That was supposed to be , “just a moment.” This week has included multiple 12 hour work days, and I have not had the energy once I got home to blog. I managed to haul myself down to the bicycle this morning, and in true multi-tasking fashion, am peddling, listening to the morning news, and posting this little post on my little phone.
News right now is about the Ft. Collins fire. I think I should be hoping for rain in our upcoming visit.
Well, since the last post things have been busy.
For me – one word can describe the last few days.
WORK.
That is where I am right now as well, but I get to talk a few minutes to bring you up to date on our life.
I love the days leading up to summer.
I was driving home Thursday night between 8 and 8:30, and the sun was still over the horizon.
Yesterday (Friday) night I was driving home around 9 and the sky was still light. And just lit the clouds and sky with gorgeous colors. Not the striking lines, but a diffused glow. (Sorry, no pictures. I was driving.)
Carl missed the sunset.
He was at a Mariners game.
Oh – and it was a No-Hitter.
Second time the Mariners have been involved in a no-hitter this season.
BUT THIS TIME THEY WON.
I had been listening to the game at work, but not paying too strict attention.
I knew it was 0-0.
As I got into the car, the announcers were noting that the Mariner pitcher, Millwood, looked like he was going to leave the game – at the start of the 7th inning. Obviously some sort of injury.
While waiting for Furbush to warm up, I was sure the Dodgers were going to jump on the change.
And with a 2-base error to start the inning, I was even more sure.
Good thing I am a poor prognosticator.
Carl called from the bullpen area in the 8th to try to get word to the seats to put on the Wilhelmsen helmets. I think they got the text, but were too superstitious to change anything, including their head-dress.
And for whatever reason – it all worked, and 6 pitchers combined for the win including:
OK – I wasn’t at the game, and following the re-cap will help me when folks ask me about the game. (They often assume I am aware of all things Mariner.)
Back to playing with numbers.
This evening we took an hour and went to the MOHAI (Museum of History & Industry)Farewell Montlake event. You see the museum is moving from near University of Washington to south of Lake Union – in a historical Armory building. The museum is in kind of an out-of-the way location right now, but that is not why it is moving. The rebuilding of SR 520 (or one of its ramps) will wipe the current building off of the map. The new location is in an area that is developing with bio-tech and high-tech now. Amazon is one of the newer residents, after relocating from south Seattle.
Today we were allowed, within limits, to wander into the rooms where they prepare exhibits, and store off-exhibit items. It was kind of fun, and we got to see what a real packing operation looks like. (Our packing is strictly amateur.)
Let’s start with the building itself.
Drinking Fountain with an attitude
For the airplane builder in the family.
Boeing’s original Builder
Another pic that reminded us of the St. Louis contingent.
A true Big Wheel
You never know what you might find hanging in the basement.
For drawing really big circles
The tree belonging to this slice started growing in 1177.
700 plus year old tree slice. Born in 1177.
Close-up of the bark
A bit of the bark – really thick bark. (Can bark have growth rings?)
This is what packing should look like.
Feel like Indiana Jones? (Boat steering wheel)
This is what packing does look like.
Ok – I’m history.
Have a Great Day!
I figure I have been doing mental exercises today, because I am mentally exhausted.
Without details, and you may not realize how hard that is for me, this is my day:
And I am ready to go home.
I would like to get some of my work accomplished (demands), but I think it is not to be today.
Maybe I can fit in some physical exercises.
The title is a bit misleading.
This weekend was errands/chores focused, but we did not do some heroic amount of chores.
Yesterday was focused on errands that required travel.
Today has been focused on chores closer to home.
For instance, I managed to pare 25 years of financial advice and records into 9 inches of file space. And it is more or less organized. I’ll bet I could have reduced it by a few more inches if I had the energy to really understand a few of the reports that I decided to keep.
We also reduced the house load by sending the violin to the east coast.
This lightens the load in the house only incrementally, but more importantly will mean that the sound of music may be heard again.
Carl managed to get the lawns mowed, despite the boot.
He also found a wasp nest growing in a kid’s playhouse in the back yard.
This will lead to an assault later this evening – step one in getting the house back for small human’s use.
The rhododendron files also continue.
Of course, focusing on home work meant that work work took a back seat for a few days.
Not my original plan, but plans are meant to be changed. (And I won’t feel the backlash until tomorrow.)
And our life returns to its routine normal.
More or less.
Work, for both of us.
Getting things done that need to be done. (Why do so many revolve around the computer? I seem to sit at a computer all day at work, and then when I come home I am right back in front of a computer again.)
And as we are doing, Carl announces – “There is a parade going by.”
Sure enough – part of the tribute to those killed at a neighborhood cafe.
Just about then I was getting to checking e-mail, and there was an e-mail from our neighborhood group telling of the planned Walk of Love.
[Just ate some blueberries, cabin thoughts]
Work is actually kind of exciting, but scary. I have a general path of what I need to do over the next week, the energy to attack, know there will be some obstacles that I have not foreseen, and I have foreseen one that will require some creative thinking.
That said – time to go upstairs and paw through about 100 files for 200 numbers.
And – not to ignore baseball (that is our life), two days ago (maybe 3), the Mariners scored 16 runs in the first three innings! They won 22-8(?). Against the division leading Rangers. Apparently it is easier to hit home runs at their ball park than at ours.
Let’s start out with a picture of the flower, taken at the end of quite a day.
May 30th version
When you look at our individual days, we did not do anything extraordinary.
But there were extraordinary, awful events occurring around us, or more specifically around our house.
A man walked into a cafe, Cafe Racer, a short distance from our house.
He shot 5 people in the cafe. 2 died there, and a third at the hospital. (The other 2 are in critical condition.)
Carl was at home, and called me when he heard the helicopter overhead. And police cars swarming the area.
He turned on the TV and saw the breaking news. (Except when the helicopter disrupted our over-the-air reception)
They told everyone that was in the vicinity to lock their doors and stay inside.
And that is what he did.
They were conducting a door-to-door, street-to-street search for the gunman.
Carl described 4-5 policemen walking down the street with their guns drawn, pointing into the bushes, etc.
Then 2 more running up from behind, and charging down the street.
Then 2 police cars tearing down the street, with one more following slowly.
Rather un-nerving, to say the least.
Then the news broke of a second shooting downtown, an apparent car-jacking.
A woman shot (and killed), her car gone.
The car was found in West Seattle about an hour later (maybe), with a gun on the seat.
And a few hours later police spotted the man from the Cafe Racer shootings, in West Seattle.
Cafe Racer had a really good video camera system, so police had pictures to go from.
When they approached him, he shot himself in the head. (First reported to have died, he apparently is still alive, but maybe not.)
The CNN Version. The KIRO Version.
By the time I left work, the police had tied all of the incidents together. The street around the Cafe Racer sight were still blocked, but with the killer in the hospital/custody, things were starting to return to normal.
This is a horrible story, and really impacted the entire city. Three widely spaced crime scenes. Neighborhoods essentially held hostage. Schools in lockdown.
At least a few of those lost at Cafe Racer were musicians that performed in that venue, and elsewhere around the city.
What a waste.
My day off was to sleep in, a bit.
This was necessary because I stayed up way to late watching shows about folks in the service.
Some very different shows (from each other). Personal history, Bataan, aircraft carrier deployment and the environmental consequences of war.
Each interesting in their own way, and I was just awake last night.
When I did get up work was beckoning.
I have a deadline that trumps spending another day at home.
So off I went. Made some progress as well, so I think it was a good decision for me.
The rhododendron continued on its blooming way as well.
Monday’s bloom
And a bee was flitting around the blooms, spending time diligently doing its cleaning.
Blurry Bumbly Bee
First bit of business. The rhododendron files.
Saturday
Sunday
Saturday and Sunday have just about flown by.
It has been weird timing for me. We had two Mariner games – and I am not sure what else.
The Saturday game was at 4:10, but it was sunny and felt like a day game.
That is until I thought it was time for dinner and it was already 8:30.
Carl is back in the boot (the plastic variety – not leather), and so our long walks have been cut short.
We did decide we could just walk around the stadium, flat surface, and limited time.
We showed up early. Saturday we watched batting practice before setting out.
Sunday was little league day, so we hung out by the bull pen waiting for the rest of the stadium to open.
I noticed a few coffee thermos’ on top of the water cooler in the bull pen. It was still before noon, and I mentioned that it would be nice to have a cup. So Carl, shy retiring type that he is, yelled out the bullpen catcher to bring him a cup. The catcher laughed and headed out to the field to work with some of the pitchers. When he came back to the bullpen, with the pitchers, he went to the coffee and brought over a cup. (We had not asked again – so it was pretty special.) A few of the pitchers were giving him a bad time.
After finishing the coffee we set out on our walk.
Saturday we did about 1.3 miles around the stadium.
Sunday we did about 2.5 miles.
Here are the sights of
Signs from near the Right Field Entrance
The Seattle waterfront. This is our “Where’s Waldo” shot.
Can you find a Cruise Ship, Landstriders, Space Needle, Ferry, Sea Gull, Cargo (ready for loading), and a Ferris Wheel under construction.
Cargo Ship underway (in reverse actually)
Dave Niehaus from above.
Starbucks Headquarters
Carl working a camera. (Never leave these toys unattended.) [Century Link Field in the background.]
It was turn back the clock night, so we found a pay phone.
When Felix Hernandez pitches, there is a “King’s Court” area of the stadium.
Since the team was in Seattle Rainiers uniforms, the King’s Court was in red, about 1,700 strong.
They are waving “K” signs, as Felix is about to strike out another Angel.
Here is a Felix likeness from our walks.
Unfortunately, Pujols has joined the Angels.
So, we now have a glum Carl discussing the situation with Dave Niehaus.
Yes, they swept us right out of town.
Enjoy your Memorial Day
