KirklandZoo

2010 ChristmaZ PhotoZ

2010-12-24T14:46:00.000-08:00

These three photos do not show any of the tribulations in getting one wife, one dog and who knows how many cats into the same room of the house in order to get a decent X-mas photo for this season. And truth to be told, we only tried with three cats since Willow would not have been happy in front of the camera this year. She was snoozing on her "perch" and when that happens, better not disturb the wild one...

Hence, better check the slide show...

All that said, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New 2011 !!!!

And to be totally honest, photos were not taken until after New Years, and not uploaded uploaded until the 6th of January, so if you feel you got shafted, don't take it personal - everyone did this year (again)...
Wife was sick before and throughout holidays but recovered somewhat for the New Year.

2009 ChristmaZ PhotoZ

2009-12-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

These three photos do not show any of the hassles in getting one wife, one dog and four cats into the same "session" in order to get some X-mas photos for this year (and if you pay attention, we never managed to get all four cats "together").

Hence, better check the slide show...

All that said, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New 2010 !!!!

And to be true, these photos were not uploaded until the 4th of January, so if you feel you got shafted, don't take it personal - everyone did this year...
Wife was sick throughout Christmas and I got a small dash of a cold just after New Years, so photos got stuck in camera far too long.

AmaZing Fly-over...

2009-08-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

Just got back from walking the the dog. As we were talking to a neighbor up on the hill, a Korean Air 777 slowly passed overhead - very low altitude! Cool in itself, but this one was followed by TWO small (fighter?) jets tailing it just by the tailwings. Very cool scene.

Called one of the local news stations to report it, but in retrospect, it was likely just a photo shoot by Boeing, before the plane is delivered to Korean Air (since there's nothing on the news, nothing on the blogosphere, at least not yet).

And, did I carry the camera? No, of course not... Gotta buy that smallish Canon!

Update: According to reliable sources, it was all part of a Boeing golf event. More events like that, and I might even start to like golf (yeah, right)...

It Ztarted raining...

2009-08-10T23:24:00.000-07:00

Since this was such a big news in the media, I just have to mention it here as well. We got rain! Actually a mini soaker. Not that it shouild be strange, but what was strange is that we went for soooo long w/o any noticeable precipitation. Think we were up to close to 90 days or so, and that is rare in Seattle, especially early summer.

But, not complaining and it was also sort of "on schedule" since I told everyone that when I was starting to put up siding, the rains would arrive. Sure enough, I was about to cut the first strip of Cedar T&G siding when it started coming down.
All said, sun's to arrive with full summer later in the week again.

RainZ, what rainZ? - and HealthCare

2009-08-09T23:24:00.000-07:00

They sort of more or less promised rain for today, but we only got a misting, if even that, when walking to Starbucks in the morning. When lunch hour arrived, so did the sun and it turned out to be just another gorgeous day. Perfect for some work on the wall...

On a more serious note, there has been a ruckus over the past few days over a badly needed healthcare reform. Congress is on summer recess, and that means they are home and reaching out to their community/constituents.

But why are people so scared for healtcare reform? It is sorely needed. It is a Royal (or should we say Federal?) shame that a country like the mighty United States of America does not provide even basic healthcare for its citizens. No, in this country, you either are lucky in getting it (in esssence tax subsidized) from your employer, or you better "pay up" yourself with "after-tax" dollars - and that at a much higher premium than what an employer pays for same "services".

If healthy, it is only a sizeable cost (~$400/month and up) but if you happen to have some type of "pre-existing condition", meaning you've actually been sick before and its "on record", you might not be able to find an insurance company willing to take you on. Or in a better case, take you on but at such a cost that you cannot afford it. In either case, you are SOL when it comes to healthcare - unless you have an emergency and then you'll be treated at the local ER - at great expense to the hospital, the system, and the country (possibly after you've been stripped of everything you own, and forced into personal bankcruptcy).

We live in an increadibly rich nation, and it is unfathomable that we do not prioritize heathcare. ANY modern nation on the planet has a system that provides for some basic (in most cases actually really good) coverage, and that at a far lower overall cost than what we in essence are paying in the U.S. (we are spending some 2-4 times more than the closest nations, and with pretty lousy outcome).

On top of that, if it can be a way to measure success, even with all the money that we waste on ineffective healthcare for a few, we still only rank 30th nation or so in life expectancy for our citizens.

It is time that we - as a nation - step up to the plate and TOTALLY reform the system so we can start early on with guaranteed healthcare for the young, for the students, for the "prodcutive years", and for when you are settling down in retirement. Switzerland, England, Canada, Japan, Sweden, Germany, France, all have systems that provide far better coverage and services than ours, and that at a fraction of the cost.

So America, what are you afraid of? Why are you out and screaming "no socialism" to Predident Obama and members of Congress? Providing healthcare to a country's citizen is not socialism, it is just simply basic compassion. And when doing it smarter, wiser, cheaper than the corrupt system we have today, it is also sound Economics - one of the cornerstones in America's economic power.

Check out just a few of these links:
Sick Around the World
Canadian Health Care
An excellent - but long winded - commentary by Keith Olbermann

Cash for ClunkerZ

2009-08-09T23:13:00.000-07:00

CARS - CAR Allowance Rebate System - is not a bad idea to stimulate the economy, but it is far too lenient when someone can go and trade in his old Chevy pickup truck, for just another pick-up truck (albeit a new Ford F-150). No, if you are getting free money (tax payer provided), you should really be forced to select a vehicle that gets MUCH better fuel ecomony than a F-150 truck.

I have nothing against the Ford F-150, and drive a large SUV myself, but if you decide to buy/drive a huge vehicle, well it should really be on your own dime.

I guess the underlying problem is that if the rules were more strict, most would be "forced" to buy (much better quality) Japanase and Korean designed/made vehicles, and that would not help out Detroit a great deal.

Politics...

AmaZing weekend at the Lake and SeaFair

2009-08-03T23:49:00.000-07:00

Spent the entire weekend out on the lake, and started out by sleeping onboard Friday night. Better to do that, than to fight the rowdy crowds at the ramp on Saturday morning. On top of that, there was absolutely NO spots available down at the marina, so a night at anchor was a much better solution.
Reward was an invasion of bugs just before midnight, followed by a tad of chilly weather (too lazy to crawl into the sleeping bag...), and an amazing moonlit sky over the bay, and then a wonderful sunrise. Amazing how beautiful it actually can be, more or less in the middle of the city.

To survive the hardship (?) of sleeping onboard, wife and dog came down Friday night with pizza dinner, and Saturday morning freshly delivered Starbucks. Call that service!

Saturday lunch we loaded up with some friends, food, and beer and jutted out into the horrible wake out on Lake Washington. That is what you get when there are 5,000 (?) boats in every shape and size racing to the area north of the I-90 bridge to enjoy the always impressive Blue Angels literally overhead. Bumpy ride, but we got down just in time to find a decent spot for the air show.

Coming back, we were lucky to find a protected spot dockside in downtown Kirkland and Aksel and I spent the following hours just basking in the sun and watching the scenery (!) passing by. Decided to leave the boat there and go home for a "real" bed, and brought along a BBQ for wife and dog. Great evening out on the deck, and still just as hard to believe these temperatures! Still way past 80F at bed time.

Slept in a bit Sunday and only we were only two heading out (the rest were too beaten up by the sun from Saturday). Ended up a tad further to the west than the day before, and we really hit the jackpot! A few amazing low altitude fly-overs in formation of six - just over our boat made the weekend! The aerials are mazing, but there is still nothing better that when a single or a few jets pass directly overhead so low that you can almost reach up and touch them.

Enjoyed checking out some of the other vessels before heading down to Aksel's friend Laurie and her family's beach side party on Mercer Island. On the way down, we saw a number of boats being "pulled over" due to speeding, inattention, and likely also BIUs. Police was really alert, and had even set up a shore side booking station with a small portable jail - and a TV crew to really make it the "walk of shame"...

Turning northbound in late evening, we just puttered up along the East shore, and even got to see a rare opening of the 520 bridge close up. Also slowly followed by a large catamaran with a helicopter - and landing platform - on top. Back in Kirkland it was dark - but no spots. Aksel waited behind while I got the trailer from home and we pulled out of the water. A truly amazing weekend out. Seattle hardly can be any better than this!

Oh, almost forgot: After wife left the boat to go home on Saturday, she had to stop and pick up some dog food. Well, she also ended up bringing home another kitten. A black little guy by the name "Edgar". So now, we are getting closer to a "zoo" again. Funny guy though, totally fearless - like all kittens!

The PreZ is having a Brew...

2009-07-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

Last week a minor incident in Cambridge sort of escalated and ended up on the National Scene. A black professor was essentially "breaking in" into his own home, a police officer was called to the scene, and it escalated, ending up with the professor being temporarily arrested.

The Prez said something that the Cambridge Police department acted "stupidly" and boom - it WAS a national and big issue. Have to admit, it was maybe not the best comment from the Prez, not knowing all the facts at that time.

Today, the Prez, the arresting officer, the black professor, and the vice Prez meet in garden outside the White House for a brew and "conciliatory" (my choice of words) talks. Cool - literally cool - way to defuse the situation and have some guy talk over a few beers. Even a Prez needs a few of those once in a while. Even though these brews looked like VERY chilled "run-of-the-mill" beers and not something of a better "vintage".

Sort of sad though that there was probably 200 photographer at the other end of the lawn, so it did not really look like much of a private moment.

Never the less, three people that probably acted a tad stupidly and hastily got to sit-down face to face over a brew. Not a bad way to end the day.

Zizzling - yes we reached 103F

2009-07-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

If we thought Monday was "Zcorching", today and possibly even tomorrow will have even more of it.

Walked the dog last night just after midnihgt. Temperature was more a night in Dallas than here in the PNW. Only missing was the sound of nightly crickets. As it was for us, it was dead silent (nice) and it seemed like most people really had not only tucked in, but also zoomed out. The heat can do that to some.

This morning it was already past 85F when jumping out of bed around 8.30 AM. At noon it passed 95F and if all goes well, we'll set a new Seattle record if we hit 101F out at SeaTac.

After airing the house out over night (or rather, letting cooler air in), house is now boarded up and we'll do OK even without any A/C or large fans. Sort of reminds of Dallas where I normally never turned on the A/C, until the cat really needed it (and then put the A/C at 85F just to keep the humidty down inside). Compare that to one of my bosses who kept his house at 65F in the Texas summer...

UPDATE:
As predicted, at 2.53 PM this afternoon the old "all-time-high" record at Seatac (100F) was broken and a new offical high-temp of 103F was recorded later in the afternoon around 5 PM. Pretty cool!

Even at past 11PM, it is still above 90F outside - that is RARE, since it under a normal year barely ever hits 90F as the high temp of a day. But, we are not complaining. Fans are humming slowly to bring in the (now) cooler night air.

Some of today's temperatures in the PNW:
Vancouver, WA: 107
Kelso: 106
Portland: 106 (all-time record: 107)
Chehalis: 106
Renton: 105
Tacoma: 104
Olympia: 104 (ties all-time record)
Shelton: 104
Seattle (Sea-Tac): 103 (all-time record)
Seattle (Boeing Fld): 103
Gig Harbor: 103
Arlington: 102
Bremerton: 102
North Bend: 102
Everett: 100
Friday Harbor: 97
Bellingham: 96
Port Angeles: 92
Forks: 83
Hoquiam: 77

Zcorcher...

2009-07-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

Well, not sure what's going on, but for the past 70 days or so, we really have had a it warm and dry - pretty extreme for Seattle in both cases.

But, people are complaining about the record heat that is upon us this week. I'd just say, chill out and enjoy it. The fal lrains and the wet winter will be arriving sooner than we realize, and a few days with 90+ temperatures is really not that bad. We just have to slow down a bit, enjoy the cooler evenings even more, and be ever thankful for not living in Florida or Texas, where this type of weather is a very daily occurance.

Zyttende Mai

2009-05-17T23:29:00.000-07:00

One of many reasons for living in the PNW is the great celebration of Syttende Mai in Ballard. This year was no different with wonderful weather, an active parade and just a festive atmosphere, surrounded by friends and Norwegians...?!

Beth and I decided to bike and got there just as the parade started. A good 25 mile ride along Lake Washington under sunny skies. Sort of does not get better.

The celebration of Syttende Mai is what the celebration of June 6th should have been in Sweden all along. A fun day of partying and just being happy for ones heritage/nationality. At least when I lived in Sweden, June 6th passed pretty silently and those who wanted to celebrate "I'm Swedish and I'm proud of it" sort of got labeled nationalist and not in the good sense of the word. Hopefully that have changed, but few places are as "happy" as Ballard on Syttende Mai!

Kirkland 5K and Half-Marathon

2009-05-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

Very late we decided to join the "race" down at Juanita Beach. Since I wanted to bring Phoebe (dog) the 5K was the most suitable distance and she did really well, even at the start where it was crowded and tons of people with dogs (she can get a tad nervous when there's too much action/crowds).

Just upon entering 98th Avenue I stumbled - badly - fell flat on my stomach, and ripped open my left little finger as well as scraped my right hand and the watch band. But, this caused a small delay and the reward was the priceless showing of an "aerial fight" between a Bald Eagle and a Heron, just over our heads as we ran down Juanita Park Bridge. Had I not fallen, I would have been far past this spot and missed it all.

Truly amazing and yet another reason we we love this place!

Finished in a decent time, pulling dog the last mile, and realized that my finger had been bleeding all the time. My racing bib was nicely blood stained!

All in all, a good Sunday in Kirkland!

More Znow -> a bamboo emergenZy

2009-02-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning to more snow. What's really up with the weather? But after over two weeks with really sunny and warm weather, maybe it was payback time...

Every snow fall puts stress on the bamboo. See before and after (shaking off) resuce here below. It has been much worse, but these "grass" are obviously very resilient to stress, and always recover after having been squshed down.

But why does this little snow force closure of schools? Or cancellation of garbage pickup? Can this be a "regional" emergency (apart from for the bamboo, of course)?

A New PreZident - a Good Man

2009-01-20T23:45:00.000-08:00

Today was a good day - in many ways. The eight years of Bush Jr. finally ended. Not a day too late. He should never have been elected to the office, but one can only say that "a people get the politicians it deserves"...

That statement is certainly still true, so what a difference only 8 years can make. Today was a big day, for the US, and for the World. Probably no inauguration of a head of state has ever gotten so much attention from around the globe. And, it is not just because Bush is history, or that this is the first African-American elected to the highest office, it because finally a "good man" finally has taken the oath.

I do not know Obama, never met him, but based on what I've seen so far, he is smart, intelligent, well educated, well articulated, supposedly a good listener, engaging, and we just have to hope that he will use all his "skills" to "stand his ground", make a lot of "correct" decisions, and get people engaged and interested in the running of this nation - a nation that still has a huge impact on the rest of the globe.

The expectations on his presidency are sky high, but I think he will work hard - and it started in his speach - to get them down to a more realistic level and get people to gather around both the problems as well as the solutions. If the solutions are the "right" ones, well, only time will tell!!!

From my little cocoon out on the West Coast, I did get a chance to watch some of the day's events, and the day was "sealed" with a glass of good Single Malt. It was truly a day to remember!

To be noted as well: The White House web page has been completely overhauled and open to search engines like Google and MSN Live. The Administration really has taken a step into the 21st century - literally over night.

Finally - a TUNNEL deciZion

2009-01-13T11:18:00.000-08:00

Puget Sound leaders today took the only sensible decision for the future: A Tunnel!

A tunnel is the ONLY sensible alternative in a region where natural beauty and access to the water literally is worth millions - if not billions. Seattle only has one waterfront and we'd do a disservice to future generations if we blocked it off with new construction - be it viaduct, condos, or warehouses.

As for the cost - yes a tunnel does cost money - now it is time go overseas and truly LEARN from what has been done on similar projects in cities around the globe (Oslo, Norway and Gothenburg, Sweden are two similar and recent project that directly comes to mind). Tunnels CAN be built wisely and cost effectively. Well managed projects do not turn in to another "Big Dig" a la Boston.
Hence, there is no reason a tunnel in Seattle should cost 8 to 10 times the cost of a recent - and similarly sized - tunnel along the waterfront in Gothenburg.

We have bright engineers, good workers, and construction companies that ought to be very interested in a project like this. On the other hand, we need regulation - yes, that pesky word - to ensure that there is ample competition for this project and not only one or two overpriced bidders (like for the recent ferry bid), or worse, like on the EastCoast, the mob and paybacks drive up the cost of construction.

And, while at it, I'd encourage WSDOT engineers to go to both Oslo and Gothenburg and see how these cities totally have changed the waterfront for something "better" - not an area that is jammed with traffic, or filled with dilapidated warehouses. Oslo is already successfully done, Gothenburg (tunnel completed in June 2006) is in the midst of the transformation process. Even if we spend a few millions on sending people on "study" trips, in the end it is worth every penny, assuming they truly learn and apply practices deployed in other successful projects.

Another project that is worth while visiting, even though it is "across the water" is the bridge/tunnel combination that connects the southern Swedish city of Malmoe with Copenhagen. A massive project, where the tunnel is 2.5 miles long (out of a total of over 9 miles for the entire link across the Oresund Strait).

Paris, France, is another example where tunnels have been both dug and "lidded" for everything from massive freeways, via high-speed rail links, to pedestrian connections.

Oslo is not stopping with traffic tunnels, but also has other project "going underwater", where parking structures with 800 stalls will be submerged to allow for housing developments go on top.

For those who are scared about the "Big One", it might be best to leave the region since really no area is "safe". Living in an earthquake prone area is a risk we are sort of willing to take (just as we take a flooding risk living close to sometimes raging rivers). But, on the other hand, BART (SF Bay Area) has several underwater tunnels, even though they are "tubes", resting on top of the seafloor, that managed extremely well in the last "big one" in 1989. Look at Japan as well. Earthquakes and long underwater tunnels move massive amounts of people. In a more geologically stable area, we have the the "Chunnel" (yes at great expense but also lenght), a working and vital link between the UK and the European continent.

What I am trying to say is that there are ways to do this right from the get go. Tunnels do not have to be that pricey, nor unsafe. If I have a small concern about this project, it is that it does not seem to include any provision for future transit. As many have stated, the additional cost for building a tunnel that can accommodate three lane in each direction is likely wise. Now or in the future, those added lanes can support some type of mass transit.

All that said, I do not think the final drawings are anywhere close to be presented. If it'll be one BIG "tube" with traffic stacked, or two smaller tubes side-by-side, or if there will be some extra "access" tubes for traffic to/from Magnolia/Queen Anne Hill, it is likely still far to early to tell.

But, all in all, a good comprise has been decided upon; tunnel, surface improvements, transit improvements, should provide ample capacity for everyone that needs to travel through our beautiful city. The leadership did what was needed - they did dare to make a decision for the future! Just too bad it took so many years.

Flooding follows Znow

2009-01-08T23:39:00.000-08:00

First a lot of snow, then warm weather, and then rain, tons of it. The weather "stream" is referred to as the "Pineapple Express" since it originates in the waters around Hawaii - warm, moist air - and the end of this firehose is normally the Olympic Mountains or the Cascades. But all water that ends up there has to come down. And with warm weather, add to that a lot of melting snow.

So, here it resulted in amazing (and for many surprising) flooding. All passes were closed, I-5 closed south of Olympia, and only way out of state is driving into Canada or flying. Sort of strange, living in one of the most high-tech hubs on the planet.
Today could not sit home and just watch it all on TV - especially not after that some areas SW of Seattle got over 16 inches - that is more than 400 mm... - of rain over the past two days. So Aksel and I decided to drive up to Snoqualmie Falls and City, one of few areas one could actually still get to, to get a close up encounter of the disaster.
Despite weather report talking about clearing, it started raining heavily and later even snowing, wet, very damp snow. Snow that sticks like wet wool gloves...

It was sad to see the state in downtown Snoqualmie, with belongings thrown out of flooded houses into the front yard, but at the same time, living close to sometimes "raging rivers" (as the amptly named tavern in Fall City), you actually do take a risk (just as we do living in an earthquake prone area...). A river that is beautiful and calm in late summer, can quickly turn wild and raging with some precip up in the mountains.

WSDOT has posted some truly amazing photos of the damage at their Flickr site. There is a lot of destruction, or should we say evidence of Mother Nature's Fury, but check especially the ones taken up on Snoqualmie Pass.

If interested in some stuff from last winter, there are "true" winter pictures in WSDOT's Winter 2008 Flickr archive

FoZter a Dog?

2009-01-06T23:49:00.000-08:00

Wife thought it'd be a good idea to foster a German Shepherd pup for a few days. One of her colleagues at the hospital is very active in the Northwest German Shepherd Rescue, a great organization that rescues and cares for GSDs that people - for whatever strange reason - do not care for.

Met the wonderful and beautiful pups "Hans" and "Hummel" last night at Amy's house. It is hard NOT to take these guys in, but it is also easy to forget what it takes to take on another dog, especially a roudy puppy.

We in any case decided to have these two guys meet Phoebe tonight up at the AG Bell schoolyard. Hummel was a lot of fun, and followed me around allover, almost tehtered to me, just as if I was his dad. Phoebe did not really care much for him, wanted to play a little bit, but mainly just did not care. Decided to take Hummel to our house home and have him meet Phoebe on her "home turf". In my view it went OK, even though she once sort of told Hummel, "hey, this is my spot, back off", but wife was a tad pessimistic and also sad, since she decided that Phoebe can not be trusted with other dogs in the house. I think it was more of a case that "Hummel" was a tad too old (about 5 months) and large, and no longer just a small "pup", just behaving like one. A younger dog would probably have worked great.

All that said, one could see in Phoebe's face that she really questioned WHY we would take in another dog when we have HER! "I am not good enough?". Once Hummel was gone, she returned to her favorite postion as the biggest couch potato around... Peace in the house.

Neighbors are back - and so is the Znow!

2009-01-04T23:55:00.000-08:00

Sort of hard to imagine. When we dropped off our neighbors at SeaTac for their winter trip to Europe, it started snowing when we were driving through Bellevue.

Today, two weeks later, we were driving towards the airport to pick them up, and even though most snow has melted/rained away, it started SNOWING as we were driving through Bellevue. What's up with that town?

Later in the evening, when everyone was safely home, I took Phoebe for a late night walk, and it was almost prettier than during our very heavy snowfall around Christmas. The snow tonight was so wet and heavy, but it was also very "untouched" due to the late hour, and one realizes how much "dampening effect" the snow has on sound/noises. Snow just makes everything so very peaceful.

Back home after the walk, I peaked out into the backyard, and our poor bamboo was probably in worse condition tonight, than after the Christmas snowfalls. The bushes are supposed to be some 30+ feet tall, but were weighed down so much by the vet snow that they did not reach to more than maybe 5 feet. But, bamboo's been through this before and it must be a very resilient plant, or rather grass, so it'll recover. Note to self: Go out early Monday morning and shake off as much of the heavy stuff as possible to help the bamboo recover!

LutefiZk and a very true Christmas dinner in Ballard

2009-01-03T23:57:00.000-08:00

Kristine hinted in early December that we'd be invited to a "LuteFisk" party on December 28th at her house. An honor in itself, but due to snow in Seattle some other stuff got in the way, and she rescheduled for tonight.

But what an Amazing Party in Ballard! We expected only a small dinner, with some fish that taste like "snot" (quoted from a good friend), but upon arriving we entered in to something that much better can be described as a Scandinavian cabin at Christmas - with the bonus of being filled with fun and interesting people!

After a few hours of mingling, hanging around the wonderful woodstove (there is NO BETTER heat than the one generated by a wood stove - I don't care what others say), we eventually got seated.

And, expecting "just" lutefisk" we were treated to a full Scandinavian "julmiddag" with not much missing. I am NO FAN of lutefisk (memories of grandma's tasty but a fish so bony you could not eat it still hangs around), but was positively surprised when having a really good bite of this "sloppy" fish in early December at Sons of Norway up in Bothell. Kristine was up for a challenge, especially when declaring she had never cooked lutefisk before...

So, after a very tasty "sill sallad" (once again, a first since I never liked this dish at home), the fish came out and it was GOOD! I even had a few extra servings, on top of the meatballs, the beer and the wine. Coffee, prinsesstarta, an excellent selection of schnapps, and great friendship made this a night to remember.

(all photos are a tad "retouched" due to the dark environs, resulting in more visible images but pretty poor photo quality)

Winter DrivingZ

2008-12-27T11:03:00.000-08:00

These past couple of days, or should we say last week, some residents and media has been very vocal over the state - or maybe lack thereof - of snow and ice removal on our wintry roads. People complain that is it bumpy, that they get stuck, that they can't go anywhere, etc, etc. But, based on the crowds out in the malls and grocery stores, I doubt the (fun) snow really had any real dampening effect on most peoples' driving.

For us used to driving in this "stuff", it has just been fun and interesting. Feeling a big 4x4 slowly tug its way through gigantic snow drifts is an amazing feeling. Why spend tons (literally) on salt and other environment (not to neglect the impact on the cars) damaging chemicals, when we all know the snow will be gone in a few days? Just roll with it.

And, so yesterday morning, it really started to get wet, wet, wet, and much warmer. Whatever snow is left by tomorrow will only be in piles, if even that. Seattlites have gotten a few days of rest - we do not need to rush around EVERY day - and more importantly, we have again been taught a lesson not to mess with mother nature. When it snows, sit tight, or know what you are doing before you go out, instead of complaining about the winter weather's effects.

I could have lots more of this (snow). It just makes everything so amazingly beautiful!

Winter PictureZ

2008-12-26T15:56:00.000-08:00

Sort of hard to imagine that this is Kirkland, WA, in December. We NEVER have it this nice (in the winter that is...)!

Click here for better resolution photos.

2008 Yearly ChriZtmas photo

2008-12-24T23:19:00.000-08:00

Due to Herbie's unexpected passing (link), Christmas was put on the backburner a bit this year, and everything got delayed. But sooner or later, even Christmas catches up to you. This is what we managed to compile this year:

If you like to see what it took to only get this far, embedded slide show might highlight the efforts in getting these guys (and girls) to fit inside a tiny frame...

Better resolution

Do not really understand how we only a few years ago (link) could get all seven into one frame...

All that said, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Very Happy New Year to all family, friends, and others scattered around the globe!

And for the ones getting a link to this posting a tad late, apologies will not help, but I guess better late than never...

Lake Washington CruiZe

2008-12-23T23:55:00.000-08:00

One of Beth colleagues, Anne and her husband John, invited us out for a winter cruise on Lake Washington to follow the Christmas ships as they "charoled" on Montlake and Lake Union. It was sort of "perfect" since we bailed out on the ships when they were passing Juanita Beach just on Friday night (after an hour Beth was too cold to stand out and wait for them). Many times I've planned to put the boat in the water just for this (wintry) event, but sort of glad I haven't.

John has a huge Viking 40 SportFisher, and even onboard this one, with hot chocolate, food, and dessert, some were still a tad chilly.

Apart from the amazing charoling from the "Peace" ship (Argosy Cruises), the decorated vessels are truly awesome. Taking photos in the dark night, from a moving vessel, of other moving vessels, is no child's play so you just have to imagine what it really looked like. Beautiful is probably the best word in any case! My guess is that there were some 100+ boats/yachts/ships/kayaks (yes, even kayaks) out on this white and wintry evening. An evening with the lake flat like a mirror!

This one followed us in from Lake Washington, other decortated ships behind.

View of Montlake with the amrada in the background.

Two frozen babes onboard Viking...

Maybe the BEST Christmas sign I ever seen: "NO L"! - Awesome!

Znow in Zeattle - but no Znow Ztorm

2008-12-21T14:49:00.000-08:00

Wow, what wonderful weather. We are actually getting snow in Seattle! It started Thursday morning and we got a good few inches - enough to really make it a true joy to drive! The LandCruiser - even though far too heavy for spirited snow driving - showed its class and we got everywhere and more where we needed to go. Even took a few neighbors out and made sure they got groceries, got to the bank, the post office, etc. All in the spirit of Christmas!

One of our distant neighhbors was not so lucky. she did a nice slide down the hill, firmly planting the right front fender into a tree. Picture to follow...

Saturday afternoon, we took our neighbors to the airport and snow started coming down again just south of Bellevue. Leaving the airport for Fremont and Ballard (to pick up the annual Christmas ham) made for interesting driving and wonderful sceneries through downtown Seattle. On the way home, crossing Seattle, the 520 bridge, and then up through Kirkland was like a Christmas miracle. I wish we could have this EVERY YEAR!

And I am so glad that we don't salt the roads around here. There is really nothing better to drive on than a nicely packed snow road. That and it keeps the cars "pure" - compared to many states out East where even brand new cars start to rust due to excessive salting and just "shitty" weather in general.

After checking on-line, we thought our neighbors had been able to take-off, before it got pretty bad at the airport, but turned out they endured a 5 hour delay on-board w/o anything else than water and dry pretzels. The crew visely wanted to really be on standby in case there was an opening in the weather. Smart, since there are not that many connections SEA-LHR on a daily basis, so better get out when one can. Just talked to the "touristas" and they safely arrived in Vienna, only about 4 hour late - which is nothing compared to the tons of travelers that are stranded out at SeaTac.

For us remaining here, sometime around 7 PM last night the wind started to kick up, and we had for a few hours something that - for a Seattleite - really could be called a small blizzard. We even got fairly decent snowdrifts on the roof, and it is just plain pretty. I guess you have been too long in Seattle when you start to really enjoy these small tricks by nature, tricks that were fairly common during the time in the French Alps or in Northern Sweden.

For some photos, check this post!

Bye Bye Herbie Boy!

2008-12-17T22:52:00.000-08:00

Due to the unexpected passing of Beth's Grandfather Herbie, we had to quickly bail to a wet and wintry Michigan for the funeral. Herbie is now going to spend Christmas with Grandma Anna who passed away in the spring. They both obtained the very respectable age of 90+ years, so even though they are gone, they lived long and good lives!

These sad events has put the Christmas holidays on a delayed schedule this year, so for all of you out there waiting for cards and so on, hang tight. They will be coming - eventually and electronically!

Just another reason why we don't want a Palin in the White HouZe

2008-10-13T12:12:00.001-07:00

All that said, Michael Palin is of course always welcome. We need more British Comedy in our lives!

Ford Zucks

2008-09-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

I've never liked Ford, maybe with the exception of the pretty "sturdy" ones we could find in Europe back in the late 70ies (Granada, Orion, etc) - before they all rusted away...

Once on U.S. soil, I've kept the Fords at bay. Hundred of times I've rented from Hertz (then owned by Ford) for the sole reason they also provided Toyotas, Mazdas, Subarus, Volvos, and in rare cases Hondas. When renting a car, you really do not have to worry about the quality of the vehicle, but you do have to worry about driving it. Most Fords were more like "riding", while all the other cars allowed themselves to be "driven".

One trip from Lynchburg, VA, down to RTP was the nail in the coffin for Fords in my life. A brand new Taurus (or maybe it was a Taurus under the Mercury moniker, the Sable) was to be driven down the parkway down to the RTP airport. Never has a drive been so scary since not even this BRAND new car could provide illumination of the road, less any other form of "control" normally associated with "driving" a car.

So, when I stumbled over this story on Consumerist.com today, it sort of just reminded me how bad Fords are in my mind, and how crooked many car dealerships are (not only Fords, but it does not help if the dealership has to make up for poor product design). I've had Nissans, Audis, Toyotas, Hondas, even Saabs, and not one can even come close to what this poor fellow experiences with his Ford truck. On the contrary, these "import" vehicles run perfectly fine even when they pass the 100K mile marker. We should ask that from any car these days!

Why kill WolveZ?

2008-09-19T00:04:00.000-07:00

These majestic and beautiful animals, brutally killed from the air. If you are out to hunt, at least give the animals a fair chance. Arial hunting is just slaughter, nothing else, and promoted by someone that could one day be the Prez.

Just one heartbeat away from being PreZident of the United States

2008-09-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

If you missed this skit from Saturday's SNL, watch it here. Brilliant!

Also very scary when realizing that the message in this skit is way too close to becoming reality - "one heartbeat away...". Yikes!

Finally back HOME from "Zvenska" land

2008-09-02T00:44:00.000-07:00

Short notice, but we are back home after two weeks in Sweden.
Probably never felt as good in coming BACK HOME as it did this time. More about that later, but there were a number of details that drove me nuts in Sweden this time.
Just needed to get a small entry in here, since it has been a tad stale lately.

What iZ wrong with people?

2008-08-08T19:06:00.001-07:00

The vocal minority has gotten upset over (somewhat) hot babes serving the morning java. It is a free market, and if these genius coffee marketers manages to get a "leg up" on the competition, the better. If you do not like these "servers", I can assure you that there are lots of "traditional" coffee stands to choose from as well.

As long as these baristas serve coffee as good or better than the local Starbucks, they'd have my business (if I lived close to them will say).

'Sexpresso' too hot in Washington state

ThiZ waZ juZt to good to leave out...

2008-07-06T22:27:00.000-07:00

I did not write this myself, but almost wish I had. It is good...
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/saturdayspin/369510_sorbo05.html

The following is reprinted from Seattle P-I on July 5th, 2008.

No surprise when animals attack hunters
CATHY SORBO

It had to happen sooner or later.

We were due for another "marauding bear" killing and this time the poor furry fellow happened to be on a food run in a neighborhood near Key Center, about a 60-mile crow flight from Olympic National Park.

The bear had been seen around the neighborhood for a few days and finally tried to enter a house, mistaking it for a large trash bin.

On a KIROTV.com video, a Key Center resident said, "Wow. I'm kind of surprised. I didn't think bears bothered anybody out here."

This is another story of one rogue bear who was simply trying to survive -- one bear who when confronted reared up, an act interpreted as "aggressive" giving authorities adequate reason to shoot to kill.

I'll bet the Krispy Kreme people are super-miffed that they didn't get any free press from supplying bait for a trap.

Surely we humans should be able to figure out how to navigate around our inevitable encounters with wildlife in a way that doesn't end with firing 16 bullets into a living creature.

Why not implement a neighborhood bear alarm, similar to the concept of a tsunami or lahar warning? Well, not to worry. Bear-hunting season starts in August, so that should make all the bear killers happy.

Speaking of happiness, there are many things that make me happy: visits from out-of-town friends, unsolicited hugs from my daughter, Kozy Shack Chocolate Pudding. But one thing stands out from all those warm and fuzzies, and that's when hunters are attacked by the animals they hunt.

In fact, a lot of people don't know this, but the TV show "When Animals Attack" was originally titled, "When Animals Attack It Makes Me Giggle."

Call me callous and hard-hearted, but I can't help but cheer on the animal that defends its life against the human dressed up in clothes that resemble shrubbery armed with the high-powered rifle, night-vision scope, GPS unit, tree-stand, animal scents and alcohol-fueled macho bravado.

Recent headlines that have given me great pleasure include:

"Hunter injured by rhino," "Mountain lion pounces on local hunter" and "Swedish hunter attacked by elk."

What compounds the wrongness of killing animals is the notion that sneaking up on a wild animal and putting a bullet through its head is a sport.

If anything qualifies as a nonsport, it is the carefree killing (or injuring and abandonment) of the lovely wild species that peacefully roam our forests and mountains. I don't care if you eat what you kill, in my opinion there is absolutely nothing at all sportsmanlike to this pastime.

In Washington, there has been a dreadful incline in cougar slaughter. The reason lies within the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's greed and lack of foresight while attempting to placate hunters.

This passage can be found in an April '08 article on the Web site of High Country News:

"The spike in cougar deaths resulted in part from a radical change in the state's game-management plan. After the hound-hunting ban passed, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officials quickly liberalized hunting regulations in order to control the cougar population and maintain the revenue from cougar licenses.

"They extended the hunting season by six months, doubled the legal bag limit, and rolled half-price cougar tags (traditionally sold to just 1,000 hunters a year) into big-game hunting packages."

And you know how hunters are. Once they get the big green light to overhunt, they are eager and more than willing to do so. Hey, bring the kids! Junior's old enough for his first kill.

Hunting is not a sport. It is simple-minded blood lust that cheapens life and creates a revenue stream for a chosen few.

Cathy Sorbo is a Seattle-based comedian; cathysorbo.com.

OK, sure what Cathy Sorbo writes is controversial, but why is always the animal that has to be on the short end of the stick. If you hunt, you go to war with the animal. It is after all over "life and death".

Downtown DevelopmentZ

2008-07-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

I have to hand it to the City of Kirkland Council Members. They meet every two weeks, and lately their meetings have been long, often going past midnight. Regardless what decision they make, people will not be content.
If too restrictive in their decisions, developers will be pissed, if too "lame", many of our wonderful city's citizens will be upset.

Sitting on the City Council these days is no "walk in the park", but literally a "call" where you need a fair amount of "passion" for our thew city of Kirkland and its future.

Last night was one of those nights. Council chambers were almost full, and one could easily see who was a developer (or anyone with a direct financial interest), and who was a resident with a keen interest in this town's future "evolution".

I am firm in my belief that one of the unique things with Kirkland is its location along the shores of Lake Washington. The lake and access to it needs to be protected at all cost. Buildings should be limited to 2 stories along Lake Street and we do not want to become another "Bellevue" or a Redmond TownCenter. Kirkland is a true "local" destination thanks to our quirky and cosy downtown, a downtown that is not really planned, but a mixture of buildings in various shapes and ages.
Butr, last night, "we" lost. The McLeod project will be allowed to proceed and build a taller structure along Lake Street. I'm sure it'll be a fine buiolding, but it'll also be "new" and "clean", without the character that only older buildings can provide.

Park Place on the other hand, should be allowed to be redeveloped. It sits farther away from the lake, and there are few residential areas that will be affected by taller buildings. On the other hand, traffic can be a mess, worse than it is today unless something is mandated on the planned development by Touchstone Corporation.

Hence, force the developer to build a garage that is big enough to cope with the demand of the office space daytime, and the "destination" traffic night time, likely a garage with 4,000-5,000 stalls. Access to that garage can not be on our surface streets, but need to have sort of direct access ramp under 6th Avenue straight into the garage. If that does not happen, downtown Kirkland will be clogged with traffic, far surpassing current volumes, volumes that already "lock up" our city in the morning and afternoon.

Long Zilence

2008-06-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

OK, I admit it, it's been a VERY loooooooong silence. Working, traveling and one of the literally shittiest spring we've had in Seattle "ever", has not really allowed for any time updating this area.

A good friend in Florida pointed out yesterday that I had not updated this space in a long time, so here comes the first one. At least.

I have a gazillion (well, maybe not that many, but still quite a few) unfinished entries from the spring. I'll promise to work on them and they will pop up now and then on the dates that they sort of refer to (=older posts).

Tough day just paZZed...

2008-06-16T21:22:00.000-07:00

Today was a tough day. Wife had to put her beloved Yorkie, Herbie, down due to an aggressive mast-cell tumor. The little guy literally had a huge cancer tumor on his penis, at not even 7 years old.

Surgery would have been an option but due to the very aggressive nature of mast -cell tumors, and the fact that he had his entire intestinal tract scarred, there were really no guarantees that an exhaustive procedure would yield the desired results.

In order not to risk him suffering and dying due to blockage in the urinary tract, wife made the very, very, tough decision yesterday to call the vet.

So today Dr. Hanna Ekstrom (actually a Swedish vet in Seattle) came home to us in the afternoon with her assistant Jennifer (and a red tool box). Over the next hour, they very, very peacefully laid Herbie to rest.

It was a tough day for Beth, but deep inside she knows she made the right decision, the right decision for little Herbie. A day like this little does it help to know that you just finished years of hard studies and ready to enter the next phase in life - when you have to "pull life support" on your best friend.

GraduaZion Day

2008-06-13T23:42:00.000-07:00

Today was a BIG DAY!
Wife graduated from the Nursing Program at BCC and duly received her degree, hat, cape and pin! Congratulations are in place but for from enough for the effort!

It has been everything from VERY hard work, stress, anger, concern, irritation over teachers that are far from logical, to joy and laughter as test has been "check off" (most of the times with very high scores), and friendship that will last a life time. I'm impressed and VERY proud of her, especially since much of what they study is so specialized, and literally "chinese" to a generalist as myself.

I know she's very relieved but at the same time, just as this is the beginning of a new carreer, it is also the end of an intense period with fellow friends/students. Bonds are formed for life, and few "institutions" are as good as forming strong bonds, as attending a number of years together at higher education institutions.

The class "scatters" but it sounded like many will remain and work in the Seattle area. Hence, good opportunities to catch up and meet again.

Check out the photos below of the happy girls!

Billy iZ finally Indexed

2008-05-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

Sometime in the late 90ies, I suggested to Grrringo that we should start a "Billy Index" (just like a BigMac Index) but it sort of never got anywhere. So I was sort of happy when I opened up Wall Street Journal and found this. Maybe not really an index, but at least a nice price comparison. However, there is one major flaw. The price in IKEA's native Sweden is not there. What gives? This is after all one of the more venerable pieces of furniture, possibly even the piece that has been sold the longest worldwide in in the largest quantities. Who does not own, or have owned, a Billy?

Seattle SuperZonics

2008-04-22T23:10:00.000-07:00

Good old Chairman Schultz. I like you, I like the coffee you make, and even though I really dislike franchises/chain restaurants, I do frequest Starbucks - often.

I don't really care for professional sports since it has left so much of the "sports" behind and only turned in to big business or potentially (for a few), entertainment. Although I did not really care, I think it was stupid to sell of the Sonics to some rogue buffoon from Oklahoma.

And while I do appreciate your efforts to now block the move of the team to that far away dusty town in the middle of nowhere, by various degrees of legal wrangling, I think at the end it is all a little bit of cheap PR/publicity for you to save face.

This in light of Starbucks' lowered earnings and lackluster (financial) performance over the last year. If you dump a few hundred big ones into the legal mess, you'll get it back many times over by "looking good" to the Seattleites who desperately wants to keep their beloved basketball team. I just don't buy it, but your efforts are never the less appreciated!

The two dumbeZt...

2008-04-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

This week, the prize for the two dumbest in the Pacific Northwest goes to....

This week, we have had two incidents - both ended luckily w/o any major injury to humans or animals, but they still only proves that we are still surrounded by some pretty stupid people.

Man falls into crater
Last Saturday, someone decided to snowmobile up to the crater rim on Mount S:t Helens. Remember the volcano that "blew up" a number of years ago, and that until recently been off limits due to increased pressure inside the mountain (=fear of another massive eruption). Hiking to the rim make for a wonderful trek, a true Northwest classic. But some fat ass decided to instead take his sled into the area, and drive/ride all the way up to the rim. Up there he crawled out to the edge, which turned out to be a corniche (snowy overhang). The corniche collapsed under him and the guy tumbled some 1,500 feet into the crater. His son would have gone down with him as well, had a fellow sledder not just barely been able to hold onto the sons foot. The guy who fell did survice the fall, w/o any major injuries but had to be airlifted out of the crater later in the evening with a helicopter.
Story in Seattle Times.

I sort of would have understood it if he'd hiked up, but he rode up inside an area that should be closed off to snowmobiles. Hikers/climbers fall all the time, many times the falls are deadly, but it is different when you try to "conquer" a mountain under your own muscle power, compared to when you just ride up on your fat ass.
If you make it to the top climbing, hiking, running, you have actually "accomplished" something.

No, I don't dislike snowmobiles, they are great fun, but they really should not be allowed inside pristine recreation areas where nature, wildlife, and views are truly unique. It is enough with the noise from just ONE sled to ruin the entire day in areas like that.

Driver follows GPS - blindly
Than a few days later, a local tour buss full with teenage students rammed into an old concrete bridge inside the Washington Arboretum and ripped a large part of the roof off the bus. The bridge is almost 100 years old, and hence has been there "forever". The driver, not injured in the accident claimed that he "just followed his GPS". What happened to basic map skills and direction finding abilities? One can not just follow the directions of a GPS. One actually have to look up - literally - and drive the bus as well. Not just "follow" the GPS' instructions. It should be something that any driver should be aware of, but even moreso of a professional, like a tour bus driver hauling kids around.
See more in Settle Times and a few days later.

Seattle is easy. We have ridges that go north south. Each of the have water on East and West side. Bridges crosses the water (Lake Washington) East-West. The entire area is a built up on a grid system. As long as you know what "quadrant" (SE, NE, NW, SW) you're in, the rest should sort of follow.

No, time for drivers in general to "shape up" and start driving - instead of chatting on phones, putting on make-up, reading (yes, I see it every morning), or more focusing on everything ELSE than driving.

Another good Zunday

2008-02-18T22:41:00.000-08:00

It is late Sunday evening, dinner today consists of a re-heated pizza (albeit a very good one) and a beer. But not just ANY beer. It is a beer that was given to me for Christmas by Ben, our friends' oldest son. He and other brother Dustin made a batch before Christmas of some excellent brew, and here it is, in full splendor. This photo was taken on the second serving and it still had a really "fatty" and dense head. People who only drink Bud or Miller simply would not understand the importance of a nice "head".

As for taste, it was a complex and mysterious blend of sweetness and murkiness that only a few Christmas brews had been able to produce over the years, most notably the now sorely missed Youngs WinterAle.

But I now have a new favorite. Thanks Ben!

Detroit EmergenZy Over... - maybe not

2008-02-17T17:09:00.000-08:00

Latest news is that Grandma will be getting a pace maker. Operation to take place in the next few days. Being close to 93, I guess it is somewhat of a good sign that the doctors believe a pace maker will help her.
Way Go Anna! Hang in there!

Flying Pie PiZZeria

2008-02-16T23:47:00.000-08:00

With good friends Phil and Connie we decided to drive East out to Issaquah and have a bite to eat and a brew at Flying Pie Pizzeria. We've been talking about it for months, but we never got around to it until Phil suggested it on our monthly beer meet-up on Wednesday. Deal!

The place is a self proclaimed dump, squeezed in to a corner of an old strip-mall in downtown Issaquah. But what this place might lack in "styled" interior (well, it is actually styled pretty nicely, but no money was spent in the process if you see what I mean) it makes up for several times over in the quality of food and the brews.

Simply great pizzas, with hearty ingredients, and no skimping on the quantity. You will not leave hungry! And with a pitcher of Black Butte Porter for $11, who can complain?

We were joined later by David and Linnea (reasonably new Issaquahists, been there about 18 months) for a truly enjoyable evening. I for sure will return to Flying Pie in the not too distant future!

Cause, with things going the way they are on the Eastside, this place will likely be squeezed out down the road and replaced by some me-too chain store at ground level in a "styled" condo complex. Good places that are outright cheap, not part of a godawkward franchise or styled to look like every other restaurant in Microsoft land, simply does not seem to survive on the East shores of Lake Washington. One normally have to drive up on Capitol Hill, Wallingford, or Queen Anne Hill, to find them. At times like this, I badly miss living in France!

So, do your duty. Drive out to Issaquah and support Flying Pie Pizzeria. And while there, take a few steps down the road to the Rogue Brewhouse for some delicious brews and make the outing into an evening.

Detroit EmergenZy Over...

2008-02-11T23:43:00.000-08:00

Well, maybe not, but wife came home tonight. Was supposed to have arrived last night but NorthWest for some unknown reason just cancelled the flight - with NO advance alert and with no efforts to book passengers on other flights. According to a very trustworthy source, wife was in the "oh was she angry" mood at DTW on Sunday afternoon.

As inslut to injury, she never got to spend that extra day with grandma since she pulled down a bad flue and was stuck in bed most of the day before flying back home in the evening.

Grandma is still hanging in and we hope she'll be able to get home soon.

Detroit EmergenZy

2008-02-07T23:28:00.000-08:00

Another call from father-in-law. (maternal) Grand-ma is very, very, sick after a heart-attack and hospitalized. Better come home now!

Worked some time in order to get a flight for wife to get back home. She left at 10PM. SMSed me that she got into an argument with the gate agent over her carry-on (supposedly too big, but a lot smaller than many the bags that passed during the argument), and that the guy next to her smelled really bad. Sounds like a fun flight. She arrives just before 5 AM. Assume she'll head straight to the hospital.

Winter Ztorm?

2008-02-07T17:27:00.000-08:00

The Pacific NorthWest sometimes never ceases to surprise me.

This is an area of endless natural beauty, of mountains, of sunshine, of rain, of wind, of ocean and archipelago. In the winter time we expect (and hope for) snow. Plenty of it. It is what provides the water needed to support an evergrowing population the the Puget Sound region, it is what provides "the base" for one of the best past times ever; skiing. It is also stunningly beautiful! A filthy dirty area can temporarily be "cleaned up" by a decent layer of the white fluff.

So, when we finally get some snow in the mountains, it is the main headline on the news, it generates an emergency declaration by the Governor, and it creates havoc for people driving. Why?

I can understand that it is of a great inconvenience to be landlocked on either side of the mountain when WSDOT is forced to close the roads due to overwhelming avalanche danger. But a little (or a lot) of snow on the road should not be antyhing that stops traffic. In most other countries, traffic just continuous, albeit at a little bit slower pace.
Here, even when a large portion of drivers are humming around in AWD or 4x4 vehicles, traffic is chaotic when snow's on the ground. Elsewhere, small Fiats, VWs, Renaults, or Saabs and Volvos do just fine in the snow. Here, people can't even drive vehicles that have high clearance, big wheels AND all-wheel-drive. State Patrol is forced to shut down the freeway long before there's any snow on the ground.

But a little snowfall (yes, even if it is measured in feet...) is no catastrophy. It is an expected winter occurrence and it has been like that for thousand of years. Why can't we learn to live with it? No, for some reason, we have to follow the lowest common denominator and close schools and workplaces, advice people that it is slippery outside, that "snow" is something that is "dangerous" and has to be avoided at all cost.

A distant friend in California got the following sent to her from her HR department. Her take on it was that Americans are no Vikings. I could not agree more...

Walking on snow or ice is especially treacherous and wearing proper footwear is essential. A pair of well insulated boots with good rubber treads is a must for walking during or after a winter storm. Keeping a pair of rubber over-shoes with good treads which fit over your street shoes is a good idea during the winter months.

When walking on an icy or snow-covered walkway, take short steps and walk at a slower pace so you can react quickly to a change in traction.
When walking on a sidewalk which has not been cleared and you must walk in the street, walk against the traffic and as close to the curb as you can.

Be on the lookout for vehicles which may have lost traction and are slipping towards you. Be aware that approaching vehicles may not be able to stop at crosswalks or traffic signals.

At night, wear bright clothing or reflective gear, as dark clothing will make it difficult for motorists to see you.

During the daytime, wear sunglasses to help you see better and avoid hazards.

All makes sense, but why does it have to be so "regulated? Set the winter Free! Now!

Znow in the Mountains

2008-02-02T23:17:00.000-08:00

Snow's been falling mightily during the past week up in the mountains. Even good ol' I-90 has been shut down due to avalanches and control measure to prevent them - halting more or less all traffic across the Cascades.

But today the pass was open. And there was snow! We decided to make it a field day and drive up with one dog. Ended up at Hyak and then hiking all the way to the top of the mountain. Poweroutage so the lifts were not running and the slopes were empty. A few boarders and skieers doing the same thing as us - walking - but it was a perfect day to allow Phoebe to run around and get pooped. She found a few other dogs as well, and the best match was "Shadow", a 9-months old Rottweiler puppy that just wanted to play. But, this was at the end of the day and Phoebe really was tired after running up and down the mountain and trotting through some really deep snow.

The sad thing is as soon as you enter I-90 to drive back home, is that there is slush, and more slush. The wonderful white wonderland at the summit turns to a mix of grey and brown as you roll down the freeway. Sometimes I really wish we could have the same weather down here in town as up on the pass!

Pictures to follow shortly...

Brother is HOME

2008-01-29T16:55:00.000-08:00

Been from afar monitoring my brother's health by talking to him, chatting with family, and a few calls to the medical staff that were caring for him at the University Hospital in Gothenburg.

Since this is all in past tense, you can figure out that he was allowed to come home today. Due to the time difference, I have not been able to talk to them today, but got an e-mail from my sister-in-law and they are of course happy and relieved. Family's reunited! According to the doctor who released him, only about 5% of the ones that gets a brain hemmorrage is as lucky as he is. He's back home w/o any residual effects what-so-ever.

Probably the biggest surprise today was for Emil who was greeted on his 8th birthday by a dad back from the hospital! Needless to say, he was exstatic!!

Staffan will now just need to take it "calma" under some period going forward and see what he has the strength for and dares to to. Over two weeks laying in a hospital bed can drain the energy from anyone.

And, almost forgot: Sister-in-law started a blog out of what were the e-mails that kepts us all up to date on Staffans's progress (simply too many people called her asking the same thing - draining her enetgy and leaving no time for the kids).
Her blog can be found here, Laila's Blog

Ztate of the Union?

2008-01-28T20:05:00.000-08:00

This evening was president Bush' s 7th and final State of the Union address.
As much of a distaster he is/has been as a president, is it really necessary to broadcast his speach live on ALL news channels simultaneously? In our little Comcast world, that means that we could see the same Bush speak on channels 02, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 44, 47, and 48 - not counting the C-span channels I did not scan this evening.

Simply too much (and that would be the same regardless of who happended to be president)!

Goodbye - White Kiddie!

2008-01-28T15:46:00.000-08:00

Today was a sad day. We had to put White Kiddie to sleep. He was just too sick and frail after having lost over 60% of his body weight since October. Over the weekend he started having severe problems controlling his "bodily fluids", and was simply miserable, hardly being able to walk. Neither bloodwork, nor urine samples did really give any hints of what it could be.

Actually surpised over my reaction, but the tears were gushing out of my eyes when his little body was handed over to me at the vet clinic. Never thought that I would take his "passing" that hard. Made even worse since he had his eyes left open.

But, he left us on a beautiful and sunny morning, where there were over 4 inches of fresh white snow on the ground. It was sort of almost like the weather gods wanted to paint the landscape in his honor.

Eulogy over a Great Cat:
An early fall day in October 1993, in Dallas, a big white cat showed up at my door. He sort of picked me out, and decided to make friends. For the next year, he was living around and outside my apartment, "guarding" the courtyard, and keeping neighbors entertained. We all cared for him, but he likely spent most of his time with me, always extremely "appreciative" for having somewhere to call "home". I gave him the name "White Kiddie" since it was fitting - he was entirely white and I have never really liked the word "kitty".

I was traveling so much so I had decided not "take in" a cat or any other pet, but a cold day in early December 1994 I broke down; "You've been hanging around here so why don't you just move in - permanently". And he did. For the first week I held out on putting a litterbox in my apartment, until I one morning woke up to a smell and a small turd behind a couch. That was the only accident in Dallas, but he starting having more later in life.

One memorable afternoon, I opened up the front door. On my little rug was a very dead mouse with its stomach ripped wide open. Perfectly aligned were 5 small mouse fetuses, and next to it was a very proud cat sitting. I guess that was his small housewarming gift to me. It was sort of hard not to accept the wonderful gesture!

White Kiddie always went out in the morning with me, and was waiting at the bottom of the stairs when I came home, or sometimes meeting me by the car. A couple of neighbors cared for him when I was out traveling, and he was just a staple of the apartment complex (or at least our courtyard since I never told the complex I had a pet, and had no intentions in having them find out either - succeeded with that during my 5 years at the same place).

This even after my weird neighbors downstairs one day sent me an e-mail, telling me that "the cat" had bitten the wife (Rachel). White Kiddie ended up in the slammer, and I sort of hal-heartedly told the neighbor that if they did not mind, I'd like the cat to come back to the neighborhood (this was before he had moved in). He had to spend a couple of days in the slammer, before he could be picked up, but they would not keep him for more than 10. I was out of town and missed the 10 day limit, but when I came homw, White Kiddie was waiting at the steps. Only thing I can imagine is that my neighbors felt bad and picked up the cat. They never told me and I never asked them, Everyone was happy so why stir the pot?

Summers in Texas can be hot, but that did not really bother me. I was among my friends who held out the longest before turning on the A/C (preferred to have the windows open and let the natural breeze cool me), but one summer it was actually White Kiddie who sort of forced me to turn the switch. He came in from the outside and sort of just fell to the floor, forming a long white ribbing on the carpet. That was his way of saying he was TOO hot and that it was time for me to turn the A/C to "on".

White Kiddie was a trooper and he lived a good life. No, he lived an excellent life!
He only had two vet visits in Dallas, and that was due to an attack by another cat. The fact that the vet cut his claws, made him vulnerable and he was attacked once again, ending up for three days at the hospital. All in a period of two months.

One day I found out that he actually followed "commands", and this was not something I had taught him. I could ask him to sit, and he would sit. I could place food in front of him, and ask him to wait (he did), sitting there until I gave the word "Varsågod" (please go ahead) and he'd walk over to the food and eat - lots of it. Maybe bad for him, but he loved Friskies. Tried a lot of other stuff, but dry catfood, Friskies, was his favorite.

One weak moment in the spring of 1998 when I was considering moving back to Europe and leaving the U.S. for for good, I was looking for potential homes for him (those days it was almost impossible to bring an animal in to Sweden). Initially I decided to take a long vacation (5 weeks skiing) and at the very last moment, one of my great neighbors (Dee Bernhardt) took him home to care for him until I came back - a wonderful gesture!

Later that spring, we took a weekend trip together to Ardmore, OK, to visit yet one older former neighbor that had looked after him when I was traveling. White Kiddie did OK on car rides, but really did not like it and found the best spot in the car to be down under the brake pedal.

I ended up staying in the U.S., and the Friday in October we were to relocate from Dallas to Seattle, White Kiddie decided to "disappear" for a while. I had to reschedule the flight three times that day, and it was not until Dee called me and said that he had walked over to her place and was happily sleeping on the couch, that we could "move on" and get on the last flight out of Dallas. Texas was now history for us.

Finding a new place in Seattle, in the midst of the dot.com boom in 1998 was not easy. It was not made easier by my own firm requirements: cat friendly inside, cat should be able to be outside as well (White Kiddie went nuts if he was forced to stay inside), and I should be able to bring my frontloading Swedish washing machine.
I did drive several hundred miles on the Eastside, and looked at an unimaginable number of places, but it was not until by pure chance (isn't it always) I found a couple in Bellevue that were looking to rent out their condo. They were OK with a cat, and the place boardered a greenbelt. Perfect. We had find a new permanent home!

White Kiddie settled quickly in his new surroundings, even though a few evenings I thought he was gone when he never showed up until way past his "bed time". I thought my move to Washington would mean less travel, but instead I was on the road more than ever, and was again lucky to find a lady neighbor that could "babysit" when I was out of town.

In spring of 2000, the family got extended and White Kiddie was joined by Beth and her two yorkies, Pebbles and Sebastian. Wasn't that many days until they sort had settled and knew their ranks. White Kiddie as "the Governor" was leading the household.

Later in 2000, White Kiddie moved into the "Governor's Mansion" in north Kirkland. He liked it and found himself quickly at home, but at the same time I really think he always missed the hot days in Texas (even though he sometimes was miserable in the heat). He got an unexpected buddy in a grey Persian, Oscar, that Beth brought in as Christmas present our first Christmas together.

As cuddly as White Kiddie was, as much one had to "watch out" when he came around. He was "snow white" and he was shedding, all the time. If you were standing next to him in black pants, he just loved to walk up and surround your legs, effectively forcing a change of pants. No wonder I really never had any black pants until Beth forced me to buy a pair once - they just did not work - and in Texas there were shorts more or less all the time in the evenings home so it was never an issue.

White Kiddie met my parents a number of times and eternal cat lovers as they are, they quickly bonded. Everytime they visited, White Kiddie was sleeping either besides them, or on top of them. Last time was in fall 2007 when my dad was here for a number of weeks. There was not one night when he did not have at least two cats in bed (a black one and an white one - yin & yang).

As he got older, White Kiddie was drawn to heat sources. When the furnace started, he was sititng in front of the heat register in either the kitchen or the office. When I started preparing for a fire in the fireplace, he quickly moved into position to sit guard in front of the wood stove. A few weeks ago, Beth bought him an electrical heat pad he could snooze on. He seemed to like it, even though the pad never got as hot as we'd expected.

More is to be added over this lost friend and I have just added a little slide show here below. I also have "older" photos that need to be scanned (pre digital) when time is found. After all I owe it to him. White Kiddie spent more than 15 years at my side. 15 years that certainly changed my life dramatically (move, marriage, house, dogs, travels, etc, etc).

Stay put!

Brother

2008-01-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

Parents visited him yesterday, and they seemed upbeat after they came back home and I talked to them late in the evening.

This morning, I called the hosiptal to talk to him, but I could hear him in the background mumbling that he was too tired to talk, so I ended up chatting with the nurse a while.

Turns out his headache had gotten worse this morning, he had thrown-up, and they had proceeded with a cerebral angiogram in order to be able to "see" more. What I could get out of the nurse was that they still cannot see where/if a vessel had burst, or how serious it is. Images were to be reviewd by experts, I assume that'll happen early Wednesday.

Needless to say, anything that resembles bleeding in the brain is serious.

Call from Zweden...

2008-01-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

Early Saturday morning (and I think they held out a few hours in order not to wake me up) I got a call from my parents. My brother had been hospitalized after a heavy sneeze on Friday evening. Turns out he likely burst a blood vessel somewhere in his brain and ended up with an anuerysm. Situation severe enough he was quickly transferred to a specialist hospital.

At the moment it looks like it is a less severe case, and he is able to move all his limbs, speak, and "act" normally, but is very, very, tired after the worst headache of his life.

He is hospitalized at the University Hospital and is getting great care at the neurointensive ward where he'll stay for at least another week, while they'll monitor him and wait for the body to absorb the coagulated blood.

I called him Sunday evening his time and we talked for a while. Sounds "normal" and upbeat, but I also think he now realize how serious this can be. So, a close call, but so far, so good.

Everyone; keep your fingers crossed for his speedy recovery!

Being so far away, the worst is probably getting 2nd or 3rd hand information (from his wife, or from my parents via his wife (information that has already been "filtered" by hospital staff), and it really felt good in being able to talk to him, directly. Curious as I am, I want to chat with his doctor as well...

SteinklinkerZ...

2008-01-09T23:47:00.000-08:00

A (great) group of beer drinkers that meet up the 2nd Wednesday of every month at a "new" brew place.

Well, we sort of have run out of "new" places so we recycle them now. And sometimes, like tonight, it was just a "pub" since the brewery "Mac & Jack" does not have a tasting room open in the evening and recommend instead people to go over to "J. Michael's Pub & Eatery" in Redmond, just across from Ben Franklin. Only a stone's throw from the brewery. Sort of hard to find (if you're looking for a pub), and it sure does not look anything like a pub on the outside. But, these girls have good brews, and good basic pub food.

All in all, just another very agreable evening with the "Klinkers".

Old - French - FriendZ

2008-01-09T17:50:00.000-08:00

After leaving Europe in the early 90ies, I sort of lost contact with many of my French friends. Been using different search engines to try to find them, but no luck.

Via a tip from a good friend in Sweden, I was guided to Copains d'Avant. Signed up, and low and behold, I found someone that "could" be the right person.

Trial message sent over, a few days of silence, but eventually an answer. Sure enough, it was the right person! He connected me to his wife (very old friend of mine) and I learnt that they unfortunately live separated (joint custody of a daughter though) since many years.

Just getting a few e-mails, some photos, and later also a long chat over the phone brought me back to the heydays of the 90ies in Paris. I was also amazed that my French is also still pretty much "there". I thought it had gone into a stage of "permanent hibernation", but chatting with old friends in French sure brought it out relatively quickly. Just proves that going to a "French coversation" class never can be the same as "the real thing". You need an emotional and "expressive" French person on the other side of the conversation. It is like jumpstarting a car with a fresh battery!

Isabelle and Xavier, sure is time for me to cross the Atlantic again, and thank you for being there all these years!

Cleaning up the deZk...

2008-01-06T20:30:00.000-08:00

Spent the past days cleaning up the desk, filing away papers, paying bills, and generally getting the office closer to being just that, an office. Sometimes I wonder I how I managed to keep it in order when I was traveling all the time (but I did).

By the way, swung by the Swedish Cultural Center for the first Pancake Breakfast of 2008. Always yummy!
After that took the dogs for a walk through Pike Place Market and downtown. Phoebe just loves to venture where there's tons of (friendly) people. As it is January in Seattle, it started squalling after a while and we ventured back to the car and home to make a fire. I bet however that this was a great day on the slopes, but no point in heading up during the weekend, fighting the crowds when the week seem to be even better - and less crowded.

Less crowded, one of the better skiing days of late, was up in Alpental on Superbowl Sunday 2006. Empty slopes, sunny skies, and perfect snow. Can it be better? All football fans couched in front of their TVs, leaving the mountain for "us" to enjoy!

Great NeighborZ - 2

2007-12-29T23:52:00.000-08:00

A relaxing evening down (or up) in the "Flamingo Lounge" with some great cocktails, snacks, and some good jokes. Good thing with the Flamingo is that you can come as you are - as I did today.
I walked out of two days of cleaning out the attic (removing old fiberglass insulation) and straight into the Flamingo. And I wasn't thrown out. There was no bouncer, or a locked door. Just someone yelling from the inside "come on in".

Scott and Daryl; Thanks for a great and relaxing evening. Exactly what I needed after fighting the dust up there!

Great NeighborZ - 1

2007-12-28T23:47:00.000-08:00

A house is a place where one park one's "stuff". A home is a place where you live and (hopefully) also enjoy life (and park your stuff). Part of that "enjoying" is having great neighbors - as we do - in multiples.

Just came home from the traditional "Martinka Holiday Party", a longstanding tradition in this part of town. And, as every year, it was an enjoyable evening with friends, brew, and food. All of it great. Fun to see such an eclectic bunch of people in one place.

MiZZing it but finding it!

2007-12-24T23:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas (not really a religious holiday) is very important in Sweden. For Americans to really understand how important, one likely have to compare it with Thanksgiving, the big difference that Christmas in Sweden can (during good years) be a two week long holiday - filled with traditional ceremonies (nah, that sounds too serious but you get the idea), tons of food, drinks and desserts. It is a deep rooted celebration to Winter and all good it brings (as long as there's snow of course). The actual Christmas holiday (three days, December 24, 25, and 26) is normally spent over at relatives, but then many take off for the mountains (in Scandinavia, or the Alps), and this "season", Christmas is not rreally ending until January 6, providing for a long extended holiday that started on December 21.

Living far away from one's birthplace and where the rest of the (birth) family resides, sort of takes away some of those traditions, traditions that have been engraved through the hard work of parents and grandparents over the years. You sort of just miss out on them after a while. Missing them when the Christmas season arrives, but still not that badly.

Out of the woodwork pops Magnolia. Born in Portugal, she's spent some years in Sweden and now she's happily married to a Swede up here in the Pacific Northwest.

Even with only little Swedish time under her wings, Magnolia prepares THE BEST Swedish Christmas buffet this side of the Atlantic. Truly amazing (dare I say better than mama's?) for someone that was not born/raised there.
For the 2nd year we had the honor of being invited over to her and Mats' house to "feast", since there is no better description on what they manage to cook up.

Big Thank You guys for a wonderful Christmas eve, with EVERYTHING that could be expected - and more!

Traditional ChriZtmas Run

2007-12-22T23:54:00.000-08:00

Today was the day when we were going to meet up with wife's old fiancee (recently moved from Detroit to Portland), do some sight seeing and go for a bite to eat.

I had some X-mas errands to run in the morning, and also needed to take the dog for a walk. Met up with wife and Ken around two in the afternoon at the house (after they had had their first encounter in almost ten year to themselves), and we drove down to Brouwers in Fremont, a "Flemish Grand Café". It is a fairly recent addition to the neighborhood, maybe a bit too upscale for some (at least from a "regular Budweiser beer drinker's" standpoint), but this place rocks. Food is excellent, and the selection of beers is outstanding, of course with a heavy lean towards what comes of of the "low countries" (Netherland and Belgium) in Europe. Needless to say, there is neither Miller or Budweiser in sight - truly a good thing.

After a small feast and chat at Brouwers in the company of Susan, who's just returned back from New Jersey, we went out to Ballard and Olsen's Scandinavian Foods, a "must-go" destination this time of year.

With Ken and wife waiting outside with dog (treated with food from passers by and a nearby restaurant), I'm inside picking out the ham, pickled heering, the "sylta", some Norwegian smoked lamb sausage, and the traditional marsipan pigs. Unfortunately, Olsen's is out of Rödkål, so they place a courtesy call up to another Scandinavian outpost in Ballard, Scandinavian Specialties, where they still have plenty (Christmas is not Christmas without Rödkål on the table). We leave that store with a bit more than just Rödkål, but with filled bags, it is sure to be another great Christmas.
It is wonderful that even in this day's changing Ballard (condofication), there's still room for several Scandinavian outpost. And they are not really competitors, they complement each others.

For a regular grocery run, Ballard is far too far of a drive from Kirkland, but this time of year, it is just a given destination!

Christmas Zoo a la 2007 (no "elfing"...)

2007-12-18T18:03:00.000-08:00

OK, here's a sneak peak of the 2007 issue of the family Christmas Card. Some of you will get a paper version, some of you will have to settle for the electronic ones here. At least you'll get more of them to enjoy...

Needless to say, putting all these guys in the same frame is not easy. First you have to convince the wife that the "photo thing" is worth while doing, then after a while she thinks it is a great idea and starts to decorate (everything of course outside the frame and not visible), then some hair and make up, and at last one has to chase the animals.

Willow (grey cat) literally hates Louie (big black cat and newest member of family) and just getting those two together in the same room is a chore. White Kiddie is unfortunately slowly dying of old age, and is standing on very shaky legs on the back rest. Add to that that the dogs do not like to have cats "behind" where they (cats) cannot be fully monitored, and you have a "zoo". Still, it came out "OK", with me running over to the camera for every shot...

Merry Christmas everyone!

Ho, Ho, Ho
Beth, Per-Ola, and the "zoo"

(all photos clickable for larger version)

Not many updates reZently, but keeping busy..

2007-12-17T22:28:00.000-08:00

There's not been much movement on this blog recently, but I'm busy running electrical wires, CAT5, coax, and the completion of insulating the new addition.

In parallel also working up on the new "third" floor preparing so that can be insulated properly (most bang for the buck and the biggest indoor comfort factor improvement). Not really fun work since it involves moving around dusty old fiberglass insulation mixed up with sawdust, dry leaves, dust from the roof construction, and the occasional old birds nest and yellow jacket nest.

For more boring details, head over to KirklandZoo is Building.

Big ChangeZ

2007-11-18T22:15:00.000-08:00

Well, for those big changes, head on over to "Kirklandzoo is Building".

More details to be found there, even though I'm way behind on updates to the web site due to actual "construction work". It all takes time...
And even though house might still look like a "construction site", I'm very, very happy with the outcome so far and the overall style/design change.

Dr. Hans Blix - a PeaZeMaker

2007-10-18T23:43:00.000-07:00

Dr. Hans Blix, the somewhat famous Swedish diplomat (and Bush' nemesis during the buildup to the Iraq war) arrived in Seattle today for a few days. Already signed up for the lecture at UoW long time ago, I also got invited to a great little private reception and buffet before his speach. Dragged the wife and dad since I thought they'd enjoy it as well (they did).

Over a glass of red, I got a few minutes with Dr. Blix, commending him on his work for "detent" and disarmament specifically and world peace in general. A really nice guy (well, he is actually 79, maybe gentleman would better suit him...) and I feel sad that I never sort of paid any attention to him until my time in Texas when he was the face of the IAEA and later head of the UN WMD inspections team in Iraq. He has had a very long career in both the Swedish Foreign Office, as well at UN "before" Iraq. But I guess that that's the way they work most efficiently, in the quiet, in the background, never getting any recognition until they sort of retire - and then it all comes at once, proven by a large number of standing ovations tonight.

Apart from a very interesting lecture, very fitting the culture and general approch of people here in the Pacific NorthWest (where neither support for Bush or any Iraq - or Iran - war is very strong), he also pulled of a few good jokes, and a some memorable phrases, most notable probably being:
"The United Nations is not there to take us to heaven, but to help us avoid going to hell." (Dag Hammarsköld)

So apart from a nice dinner buffet, a nice one-on-one chat with Dr. Hans Blix, a good lecture, most amazing was probably to see how increadibly well respected he is (a true Statesman) and how highly his work is regarded here in the U.S. He is likely more of an international "superstar" here, outside his native Sweden.
In any case, an evening when you're proud of being Swedish!

And, almost forgot. First fall storm hit just as we were leaving home. Camera in the car, I took this picture crossing the SR-520 bridge. You could actually feel the shaking when up at the East highrise. Down on the pontoons, it was pretty smooth, but it looks sort of weird. Such a contrast between the south (angry) and north side (calm and relaxed). No windsurfers out today, though they normally have a field day during these few storm events.

Some people are MooronZ - at moorings

2007-10-16T23:19:00.000-07:00

Kirkland has a great little marina downtown. It is always packed in the summer, many times by moorons with more money than brains, and their boats sort of show it. But, with big boats come babes, and with babes also boobs. So, I'd guess it is not all bad...

New rules were implemented this year, so in the off-season, you can actually moor your boat there for longer periods than the usual "no more than 5 days in any 7 day period". Since moorage in Lake Washington is both expensive and hard to come by, people tend to jump at "deals", dropping of the boats that they maybe never should have bought otherwise.

The drawback with the marina is that is exposed, EXPOSED! Westerly or southwesterly winds have free range across the lake. The docks are also of a bit weird design with cleats in not the smartest positions, and some pilings are "flexible". Hence, this is not the best place for when the winds kick up.

Forecast calls for stronger winds today with at least a storm arriving both Thursday and Friday. So wind is expected.
Dad and I took the dog for a walk this afternoon. We neded up at the marina. What I saw was sort of appauling:
A couple of perfectly nice boats, tied up so poorly that the boats are likely not going to make it in the little wind we have this afternoon. One boat was already cracked open, and with one stern cleat precariously positioned, I'd say that this boat will be grounded in the next few hours. Too bad, because this was a neat 22' cuddy cabin just a few hours ago, and it would have been fine with the bow into the wind tied up in the empty spot next door... Not even with a need for any crappy fender.
The other boat was a 42', a nice one, but tied up by someone that really has no idea of the forces wind and wave can exert on a hull and the dock. Apart from already having pnctured a few fenders, it was also starting pulling the dock apart.
Yet another small bow-runner was hitting the dock from UNDENEATH at every wave. What a beating, and it has not even started blowing yet...

The best moored boat today, was a small 18" that was tied up in all four corners and with enough slack in the lines so it could move freely, w/o tugging at the cleats and eventually pulling them out of the deck.

So, at moorings, people are moorons!

Dad iZ arriving

2007-10-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

Dad arrived yesterday from Sweden. Good to see him again. Been since last time he was here in April of 2006. Time flies fast! Wife and I have been "working them" for long to get them (mom and dad) over here again, but mom just HAD to stay home for birthdays and other committments. She hints that she'll be coming in the spring, but I know the story. At that time all the "worry" is about the plants and the garden "back home". so we'll see. They should travel now when they can, and we have familiy in Hawaii just waiting to see them.

But, since mom "bailed out", this was dad's first "solo" air-line trip ever. Not being very proficient in English, and not used to international air travel, one can sort of get lost along the way. just gate numbers can be confusing if you do not understand the instructions you are given.

Due to late booking, and SAS having horribly high prices with such short notice, my brother helped him book the trip. Ended up being on LuftHansa/AirCanada with a layover in both Frankfurt and Vancouver.

But, he made it! Some confusion in Vancouver, but he had a couple of hours and eventually got directed properly and seated on the plane for the short jump across the border and down to Seattle. Of course his bags did not make the last flight, but they were delivered to the house around 1.30 AM this morning. Good, because there were the usual "treasures" (Swedish Coffee, Cloudberry and lingonberry jams, Kalle's Kaviar, Vasterbottens Ost, etc). Nothing confiscated this time so all is well!

After getting a good night sleep her i nthe guest room (or should we call it the family room after all?), he is pretty well rested and not as pooped as a long transatlantic trip with little or no sleep can result in. Especially for a 76-year old.

Annexation WoeZ

2007-10-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

I've never met Rob Butcher, but he is engaged and has done a good job in raising his voice in opposition to the potential annexation of more land into the City of Kirkland.
Check out his web "Save Kirkland - Stop Annexation".

Personally, I'm still undecided on this issue but likely leaning towards a no as well, although I and others (apart from the City Council) cannot vote on it.
We know where we have Kirkland today and we like most of what we see. However, with City Hall having to serve an additional 33,000 people, it is very likely that the small, friendly, and very caring staff at City Hall will no longer be the same. It will be more of a large administration, and no good will come out of that.

One of the things that really defines "Kirkland" today is that it is easy doing business, or having business, with people at the helm. Everyone (few expections of course) at City Hall is very service minded, have a good "feel" for their city, and knows the neighborhood. they are more "residents" than "public servants", even though I really don't know how many of them that are actually living inside the city of Kirkland.

Comment from CounZil member Sternoff

2007-09-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

Bob Sternoff is a pretty good and mostly reasonable guy, but reading a comment in today's Seattle Times sort of sets me back:
"You get to see big equipment and a house demolished, which you don't get to see every day," said Bob Sternoff, a Kirkland City Council member who viewed the demolition. "It kind of builds a sense of community."

Bob, that's EXACTLY what's wrong about Kirkland today. We see TOO MANY "big equipment" tearing down houses in our neighborhoods. A lot of the new construction is out of touch with the "look and feel" of Kirkland, sacrificing our green areas and trees in the process.

Been debated before, but we need more stringent rules as for when a house can be demolished and not. Many of the houses torn down are prime candidates for remodel, but it is easier/cheaper to just tear down.

That said, in the case surrounding this house, a tear down was in order, and the resident will be getting a brand-new home for FREE - thanks to "Extreme MakeOver - Home Edition".

Roads and TranZit Package

2007-09-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, suddenly, just a few weeks ahead of the election, things that have been quiet starts to heat up. Not too late I hope.

On the November Ballot is a gigantic measure that is referred to as the "Roads and Transit Package", RTP. Depending on who you ask, it is either a $18 Billion package, a $28 Billion package, a $57 Billion package, or a $157 Billion package. In any case, even the lowest number is $18,000,000,000 (yes, nine zeroes). A lot of money.

The legislature owes the public a fair and true estimate, and clearly explain how the ballot numbers are derived. A "what, when, how, and how much" before people can make a fair and educated decision and cross off either "yes" or "no" on the ballot.

I'm all for light rail, lots of it, but not at the enormous cost, and the huge time for construction. Elsewhere (Europe, Asia) projects of this type are built FASTER and for MUCH LESS money. Why not here? Personally, I believe it is due to poor management and lack of skilled workers! The long project times has an awkward effect on the over all cost and drives financing costs why past the actual construction costs. Sort of backwards, isn't it?

Totally neglecting to utilize the existing BNSF corridor on the Eastside is further proof that who ever came up with the "package", does not understand, or care, for the cost imposed on the tax payers. We could have functioning rail service in a 40+ mile corridor, serving major Eastside downtown communities, for what it would cost to build just a few miles of light rail. And, it could be done in a few years, not a few decades. Read more on Eastside Rail Now's web page.

Finally, a "Roads and Transit Package" that fails to FULLY FUND the SR520 bridge as well as the Alaskan Way "tunnel" is foolish and short sighted. We need both, and we need them today, not 25 years out.

A number of good articles/opinions surfaced this week:
Ron Sims opposing RTP
King 5 presentation
Seattle Times - Why Sims turned against "Roads & Transit"

A few good sites to read more and form opinions:
"NO Movement"
"Yes Movement"

Computer IZZues Solved... - HyperThreading

2007-09-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

In early summer I did a complete re-install of Windows on my "main" computer. I had started to get issues with external hard drives and recognition of USB devices in general. After a couple of years, the registry just holds on to too much information, much of it no longer relevant.

But, even though the re-install eventually went smooth, or relatively so, I have never been happy with the performance afterwards. Machine is has just been too slow, and certainly much more sluggish than before the "procedure" - and that was certainly not the objective!

I had sort of accepted it, but today I took some time to look in the Dell Support Forums and since I did not find anything relevant to my issue, I decided post a question. Low and behold, a "Peter" answered within a couple of minutes and asked what processor I had and if HyperThreading was on. Of course it was, it's always been on, but since I needed to double-verify the processor, I went into the BIOS to make sure that the info corresponded to what I had noted down fro mthe CPU casing (after I physically had it removed during cleaning). Sure enough, the info was correct and there was still a field that said "HyperThreading = Yes", followed by "These fields are for information only and can not be changed".

So, HyperThreading was there and on, but since it was a few month I dug through the BIOS, I decided to look through it again. For the upmteen time...

Low and behold: Under "Performance" there was a manual setting for "HyperThreading" and it was set to off. How could I have missed this one?

Turned it on, rebooted, Windows installed the additional software, rebooted again, and WHAT A DIFFERENCE! No longer is CPU tied up to 100% for menial tasks such as retrieving e-mail from a mail server, ripping a CD into mp3s, or simply scrolling through a long web page.

Who knew that little "feature" could make such a difference? I am happy again and not blaiming Dell for substandard hardware (even though they are using a weird combination of chipset SW sometime).

Lesson learned: When you checked everything umpteen times, check again...

DeZign Change

2007-09-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

After discussions over the weekend, we did put up the following plan for early Monday morning:
- Get Contractor's input
- Talk to the City
And if both parties OK, proceed to architect and ask him for opinion and when he can have drawings modified.

Since everyone was very accommodating, we had an addtional chat at home and in late afternoon gave the "go ahead" to the architect.

Not bad going from a semi-meltdown on late Friday afternoon, to a revised (and possible better) design three days later.

But once again, there's is never "too many times" when it comes to reviewing drawings.

For more on this story, click here.

Sunday and SunZhine!

2007-09-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days when Seattle is just unbeatable. It has to be enjoyed and can hardly be described, but I'll list a few items here below just to give an idea.

Wife and I went biking around the lake to the Pancake Breakfast at Swedish Cultural Center (SCC). A good 20 miles there in just perfect conditions. After loading up on pancakes and "accroutements" we passed through downtown, over Capitol hill, stopped at Karen's and Kent's and then back over the I-90 bridge and up along the Eastside. A total tour of just over 40 miles.

- Perfect weather, bone dry northerly light breeze.
- Temperature in the 80ies, but a fresh cold morning
- Not a cloud, deep blue skies
- Cute chicks out biking and walking the dogs (one is still allowed to look...)
- Lake Washington filled with sailboats and a few power boats
- Tons of boats on Lake Union and the ship canal, just out browsing
- Town is "alive" and has a good vibe in the basking sun
- Cafes and coffeeshops lined with people enjoying the weather
- Mt Rainer very majestic and statuesque to the south
- A snow capped Mt Baker in the far distance to the north
- A rare Mt Stuart to the east
- Olympic Mountains as a nice "prop" for an even better sunset

A very enjoyable bike ride, some 40 miles all together.

Can never review too many timeZ

2007-09-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

Wife and I have reveiwed drawings for remodel for well over 18 months. A number of sessions at the architect's office, as well as evenings at home.

But today after excavator had been here and loaded up on concrete and taken off to dump it, she asks "why are we digging that deep?"

Anser is given, "There's where the entrance is supposed to be, at slab level".

"No, it'll look stupid, no one wants to walk into a basement!" And so on...

So, despite having gone over this umpteen times, the three dimensional "feel" was not there and wife really had no idea of the "ingress" part. She still envisoned the entrance to be at the platform level (split-level) as today, just puled out a bit further.

My stomach almost fell to the floor, and sort of quit and went inside to take a shower and prepare for the Crawfish party later tonight. No more of this right now.

I guess we'll have some heavy reviewing to do tomorrow since there is NO perfect design, they all have compromises. I just thought we really had worked them through. Excavator and General Contractor will be here early Monday morning and they need guidance.

Maybe it is time to go back to military days; you explained, you asked if there were any questions, and then you asked the soldiers to repeat what you just had explained. Just to be sure the information actually had been properly received...

In any case, I'm now heading to the Crawfish party...

Girl iZ named Emma!

2007-09-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

Have not yet talked to my brother (time difference and he is understandably busy, working as well as commuting to the hospital) but have updates from other family members.

Mama and "Emma" are doing fine but still at the hospital due to some blood loss during the delivery and also that Emma has not been gaining weight as "planned".

Latest I heard tonight (from a proud maternal grandmother baby sitting the boys) is that they are all coming home tomorrow, a day later than planned.

BTW, due to Sweden's excellent healthcare system, you cannot have a delivery of a baby at the fairly large hospital in Alingås. That "function" has for the county been centralized to the very boring (but larger) town of Borås, about 25 miles away. Go figure...

Dinner and FriendZ

2007-09-05T23:57:00.000-07:00

Got mail last week from an old customer and (still) good friend. Have not seen him in over two years, but he was to pass Seattle on his way to Olympia for a meeting with the Public Utilities Commission.

Given the opportunity we met up tonight for a meal and few drinks. Always good to meet up with old friends after some time has passed. Lot of stuff to tell. In his case, he's recently gotten married and just looked happy. Life is good!

Just have to post this great wedding photo he sent me...

New addiZion to the family

2007-09-03T21:14:00.001-07:00

Got a brief e-mail from my brother. He just got a GIRL! Wow, a girl! I know they were hoping for one (after two boys) but did not know "what to expect".

In any case, here's a picture of the new arrival (51 cm och 2,380 grams, or about 20 inches and 5.2 lbs). Will talk to him first thing tomorrow morning to get the full scope.

ConZtruction Blog

2007-08-29T23:20:00.000-07:00

Opened up a construction blog (KirklandZoo is Building) for those who like to follow our remodel in more (boring) detail.
Address is simple: http://constructionzoo.blogspot.com

(can also find it in the links below to the right)

Another great example of Customer Zervice!

2007-08-24T18:18:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago, I dented my propeller badly while manouvering very gently down in the bay. BIG BUMMER!

Before heading up to the wedding in Winthrop, I sent an e-mail to the PropShop up in Mukilteo (where I incidentally bought my now broken propeller just two years ago) to inquire as to weather they had any rebuilds, used ones, or just a new propeller of the right size. Just wasn't that eager to shell out $$$ for a propeller - again!

Rick Sandstrom e-mailed me back a few days later, telling me that they had my size, on the shelf, ready for pick up, but no used ones in that size.

Given that I had some time today, I packed the dog in the car and moosied us all the way up to Mukilteo. Ended up in the Friday rush hour but still made it there in about 30 minutes. Could have been much worse...

First good news is that Rick determined he could easily repair my damaged propeller.
Second good news was that the propeller I needed was waiting for me, just to be picked up.

Before doing that, I asked him if I should go up in pitch (from my current 14x19 RH to a 14x21 RH) for my new propeller. I could then have one with a little bit more of torque (14x19), and one that would allow for a little bit better fuel economy and also higher speed (14x21). Of course he did not have that one in, so we decided to order one from Volvo. While filling out the papers, his colleague Rod emerges from the shop with an "almost" new propller with the exact dimensions we were looking for.

So, for less than the price of a brand new propeller, I am getting my old one (14x19) repaired, and an "almost" new one (14x21) as a second set up. Sweet package deal, and it should also push the top speed closer to 50 knots, while still - and much more important - allowing for better fuel economy while just "puttering around" the lake and the Sound.

I could have saved a few bucks and ordered a propeller on-line, but these guys are skilled local craftsmen and should be supported! On top of that, today they not only delivered great customer service, but also a great deal!

Rhododendron haZ gone to Woodinville...

2007-08-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

As part of our remodel, the large rhododendron in front of our front steps had to go. It is a large beautiful piece, with abundant red/rose colored flowers. But, it is also in the way and simply too large to be relocated to an unknown spot in our yard.

So, I did what anyone would do these days; I did put out an ad on Craiglist for a "free Rhododendron, just have to dig it up and haul it away". Due to its size, I really did not expect any takers, but to my big surprise, after less than 30 minutes, I had a few replies. Eventually settled on "Doug and Linda" from Woodinville, since they seemed less to be "no shows" (all too common on Craigslist ads). They came around last Thursday and looked at it, decided they wanted it and also had a perfect spot on their 4 acres in Woodinville. The rhodi will be getting a new home!

We decided for Doug to come around on Wednesday morning (yestersday) to dig it out. Well, he really did not show up in the morning, but when he did, we got hard at work. After a few hours, we had most of the root system exposed and cut off. We also did find the old concrete septic tank. Sort of a surprise, but I should have guessed it to be there somewhere, since the house was on a septic system up until in the late 80ies.

Today was followed by more digging, then a couple of attempts to "de-locate" the rhodi by trying to pull it and its rootball out on the driveway. Did not succeed until we went for the heavy machinery; chain and full ton truck. The rhodi was finally loose and now a "movable object".

Over the next three hours, Doug and I fought with the "beast" on the drive way. It was hard enough to get it to where we wanted it, the big plant constantly tipping over or plain just not moving at all. It was even harder to get this monster up the ramps onto the truck bed. But little by little, about 1/2 inch at a time, we finally managed to get it all the way up and secure it on the truck.

It was quite a sight to see Doug pull away with this "monster" on top of his already big truck. According to Linda who called later in the evening to say "all OK", they got constant cheers and thumbs-up driving home.

At the end of the day, the rhodi got a new home, Doug and Linda were happy for their new garden "decoration", we got the construction area cleared out, and maybe most importantly, we did not have to kill a perfectly healthy plant!

Lesson learned; If you're ever in the need to get rid of something that can be useful to others, put it out on Craiglist. It might make someone happy!

BTW, here's a good link for anyone interested in transplanting rhododendrons, or their general care.

Camping with dogZ

2007-08-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

After wedding, we spent one night up along XXX river, camping with the dogs. Of course this was not the typical bone dry weather one normally see up around Winthrop in the summer, but rather a sprinkly weekend - leading to wet and dirty dogs.
All that said, it all worked just fine. The guys kept their guard up and protected the camp from those pesky tree hopping animals (squirrels) that were trying to attack us all the time. If they just could leave the yellowjackets alone though...

Got to use an old Coleman lantern I picked up at a thrift store during our "scavanger hunt". With a little bit of cleaning and a new wick, it even ran with the fuel that was left in it. A beacon in the dark night! Strange though since during camping in Scandinavia, you rarely ever need any (additional) light - all thanks to the very bright summer nights (even in late August).

Inside the tent, most of the complaints actually came from the wife who either was too cold (initially) or (later) too hot. Add to that the claim that the matress did not provide enough comfort. But the headlamp worked great!

I woke up a few times listening to the rain and searching after wet puddles inside. But, there were none. Even this crappy, poorly designed, poorly manufactured tent managed to keep us dry. I am so much looking forward to buying a true "Scandinavian designed" tent where the rainfly is an integral part of the tent, and not just a piece of nylon cloth one tosses over to keep the rain out.

After packing up, but before getting back into the the car for a slwo drive towards Seattle, we had to take Herbie up to a campground and rinse him off. He was so dirty he simply was not allowed in the car. For a small dog, he can collect an amazing amount of sand in his fur (sorry, hair), and it always manage to end up in the wrong spots. But, we found a little stretch of pavement where he could dry off walking back to the car. All good!

Back home, they slept and slept, and slept. Don't think I've seen such a bunch of tired dogs in a long time. and this even after (in their eyes) a rather boring drive home. But I got to check out the power plant along Highway 20 and also the "cities" of Newhalem and Diablo. They are so tidy, looking almost like old officers' quarters from an army installation somewhere, but I guess that the power companies in the early 20th century where run much like the armies of those days.

Wedding + Winthrop = AmaZing!

2007-08-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

Last year we got an invite to "Karen and Kent's Wedding" (yes they were out early, so early that I initially thought the wedding to be in August of 2006).

Have to go far back here. I initially met Karen on a ski lift in Alta, February 1995. Later that night I sort of caused Annie from Hartford, CT, (met her by the ski lockers earlier that day an mentally forced her to go skiing even though she was tired) to break her nose after a way too long session in the pool, hot tub, sauna (in that order, combined with beer). Karen was at the Alta Peruvian Lodge together with her dad and brother. As it happens, Karen's dad is a doctor and he "corrected" Annie's broken nose that were same night. Karen and Annie were also, unbeknownst to each other, sharing one of the fabulous "dorms" at the Alta Peruvian Lodge.

Karen and I have been friends ever since, and when I lived in Texas and frequently visited Seattle, I could always count on having access to a bunk in the in the "basement suite" at the house she shared with a bunch of fun room mates in Wallingford. It was more fun than Hilton or Sheraton. It was also here that I really learnt the "room mate" concept. Something that is just very rare in native Sweden.
Karen also took the time to really show me the best of the Pacific NorthWest, something that I'm endlessly thankful for and hence, as you know, this is now my home!

Over the years I managed to keep up the contact and visit with Annie (remember, broken nose...) a number of times. Annie eventually got married to this crazy Brit (Chris), a "fake" guide she met on a trip to the French alps. They were both, with wonderful daughter Sarah, visiting us in Seattle last summer. And Annie met Karen again for the "first" time since that accident prone Saturday, some 12 years ago. As an added surprise, Karen's dad was also present! Ready to take care of any more noses.

From the very first time I met Karen I was amazed by her work. Immensely talented and the stuff that would come out of her hands was not only "artsy" but also fun. She eventually broke out of the corporate mold, dared to jump into business for herself and opened an art studio.

When I got married in 2000, there was no debate who I wanted to have as "my" witness. Karen was my first really close friend in Seattle, so she was a given!

So, it was therefore with great joy we looked forward to the "Karen and Kent Wedding" this weekend in Winthrop. Karen had finally met someone that could keep up with her and be her true "mate" (to steal a quote from one of her room mates)!

Winthrop is about a 4-5 hour drive from Seattle. Boring slog up I-5 (traffic jam) but when you start following the Skagit River it turns pretty and the crossing of the Cascades in many ways reminds me of stretches of Norway. Arriving on the other side, you are normally greeted by eternal sunshine and dry weather. Not so this weekend. It was unseasonably cold (about 75F insted of the more normal 95F) and therefore perfect for the pooches and outdoor activities.

We arrived at the Virginian and it took a while before they could find my reservation. But, once all that was done, we settled in a cosy cabin styled room with solid log walls. Best of it all, they charged less than indicated in my reservation and as far as I know, only charged a small flat fee for the dogs.

Before us in the check-in line was two girls and a guy on Harleys. Noted that one of them was not a "real" biker chick, but out here visiting her friends. She rode with the fat guy. It did not take long to figure out that they all got the room above us. There was a lot of "riding" going on all night and likely also some "girl-on-girl" action... Kept me awake in any case. Beth slept through it all, ears plugged up.

Saturday morning started with breakfast at one of the many coffeestands in Winthrop. They all have it in common that there are yellowjackets EVERYWHERE, and with a dog that likes to chase/eat them, we stocked up on some Benadryl, hoping not to have to use it.

The wedding "procedures" started with a fun scavanger hunt through the town of Winthrop. But the "K-9 Assessors" probably did not do all that well, despite a hard effort. We got at least a chance to see a lot of this fun little town during hours of walking, including even given the dogs a few chances to swim in the river.

Wedding was typical Karen "affair", i.e. not like anything else! It was a wonderful outdoor wedding with guest from all over. There was even a shaman from Russia (city of Khabarovsk) with some "holy" tea, in which the couple literally tied their knots.

The "theme" for the day was silly hats, and there were some amazing creations among the guests, too many to be shown here.

Karen is not the one who you'd normally see in a dress, but she had on a beautiful wedding gown, dressed at the bottom by a pair of orange Keen sports sandals. Very fitting, very Karen! Kent was a tad more "classic" in his tie-less black suit. They looked simply very, very, happy during this great outdoor ceremony, followed by a great dinner/dance event at the "Winthrop Barn".

Apart from the amazingly vimsical wedding cake (photo), a cool thing was that Karen's dad had bought brandy when they lived in Spain, some 40 years ago. That brandy was already then 80 years old and hence now 120 years. Yum...

Take a peak at the following photos, and hopefully you'll get a good feel of a great weekend in Winthrop!

NorthweZt Economy in the Tank?

2007-08-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

Seattle Times in their Sunday's edition yesterday had the "monthly" housing statistics from the NW Multiple Listing Services. In our small area, the median price for the sales that closed in July had gone up 40.4%, compared to July of last year - over FORTY precent. In real numbers this mean that the median sales price this July was $824,900, compared to "only" $587,475 last year.

OK, the "population" size is small, there was 83 closed sales this July compared to 64 July last year, an increase of just under 30%, nowhere close to anything to draw conclusions for the larger market in general, but it is still an indication that this remains an attractive area, and people are willing to pay top $$$ to live here. 98033 is becoming the new "90210" and as per one definition, I guess we are a "real-estate oasis".

My take is that there is a larger number of larger "Kirkland Boxes" that have been sold this year. This is newer/brand new homes, with their floor area maximized - literally - to the utter limits of what is allowed on a certain lot. Most of these houses are large, with minimal yards and setbacks. I guess people like it that way and pay for the sheer interior space. But are they pretty? Far from!

There is somewhat of a housing slump in large portions of the nation. I have steadfast told everyone over the past years that we (Pacific NorthWest) have been "smarter" in that we have not seen any dramatic price increaes, but instead a slow and steady pace over a longer time. I guess I have to eat my own words this time. Just hope that the crazy increase does not lead to a similar sudden drop. Well, August data will be out in a month. Let's see what comes out then.

BTW, when I say "slow and steady pace", I just noted that the sheer tax assessment of our house has doubled since 2002. Yikes, also means that the tax bill has more than doubled...

For a better view over all of King County, check out the following post. Not as rosy, but far better than the nation as a whole.

HelliZh Run and a night at the MovieZ

2007-08-11T23:55:00.000-07:00

Due to boat issues, we had to bail on the Steamboat Festival at the Center for Wooden Boats. That sort of sucks, but a rock is a rock is a rock, and with no marine shops carrying Volvo propellers, well, boat remained home. So did the family. Wife sleeping, me taking care of the backyard.

Until I mentioned that I'd take Phoebe for a walk. That eventually resulted in a small argument and getting dragged in (or out) for another 14 mile run. I was up for a different route, preferably with some "scenery", but wife was dead set on "no hills" (what does she think, this is the Pacific NorthWest with ONLY hills).

So, ended up taking the same (boring) route as Sunday. Sammamish River Trail. did not feel good but I was at least "fluid". Could have gone a bit faster - thanks to great music in my ears, a first! Wife was behind, but did keep up OK.

Home again it turned out we were about 15 minuters faster than last weekend, but wife complained and told me she "hated every minute" of the run. My comments were of course "I did not pick it" and "why did we not turn around?".

After a quick shower, a bite to eat, we put the camping chairs in the car and went down to Carillon Point for an outdoor showing of "Casino Royal", the latest bond movie (part of the outdoor summer movies, organized by HopeLink). We hit the parking just in time, and got pretty good spot for our chairs.

Sitting outside on a slightly chilly summer night, with a good flick and a comfy chair, well it does not really get better. The legs needed som rest and we both enjoyed the movie before going back home and hitting the sack.

PropellerZ and RockZ = Bad Thing...

2007-08-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

Well, while VERY SLOWLY looking for a spot to drop anchor last night, I went a tad too far into the bay (sandy/muddy bottom) and therefore dediced to back out a boat lenght or so.
Put the engine in reverse, and on idle start to go back - to suddenly hear "something" and the engine quickly stalling. Darn, a rock! And not only "a" rcok, the ONLY rock in that entire part of the bay.
One blade sheared off, about 1 inch or so, the other baldes essentially untouched.

I guess the lesson's learned. Even when in familiar waters, there's always unknown "stuff" lurking underneath.

Oh well, the joy of boating...

DirectBuy - A Zcam!!! (or DirectRipOff)

2007-08-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

For months we've been "tormented" by calls and mailings from this "outfit" called "DirectBuy" (you might have heard of them, their ads and infomercials are everywhere), so last week we finally decided to drive up to Bothell, just to shut them up (and also to sort of silence our own curiosity).

Being rabidly suspicious of ANYTHING that smells like timeshares, or when a large sum is asked to be paid "upfront", w/o really seeing what it is you get, DirectBuy for sure did not disappoint us!

This is a "buyer's club", with massive (that is a major understatement...) savings compared to buying "retail". In order to "benefit, you of course have to be lured in to becoming a "member". They do this with a pretty sleek presentation and repeatedly trying to get you to understand how much (or rather how bad) retailers are and how much they "dare" to mark up their prices - and there is nothing you can do about it - apart from joining DirectBuy. Hmm, what is wrong with this picture? Never heard of a free market with competition and freedom to shop where you so choose (normally where you deem to get the best combination of low price, product quality/features, good service, etc)?

BTW, the "sleek" presentation (a video interrupted twice by an entrance of the "membership director") is hosted by a "Leisa Hart". Not to judge other people's looks, but there is something really sinister in the way she uses her mouth. Both the facial expressions as well as the actual words used (scripted of course). Nothing that would help to get a better perspective of DirectBuy in any case.
But, enough of personal attacks.

DirectBuy promises you "savings" (up to 60% or more) but NEVER shows you the prices you will pay - not until you shell out (in our case) $5,350 for a three-year "membership" with possible annual renewal of $200 for up to seven additional years after that. All for a sweet total of $6,750. A big chunk of change to drop into someone's franchise.
For this is what it is. This is a franchise, and you do business with the "local" owner. If he/she goes out of business, you might have hours (of driving) to the next "showroom" (overstatement, the facility is more like a place with tons of bookshelves filled with binders) where you can "shop". And, since you'll never realize any savings unless you "shop" there, your initial investment now starts to sound a bit steep and unsecure.

As a franchisee, it is supposedly a good business, at least as long as you manage to sign up new members. New members pay for the old ones and pay for the neverending "expansion" (this since there is no "profit"(?) on any of the merchandise).

In any case, we were pretty dead set on not signing up, and we left (happily) not having done anything stupid!. The only good thing I can say about these guys, is that at this location (Bothell, WA), they actually did not use any of the "strong arm" sales tactics far too common at similiar outfits. Sales tacticts that are used to essentially pressure undeciding or "negative" customers by sending in "managers"(?) with ever more "impressive" titles.

RelativeZ in town

2007-08-04T23:56:00.000-07:00

Phone rang this morning. No idea who it was, but turned to be Michelle, wife's cousin. She now happens to live only about three hours away (just south of Portland), with her hubby Dennis. Wow!

Wanted to go out for dinner, but since the weather was nice, we tricked them to come East for a BBQ and some wine. A late arrival resulted in a late dinner, but we had a heck of a time.

Dennis and Michelle, great to meet you both, and we are already looking forward to next time!

RunnerZ

2007-08-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

Wife shook me about 7.30 AM, claiming that I had been given an extra hour to sleep.
After some slow moving, out of bed and so on, I was finally in the basement putting on my running shoes (wife, they are still too big).

Left the house sometime areond 8.00 AM and heading over the hills towards Sammamish River Trail. Plan was to do 14 miles in the morning hours. I actually felt pretty good/great, even considering I have not put in that long distance since the half-marathons of last summer.

I guess I should not be surprised, but I'm rarely up and out this early on a weekend, so it was pleasant to see so many bikers/runners/walkers along the Sammamish River Trail. It does get some good use - and not only people heading to the brewery.

A bit over two-houers later we "sailed" in through the front door. I had no problems continuing, but it is a bit boring running these distances out on the streets. Trails in the mountains might be more physically challenging, but it is easier on the psyche. The natural beauty just sort of keeps you going, and going, and going...

Nice run, but I still think wife was a bit mad at me since I could do it w/o any "real" effort. :-)

AlaZkan Way Viaduct

2007-08-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

I wrote this on a King5 blog, but sort of got to like it, so I'll post it here as well:

-------------------------
The Alaskan Way Viaduct is overdue for a collapse. Tragic, yes, but it will happen. Act of nature or just lack of maintenance. Wait and see (SOP in the City of Seattle).

Let’s instead take it down, planned and organized, open up the BEST ASSET this city has - its water front - and put the traffic underground!

The voters turned that down - at the price tag provided. I doubt there are many that would say "no" to a tunnel if it was priced reasonably.

About a year ago, a new waterfront tunnel opened up in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is just about the same length as a tunnel in Seattle, same capacity, and same purpose; Get through-traffic away from downtown and the waterfront!

The difference however is that that tunnel was built for less than 10% of what WSDOT and other "experts" have indicated a tunnel would cost in Seattle (~$500M versus ~$5,000M).

There is something very wrong here. Sweden is a high cost country. Public building projects are pricey and take long time. BUT, they are of good quality, they do last. What reasons/factors here in Seattle would justify that a similar project would be 10 TIMES more expensive?

WSDOT, City of Seattle; You CAN do this - “on the cheap”, w/o sacrificing anything in along the way! Just make sure you hire the right people, the right contractors, people with experience and make sure that there is not a lot of "padding" of pockets along the way.

This city deserves an open waterfront, its people deserves a safe transit and transportation system.

With the money saved, we can put trains on the Eastside and ease up the always jam-packed I-405. Maybe there would even be money left for SR-520?

But no, now were are going to spend billions in sending light rail across the lake, on a bridge that was not designed for it, and even if the transit package is approved in November, we will not see the benefits until maybe sometime around the year 2020, or later. At least 15 years out!

Take another look at the transit package. Make sure we have money for maintenance (=avoid a Minneapolis disaster), and spend the rest wisely, instead of just building more, and more, and more, and more....
-------------------------

Customer Zervice Praise!‎

2007-08-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

A small article/letter in the Seattle Times triggered me to comment on "good" cusomer service:

Last weekend we were in Portland. Had turned of all the computers at home, but forgot to switch off the surge arrestor/power strip for my wife'scomputer. Home on Sunday night, her PC would not start. It was (stone) dead. The oven in the kitchen indicated "PF" (Power Failure), sort of strange in the middle of the summer, no thunderstorms, no foul weather. Good friends and neighbors told us that power had been out for about two hours on Saturday.

So on Tuesday I took wife's PC apart to test the power supply. Dead! Late Wednesday I remembered that APC (the surge arrestor manufacturer) has an "Equipment Protection Policy". I went to their web site and and tried to look it up. Took a little while but found it. Called them, too late, after office hours. My little device (purchased for $30 in 2002) carries a $75,000 "Equipment Protection Policy".

Yesterday I called them again. After getting the run-around via an IAVRS (inter-active voice response system), I got to a live person (Janelle Blacklock). She had some problems hearing/understanding, but after about 10 minutes on the phone, we were all said and done. I had a case number, and about 30 minutes later, also had an e-mail with additional information. I was sort of happy.

But, my jaw dropped today, less than 24 hours after my call, FedEx delivered a new replacement device from APC. Talk about service!

OK, the problem was/is not the APC part (it is still working), but the way their warranty works is that I will have to send "my" (old) APC device to them. Their tech lab will investigate and see if it (surge arrestor) has been exposed to any "power surges" (you can see that in the actual silicon "arrestor"). If they find evidence of that, they will assume the responsibility and repair my wife's PC.
Likely a fat chance that will happen, but I am still VERY impressed with their customer service.

Even though a new PSU for her PC (assuming that is the only thing that is wrong) can be had from Dell for just around $40, I sort of decided to give their "process" a try. Now I do not regret it!

GrrringoZ in Portland...

2007-07-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a great weekend!
On a "wim" wife and I sort of decided to go to Portland and visit Helen and Chris. Since this was a weekend that really fit them well (kids "distributed" to various venues so house was sort of open), it was a quick decision.

It is all sort of fun. I've "known" Helen since sometime 1999, but never met her until she and husband Chris made it up to Seattle over Easter. We had far too little time together, so it was sort of agreed upon that we sometime should moosey on down to Portland and take care of the dinner we owed them.

Getting out of Seattle this Friday afternoon took some time, with I-5 southbound more or less congested all the way down to Chehalis. There the backsups suddenly evaporated. Sort of weird. No exits, no "less" amount of vehicles, but the "stall" just disappears. Someone better have done extensive studies on this.

In any case, we got to Portland a tad late, like around 10.30 PM. Helen and wife had planned on doing a short run (14+ miles) early on Saturday morning, so upon arrival, we had a beer, did the house tour, and chatted for some time. Wife went to bed, a bit later Chris got bored with "all the Swedes", and I sort ended keeping Helen up until at least 2.30 AM (not planned in order to give the family some running advantage, we just had a great chat into the "little hours").

Come Saturday morning, wife shakes me and asks if I'm joining them (the girls). I had planned for it, brought all the needed stuff, also knowing that Chris would pick "us" up as needed along the trail. But, after a few short moments of intense brain activity it was quickly decided that with less than 3 hours of sleep, the pillow felt much better!

Shortly thereafter, well sort of more than an hour later, someone bangs on the door and ask "are YOU coming?". It was Chris. It was now 7.30 and time to drive in to the "coffee shop" rendez-vous point (aka "end of trail") to collect the female members of the families.

A coffee shop that also allows dogs to be brought inside can only be described in one word: GREAT! Having excellent cinnamon rolls is just another excuse for being firmly planted in the couch. We ended up sitting there, sipping our javas until suddenly four all too fit women gathered up outside (in Chris' case, a "java" is more like a "super gulp" though).

Check these photos. Can you believe that they have just run not only 14 miles, but also the LONGEST distance anyone of them have run in years, maybe even in a life time (one of them with a stress fracture in the heel).

Back to the house for some bagels and breakfast, shower and getting ready for the highlight of the day; The Oregon Brewers Festival!

Sort of like the Seattle festivals, but this one had a good attribute. Beer was much cheaper! During the afternoon, the sun is also slowly breaking through what can only be referred to as a "marine layer", even though the term is not known in Oregon.
The event is nicely situated in downtown Portland along the Willamette River.

After sampling of brews, a dog walk along the waterfront and seeing the sun finally showing its full force, it was time to break up and go for some more serious stuff: Food AND Beer!

McMenamins/Edgefield winery is a small, or rather correct, large paradise for beverage lovers in Troutdale, just on the eastern outskirts of Portland. Even the wife liked the beer so much so she sent the wine back and asked for a brew - not a boad statement for a notorious wine "sipper"!

McMenamins is a destination that can not be described but has to be experienced. Closest comparison in Seattle would likely be compot with equal blends of Chateau S:t Michelle, Willows Lodge, and Redhook Brewery - but all situated on a dense "campus" in old and restored buildings (old looney bin?). Nothing that just has been "smacked up" to lure unknowing tourists.
Food was good, but service really sucked big time. Not the fault of our waitress, she just had too many plates (literally) to tend to. As it is most times, a management problem, not the individual contributor.

We ended the evening with a screening of "Team America" and those of us who stayed awake had a great time.

Sunday was off to a slow start. Tea and bagels, and then out to Cafe Delirium for the morning's "super gulp" of Mocha. Heading eastbound along the Columbia River Highway, we stopped at the Sandy River to give Phoebe a well deserved swim (she's been an angel this weekend) and continuing on to the Vista House and Multnomah Falls.

Our great weekend in Portland ended at an old traditional restaurant (name's passing me by) overlooking the Sandy River. Chicken, Baby Back Ribs and dumplings. Can it be more home cooking than so?

Helen and Chris; thanks for a great weekend and thanks for opening up your house also to the "big horse" (aka Phoebe).

We eventually took the long way home heading east along the Columbia River and then north from Carson (backside of Mount S:t Helens). Did the mistake of "chicken out and cutting out" to I-5 and - again - getting stuck in backups that started somewhere near Chehalis (what is it with that town?), instead of continuing on the small and winding forest roads until Randle. Oh well...

DoeZ it ever end....?

2007-07-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the "new" owner of the Seattle SuperSonics, Clay Bennett, again started low profile discussions with - this time - the City of Seattle regarding the future of the NBA team.

When will this end? The Sonics have a home, Key Arena, and in the spring they were dead set on leaving it in favor for the city of Renton - providing the taxpayers would have funded a new arena to the tune of some $300M (or, in other speak, $300,000,000).
A smart legislature decided to not even bring up that idea of "financing" for discussion, leading Bennett to likely move the team out of state.

But, is Bennett now getting cold feet, or is he just trying to gracefully get out of the KeyArean lease (runs through 2010).
Quoted from today's Seattle Times:
"KeyArena can be a fine building for certain events" but would not be profitable for the NBA even with a $200 million expansion, he said.
If the public wants the Sonics and Storm to stay here, "we need a new building" — whether at Seattle Center or elsewhere."

The most recent renovation of KeyArena - taxpayer funded and requested by the SuperSonics - is not paid off. The team does not even fill the arena today. Who on earth thinks the team would fill an even bigger arena? People do not go to see the Sonics due to the building, they go for the team, for the sports, for the entertainment. If the team is not "up to par" (=winning), people will not come.

Today's KeyArena is a fine "anchor" facility in the middle of the Seattle Center. It will remain a fine anchor facility and a great asset to the Seattle Center even tomorrow - with or without the Sonics and its greedy out-of-stater - and certainly w/o any injection of a few hundred million dollars. That money better be spent on our transportion system, most notably a tunnel to lead traffic away from our wonderful waterfront!

In-lawZ in town

2007-07-17T23:38:00.000-07:00

Wife's dad+step mom, and brother+wife arrived today. Planned for the day was a trip on the boat out on the lake, if weather was good and time permitted, out on the sound and down to Pike Place Market.
After having had a scorcher for some time, the weather shifted and we got a good soaking Monday night. Even at mid-day today, I was still unsure weather this actually would work or not. As we packed up the boat to go down to the ramp, a few sprinkles fell on the canopy. Yikes!

Out on the lake, we got about 10 more drops, but it all turned out to be a perfect day; Few boats out, not too hot, no wait for the locks, and a quiet sound.
Wife of course was grouchy because the market closed shortly after we arrived, but speed limit in town is 7 knots, like it or not.
Market's open tomorrow and it'll likely be raining anyway.
Until then, enjoy the photos!

Zcorcher...

2007-07-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

Well, today is HOT up here, VERY hot!
Still, nothing compared to Texas and other places in the south.
I used to go running when it was 105F in Texas w/o any major problems, in fact I even enjoyed it, but here (even though the air is fresher and the humidity is lower) it FEELS warmer. Man kind adapt and adjust quickly and accordingly.

That said, due to the fact my office is facing west and the sun also happens to set in that general direction, it is getting to be close to unbearable inside. Having the PC running does not help either. So, for a few hours now it is "PC-off" time and time to care of other stuff.

AmaZing SamZung

2007-07-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

Not often that stuff seen on the internet truly impresses me, but this one is a price winner. Check out the Can-Can dancer a few minutes in.

And, once fully downloaded, do a fast replay (move the "handle" on the time bar manually).
Certainly beats the Soviet-era mass "routines" hands down. Amazing!

Znow on Granite Mountain

2007-07-06T00:20:00.001-07:00

Decided yesterday to take the dogs hiking up in the snow. Picked the ONLY rainy day - but in retrospect also the perfect day!

Granite Mountain is a good training hike. About 3,600 vertical in just over 4 miles. On a hot summer day, it can be a smelter! Once you exit the forest at about 4,000 feet, you are exposed to the scorching sun. If hiking with dogs, there is a stretch here that has no or little water in the summer - and it is extremely hot. Caution is advised. Your pouch will suffer.

But today we were in lucky. It rained when we left Seattle, it was overcast at the trailhead and only a few cars. The air was lukewarm and full of refreshing humidity. Perfect day for a quick hike up. Shouldn't take more than two hours!

Dogs knew what was coming and happy to get out of the car. As soon as we started, they sped up the trail, but never further than that they always kept an eye on us. Guarding instinct is deeply rooted! A fair amount of water in the small streams along the trail indicated that there should be a fair amount on snow higher up.

Wife got sort of winded after about 40 minutes or so. Started talking about not making it!? I managed to move the pit stop until we were out of the forest and at 4,300 feet. Everyone got fed and watered. Convinced wife that we just had to make it to 5,000 feet before ANY discussions about turning around. The weather was really perfect, both for humans and dogs, but at 4,600 feet, just after the first little snow field (=very happy dogs), the sky opened up. A real squall with no clearing in sight. I trotted on, eager to get as far as possible. When we hit 5,000, it sort of just stopped, and the sun came out. I was soaked, but wife pointed out that "there's the summit" (she been there once before) - a good sign. Since the weather was clearing, and her spirits better, I convinced her to go "all the way". Would also allow for the dogs to get a good run in the larger snow fields on the Northern side of the summit ridge.

We spent about an hour on the summit munching down and lightening our backpacks. Saw a few marmots on the way down, always at a distance. 20 minutes fro mthe car, the sky opened up again and down at the parking lot, both dogs were very eager to both get out of the rain and into a "soft spot" to take a long snooze! All in all, in a slow poke pace it took as about 2h40m to reach the top. All together about 5 hours out in the "wild".

A truly good day in the mountains. Check out some of the pictures here below.

BTW, there was a traffic accident in the West bound lanes at I-90. Accident must have happened just about 30 minutes before we reached the trail head (State Patrol wooshed by us). A tractor trailer with a construction crane seemed to have "sort of" taken aim at a rock wall on the north side of the freeway. That happens...
But, was there really a need to keep the freeway blocked off during this entire time? State Patrol had blocked it down to just one lane before we got there, and that blockage was still in effect when we got off the mountain. Combined, that was much longer than 6 hours, choking the only true East-West route through the mountains.
All for a dinky little accident (it was not even reported on the news - even though we could see a news chopper from the summit).

(and yes, it is rain, heavy rain, you can see in the first image - click on it)

MoleZ

2007-06-27T01:24:00.001-07:00

Moles, these small (so I am told) animals that can drive any sane person to the brink of nuclear war. Last summer we had tons of mole damage (see pictures), and I had weeks when over two full wheelbarrows had been dug up by these pesky critters. I am now just waiting for the house to drop down into a gigantic "void" underground...

I remember when I was young and read "Kalle Anka & Co" (Donald Duck for those of you who still think that Mickey Mouse is the star in the Disney empire) about Donald turning absolutely bonkers over the moles digging up his yard. We laughed at it.

It was then. Now I don't laugh any more. These guys (the moles) are active - although never when you watch - and can ruin any sized yard in no time. The only thing that seemed to work last year was a product called "Mole No More", even though it had no effect when sprinkled into their tunnels. But after two applications over the yard, the moles never showed - until now! Time to get more of the grey "stuff".

Hooked on YouTube(Z)

2007-06-25T22:17:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have not "used" YouTube to "go back" to better times, maybe now it's the time!

Sort of by pure accident, I did peak at YouTube this past weekend to see if there was any footage of "past heroes". Well, it turns out there's TONS of it. Looking back, I likely spent a large portion of Friday and Saturday night listening to tunes (and watching) by Chaka Khan, Shakatak, Steely Dan, Level 42, Rose Royce, Captain and Tennile, plus a lot of other stuff from the late 70ies and 80ies.

Much of this is likely posted/uploaded to youTube w/o any consent from the RIAA and MPAA - and others. But, before these organizations go out and sue everyone and their GrandMothers, you've gotta relaize that the mere fact that this stuff is out there - illicit stuff - is actually good for (your) business.

Why and how? Well, in my case, I was able to take a nostalgy trip back to "better" days and re-live some of past musical memories. This triggered my interest as to what these performers are up to today, and subsequently ordering of a few DVDs and CDs from Amazon.com.

I can also certainly say that I am not unique in this aspect. Many of us are curious for new and old music, but not curious enough to shell out anywhere from $15-$20 for an album - UNTIL we have gotten a feel for "what's there". Services like YouTube and other sites do provide that "stimulant" that trigger an unknown "need" - resluting in the purchase of stuff we would never ever have looked at (at least not after we entered our 40ies).

In my case just being able to see some of Shakatak's earlier work (long after MusicBox Televison died out) was like being brought back to the days of "staying up all night at the dorm and watching (music) TV". Few of my friends back then listened to that type of music (well composed and well performed) but the fact that these guys (Shakatak) are still alive and better than ever, must be proof of something.

And getting the chance to see performers in their pink dresses (and big hair) from the 80ies, now looking like normal individuals - AND doing a better job when they are close to retirement, was pretty rewarding.

Fat, laZy Americans...

2007-06-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

Well, that is a provoking title, isn't it?

In an article in today's edition of the Seattle Times, one can read:
"One-third of Washington residents say they traveled exclusively by car to get from one place to the other last year, NEVER walking, biking or using public transportation."

Wow! We live in a region of amazing beauty, where outdoor activities - and possibilities - are everywhere. if this study is any indication, many do not even bother to WALK to the local bar or the java hut (Starbucks) down the street.

People, walking and biking is good for you as well as for the nation. Try it out, at least once. But first make sure you can handle it, cause there's a real chance you might like it!

MidZummer in Zeattle

2007-06-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

A few days late compared to Sweden, but earlier than past years, today was the day for the great traditional Scandinavian Midsummer fest up at S:t Edwards State Park. It is all organized by the excellent Skandia Folkdance Society.

A good crowd, nice weather when it mattered (before and during), Swedish "fika", "Sill o Potatis", +everything else Scandinavian, made this into a nice Sunday! There were tons of dogs in the park, a couple of black German Shepherds nicely decked out in flowers just what the day called for!

And, just as a traditional Swedish midsummer, the afternoon ended with a huge rain storm pulling in over the park. Luckily most had already left, but is sure looks gloomy.

Enjoy the pictures:

Garden WorkZ - 2

2007-06-23T23:34:00.000-07:00

Last weekend (father's day) the dogs gave me a giant bamboo. Maybe not a giant plant yet, but one that will eventually grow to be huge. The canes (or is it trunks in Bamboo speak?) will get up to 4" thick. Pretty big for a grass.

A few days ago I did prep the spot in the backyard for this new addition. Moved tons (felt like it) of gravel out of the way and replaced it with a good mix of mulch from the compost. Bamboo went into the ground. For the first few days it did not look too healthy, but this morning, I've noticed that it has grown well over 2 inches just since yesterday lunch. There's still hope!

Since it was yard work day, I also tried to be a good citizen (eh, resident) and cleaned out all the English Ivy under the Holly tree. According to King County both English Ivy and Holly are deemed to be invasive plants and are to be removed. Both plants thrive, choking out everything else. But for us, the Holly stays. It is a big and beautiful tree that provides a good screen towards our neighbors (not that we don't like them but we also like a green, lush, private backyard). In case we ever change our minds and decide to go for the English Ivy style, I'm sure it will have no problems "catching a root" later on.

Once the Ivy was gone (about three full yard bins), the area really opened up. It was sort of a blocked off corner of the yard, but both humans and dogs can now wander there freely.

Next project will be to consider if to dig a well or not. People think it rains in Seattle all the time, but that is certainly not true. Summers are mostly bone dry and water can actually be an issue. On top of that, irrigation water in the summer is pricey and many - us included - let their lawns sort of go brown during the summer.
We have a corner of the backyard that traditionally have bene a bit wet and swampy. Previous onwer installed a long drain down to the street. I'm thinking of digging a deep well and lining with concrete pipes. The water can be better used in the yard than just "drained away". Stay tuned.

Zhame on CNN

2007-06-23T21:52:00.000-07:00

CNN just announced that Larry King Live is "dumping" Michael Moore on Wednesday night for an interview with a newly released inmate, Paris Hilton.

OK, who really cares? The evening might have both informative and entertaining with Larry King spurring on Michael Moore over America's healthcare system (or lack thereof). But this time CNN bowed in for the greater ratings of Hilton. Dumbification of the media, even for the grand daddy of all talk shows, Larry King.

But, even though I really don't care, I'll be (together with the remaining 299 million) glued to the TV during one of the evenings runs of Larry's show.

And, maybe Michael Moore still pulled the longest straw. He's on for Friday night instead!

IZ annexation is getting closer?

2007-06-23T13:29:00.001-07:00

King County has put a carrot out for the City of Kirkland: "Annex neighboring unincorporated areas and we'll help you with the finances over a 10-year transition period."

Annexation would increase Kirkland's population from somewhere around 45K to closer to 90K. Will it change the city too much, or are these areas already in all practicality part of Kirkland and it will only be an administrative change?

There are many tough questions around the annexation "yes or no" issue and likely no easy answers. At the same time, for some the issue has turned very emotional and many fear it will "destroy" our lovely city. There are arguments against an annexation, both for Kirkland residents and residents in the "PAAs" (Possible Annexation Areas). At the same time, good arguments can be made for an annexation.

Really the only right thing is for the public to discuss it and make their voices heard. There is tons of information on the City's web page, as well as some well formulated "against" arguments on the "Save Kirkland" web page.

So, get involved, study the facts, speak your mind, and contact your elected officlas at City Hall - since they are the ones that will make the final call for "yeah or neah".

Just don't sit around, do nothing, and later complain about the outcome. Instead, be a part of the solution!