Hello…
It’s been less than 24 hours since I sent the last newsletter to you, but I have a story to tell. Those of you who have been around for a while will remember the excitement we had on our street in May when the cops had some action at a house down the street. After a quiet spell, drug activity seemed to pick back up. By all appearances most of what they did at that house was work on cars, with a steady stream of vaguely sketchy folks hanging around. The cars frequently blocked the sidewalk which was annoying.
At one point two women set up a rather elaborate yard sale with tables of DVDs, and retail clothing racks. For a couple of days they covered and moved things at night, but that must have been too much effort to maintain for the many days that the sale languished in the yard. It was also apparently too much effort to put everything away.
A few weeks ago they started working on an RV. It looked like somebody may have been living in it while they worked on it, but they were obviously trying hard to get it running. The yard was perpetually full of hoses and other parts, as well as an assortment of other odds & ends. Michael saw them driving around a couple of times, and the last time it moved they managed to pull it further into the driveway so it didn’t block the sidewalk.
It turns out that’s a good thing, as about two weeks ago I noticed the house looked to be empty of all its occupants. I’d seen a trailer backed up to the porch, but with all the activity there it didn’t seem too unusual. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that they must have filled that trailer up and hit the road.
Shortly after that, we noticed an increased cop presence on our street. Sometimes there’d be one parked just across the street to the north, facing the wrong way but where we realized they’d have a clear view of anything going on at the drug house. They started driving by more regularly, and I noticed them slowing waaaaaay down as they passed that house. It occurred to me that they were watching to see if anybody came back to the house.
That would be a big N-O.
A few days ago there were some papers taped to the front door. I figured maybe they skipped out on their rent. The next day the papers were gone.
Still the cops drove by, again and again.
So intriguing!
Today we finally got an answer.
Michael noticed a couple of unmarked vehicles parking in front of our house, and said the two guys that got out looked like undercover cops. Kind of redneck, but obviously armed and wearing flak jackets. One of the vehicles was a rattly little thing with a chunk of the font bumper missing, and other was an innocuous olive green pickup. Upon closer inspection, we could tell that both of them were actually pretty hot.
Here I am, watching for something exciting to happen…
At last they came back - and I used my fabulous new phone to snag a picture of the writing on the back of their jackets (it was too small to read with the naked eye).
Zoom in… zoooooom in…
BAIL ENFORCEMENT AGENT!
Oh my.
Bounty hunters!
I’m certain those people will never come back to that house.
It’s a darn good thing we had that bounty hunter incident on the street, as I’ve been so busy with chaos at work and the trip to Yakima that I don’t have much else to write about.
We got home in decent time today after dropping Nolan off with his friends. He and Mia are leaving tomorrow on their next big adventure, this time to Chile and Argentina. I will provide updates as warranted.
Yakima was… Yakima.
We always stay at a Days Inn hotel that is definitely not in the posh part of town. Some people ahead of us when we were checking in walked out and I overhead one say “I don’t like it here.”
Despite looking a bit sketch, the neighborhood is really quite interesting. My phone made certain lights look green (they did not look green with the naked eye).
There were some interesting cars.
And a nice chair!
I saw a couple of other notable things while out and about in Yakima.
I’ve never noticed this mural at the Sports Center before.
I like the dog.
All right. It’s getting late and I’ve got to get some good rest before heading into another week of chaos at work. I’ll be displaced for almost another month.
Sigh.
Until next week - CHEERS!
Tidbits
Today’s list is going to be short since I was away for a couple of days.
A replacement for FB and/or Twitter? Time will tell… (Sign up here)
Making: it home in one piece.
Recently eaten: when in Yakima, one must eat at the Sport Center Bar & Restaurant. They’ve got some tasty appetizers that make a good lunch. I tried the Brochette Trio and it was excellent.
Reading: My Scarfolk Annual arrived in the mail! I will set all other books aside.
Videos of the Week
Rock
Punk rock
Question of the Week
If you feel like answering the question (or to just say hello), hit reply to this email. Answers will be shared next week - always anonymous.
If you could have the power of teleportation right now, where would you go and why?
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Last week I asked what you best scar story is.
Best scar story - was helping folks move and rebuild "hog panels" for fencing to move hogs they were raising around, and one fell wrong and scratched me on the hand. This was back in 1991 and you can still see it clearly below my right thumb. Emotional scars? Too many!
When I was about 8, I was playing outside in my bare feet. I was having a great time until I ran across something sharp hidden in the grass. I figured there were stitches in my future, but I was wrong. There was nothing left to stitch - the entire bottom of one toe had been cut off so all that could be done was protect the area while it healed. I spent several weeks in a ridiculous gauze bandage that covered my entire foot and ankle. It looked just like Snoopy's cast.
Best/Worst is the 1/4 inch scar on my lip from getting punched (I didn’t fall down!) for basically running my mouth and I kind of deserved it anyways. Learned a good lesson. Kind of.
I also have a scar on the back of my hand when I used a pencil eraser to make a scar. On a dare. I was 9. Also at 9 years I scratched “Van Halen” on my arm with a knife (quite superficial) in the attempt to make a tattoo. My dad was very displeased. Started an ongoing war against establishment for me. I have a lot of scars so I’ll just stop here.
When I was a little kid we visited the zoo and there was a baby elephant in the petting zoo area. It whipped its tail and hit my face, just off the corner of my eye. Scarred for life by a pachyderm!
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