17 Photos

As I said, last weekend we went to . . .

Thorp:

The cat stayed upstairs. Too much activity and unfamiliarity downstairs. Either that, or the cat was worried there'd be another flood.

Othello:

We went with the cheap hotel instead of the good hotel. It seemed like the family owners were trying, but just didn't have the funds to make it a good hotel. Nice sunrise from the balcony walkway, though.

Soap Lake:

There's a lovely little coffee shop on the east side of Highway 17. Not only do they serve breakfast burritos, but you can also buy the furniture if you like it (and can fit it in your car).

Dry Falls:

The Grand Coulee is just as spectacular in the winter as it is in the summer. A bit colder, though.

Chelan:

Why is it so sunny in the mountains when it's so foggy and cloudy in the fields of the Columbia Basin? Not that I'm complaining. . .

and Leavenworth:

The little Bavarian town is still decked out for Christmas. King Ludvig restaurant makes a good glass of hot, spiced glühweine and a wonderful Reuben. Don't expect much from the goulash.

More photos on flickr, of course.

Gaza

I applaud Israel on their restraint in the current conflict with Hamas. It is not time to use nuclear weapons . . . yet.

Subdivision, part 17

Last week, I called DPD to ask if the final drawings we submitted a month ago had been lost (again) or what. I was told that my project was next on her list and that she'd send it around for signatures that afternoon.

That afternoon, she sent me an email requiring additional fees for time spent reviewing. I paid it and emailed her as such. She replied, "Yer wunnerful," and sent it for signatures.

Today, I see online that the Final has been Approved.

I think it's done.

I think it's official.

I think our lot is subdivided.

From a submittal of May 6 to final approval on January 12: just over eight months. Whew.

Now the real fun begins. . .

Weekend Summary

After a lovely tour of eastern Washington (Thorp, Ellensburg, Othello, Mesa, Othello, Moses Lake, Soap Lake, Dry Falls, Chelan, Leavenworth), we're now safe and warm at home.

In other news: Go Steelers! Go Eagles!

We Still Have Snow

Despite all the rain this week, we've now had snow at our house for twenty-two days straight!

Here's the last pile, shoveled from the driveway two weeks ago and slowly melting ever since:

Merry Elvismas!

On this winter's day, so many years ago, a child was born to a poor couple in a small town known as Tupelo. From this humble beginning, against all the odds, this child grew to become the King.

To honor his birth, we'll now have a few words from our reverend:

"The King saw more trouble than you and I will ever know, and yet he rose above it and raised his voice for the world to hear -- until he had to Leave the Building. . .

"A long time ago, on old Earth, there was a poor boy. A mighty poor boy -- but one with a gift, and a spirit to make the most of himself. And make the most of himself he did. Why, in a few short months, he became the most imitated man on old Earth. He was on every screen, in every printout, on every frequency -- and he was takin' in money faster than this here casino. He could have had anything he wanted. And do you know what he did? He went out and became a soldier. Not an officer, now. Not even a sergeant -- a regular soldier, carryin' a gun and marchin' and takin' orders.

"Because he never forgot what it was like to be a poor boy. . . Not even after he finished with the army, and went back to givin' folks what they wanted. He didn't want to forget what it was like to be just a regular fellow, and he made sure he had somethin' to remember it by. So he never lost his touch with the real people. The little people like he'd been when he was still a poor boy. And they never forgot him. But he never put his nose up in the air. He could have gone anywhere in the world, talked to anybody he wanted to -- presidents and governors and ladies so pretty they could make you forget your name. But he wanted to stay close to the people. And so he went to Vegas . . . and brought his gift to folks who gambled their money there, 'cause it was the only way for them to rise above their unhappy state. That's when he really became the King -- when he brought himself to where the people who really needed him could see him.

"The King knows how you feel. He's been down low, and rose up high again. He took a walk down Lonely Street, and came back to Graceland. He went into the Army and did his duty like a man. When he had hard times, he knew how to make a comeback -- and he came back in style. He went to Hollywood, he went to Vegas, and he stayed the same as when he was a poor boy. And he can help you make your comeback, yes he can!"

-Reverend Jordan Ayres, Church of the King
(Robert Asprin, A Phule and His Money)

DJIA

I hope that yesterday wasn't the stock market's high point for the next few months. I'll feel like such a fool if I didn't sell my IYJ stock when it was within 0.4% of my pre-arranged selling price. It lost 3.58% today.

Blargh.

Snow's Still Here

Our house got 4" of wet snow yesterday evening, but by this morning, it had turned into 3" of very wet snow.

We've now had snow on the ground at our house for over eighteen days, starting the early morning of December 18. And some of that snow has been in untrammeled areas and not just the piles from shoveling the driveway.

2008 Road Trips

In 2008, I drove to Whistler, Victoria, Spokane Valley, Shelton, Portland, Blaine, Raymond, Ocean Shores, Sumas, Ellensburg, North Bend, Mt Baker, Silverton, Montesano, Benton City, Snoqualmie Pass, Long Beach, McMurray, Goldendale, and Bremerton!

This year, I will drive to . . . ?

Seattle Garbage Update

Our huge pile of garbage (three weeks' worth) was collected yesterday, but not the yard/food waste.

Even though there's a strong possibility that the yard/food waste won't be collected till January 15, I left it at the curb in protest. The yard/food waste hasn't been collected since December 4.

It's a good thing that vegetable matter compresses down as it composts, or else we wouldn't have any room left in that big bin o' stink.

This Month's Photo of Chunlin

I'm now at work and have hung my 2009 calendar of photographs of my beautiful wife, Chunlin. Here's the smiling face I get to look at for the next month:



From last January in British Columbia. That's in a foreign country!

Seattle Garbage Removal

Our recyling got picked up today or late yesterday! Only a week late. Whadaya know?

Garbage and yard/food waste pickup should be tomorrow morning (two weeks late for both). We have quite a huge pile of garbage bags by our mailbox, dwarfing the little black tub they give us for garbage. But since they said there'd be no extra charge for extra garbage (oh, thank you, Seattle, for your generosity!), I threw out some junk that never quite fit in the little black tub before.

Happy New Year!

And it's not one of my weird New Years like Narakan or Chinese or Martian or Julian or whatever. This is the honest, internationally recognized New Year.

Hooray!

And 9s are much easier for me to write than 8s, so 2009 should be a good year.

Hooray!