day.
There should have been more chores, but printing got the best of me.
In the end I was able to accomplish with my own equipment what I needed.

Why Microsoft and the equipment manufacturers can not make printers understand what is sent to them from the same software they normally see is a big unknown to me. Not everything is meant to be on 8-1/2″ x 11″ paper.

Nevertheless, it is done.

This weekend has been rather blah for me.
Somewhat like our weather.

It started on Friday afternoon.
I pledge to never be unprepared for a meeting, ever again.
Enough said.
Damage control has been started.
I just need my head to move on now.

Like I noted earlier. Enough said.

(I guess it is still bugging me, but I am trying to let it go.)

As weekends go there is usually a bit here and a bit there, utilizing both days – and sometimes Friday evening.

This weekend was all packed into Saturday.
Yesterday was really two days. Sunny morning and afternoon. Rainy evening.

Ashlan & I played soccer in the late morning. Actually hot (70 degrees maybe).
And we managed to not bring sunscreen. You would understand this if you had been in Seattle this winter spring.
We won, I pulled a glut, but Ashlan played really well.

Carl had a late afternoon baseball game. He took off his cast and pitched three innings.
He is trying to figure out what damage this may have done. (He did have doctor’s clearance to try.)
They lost, but it was good for him to get back in the game.

The start of the evening was all about the Seattle Sounders (soccer).
They were playing the Portland Timbers here in Seattle.
Portland and Seattle have a rivalry in soccer going back many years.
Now it has moved to the Major League level, with this being Portland’s first year in the league.

Carl & I went to the game, and once again got to sit in front of the front row, in empty handicapped seats.
Of course, Carl did have his cast back on, so it looked like we even belonged there.
Ashlan and her three friends down from Canada watched the game at the Rat & Raven.
(It was the ESPN game so it was not viewable at our domicile.)
The biggest difference between the two viewing differences was … level of dampness. (This is an understatement)

There were obviously many differences.
Proximity to the action, the live atmosphere, seeing it all instead of what is shown by the camera.

Ashlan and her friends walked the five blocks from home to the bar.
It was raining, so they got a bit damp.
Carl & I spent about two hours in the open.
And it POURED.
Not in waves.
POURING HARD THE ENTIRE TIME.
At one point the drops got noticeably larger.

Luckily it was not all that cold. Mid-50s.
So we were just wet, completely.
We had our ponchos, but in the end we were sitting.
The rain would run down the back of my poncho to the seat – which then got wet.
You could wring out the scarves and get puddles (on top of the puddles already there).

When we got to the car we took off the wet outer layer, at least what we could without getting arrested.
When we got home we took the wet outer layer and the wet under layers to the basement, took off the rest and draped anything that would accept and survive wet clothing.

We had a good time, despite the rain.
Sounders and Timbers tied 1-1.
We felt the Sounders controlled the first half, but the Timbers controlled the second.

Comic relief for the evening took place on the walk from the stadium to the car.
There is an event center attached to the stadium and there was an event in progress (or getting ready to start).
A rather large crowd of high school or college aged kids were gathered outside of the location.
It appeared to be in progress, but I am assuming the crowd outside was expecting to get in.

The attire was the comical part.
Girls in outfits that included a limited amount of coverage.
Very short skirts (and in one case bikini (or less) underwear, with garter and stockings) and low cut glitzy tops, frequently with cropped tops.
Oh, and several with bunny ears.
Boys in baggy jeans and t-shirts.
Now there were some boys that had “outfits” as well, but just not too many – and ALL of the girls did.

So I had to know what they were there to attend.
Beyond Wonderland Seattle
A USC Event. (USC? Certainly not the college)
In checking the web-page for the event, it indicates you had to be 18 to attend.
Maybe that was why there were so many outside.
It links itself to Alice in Wonderland – which sort of explains the bunny ears, and the top hats.

I am not sure why the lack of clothing was necessary, but I checked their facebook link and one post said,
“I must have missed the memo about underwear now counting as clothing. Lol”
And none of them were wearing ponchos.

Today has dawned, it is still raining and, after a breakfast conversation and noshing, the kids have departed for Canada once again. The house is quieter, and the newspaper is calling my name.

It has been quite a week for us.
The house (interior) shows the impact of a week of coming in, off-loading, sleeping and on to the next thing. Note that picking up was not in the list.

Today was going to be pick-up day. Our architect-friend-neighbor was going to come over and discuss some ideas for the house. But it turns out that FEMA has requested his presence in Mississippi to assist in ideas for putting the pieces back together again. So his visit will wait a week. Today should still be pick-up day, but not with the same haste attached to it.

Now for highlights from the past week.

Wednesday – Debut of the Ichiro’s Bleacheros. (See previous post for that story.) It kind of took on a life of its own for a day.

Thursday – We ditched the Mariners for the Seattle Art Museum and Nick Cave’s March to the Center of the Earth. [Getting Ready]

Our part of the procession included costumed folks = Carl, Jay, Jet, Lillian, Eve, Angela and Sue (Angela’s Mom). Non-costumed are Ashlan and Lillian & Eve’s parents. (Look after about 1:45 in the vide0 )

Friday – Back to the Mariners. This game was well attended (Friday + Ichiro Bobblehead). A close game, and the Mariner’s won with a walk-off single. The more exciting play was a run-down on a fielder’s choice in the 8th inning, which really kept the game close (tied at the time). I had almost bagged out of this game because I was tired from the previous days’ activities. However, the threat of sleeping in this morning gave me the added lift to keep going.

And so the weekend is underway.
No Mariners tonight – Carl has a game himself.
Tomorrow – Plans for Mariners, soccer and … Mother’s Day.
I think my present will be that Ashlan is at the soccer game, and I get to rest a bit.