first of 2017

Ahoy,

We had been itching for a moment to visit O&H in Seattle. The skies opened up and we seized a cheap flight up in early January. It was the record cold in Seattle, unfortunately. There was ice on the roads and fear in my partner's heart. He insisted on double pants and alllll of his jackets. He will not make it.

He jumped on the opportunity to go minigolfing. I was less enthused, but in the end I came around. It was more fun than I thought it would be. We stopped for coffee and a deli for sandwiches. The RRS threatened to starve us when he said we should get sandwiches later. I pushed for sandwiches early, and it turned out to be a good choice. How many years until he just concedes? We went to a minigolf and bar place. They let you just bring drinks around to all the holes. How fun! There was a Seahawks game happening so we busted out of there. We did the tourist thing and walked our way down to Pike's Place for some samples before going home for board games and cookie baking.

The next day was a lazy, rainy Sunday. We didn't leave the house until 2 in the afternoon for the climbing gym. After a few hours at the crowded facility, it seemed like everyone else had the same idea that day, we went for fried chicken before going home for another board game night. Carcassonne is so fun!

I stayed in Seattle a couple days longer than A initially to meet up with another friend, but due to last minute changes, my services went to my hosts instead. I spent some time organizing legos and cleaning their place, which is probably more fun for me than most of the populace. I set out for the gold rush museum to learn something historic. It turned out to be just across the street from where we were that previous weekend. And I took the similar path back home making a stop for tomato soup, which was delicious, just when it started to tinkle. Also, stopped in target, because I do the most adventurous things when left to my own devices. Finally went to the co-op they live by to pick up some stuff for dinner. Some more cleaning, organizing, bossing the next day before going to brunch close by and walking through the neighborhood. And lasagna for my last meal before returning to the bright, bright sun of LA. I always have a great time in Seattle, and admire the weather there.

reluctantly braised,
jt

last trip of 2016

Ahoy,

We began the endless drive up the coast of California on the Tuesday after Christmas. We decided to go up the 1 until the lost coast, because it ends around there, thus why it's called the lost coast. But first! A stop at Berkeley Bowl, which made my day. I would have been happy to call it quits right there - in the aisles of Berkeley Bowl.

There were lots of places to stop for oysters, but we weren't that hungry yet and we still had a lot of mileage ahead of us. Whenever we drive up the 5 to the Bay, A likes to stop after the halfway mark for food, so it makes the end leg seem easier. We drove and drove and drove and drove. California is endless. There is so much of it beyond the SF-Bay. We pulled over next to the ocean for a brief snack at some point and in the woods too. There was this long winding road through the forest to go from the 1 to the 101, which admittedly I was starting to feel carsick, and I normally don't. Finally on the 101, we reached Eureka as nightfall rolled in.

I picked this old Victorian inn place for us to stay. I thought it would be fun. I was hoping to meet a ghost. It was old, alright. But we had a fun room with a good view. And television! We watched some tv for a bit before going downstairs to the attached Irish pub. The best fish and chips in town, so we had to go for it.

The next day we headed off about 40 miles north for Redwood National Park & Forest. The history of conservation in the area was difficult because many tracts were privately owned for logging so the forests are in bits and pieces here and there as they were slowly accumulated by conservation organizations. We started off on our hike through some of the biggest trees in the park, and I took a wrong turn doubling our intended mileage. Again, we seem to find ourselves in these types of situations a lot. I didn't pack snacks because I figured our hike would be so short we'd be back to the car in a jiffy. All I could think about was all the food in our trunk.

Finally back to the car, we munched a little before driving up the coast for some seaside views. We picnicked oceanside for a late lunch. The view was sweeping and endless as the sun sparkled gold against the waves. Boy, oh boy, it was one of those moments that truly amazed me at the endlessness of magic and beauty in California. We walked down probably one of the most narrow paths cliffside to the viewpoint in hopes of seeing some wildlife. A had gone on and on about seeing elephant seals when he was a kid. We saw one seal flipping around and concluded all the seals must be stationed right beneath where we were standing - out of sight.

Mr. Lee owns the inn where we stayed. He looked pretty old, and was talking about how he came to have just one lung. I would have liked to ask him more questions. When the Chinese Exclusion Act happened, Eureka made their own version of it and booted out 480 Chinese. The law didn't get repealed until 1959. Mr. Lee is Korean, but I think Eureka and other towns like it must have a pretty colorful and fascinating Asian American history. Mr. Lee was really nice and poked fun at A for his impractical sports car when he saw us out.

We took the 101 back down, stopping at the City of 10,000 Buddhas. When we arrived it was about 2pm, and the guy at the check-in said the temple was open from 2-2:20pm for public viewing and then it would be closed for an hour for meditation. A scribbled down our info, because you have to sign in, and we scrambled over to see the 10,000 buddhas. The whole city is so quiet. The calmness and peacefulness felt permeable. For lunch, we caught the vegetarian restaurant before the closed. The food was really good, and A got suckered into buying an $8 bottle of grape juice that they make on the premises - "non-alcoholic wine." We brought it home to have with his family for new year's eve, and it was a hit.

Our last stop was Russian River Brewing, of course to buy a case of Pliny and their other beers. A was thinking just 1 case, but who are we kidding? I was confident we'd be able to make space for the beers in his tiny car. Oh, the things we have to struggle to fit in his car. His "racecar" is probably the most rugged s2k out there with all the places we take it.

Another trip in the bucket. There is really so much to see in California.

flagrantly aghast,
jt