Sunday 12/29/2024

Yesterday I tried to sign up to do a docent tour today at 12. However looking at the schedule this morning, I realized I had not actually finalized the sign-up dialog they use, so I probably wasn’t signed up, but maybe I was. So I put on my red CHM shirt and went down to the car at 11, figuring I’d go down to the museum and if I wasn’t needed, fine, no harm no foul.

And the car was stone dead. I think possibly I had left an interior light on when I last parked it more than a week ago. Anyway, not going to CHM. Instead I had to call AAA. The AAA guy came in half an hour and was very helpful. He noted the 12 volt battery was only a year old (I did not remember authorizing the dealer to replace it, but whatever) and it registered in poor condition on his meter — on a scale I don’t understand. Anyway he didn’t offer to replace it but instead suggested I get the dealer to do a warranty replacement ASAP.

I drove the car a bit and it seemed fine. I’ll know more tomorrow.

The Good Times committee is getting back in operation for the February 14th show of Love Songs, and I was reminded I’ve committed to singing “Annie’s Song” by John Denver. So I spent some time finding music and lyrics for that. This is kind of an annoyance because I have a list of other songs I want to learn and practice, with an eye to someday doing a concert. But I’ll have to focus on Annie for the next month.

Frank from FOPAL writes that there are 15 (fifteen!) boxes of books by the computer section. So my plan is to spend the day at FOPAL tomorrow.

Saturday 12/28/2024

Some time back my neighbors Susan and Harry had asked me to guide them and six visiting relatives (daughter, two grand-daughters, cousins?) around CHM on this day. So at 9:30 we piled into three cars and went down there. They were pleased and impressed. One was a radiologist so we made a point of visiting the MRI exhibit in the software section, where you get to scan a patient’s joints and see problems on the screen.

Then we all went to lunch at the Green Elephant, a popular Burmese(?) restaurant. That was about it for the day. I went to bed forgetting to write a blog entry, so this is next day.

Friday 12/27/2024

Travel but no travail. Headed out from Laurel’s place in a light rain at 8. Turning in the car was no problem. Seatac makes you walk a mile to get to the gate, which I remembered as soon as I saw it: N17 is part of a group of four gates around a large cattle pen seating area. I’m sure Marian and I waited there for flights to SJC before. Anyway my flight soon got a gate change to the opposite end of the building, N7 in another group of four gates. The flight was slightly delayed owing to the gate change, but it was without incident — also without scenery, flying through clouds the whole 500 miles until the last 30 seconds over downtown San Jose. Home just before 3pm, and home feels very nice. Down for dinner in the dining room, telling people at the community table, about the Vashon Troll.

Thursday 12/26/2024

I had planned an outing for this day, to Vashon Island. Dennis, Toni and Denise were not interested; Vashon is too long a trek south from Everett. Laurel was game, so we started at 10am for the Washington State Ferry terminal at Fauntleroy in West Seattle. We got lucky and were just in time, the last car onto the boat for the 20 minute run to Vashon.

While riding, Laurel was handling her texts which are numerous, and got one from Ed Lewis, a friend who is a professor at UC Davis but visits Seattle often. As they conversed by text, Laurel mentioned Vashon and Ed told her about the Thomas Dambo giant Trolls. There are six of these monumental sculptures around the area, including one on Vashon.

Because of ferry luck we were early so drove across the island to the park where the Troll “Oscar” is found, a short walk from the car park.

Having greeted a giant troll we drove back to the village at the center of the island and had a good lunch at The Hardware Store Restaurant. Now it was 1pm and time for the Vashon Historical Museum to open. This was the point of the trip.

For several years, like 2013 to 2020, I spent most Thursdays at CHM doing volunteer work under the direction of a lovely woman, Gretta Stimson. Gretta was a terrific manager, unflappable and always ready with an answer for any difficulty we volunteers raised. Then she announced that her husband had a new job on Vashon Island and she was leaving. She’d grown up the Seattle anyway. We all sadly bid goodby to Gretta. Later we heard that Gretta had put her Museum Science degree and experience to good use and landed a job at the local history museum. So here we were and there was Gretta.

That’s the pic Laurel took with my phone, and I uploaded it to the laptop and sent to all the volunteers who had worked with Gretta back in the day.

From there we headed back to the ferry terminal. We had to wait in a long long line of cars for about half an hour, then loaded onto the Issequa and returned to Laurel’s home. A very nice day.

Wednesday 12/25/2024

So I and Laurel drove first to son Gary’s place to pick up some hors d’oeuvres that grandson’s girlfriend Tessa had made, and then the 1-hour drive in fairly heavy rain to Everett. Denise and Jason welcomed us. Laurel Dennis and Toni had conversation, and toddler Tyler provided amusement. Denise made a fine feast of a dinner. Pictures were taken:

Drove back down I5, now in only slightly moist conditions. At Laurel’s we relaxed and planned an outing for tomorrow.

Tuesday 12/24/2024

Belated entry, I just went off to bed without a thought for blogging. It happens. Anyway after a quiet morning around Laurel’s place I headed out to the opposite end of Greater Seattle, North to Everett, an hour’s drive. Grand-niece Denise was already hosting her parents Dennis and Toni, and just starting to make the family’s traditional Christmas-eve gumbo. So we all sat around kibitzed that process. Around 5 sat down to delicious stew. Then I headed back down “the 405” finding Laurel with a son and grandson and their partners finishing their supper.

Monday 12/23/2024

Laurel and I drove a loop around the south-east of Seattle. First up to Black DIamond, small town founded around a coal mine back in the day. Here we looked at a housing development where Laurel hopes to get a house soon. We also had pastries and coffee in a local bakery.

Then on past Enumclaw where one finds a good view of Mount Ranier, which was “out” today, meaning visible, not cloud-shrouded. In fact it was a very nice day, hazy with clear skies, contrary to the forecasts. Here’s the mountain.

Then on to Wilkeson, another coal mining town, where we tried to spot the house that my father built circa 1920. We couldn’t be sure we saw it.

From there we took a meandering loop back to Laurel’s place. Here we met with her son Gary for lunch and had a long conversation. Then a comfortable evening with TV and cats.

Sunday 12/22/2024

Had breakfast, watered the plants, and at 9am caught my scheduled Lyft to SJC. Got there by 9:30. Took maybe 10 minutes to get through the TSA precheck line and had two hours to kill to boarding. Flight departed on time and arrived a few minutes early. (So who’s afraid of holiday travel?) The only slowdown was a quarter mile hike to the rental car shuttle and waiting for that shuttle.

Budget gave me a Hyundai Tucson, small SUV, quite comfortable, and I discovered that it supported Apple CarPlay, so I paired up my phone and had apple maps direct me to Laurel’s place. In the dark and the unlit side streets off Wax Road it took a while to complete the last quarter mile, but I got there.

Spent the evening chatting with Laurel and petting the cats.

Saturday 12/21/2024

My main activity today was fussing with travel arrangements. I booked a Lyft to pick me up at 9am — that should give me ample time to be bored before a 12:40 departure. I checked in to the flight with the nice Alaska phone app, stowing the boarding pass in my Apple Wallet. I decided what to wear or the next 6 days and packed my wee little bag which fits under the seat. No big achievement, I used the same bag when I did the ten-day Greek Islands trip back in oh my gosh 5 years ago.

Made a surprising discovery. When I went to Seattle and Port Townsend just over a year ago (September ’23), on return, I couldn’t find the keychain with my Prius key fob. I had carried it because it had my apartment key, and I thought I must have somehow left it in the rental car. I had to get a replacement apartment key and mailbox key. I had a spare Prius fob which I started using.

So today, probing around in a crack at the bottom of a side pocket of my bag, my fingers found a lump — the missing keychain and fob! The fob battery was dead, but I replaced it and now I have two Prius keys as before, and spares for my apartment and mailbox.

Friday 12/20/2024

Very little on the schedule for today. The AI interest group met at 11 and we talked about AI use and other things or 45 minutes. At 3pm I set up a mic on the 11th floor for a private party, and at 8pm I went and put the mic away as the party was breaking up.

There was a concert by a pianist and a singer, Christmas music. David M was doing the sound and called with a question, easily solved. I went down to listen to the start of it but quickly left. I’ve heard those songs too often and the singer was not good enough to make up for it.