Sunday, November 22, 2009

Settling in, kinda

Back from the outside.

Things are pretty much as we left them, minus the greenhouse which ended up in the neighbor's driveway during a big blow...and the cover for the Neil Creek Yacht, which crapped out during the same storm.

And the heater, an old Monitor 422 that finally gave up the ghost.

Did we mention the cover for the upper deck at the Estate yet? No? Well, it is in need of finishing too.

Damn.

Oh well, these things happen. We're about 4.6 inches away from getting the new heater in, and as soon as we figure out how to get 2 right-angle bends (with flares) in a 9" chunk of 3/8" copper tubing AND get it wedged into a 5"x2"x3" space, things will be better...not to mention warmer.

The trip to the Outside went well, all things considered. The traffic on I-35 - actually, damn near ALL of the Austin / Dallas corridor - still sucks, and it still rains all winter in Seattle, but at least the company was OK. The nice older couple that we used to live with is doing well, and the other relatives seem to be holding their own.

Sunshine is an underrated thing, and after eating and drinking in a lot of it this trip, we can see what all the fuss is about.

The Wife and the Chick, bonding over Tex-Mex.



We pretty much ditched the camera for the rest of the trip, which is a shame because otherwise we could have let you in on a wide panoply of scenes, like Wally in a fit of beer-fueled brownline bliss, Rathbun and spouse grooving on home-surgery videos, and B² totin' his beloved J-smolt around Clark and Anil's place. As it stands, we're sorta sure you might not have wanted to see at least 2 of these 3 things.

For now, we're settling in to minor repairs at the Palace and playing with the new addition to the family, which we will get to in due time. Whether we like it or not, winter is here, and we're not quite ready for it yet.

Friday, November 6, 2009

File Under: Can't Wait

The vacation is going swimmingly, thanks.

Yes, the weather is hot, the beer is still cold, and the Mex and 'cue are still pretty bitchin'.

We did, however, receive an email from Señor Rathbun over at the Chum, the contents of which we consider too pressing to wait until we are safely ensconced back in front of our own Babbage engine.

Since WA has been on the greatest hits list these last few years, not to mention the fact that we go back on a bi-yearly basis to visit that nice older couple we used to live with, this one is a little close to the vitals for us. If you fish for steelhead in WA, please take the time to answer these three multiple-choice questions...wild WA steelhead need a show of love here, even from you "brownline" weirdos that only dabble in the sickness.

Resuming radio silence...see you in 14 days, kids.

Monday, November 2, 2009

On The Road, Again.

RoadTrip '09 v4 has snuck up and ambushed us. A mere 8 days after returning from RT'09 v3, we are once again packing a bag and preparing to be harassed by surly airline flunkies on our way Outside. The chance of fishing on this trip is about 8-13%, but we will be able to visit with a few choice folks from the fish-crazy camp on our peregrinations - we will once again be eatin' Mex with FlyFishChick on her home turf, downing beers with Wally at his favorite seedy dive, and trying to keep Ratbone from stealing cheesy posters glued above urinals in trashy neo-retro hipster hangouts.

While we dislike complaining about the weather, we couldn't have picked a better time to go outside. Quick comparisons for the betting folks...

Here:

TUESDAY...RAIN AND SNOW LIKELY IN THE MORNING...
THEN RAIN LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON.
SNOW ACCUMULATION UP TO 1 INCH. HIGHS AROUND 39.
LIGHT WINDS. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 70 PERCENT.

There:

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming
northeast between 5 and 10 mph.

Smart money has us in shorts and tevas by Wednesday afternoon, a cold Carta Blanca in one hand and a fistful of good 'cue in the other.

See you in 16 days, kids.