Tired Of All The BS

Events of the recent past have left me wondering just what the heck is going on with the human race.

All life matters.  I don't care if you're green, your life matters.  Everyone has a right to live.  I don't judge you based on your color, religious beliefs or sexuality.  I can't just look at you and judge you without knowing you.  You might look down and out but I can't or won't judge you based on your looks.  I can't understand folks who continue to judge others without having had contact with them.

I don't think you should be shot down in the street unless you are endangering yourself or someone else.  I certainly don't think you should have a gun emptied into you.  Do I think you should stop when requested to do so by a police officer?  Yes, definitely yes.  Regardless of what you think, follow the officers instructions carefully.  To continue walking down the street is to invite trouble.  Don't fight your situation if you are in handcuffs.  Let the Justice system weed things out.  Police officers can be wrong too.  Is it really worth dying for?

I enjoy people and I disagree with a lot of my friends and relatives who see things completely different from me.  Could be my age but I genuinely enjoy having people around me that aren't necessarily going to agree with everything I say.  I don't make it personal when I don't agree with a friend or relative.  We can agree to disagree.  More often than not, I wander off to reconsider my position.  Sometimes I change my position, other times I don't.

Onward and upward.  Remember, all lives matter.

Trading Up or Trading Down

After some consideration we have decided to divest ourselves of our 2010 Chevrolet Silverado Pickup.  Having seen most of the country over the 84,000 miles that we have accumulated together and considering that we sold our trailer and no longer have anything to pull, we have decided to trade our almost seven year companion in on a new car.

This:

For one of these

Since we had to factory order the Forester we wanted with an ETA of January, I decided to download the 612 page Owners Manual to try and get a head start.  Not only do you need the Owners Manual but there are four other manuals for a couple of the more complex accessories on the vehicle.

It is amazing how much has changed since I retired from the auto industry less than two years ago.  The technological advances up to the time that I retired were in themselves pretty amazing but this car will practically drive itself.  From what I read I may have trouble staying awake on long trips behind the wheel of the Subaru.  I am definitely going to need to find something to help keep my brain "in the game" when taking trips.

We are looking forward to the delivery of this fully loaded Forester Limited.

Hope all is well and thanks for stopping by.

Thanksgiving and the Shop in Full Swing

Let me be the first to wish each of you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving.  With the world turned upside down and politicians inventing our history, family is just possibly the most important thing that we have.  Make sure they know you love them.

I smoked our turkey this morning and it looks absolutely scrumptious.

My wood shop is in full operation.  Recycling pallet boards into useful items is kind of fun.  It would be more fun with less splinters.  A couple of projects in process include a snowman and Christmas tree decoration for our front porch.

Hope everyone is well and thanks for stopping by.

A Trip, Storms and World Changes

Last Friday we had reservation at Rosario Resort and Spa on Orcas Island in the San Juans.  While some head south to nice warm dry weather, we chose to head north and out towards the water for a cooler, stormy break.  On November 14, 1969 we got married and spent a long weekend at Rosario for our honeymoon.  It has been 46 years since we last visited the island.

While the exterior has changed very little, the interior has seen an extensive remodel.  Much of the original woodwork was retained but there were new additions and some thing got rearranged.  Rosario originally was the home of Robert Moran, shipbuilder, one time Mayor of Seattle.  He retired to the island after taking himself from rags to riches.  With one of the biggest shipbuilding businesses on the Pacific Coast he was able to afford to build this fantastic property using trade labor from his business and it shows in the beautiful wood work inside.

We visited every town on the island during our four day trip and took at trip into Moran State Park and up to Mt. Constitution property originally developed by Moran and donated to the State in the early 1900's.  It was snowing at the summit.  And there is a tower that would have provided spectacular views had it not been overcast.  It was a beautiful day on Sunday for the visit to the pass.

We visited most of the townships on the island and many, like Olga, are empty.  Eastsound is centrally located on the island and seems to be the town that has developed all the necessary businesses to keep the island going.  It is a tourist trap but also has the basics that are needed to survive on the island.  There are no fast food restaurants on the island.

Of course the island is full of eccentric individuals as well as many artist.  There are many farms that supply several local restaurants with fresh meats, vegetables and fruits.

We had a ball.  Monday we experienced a storm that messed with the area and the island lost power.  It was fun watching the storm.

As we left on Tuesday there was some doubt about the ferry crossing back to the mainland but while the ride was a little rough we made it home just fine.

Here are more pictures of the inside of the mansion.

Unfortunately you can't stay in the mansion anymore but the accommodations are nice in the outbuildings that are well placed on the hillside alongside the mansion property.  We had a great time.

While we were gone the world change again.  Now Russia and France are participating in the war on terrorism as Paris, France was attacked by a group of individuals from the terrorist group, Isis.  Now we have allies who were enemies.  Will this insanity every stop?  

Black Lives Matter upset college campuses and libraries across the county.  What happened to All Lives Matter......?

Thanks for dropping by, hope all is well.

Welcome November

November has arrived and October went out with a roar around here.  Mia and I went up to our trailer  Tuesday of the last week of October to rest and enjoy some peace and quiet and we did pretty good.  I accomplished a little bit of stuff around the place on Wednesday and then we decided to go to Leavenworth on Thursday for a day trip.

We left in the morning and headed over Highway 2 and into the cool but dry eastern part of the state. We enjoy walking the streets of Leavenworth on days like Thursday when everyone else has to work. It is much easier.  There was lots of fall foliage to see and we decided to have dinner at one of the many restaurants in town.  This one is Italian and is it good.

We drove out into the valley and around the town and back to the highway on our way to the Icicle Ridge Winery.  Our daughter loves their Blondes Gewürztraminer Wine and I loved my taste of a white wine with raspberry added.  The winery is just east of Leavenworth in Peshastin, Washington and is well worth a visit.  Once we had our wine we returned to Gold Bar and some pretty soggy weather.

It rained (poured) Thursday evening, most of Friday and Friday evening.  I was scheduled to help with an inventory in Lynnwood, Washington on Saturday so I left the trailer early in the morning and spent the majority of the day away.  From what Mia said, it continued to rain all day Saturday with very few breaks.  As I returned to Gold Bar late Saturday afternoon, I noticed some flooding along the highway which got really bad when I hit Sultan, Washington.  Downtown Sultan was flooded.  Sultan was on flood watch with a threat of the highway closing.  When I got back to the trailer, Mia and I discussed heading for home, so we packed up and left.

We are home and safe for the time being.  The weather has let up some here but I understand there are other parts of this vast country that are experiencing some very different weather conditions from the norm.  Having just watched COSMOS on the National Geographic Channel I have to wonder is some of what was discussed in the series isn't the absolute truth.

November is here and Starbucks has returned my favorite winter time drink, Peppermint Mocha.  Had to get one this morning.  So yummy and so bad for my already massive waistline.

Hope all is well and thanks for stopping by.