Sunday 14 October 2007; 1555

Greetings fair readers,

It's been a pretty good week, Henry was out of school on Friday and was able o spend the day with me @ work. He actually spent the majority of the day with my friend Jen and the rest of the team (myself included) kept having to tell both of them to SSSSSSHHHHH because they were giggling and running around and yelling and having way too much fun. I spoke to Jen's hubby at her 40th birthday party last night and he said that she went to bed at 8pm on Friday because Henry wore her out. It was pretty funny...
Henry's bowling league was yesterday and he did all right, nothing like the week prior when he rolled a 141 game, his personal best. His team went up in the standings to 4th place from 5th and these guys are having a good time this time around because there doesn't seem to be as much competition between the members of the team this time like there was last season.
Henry stayed with his Mum today and will tonight although it is my weekend. He just wanted to hang with her he said. He's been good about her being so tired and she has been pretty good this weekend so I don't blame his wanting to see her more chipper. Probably best anyway, I've spent the day working in the shed and on the yard. I planted a 100 daffodils, mowed the dandelions in the front yard and got the last mow on the back. I sprayed some poison on the dandelions in back since they have started to come back wherever I dug them up earlier this summer. I'm hoping that they are tender enough the poison can actually affect them this time. I hate using it bu I haven't much choice with these gnarly things, they just don't want to die. I also repaired the fence where our lovable but not terribly bright dog broke through one of the posts last week. Yes, you heard that right, he broke off a treated 4X4 cedar post at the ground. He's just too darn strong and thinks he can jump up on the fence. Doofus
I've been spending some time getting used to my new MP3 player. Since the reopening of the bus tunnel under downtown Seattle, I have been losing radio reception as soon as we enter each day and the portion of the player that Henry had given me that played MP3s was very small and ate batteries very fast so I invested in another. Trying to figure out how to maintain the files w/o so much trouble but at least it holds a lot so I don't have to move anything on and off very often. I'm not sure how everyone has the patience for these things all the time. I know lots of people that move stuff on and off their players constantly

Not much more for now, think it's time for a cocktail and start relaxing before heading back to work tomorrow.

More later...

Tuesday 9 October, 2007; 1751

I made it to the gym again! WHOO HOO!

It may seem like a small accomplishment but making it on schedule twice after months away is a good start and I'll take it any way I can. I do have to say it hurt a lot more today than it did Sunday and I'm sure it'll be that way all week but it does feel really good to be back.

Even with all the red meat, wine, beer late night Sapphire and tonics (Thanks Nics), goose fat and hi fat content butter, I lost 3#s while I was away. The French paradox at it's best. I've lost another 4 since I've been home too so the gym is fitting right in. I'm determined to drop another 8 by Halloween to be @ 15 lost.

I think I'm finally back on Pacific time, today it was difficult to get out of bed @ 0500 for the first time sine I've been home. Up to now I've been waking by about 0430 every day plus I felt like I was relatively focused all day @ work today which is a definite first since returning. Tomorrow is my least favorite day of the month where every 2nd Wednesday I get to work @ 6 and have back to back meetings beginning @ 0830 the rest of the day. To top it off these are the meetings where I have to be a stern and sober to the wireless carriers because we have come to rely on them so much with all the mobile devices we have in the company. Then Thursday and Friday we have more monthly performance reviews for our POS service, new store installs and end user HW support. It's really the only week I have to wok really hard so I guess it's not to bad bu it certainly cuts into my nap time at work :D.

I set out the pictures from Beziers today and I hope to hear from the everyone as they get the chance to see the photos.

That's about it for now, off to make a protein smoothie and then dig into some work I brought home.

More later...

Sunday 7 October, 2007; 1652

Greetings,

Well,Scotland went down in a hard fought match today with Argentina. They put up a valiant effort and the 2nd half was very exciting but a few mistakes were made and the Argentine squad was just too tough. I don't have a kilt so I wasn't "kilted up" but I had my Scotland flag draped over my shoulders in the bar and waved it frantically when the boys scored.
I spoke to friend John today in England and he was back there earlier than he anticipated. I expected to find him somewhere between Barcelona and Montpellier but he had a family emergency that forced a long 13 hour drive back to London & then up to Newcastle. He was on his way out to watch the match as well and I'm sure he is quite unhappy. He was in Liverpool and let me know that although he would be at the match he needed to get up @ 0400 to get Laurie back to Heathrow for a flight tomorrow.
I'm getting more and more acclimated to Pacific time again but I still awoke @ 0430 today. Not too bad since I need to get up at 0500 tomorrow for work as usual but I would have liked a bit more sleep. The earlier nightfall isn't helping either as I thought it quite late last night but it was only about 9pm. The Kangaroo & Kiwi was running the early match @ 0600 this morning and I didn't think about it but I probably would have headed down to Seattle for it if I had. Probably better that I hadn't.
I made it to the gym today for the 1st time in months and it felt good. I hope I didn't over do it so I can move tomorrow. I let Henry know I planned to head back to a good workout regime and he was very excited even knowing he will need to go to the childcare the days I have him. He is being very supportive this time and I think his Mum's having cancer now has him a bit more worried than he will tell us. He has been pretty clingy lately and telling me that he wants me to get healthy again so I'll be around for a good long time. I'm sorry he is worried but it sure makes this old man's heart thump when he talks that way.
Been a pretty lazy weekend around here just catching up laundry finally from the trip, taking in the rugby and getting to the gym. Hangin' with the dog, catching up the neighbors on the travels and taking in the final farmer's market; had to get in on the last of the season's corn. I think I'll have some with some steamed crab legs tonight.

That's about it for now, more later

Thursday 4 October 2007; 0515

Good Morning Dear Readers,

I'm home from Europe and the trip of a lifetime. I arrived home after a long journey that began in Paris @ about 0730 local time. The actual traveling did not begin until about 1130 local time but I wanted to walk the city a bit since the evening I arrived it was rainy and not very conducive to walking about.
After a quick metro ride to the new Arch De Defense, I wandered the large square there and then back to the Arch De Triomphe and the Champs Elysee before a quick walk to the Eiffel Tower which apparently had also been set up as the Rugby World Cup fans village until earlier in the week so much was going on as the village was dismantled. The fog was too thick to be able to see the top of the tower but there was a very large rugby ball suspended between the legs of the tower. Clearly France had been gripped in Rugby fever from that and all the large signs and murals I saw everywhere.

A quick walk along the Seine and another metro ride and I was back to hotel where I checked out and took the train to Aeroport Charles De Gaulle. I arrived in Seattle an hour late and by the time I retrieved my bag and then car and drove home it was after midnight and I had to go to work Tuesday. I was a bit tardy from my usual time and didn't arrive until about 0730.

This was truly the trip of a lifetime; I made tremendous new friends, visited parts of the world I had never before been and found a bit of myself of which I was convinced I had lost forever. I will never forget this holiday.

We stayed in the working winery in the Languedoc region, ate the local produce of cheeses, breads and wines. Some nights we cooked and others we dined out. Big breakfasts each morning and a lot activity with no evening ending that I can remember ending before about 0200 and one lasted until 0600. Drinking, carousing, dancing, conversation, music, hugging and most of all laughter, laughter, laughter. So much so it was the group that I didn't want to leave and not the place. I don't think that's ever happened to me before and I think I'm still walking around a bit brokenhearted at having to say goodbye to all these tremendous people. Here are some pictures:

The view from my bedroom window my first morning in Beziers

2nd night in Beziers at the pub for the US v Samoa

Diane and John @ the daily flower market in Beziers

Dinner @the Baronnie

Fun at about 0400

The Baronnie from across the vineyard

The front of the Baronnie and my apartment

The man responsible for it all, John

Thursday 27 September 2007; 1020

Greetings fair readers,

I arrived in Beziers after a full day on the train from Amsterdam. It was quite a ride; up early to catch the train to Brussels and thinking I would be able to check out a bit of the city I left the station but this was not in the best area of town and was the newer station that can take the high speed trains, not in the center of the city like other European stations. The part of the city where I got off was really a pit and I hadn't slept well the night prior so was dozing off and worried I would fall asleep and miss my connection. Well at least I got on the next train and it was the high speed so only an hour to Paris Nord so I was able to get in about 30 minutes of sleep and felt better.
From Paris Nord I needed to make my way to Paris Gare Lyon and had 80 minutes to do so and was told it was a 70 minute transfer. I actually made it in about 30 thanks to my previous experience with the tube in London. I remembered that it's easy to get the right train platform but determining which track to get to is more difficult and it was the same in Paris. I'm thankful for my time in London using the underground as it made it a lot easier in Paris.
4 hours and 20 minutes from Paris to Beziers through Nimes and there were quite a few 200 mph moments where the train just kicks in and the countryside whizzes by.
Friend John picked me up with new friend Davey and we made out way back to the chateaus. I met the other chums; JP, Jimmy, Al & Jilly and we tucked into a fine seafood pasta and the local product from the onsite winery. Well. we dented the winerack in a serious manner and yesterday I awoke with a swollen brain inside a skull that felt abut 2 sizes too small. Made it through the day though and we were off to a pub on the town square for the US v. Samoa after Christopher and Heidi arrived.
Although the US lost the match, our brave boys did all they could to a much larger and seriously mean looking Samoan team. Samoa was up 22 - 3 at the half and the final was only 25 - 22. Truly we thought the Samoan team looked as if they were out to kill and eat the US team but we stood proud and it became a moral if not actual victory.
Today is a game free day so we will head to the open air market for dinner supplies and hang about the pool if it warms up but it is currently 12 C so 55 F seems a bit cool for the unheated pool. Probably more in line will be a long walk about the estate and maybe some table tennis or foosball in what used the be the stables or just beers and laughter in the main house where John is staying. John is picking up his Australian business partner as well as his daughter and neice today and we will have a full house. We are a big crowd from all over the world: JP is an forensic accountant from Melbourne, Davy a commercial real estate broker from Brisbane, Jimmy is a bar room singer from Spain, Al & Jilly just sold Al's business in Melbourne and are touring France for 4 months, Christopher and Heidi are are from Charlotte where he owns a SW company and she is in grad school but Christopher is originally from London as is John our host. A fine group we all are.
That's about it right now. We just tucked into a big breakfast of eggs, sausages, baked beans and croissant so we are just lazing about for a bit before we head for a day of adventure and more lazing about.
Signing off but will get on probably tomorrow for more updates. I'll work on getting some photos uploaded when I can.
TTFN

24 September 2007; 2150 GMT - 2

Greetings All,

Amsterdam rocks!
It is a very interesting city and there are so many things to see that are so very old. Don't get me wrong I love London too but there is a certain raw intensity here. There is absolutely something for any taste here. Absinthe is legal and holds a place of honor at certain bars, one ofwhich is where I'm staying; 3 different brands behind the bar and by word of the bartender, each has it's own very special effects. Coffeehouses can't sell beer but they can sell their produce and it can be brought into the bar and the sweet aroma is everywhere. It is not to be partaken walking around but once night falls it is apparent not only when walking past an open coffeehouse door.
I got packed up as I have a 0730 train to Beziers tomorrow. I then took a walk through the red light district and it is a very strange phenomena. The ladies beckon and there is a different sort for everyone. Certain areas seem to cater to the various tastes as well. Women walk through the area alone, roaming packs of rowdy men, families, etc. I saw a man take his children into a sex shop yesterday and it seemed to be nothing new to the people inside nor the family as I continued my walk past.
My vice is still beer though and the Dutch like to drink int at all times of day and you can wander the streets here with an open beer. Although there is hard liquor in all the bars, I have yet to see anyone orderone and I've been in several including the one where I'm staying at the Bulldog Hotel (bulldoghotel.com).
My train is the regular to Brussels tomorrow and then the high speed to Paris Nord where I have to transfer across the city on the metro to Paris Lyon (70 minutes) and then high speed to Beziers again. Once I get in I'll call John and he will come and get me if they have not had too much to drink yet or I'll take a taxi to the estate apparently it's only about 10 minutes from the train. I found a grocery and bought a bottle of wine, a baguette, a couple apples and some farmer cheese for the ride. Although it will be a lng ride, I'm looking FW to it especially if the e\weather is clear so I can see the Dutch, Belgian and French countrysides. As interesting as the "culture" is here in Amsterdam, I still like walking and sightseeing more than anything.
Today I got up, had breakfast here and then walked to the Anne Frank House where strangely it was not nearly as depressing as I had thought it wou.ld be. Twisting hidden staircases and no ventilation (I think they kept it that way to remind those touring the house that was how it was for 3+ years) but it was a lot larger than I expected it would be even for 8 people living there. Then isstarted to drizzle so I ducked into a bar and had a big Heineken and waited out the storm. I toured the Rembradt House and then had a nap and a couple tylenol as I think the jet lag was doing me in. Caught the canal tour through the harbor and upthe Amstel River and through some of the main canals and two sea locks. I took a lot of photos and then stopped for some Indonesian noodles and returnedto the hotel. A full day again but it is a much nicer place than I expected. A friend had told me that amsterdam is a pit but I loved it, then again I love cities and all that comes with them.
That's about it for now kiddies, I'll see if John has a computer with him in Beziersand if so I can update daily, if not I'll have to wait until I can get into town.

Signing off now, it's 2230

Sunday 23 September 2007 - Amsterdam

Greetings fair readers,
I am in Amsterdam at the Bulldog Hotel. Nice place just on a canal about 10 minutes walk from the central train station. I flew in last night on KLM and got a couple hours sleep so am fighting fatigue at this time but I will be up for a while, a shower after I was able to check in @ 1500 sure helped. I got tho the hotel @ about 14000 this am and they let me drop my pack and then I wandered around, got my reservations for the high speed to Beziers sorted. Wandered about, had some Belgian frites with mayo and then found my way to the Van Gogh museum. WOW is all I can say about that.
Truly amazing to be so close to so many incredible works by not only Vinnie but some of his contemporaries as well; Gaugain, Millet, Picasso, Sezanne, etc. I spent a few fascinating hours there.
Amsterdam is a whole new world, my hostel is associated with a chain of coffee houses where the main product is not necessarily coffee but as the website reads "vegetation and plant resins from around the world". I am sitting in the bar and there are people all around me partaking of that product where you order off a menu and sit with people and have fun. Also, my hotel is on a canal and there have been boaters heading up and down it all day it being a lovely sunny Sunday. Just on the other side of the canal the red light district starts and there are all sorts of shops that I can see that are advertising all sorts of assortment of various films and toys and private rooms and shows and, and, and... As one of the fellows I met in the bar here let me know, Amsterdam has anything anyone could want.
I've been chatting up a couple of fellows here from Dublin and they come over every few months for a "men's weekend" and appear to be pretty experienced with the various availabilities of this city.
I have taken some photos but do not have my camera to upload the images with me so that will come later, stay tuned.
I believe the evening is about to come to an end for me soon, I'll be heading out to find something to eat and then make an early night of it. Tomorrow I think I will take in the Anne Frank House if I'm up for it (hears it's really depressing) and maybe a canal tour where I can take lots of photos and if I have time the Ryksmuseum or the Rembrandt house.
Signing off now, more to come as I can find a login available

30 July 2007; 1148

Greetings,
We are on our 3rd day of holiday and this was the first workday we got to sleep in. Feels great!
WE had a terrific Saturday with getting into the Edmonds Saturday market and sold 44 boxes of Woof World dog treats. We once again had a terrific response and saw a number of our friends during the day as well. We broke down the booth and and then Henry went for a sleepover at our friends the Norton's and made it through the night!
Sunday was pretty lazy. After picking up Henry @ 1100, we did a few errands, had Chinese food for lunch and then I slept the afternoon away while Henry played outside and with some video games. I caught up on the papers from the couple days prior and we were just very casual and lazy.
We are working on Henry's birthday invitation list and will head out to get some Buzz Cola for the attendees.
We have a few plans this week. We plan to catch up some kid films; Harry Potter, Transformers, etc. Not sure if anything will match the Simpson's Movie which was a real riot. Still a lot of juvenile humor but a lot of the jokes were quite sophisticated and meant for the mostly adults in the audience. We're working on getting into the Mukilteo market on Wednesday or the Snohomish Market on Thursday and then back to the Edmonds Market on Saturday. Then it's off to OR to see Grandpa Don for a quick trip. I think we'll go down via the long road on the coast on Sunday and head back early Tuesday with a side trip to Mt. St. Helens. Henry has never been over the big bridge @ Astoria but loves the Tillamook factory tour and ice cream shop and he has gained a recent interest in volcanoes so both of these routes should prove interesting and fun.
That's about it for now, will catch up later in the week

Tuesday 24 June; 1908

Greetings Fair Readers,
Apparently it's been a few weeks since my last update. My how time flies.
Let's see...
Henry and I have been working on Woof World and after only 4 markets we are nearly out of debt and will be able to begin socking away funds for future and fun (50% of all profits are to be invested in Henry's college fund and the other 50% will become our "fun" or probably vacation fund. We have done markets in both the Seattle neighborhoods of Ballard and Fremont as well as Oak Harbor and have been successful in getting our name out and have even begun to receive inquiries regarding repeat orders. We are not up to 7 fantastic canine flavors with the addition of bacon (I think that Butch's eyes actually roll back in his head on this one) and will continue to expand in the future, even working on salmon flavor (for the NW tie-in) as well as kitty treats for which we've had a surprising amount of requests.
We had a 4th of July party on the front lawn of our home which as some of you probably know is right on the parade route to the Edmonds Kind of 4th Parade, truly an example of small town America at it's best with firetrucks, veterans of all the wars since WW1, drill teams and even Nordic Prices and princesses were on hand to help celebrate in all their glory. We had a good turnout and had terrific food and drink but most importantly to celebrate this birthday of our country, fine company. Much laughter, applause and cheering for the parade participants all was in vogue for the day.
Later on that night Henry was honored with an invitation to turn out the lights in the nearby Memorial Stadium here in Edmonds for a fantastic fireworks display. His timing couldn't have been better: the Star Spangled Banner concluded, Henry hit the switch and the 1st rockets headed skyward. Edmonds puts on a hell of a fireworks show and it was tremendous that Henry got to join in.
Previously in June, somehow I injured my foot and began to limp pretty severely. After about a month of this and an inopportune dash for the downtown bus transfer one morning I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis or a pulled/torn ligament in the arch of my foot. I have been babying that around and this has put a cramp in some of our summer fun, more markets and even just getting around. It is frustrating to Henry as I can't play well right now and for me as it has curtailed my gym time and both of us for the time it has taken away from pushing Woof World. The good news is after following the Doc's advice for the past few weeks I seem to be on the mend and should be good to go just about the time Henry heads back to school; rats!
Our wee town has been experiencing heat, rain and humidity; all of which are not the norm for July in the Puget Sound but nonetheless proves the adage that here we cannot trust the weather farther than we can see it.
Grandpa Don has been having a tough time of it lately and Grandma Joanne is understandably stressed. Grandpa Fred seems to be on the mend after his "stroke" scare last winter where it ended up being an infection that severely elevated his blood pressure and he is now being treated for sleep apnea and is reportedly a "new man". Grandma Deanie seems to be taking this in stride and is quite pleased with the progress he has been making lately.
My friends John and Carol will be here tomorrow from London and Edinburgh respectfully and Henry and I will be dining with them tomorrow evening. It is always good to spend time with them.
Henry won passes to the preview showing of the Simpsons Movie the day before it is released to the public so we will be attending that and foregoing dinner with our dinner party group but our friends all seem to understand that this is a big thing, especially to an 8 (almost 9; 3 weeks) year old. Not too far away. Henry has decided to host this years party at the local pool after attending another fiesta there and having a tremendous time. This is K's year to host but I said that I would procure sufficient supplies of Buzz Cola of Simpsons fame from the local 7-Eleven that is currently transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart from the show, right down to the pink donuts and uniforms on the staff.
I am currently working on booking travel to the 2007 World Cup of Rugby, this year to be held in venues from Edinburgh to Marseille. I will be staying with friend John in Montpellier where he has rented 2 chateau for 2 weeks and promises a good crowd moving in and out over the two week period and he has also committed to bringing his slow cooker so we might enjoy his delicious curries throughout, yum. He also has plans to attend the Scotland (his team) v. Italy match on 9/29 in Saint Etienne a short drive away as well as assorted matches in Montpellier and attendance at the local rugby clubs and surrounding pubs to take in the matches from further away. At this time, I am looking at flying all the way to Montpellier but may stop in Paris to switch to the high speed train running south. Also the flight at which I'm currently looking has a layover in Amsterdam on the way back and having never been there I could see about stopping for the night and taking a whirlwind tour.
Work is good, vacation is coming up and summer seems like it's barely started. Henry has been attending camp and has had a couple of fun field trips so far and is making new friends.

Well, that's about it for now but I promise I will try and provide updates more often than every few weeks.

More later...

Sunday 17 June, 2007 @ 2028

Greetings Fair Readers,

Well, it's raining again. I must say the rain gods have done pretty well by us this weekend and kept the precipitation to the evenings and overnight. This is the 50th anniversary of the Edmonds Art Festival and like most other years there was little to get excited about art-wise. There were a few shining points but most exhibitors were the same old dreary lack of creativity hobbyists that tend to populate these local shows. It surprises me here though as this is a very large event here on the west coast and they claim it is juried for entry but we still see a lot of crap displayed. Maybe there just aren't enough "good" artists interested in coming to Edmonds.

As always this happy festival falls on Father's day weekend so it was that as well. Henry and I had a wonderful day and enjoyed each other's company for the last weekend before school is out. Henry came down with his Mum this morning and he and I did some shopping,helped his Mum pick up a new bike she purchased and he took me out to lunch at Panda Express. We came home, wandered up to the arts festival only a few blocks from the house and wandered about. Henry's class did a group tapestry and that was one of the shining moments of which I spoke earlier; not just his classes work but the student portion of the festival that was housed in the neighboring community center. There are serious talents among the young people of our community. I hope the local school systems can encourage and nurture it and not just beat it out of these kids before they reach their upper grades as is so often the case. We came home and watched a movie and Henry went back to his Mum's a bit ago. This actually works out for me a bit better as I have a lot on which to work this week to get caught up before I head out on holiday the middle of next week.

It's been quite a couple weeks for dining; I have had the opportunity to lunch @ Assagio (http://www.assaggioseattle.com/) where I had the penne ala vodka, Bai Pai (http://www.baipairestaurant.com/) and enjoyed the chicken larb we shared to begin and the green curry w/ chicken and then just Friday enjoyed Il Terrazzo Carmine (http://ilterrazzocarmine.com/) where I had the pennette con salmone with fresh local salmon and asparagus in a vodka cream sauce served with pennette. this coming week we are headed to Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizza (http://www.tuttabella.com/) on Tuesday and then it appears we will be celebrating my friend Eva's birthday with Ezell's Fried Chicken (http://www.ezellschicken.com/) for a picnic with the work team at the home of our team's manager and then a brunch at Eva's apartment on Saturday to celebrate Queerfest during pride weekend. Whew! It's a wonder I've maintained on the scale and hopefully I can get another week of the same with all this fine dining.

Today while out and about we ran into some friends we haven't seen in some time; Eric and Caleb. Caleb is a year younger than Henry and used to live on the same cul de sac where Henry and I lived when I was still married to Henry's Mum. Eric has started a new business renting pop top folding tent trailers (http://popuprvrentals.com/). This is really great news as Henry and I were looking at renting one of these fine rigs for a long weekend here or there this summer in between the summer markets and when last I looked there were no rental establishments for these trailers south of Bellingham any longer. It was good to see our friends and good to find out there is now a service for which I had been searching locally.

I spent a few hours working on our website this weekend and am frustrated by a couple of issue but am continuing on and hope to have the site up and running prior to next weekend. I was able to set up a PayPal account by which we will be able to accept credit and debit card payments for the cookies as we continue to grow. The site will have an upcoming events calendar I'll be using to update our friends and customers as to where we'll be over the summer as I'm able to procure reservations with the assorted markets in the Puget Sound so be sure and keep checking the URL http://mywoofworld.com/ for more updates.

That's about it for now, so just remember - be excellent to each other!

Wednesday 13 June 2007 @ 2121

Greetings,

Another week half over and looking forward to the weekend. Still trying to get into a Saturday market this week but so far no luck. The Seattle Neighborhood market association decided they want to stick to people food only right now but I asked that they keep us in mind if the reconsider. We just made a commitment for the Oak Harbor market on Thursday evening the 28th and the market master was very excited to have us involved. If it goes well we'll try and get up there a couple more Thursdays over the summer. The same market master runs the Coupeville Saturday market and she has another dog treat vendor there already and although that does not preclude us from being there, she was very kind and let us know that he is pretty established and the first couple weekends might be a bit slow for sales. We'll still give it a go later this summer plus we have friends in Coupeville with whom we can visit while there.
This weekend if I can't get into a Saturday market I'll get some work done around the house and also try and work on the website. We are continuing to get an order here and there from friends and this could make things easier for everyone to contact us. Plus the idea of many different markets this summer hopefully will lead to orders year round over the website once I get it up and running. I am hoping to add a calendar so we can let folks know where we will be on any give dates this summer.
On the home front, we are starting to see some strawberries on the small plot we planted as well as some peppers and our bush peas are really taking off. We are hoping to get some weeding done soon before everything gets too overrun and we're hoping to have a July 4 party this year as well since the parade goes right in front of the house.
Henry is working on a biography of Henry Ford and finishing his final draft tonight. He is looking forward to the end of school after next week and we're working out a camp schedule to get us through. It appears he'll only have to attend about 4 weeks of camp this year and we're all happy about that.
Work is good at my real job, I was recently promoted to Senior Business Analyst and continue to work on bigger and bigger projects. I continue o enjoy the increased visibility as a SME but also continue to love the fact I have no direct reports. Analyst positions seem to suit that kind of work and I continue to consider myself lucky to be one.
Signing off for now, need to find some images of early and later model Ford vehicles for Henry. All the best

Sunda 10 June 2007; 2110

Greetings Fair Readers,

Today was the first of our business ventures at the Fremont Street Market. As those of you fromSeattle know, Fremont is the self proclaimed "center of the universe"and is a very eclectic neighborhood. It has a tremendous streetmarket on Sundays that is part famer's market and part flea market. Today we had a lovely Spring day here in Seattle and were able to do our first market as Woof World. We were quite successful beginning the day with 115 boxes of K9 Kookies and selling 61. We more than broke even and have enough to pay back the seed money that I lent the business for the change bank and the market booth fee. I am headed to the local bank to open our checking acount and it feels mighty official. Here are a few pictures from the day.

From our booth up the street

You may know this fellow

Is that a happy face or what?

That's about it for today. It was a terrific day and we had a great time. We even had an inquiry for wholesale orders already. This could be the start of something big...

Bye for now

Saturday 9 June 2007; 10:34

Greetings Fair Readers,
It's been sometime since my last post (over 6 months!) my how time flies?!?!
We had a nice winter, cold and wet but so far a fairly nice spring with a number of days of very nice warm sunny days here in the NW.

Henry and I completed the 2007 Washington Tour de Cure in May and Henry was one of the top fund raisers and was invited to a privte meet and greet with 3 time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond but Greg'sMother wastaken ill just prior to the event so he was unable to make it to that or the ride forwhich he was scheduled to be the leader of the 45 mile route. He did however send a signed yellow jersey for each ofthe two kids that were high fundraisers and Henry was one of those two. When Henry heard Greg's Mom was ill, he printed an 8X10 of himself finishing the last Tour de Cure on glossy paper and autographed it, "To Greg, From Henry". It was a high point of the evening when Henry presented that to Greg's manager who had delivered the jerseys. The day of the ride was very nice and although it began with rain, it ended up being sunny and cool to start but warm by the halfway point. We made some new friends, the Peterson's and Henry rode with another boy named Conrad most of the way.

Conrad rode with his Mom while his brother Nyk(the other high fundraiser and recipient of the other signed yellow jersey) rode the 45 mile route with his Dad, Kurt. Conrad's Mom Celeste was a much stronger rider than I so she held the front, the boys stayed somewhere in the middle and I brought up the rear most of the day so we were ableto let the boys ride on their own quite a lot and still keep an eye on them.

Once again it was a terrific adventure and between us, Henry and I raised over $3000.00 including the matching funds that are still to be tallied for diabetes research. It is a fun event and we will continue to participate in the coming years. Here are our Tour de Cure websites. Thank you all for your support of us and this great cause.

Henry - http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?px=3320838&pg=personal&fr_id=4393

Jim - http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=4393&px=3287783

Our newest project is Woof World. Henry and I have gone into business and will be touring the Puget Sound farmer's markets throughout the summer as purveyors of handmade tasty all natural dog treats. We are in high production mode and beginning to pack the car for our first foray into the market in the Fremont neighborhoold tomorrow. We are very excited about this venture and have completed many, many packages of our treats. We have put all 6of our curent flavors through extensive taste tests with our friends and have a number of testimonials to their goodness.

Here's one from our neighbor Gracie, "Woof, bark bark bark, grrrrrrrrr WOOF!"

And another from our founder Butch, "WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOOOOOOO grrrRRRRR".

This has been a lot of fun and we have begun making friends in the farmer's market community for advice and direction. The recipes are all original and we have been in development for a number ofmonths. I am taking this opportunity to teach Henry a few things about business and economics as well. We started with $300 in seed money and he is starting to learn about budgeting and operating costs; even taxes as we are now official and have a state business license and must collect sales tax. I will do my best to update this site with our new adventures throughout the summer and our successes and failures. We are now working on a Woof World website, http://mywoofworld.com/ check often as I am working on getting the site up and running as we speak and hope to have going by July 1.

In closing, let me provide a couple pictures that I think say it all as to why we're doing this.

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...