Saturday 4 November @ 1930

As promised, here are some photos of Halloween in Edmonds






The spooks were out! SPOOKY!!!!!!!!






Henry in costume with the little devil from the Starbucks Halloween marketing campaign. Both his Mom and I were very happy he went with something so original





Here's a "face" shot















And our last minute pumpkin ( we forgot to carve pumpkins over the weekend) with a little light on him

More updates later!

Wednesday 1 November @ 2000

Greetings Fair Readers,

It's November and I realize now that I have fallen behind in my updates. Please accept my sincerest apologies...

A brief catchup of the past few weeks -

We turned the heat on today as we made it all the way through October (my goal this year) on our carbon diet for the sake of the planet. I was very happy we got to indulge tonight after school as this am the inside temp on the house was 49 and by the time we arrived home, it had only warmed to 51. It's good the for the planet and good for the pocketbook but there were a few times I was definitely tempted to give up on this quest for saving anything.

We signed Henry up for winter basketball today and he is excited to get started with that in the next couple of weeks. He is still bowling and is consistently one of the better bowlers in his league both in scratch and handicap but because there are such high handicaps involved on some of the other teams, his team the Bombin' Bowlers remains in 5th place of 8 after the past few weeks.

Stephen King visited the office today for a reading and book signing so I attended and yes he is everything we could expect of him; strange, eccentric and quite hysterical in his demeanor and stories.

Yesterday was Halloween and Henry was the devil from the 2006 Starbucks Halloween marketing campaign. Both his Mother and I were very proud that he was so original in his choice. We had a few last minute issues as the costume his Mom worked on wasn't exactly as he had envisioned but we worked through it and on to the downtown Edmonds merchants Halloween festivities where we all had a great time and even indulged in the Edmonds bakery yearly treats of fresh mini donuts...MMMmmmMMM! Henry had a great time and decided to stay with me for a couple hours while we handed out candy to the neighborhood trick or treaters. He was at first quite disappointed that we had so few although we purchased 4 bags of (good) candy this year. We finally hit the mark he set to be happy about it after 10 and we had a total of 11 kids. We spent the in between time finishing his homework to much bitchin' and moanin' but it got done nonetheless. I could not find my camera so pictures will be forth coming once I get them from Henry's Mom.

I kicked my fitness regimen into full gear about 4 weeks ago. At first, I decided to just get to the gym and workout 3 or more times per week and didn't really make much progress but at least I went. I made it 6 weeks and found that I was actually missing it if I didn't go.
At that point I enlisted a trainer and paid for a nutrition plan and have followed up for the past 4 weeks. Well since 10/02 I have done pretty well; Dropped 36# of fat, gained 18# of muscle and dropped total body fat from 38.7% to 29.5%. My lean body mass is 196#. I'm getting stronger everytime I go to the gym, my arms and legs are getting bigger and my waist and ass are getting smaller. I remain positive and am excited that at the age of 46 I finally like exercise and I'm paying attention to what I eat w/o being militant about it. I drink less but still indulge on occasion with pizza, beer, whisky and other not so healthy alternatives but these remain in moderation and even though I went a bit nuts yesterday for Halloween I counted it as a "free" day and I'm back to where I need to be in my eating today. Life happens so I just need to moderate when I can, indulge occasionally and then moderate some more.

I have a new manager @ work and things are going well. My work partner, Eva and I are moving out of the Help Desk and this is my first job move in 12.5 years working for another department. We're going from support to provisioning and will be responsible for managing not only service providers for all stores and support persons but will soon fold all phone carriers and hardware providers into our quiver. We will go from about 5 suppliers to almost 20 in the next 12 months. Gonna be busy.
I'm also still pursuing jobs in the International IT department with the blessing of my new manager and hope this will pan out. That is the direction I would like to go and I see more than ample opportunities for growth there but even if that doesn't pan out, I am excited about the direction of my current positions and the changes we are making as we look to the future.

That about wraps up the last month or so and I will diligently work to update more often as well as get some pictures out here of the past few weeks. It's getting cold, down to 31 @ night so winter is upon us.

All the best,

Jim

Sunday 24 September @ 1500

Greetings Fair Readers,

Here we are already to the last post for September! Fall is upon us here in the NW and we have been enjoying the mild weather and the turning of the leaves. There is a lot of activity in the neighborhood as everyone is getting yard work done in anticipation of the winter months and the fall festival season is on us as well locally.

Yesterday Henry participated in a local event call the Running of the Balls as part of a larger Everybody Plays Day. The kids rolled numbered tennis balls down one of the steep hills in town for prizes and there were organized clinics in baseball, football, soccer and basketball for the kids as well as food samples and fitness booths and music for all. It was a sunny day and everyone appeared to be having a great time. Henry was one of the volunteers that worked to set up the event with his Grandmother through the Edmonds Rotary Club. During this, he was able to meet with Edgar Martinez (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Martinez) one on one as he accompanied his Grandmother as she worked with "Gar" to autograph some of the prizes for the event. A nice little side trip for Henry as he had no school on Friday and that helped fill the day.

Kind of a fall cleaning and chore day around the ol' homestead today, mowed the lawn hopefully the for the last time yesterday and today I've been doing some chores and enjoying the lovely weather with the sun out and a nice breeze coming off the sound so all the windows are open and I'm alternating between cleaning the house and yard chores to enjoy the day while getting stuff done. It's a tough day for me as I met with my trainer yesterday and he ran me through a new routine @ the gym that beat me up. I could barely get out of bed this morning but with some patience and stretching I'm actually able to move around and accomplish my chores today.

I got a new boss this past week and she is #3 in the past 6 months now. I have worked with her a bit in the past but we are getting along fine so far as we start to work together. My work partner took a long weekend so the beginning of this week will prove to be quite busy but as usual, I'm keeping my head barely above water. As September ends so does our fiscal year so this is the busiest time of year for me just as it is for most in the support center. We are expected to open 200+ stores in this month alone and along with that come the inevitable support headaches as we work with our suppliers (my job) to get this all done as well as support all the existing store.

One of the best parts about fall is the harvest season. I love the fresh food that is continuing to make it to the local farmer's market and the wines that are being released as well as the knowledge that all the holiday foods and wines and beers are right around the corner. The best part of fall is the cooler weather so we can actually cook some of the hearty meals that I miss over the summer. Don't get me wrong, I love the grill and will continue to use it numerous times a week throughout the winter but now is time for long braised cheap cuts, stews and roasts along with root vegetables and the other bounty of the late summer. Last night it was pan roast pork loin chops with grilled fingerling potatoes and green beans. I reduced the pan drippings with some fresh garlic, added in my Mama Lil's wonder sauce and fortified it with a hint of dijon mustard and it is great. I will use the rest on a grilled chicken breast tonight with a risotto of chanterelles w/ just a hint of chevre and a pinch of rosemary and garlic. Perhaps a salad of romaine, red bell peppers and hazelnuts to top it off. Last night I had a bottle of 2003 Turley Old Vines Zinfandel to accompany, I wonder what sort of plonk I can come up with tonight?

It's almost whisky season too but that's for another post...

That's about it for this week, so until next time may your glasses always be filled...

Monday 18 September @ 0454

Greetings Fair Readers,

Well, another week gone by. I'm up early to go to work and thought I'd update you all on a very quiet week.

Henry began Fall league bowling and likes his one teammate so far. This is a 12 week league and so should be fun for all. He finally settled on the skateboard of his choice which was his Birthday gift from his Mother and I; it was a kit to build up himself and came with 2 decks so he had some fun with that and he is now getting used to this new ride. We spent 3 hours @ the local skatepark yesterday with him trying out the new board, me reading the paper and drinking coffee and both of us taking advantage of a non-rainy fall morning.

That's about it; I said it was quiet. Off to work for a couple hours before I get Henry up and off to school...

Sunday Evening 10 September 06

Greetings Fair Readers,


Here I am viewing the world from my home office. I just wrapped up some stuff for our happy UK team members that I committed to having on their desks prior to their arrival Monday am so it's time for a bit of catching up and then some relaxation.

Although this was not a Henry weekend for me, his Mom generously allowed him to stay with me for some extra time as he has been with her for the past couple weeks and weekends so we had us some fun. The annual Edmonds auto show, Hot Autumn Nites, was this weekend so we had big doing's just around the corner from the house between that and the Saturday market both taking place. Henry, Kristin and I walked the car show on Saturday morning and saw some fine vintage steel, both stock and rods. There were even a few beater vintage rides for sale if anyone was interested in picking up a hobby piece but not being mechanically inclined and not really any more of a fan than to say "nice ride", I didn't walk with a new albatross, I have plenty about my neck already.

Salmon has been inexpensive lately so I have been enjoying wild caught Alaska silvers a lot lately. One night grilled with some Mama Lil's pureed w/ frsh garlic & white balsamic to make a sauce. The next night, again grilled with blackberrys pushed through a sieve and some whole butter to tighten it up. Some grilled yukon golds & sauteed carrots rounded out the meal with a bit of Eyrie 2001 reserve pinot. I did have to wonder what the poor people were doing for sustenance.

School started this past week after the holiday and Henry enjoyed seeing his friends and hooking up on a daily basis once again. He has made good friends with some kids within walking distance to our house and a few short minutes from his Mom's house so he has been socializing well this summer but he seems to already be back in the routine. There is a new teacher that joined his center's team, Mr. Stee and Henry likes him so far. He still has the same home room teacher, Mary Ellin and of that we're very glad but this will be the last year in this center then off to another group of 4th, 5th & 6th graders all together again as it has been these past couple and this year.

As always with the beginning of the school year, it's been hectic but we've managed to keep up. I got the house semi-clean this past week, still made it to the gym 3 times and even got Butch out for a long walk one evening so at least we're still on track.

I have been asked for some inside photos of the house so I'll add a couple and then sign off. I'll do my best to update this once a week or so going forward even if it's short or just a couple photos. Just double click on any of these to enlarge

All the best, J & H




Living room & dining area from the office



















Two more views of the living room










The kitchen from the dining area doorway













And from the back door to the back yard and our alley parking. The door on the right is the laundry room

Summertime and the livin's easy; Sunday 3 September @ 1022

Greetings Fair Readers,

I have heard from a number of you that is has been a long time since I have updated the outside world so I will now attempt to remedy some of that.

It has been a very busy summer and Henry and I have a lot of fun. As all of you will know that have read the last post here, we spent the first week after school was out in Puerto Vallarta with a stop in Utah on the way. It was a bit hectic to travel so shortly after the school year and we may rethink that in the future but we had a good time nonetheless.
Here are a couple photos from the trip

Henry @ the pool

Henry playing bocce














Henry with new friends Jen & Lizzie





Henry & Jim after the Fiesta night












Henry ( in the blue swim shirt) @ the dolphin encounter





As you can tell, we had a great time and both want to go back sometime, even if it is during the hot rainy season.

We were home for the 4th of July and the parade runs right past our new house on 4th Avenue in Edmonds. I set up the shade tent and set out some snacks and cooler of drinks, had over some friends, Henry and his Mom and the outlaws. All was well with the world and we had a great time. They all left for the rest of the afternoon after the parade but returned for fine view of the fireworks @ the nearby Edmonds Memorial Stadium from the comfort of my back deck. Our new house (we've been living here 9 months and I still think of it as "the new house") is convenniently located for many of the civic functions we enjoy here in Edmonds.



Here are the kids in the shade for the parade










We were lucky enough to take a bit more vacation time later this summer as well. We went out to the Olympic Peninsula and camped for a few days n the coast and took in a few music shows back here in the Seattle area.





Henry lost a couple of teeth this summer










We loved the beaches...

...And hiking in the rain forest

...visiting new places...

...And taking in a little music

Los Lobos @ Woodland Park Zoo

Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile...Too bad summer's comin' to an end but we did manage to fit in a birthday party for one 8 year old. Yep, it's been 8 years now. We had a bouncer in the backyard and Henry invited some friends. A good time was had by all

A feast for an 8 year old king

Butch

Presents!

Last week we went for a sail with our roitating dinner party. Much fine food and wine but more importantly great friends out yachting...

Henry at the helm as we raise the sails and head into Lake Washington out of the Montlake Cut

Margaret & Cara

First Mate Dixie w/ Mark & Joe in the background

Captain Tori

Paul & Cassie

Lenard

Well, that about wraps up summertime for us. I hope to settle back into our routine since school starts Tuesday. I'll work tomorrow and get some stuff done and my work partner is on vacation this week so it will prove to be busy no doubt but I'll try and be more timely in my updates to you all. For now, may all your pains be champagnes...

28 June @ 1957 Puerto Vallarta Time

It is the rainy season and the heat here is oppressive w/o a breeze and that is where we are tonight. Henry has made some new friends over the past few days and they offered to let him spend some time with them this evening and I amsitting in the mall near our hotel using the internet cafe and the lavanderia so I can get some dry clothes. Everything is wet ans sweaty so we spend the majority of our time poolside or in the pool itself.

We arrived on Saturday and standing in line for customs was as always a treat. Lots of people and no air conditioning. Even stepping off the plane was like a blast furnace. We spent that first eveing poolside and swimming for a few hours and then unpacking, did a little shopping and figured our the thermostat and ceiling fan controls. The room is very nice, small but well laid out and easy to spend a week in.

The next day we spent 9 hours @ the pool with about an hour break for lunch in the room.

Monday we spent another 9 hours pooling w/o a break this time and then took in the Mexican fiesta. All you can eat and drink for about $30.00 US for adults and $18.00 for Henry. He had a couple quesadllas and some chips + a sprite and I tried to make up for him by eating way too much and then on top of that sucking down the margaritas and shots of blanco tequila as the pretty girls from the activities team came by to refill the shot glass hanging around my neck (everyone gets one, so dont say it). Then it was a show of traditinal dances of mexico iinterupted occasionally for the activities team to lead us in various dances such as a conga line and pour even more shots of tequila. Miraculously, my head was still normal size the next day...

Tuesday we took a trip into Old vallarta and getting off the first bus, Henry left our bag with our hats in it on the bus and we didn`t discover it until the bus was already out of sight. He was devastated and seems to think it`s all his fault but the heat was so bad neither of us was thinking too much about logistics. We found some water and some air conditioning after another bus ride and we visited the Hard Rock as Henry loves those places and likes to collect the t-shirts from the ones where he has visited. We did a little souvenit shopping and then waled to the pier south of downtown nd took the water taxi back directly to the hotel and saw a giant turtle and lots of pelicans on the hunt but the best part about it was Henry`s big smile, the first one I got out of him since leaving the cool of the hotel a few hours earlier. We took a nap and then spent the eveing @ the pool until about 2100, went to Henry`s friends room and the kids and Mom played dominoes and Dad and I dranks frosty Coronas.

Today we were at the pool by 0930, swam, played beach volleyball, some water polo and didn`t leave until 1900 Henry hasn developed a rash so we went to the Dr and he got some cream and Claritin and he should be able to get isn the salt water again by Friday. We had booked a dolphin encounter for him tomorrow but rescheduled due to the salt water restrictions.

Tomorrow will probably be more of the pool stuff and fun and games.

More later

24 June 06 @ 0720 Mountain Time

Been awhile since the last update but we've been in Ogden Utah for the past day and a half and leaving for Puerto Vallarta in a couple hours. We visited a very large aircraft museum @ hill AFB yesterday and that took a few hours and then I had a bellyache so I laid down and the next thing I know woke up after 6pm. It gave Henry some good time with his Gma and Gpa that live here and they had a good time. Back to packing, I'll look for an internet cafe in PV. Hasta

Saturday 13 May @ 1537

Greetings,
Henry is off to NYC today, he's very excited. I'm sure he'll have many stories to tell as he sees the sights and experiences the city that never sleeps.
I'm taking care of Nina while he and Kristin are away and she howled all last night making sleep an interesting endeavor for both Butch and I. I have the front of the house blocked off for her and Butch stays outside or in the back of the house. Today she has been coming to see me a lot and has been very needy. Here she is exploring her digs for this week

I wish I had both the kitties for a week as I have missed them but you'll recall her brother Cole left for kitty island a few weeks ago. She seems none the worse for wear but like I said is very needy.

I picked up my new bike today and it's a doozie. Here is a photo. It rides great but with the suspension it is definitely a new experience. You hit the front brakes and it dives forward as your momentum carries through the stop and the back end has suspension as well so it seems a bit "loose" or almost as if the back tire is low on pressure. I'll get used to it and should be able to withstand longer more challenging rides with the suspension being somewhat forgiving to my 45+ year old bones ( at least that's what my Doc told me, he's been on a similar bike for a few years now and sez it doesn't take near the recovery time).

I brought it home and took it for a short ride and now I'm working on dialing in a few adjustments. Tomorrow will be my first ride of the season so I'll keep it short to about 10 miles or so to start killing the nerves in my tush. I do not look forward to this but I'm going to try and ride nearly every day this week while Henry is gone so I'm ready to ride with him when he gets back. I'm sure we'll take our bikes to Oregon with us for Memorial Day weekend so I need to be able to keep up with him.

I was able to book our summer vacation yesterday. We're headed to Puerto Vallarta for a week, whoo hoo!!! I found a deal on a nice resort (http://www.paradisevillage.com/) and had enough miles for us to fly free although I had to settle for first class and I've now used all my miles in one trip. Oh well, it's worth it. My friends have a time share at this resort and I know others that have been with their families and all reports are tremendous. We fly through SLC on the way there and in order to make the flight, we would have to spend the night before there so I set it up that we'll have two days there and we'll get to see the Utah contingent of friends and family. Henry's very excited about that as well, one trip and we get two trips out of the deal. I think I'm most excited about some long first class travel and a hotel with 3 pools, a kid's pool and activity program with a zoo onsite and a program to let the kids pet the baby lions and tigers and bears oh my! A big beach with watersports rentals and paragliding, etc. Throw in a bit of tequila and lime and I'll be happy as a clam.

It's a beautiful day today so I'm working in the yard and just doing stuff around the house this afternoon, here's a couple picture of the backyard for everyone.

The first is from the north side of the shed on our parking area on the alley. You can see the deck and this is the entrance we use most often. W have some flowers planted in containers to liven up the place and have a nice back lawn.

The next photo is the whole back yard from the driveway across the alley. You can see Butch to the right of the car and just a peek of the 20' high and 20' wide beautiful and fragrant dark purple lilac as well as the very large sitka spruce just to the south of the back door. The entire south side of the house has lots of windows and there is a skylight above the kitchen on that side of the house in the middle front to back so the house is very light and even stays warm in the Spring before it gets warm outside. All the windows have blinds and there are strategic deciduous plantings on the corner of the house up front that are starting to shade the brightest sun while still allowing much light. We're planting our herbs and sunflowers along that side of the house along with a hill of zukes to keep me in grilling fodder for the summer.

Not much more for now, got some really nice greens @ the farmers market this am, baby arugula and mizuna. Asparagus is up to $3.00 a lb already! Yikes! Ah the passing along of the cost of fuel, even Costco was $3.08 on Thursday so I'm still trying to minimize my driving and wile even experiment with the bus to work some this week since I don't have to pick up Henry at a certain time.

Monday 01 May @ 1718

Greetings Fair Readers,

It's been some time since my last update and since I rceived another from a friend (you know who you are, Scott), I figured it was time for another.

I had a root canal today and it hurts. I think it is time for alcohol and some sort of narcotic but since all I have is the alcohol, I guess it's alcohol and tylenol. It is very windy outside but still avery sunny day here in the PNW. This portends some sort of weather coming on usually and since the weather man is saying we should have some falling moisture tomorrow am, this seems to be right about on time.
Took Butch to the vet today as he has been feeling poorly as well and apparently he has a scratch on his eye. This was done during a fight with the neighbor's German Shepard last week during a block party. Some sort of territory thing although most of the time these dogs get along OK, this time Butch wandered into the neighbor's house and that touched it off. Rolf drew some blood on Butch but Butch got his licks in as well and Roldf slunk away to nurse his bruised ego, I don't think he had ever had another dog stand up to him before and Butch rang his bell quite well short of opening any wounds.
Spring has finally come to the PNW and I have to cut the lawn twice a week now to keep up as usual here is sunny Edmonds. The flowers are peeking out, the lilacs in the yard are in full bloom and the exeter azalea in my front yard is stunning.

I am barely keeping up with the growth of the yard at this time but I have killed a great many weedies with my trusty sprayer and the assistance of Ortho, Bayer and Roundup.
Last Thursday was Bring a Child to Work Day and once again Henry accompanied me to work for the day. He started out a bit slow and cranky but we finished the day well and then attended a farewell luncheon for a co-worker that has gone on to manage a B&B on Orcas Island he just purchased.
April has been pretty good to us all in all and we are sure ready for some Summertime. Henry is heading to New York City with his Mother on 5/16 to attend his Auntie Jenna's graduation. He seems somewhat excited but when asked what he wants to do while there, he asked "Is there a Target?". I was thinking they should try to get on the Emeril Live show since his first word was "BAM" afterall.

Above - Planting and decorating coffee trees

Left - A travel mug decorated in coffee stamps

Henry broke his arm falling out of a tree early in the month and had the cast on until the evening of 4/27. He's good to go now although he was none too happy to have to wear the splint for the weekend so the Dr and I suggested we put another cast on so he shaped up.

Off to find something soft for dinner and watch Anthony (Scott, I can't believe you just found this show). For the rest of you, check this out - http://travel.discovery.com/fansites/bourdain/bourdain.html
Bye for now