That's Gneiss! #85 ~ Stymied by my product
We survived our first camping trip of the year - and I do have tales to tell…
The drive to the campground was short and uneventful, though the highway was awfully bumpy. Construction season is here and it’s hard to avoid no matter where you go. We arrived at the campground and got set up easily.
Look at that trailer! We got it 2013 and take it out several times a year. It’s a 1967 Aloha, made in Oregon oh-so long ago. It’s cozy and even has amenities - propane light and cooking, a propane powered fridge, running water, and a toilet! We could hook it up to water and electricity, but there’s really no need as everything works great.
What’s this?
There’s not supposed to be water there! The water tank decided that after 52 years of service it was time to retire with a splash. The good news is that Michael caught it right away, drained the tank into the holding tank, and very little water got into the trailer. The bad news is we won’t have running water in the trailer sink until we replace the tank. That’s really not a big deal, so we’ll carry on and take care of it in the winter.
We carried on with our camping trip once the initial crisis was over, and settled into a quiet relaxing time, just us and the 27 trains that passed by during our stay. Day and night, every time a train went by it blew its horn when it passed the nearby crossing. I like trains, so it was no big deal.
Since we were camping on Sunday and Monday nights, the campground was pretty empty. We discovered something that I should warn you about though - weeknight campgrounds are the domain of lonely old white men.
BEWARE!
The first afternoon we took Rowland for a walk around the campground. We encountered a strange man doing dishes at the water spigot in the other loop (thank goodness). We said hello, and he took that as an invitation to pull us into an extended conversation. He was very excited to be camping in his favorite spot, and told us how he came back again and again. “It’s magical!”
It’s nice there, but I don’t know that I’d go so far as to call it magical.
Rowland walked over and sniffed at him, and he said “oh, he knows I play the button pocket!” Or maybe he said “pocket button.” Either way, I didn’t want to know what he played with in his pocket!
He asked if we wanted to see it, and frankly there was no stopping him as he was determined to show us. He took it out of the case and asked if we knew what it was.
Well yes, as a matter of fact we do know what a button accordion is.
From there he started telling us the tale of how he was mildly depressed until he discovered Celtic music and decided to learn to play the accordion and his family was very unsupportive and then he traveled to Ireland where he obtained the accordion and how just the night before he was busking outside McCaw Hall in Seattle.
We finally broke away and I’m happy to say we managed to avoid him the rest of the trip, despite walking by his campsite several times. Whew!
The campground is located on the Skykomish River, and is truly beautiful.
On the first morning we were just hanging around camp when the man staying a couple of sites over came to drop off some garbage in the dumpster by our site. He sauntered over and of course Rowland barked at him - but that didn’t stop him from setting up shop to talk our ears off for a while.
(you did notice I said lonely old white MEN, didn’t you?)
He was convinced that aside from looking mostly like a black lab, Rowland looked just like his 17-year old Rottweiler back home in Spokane (presumably with his 8 years younger wife who apparently was not retired yet). He told us he was a retired postman (Rowland must have sensed it), and went on about some nearby hikes he had heard about. He had lived in Coupeville when his dad was in the Navy.
This guy wasn’t very good with social cues to politely end a conversation and move on. In fact, when the camp host came around and he had to dash off to pay for his site, he said “be right back!” as he ran off. Sure enough, 10-15 minutes later he wandered back over and took up where he had left off. Michael showed him the inside of the trailer, and later told me that it took several attempts with overt body language to herd him out. Finally he decided to move on to whatever activities he had planned for the day. Whew!
But wait - I am not finished with my stories, you may remember that it’s just the first morning at this point!
After a delicious late breakfast, we took a drive up the road to Skykomish to buy some firewood and beer. It was an odd place, barely a town at all. We drove the (maybe) four block length of town, which was swarming with members of a group bicycle ride to fight poverty (or maybe homelessness). They were all wearing identical orange lycra shirts. We had seen several of the laggers struggling their way along the highway, and I must say it did not look like fun.
There was a nice piece of art on the outside of the store.
Wild Bollards Forever! Oh - I mean Wild Salmon Forever!
Let’s take a closer look at the writing there…
Sorry to break it to you salmon. You always die.
I built a lovely fire in one of the best campground fire pits I’ve ever seen.
I turned my back for a moment and it nearly died. It was quite a struggle to keep it going, though I did manage at last. That Skykomish wood - no good. I was stymied by my product!
Rowland didn’t let anything bother him on the trip. He loves camping and stretching out on the dirt. He kept this position for several minutes.
Lazy doggo! I was pretty lazy too.
At last it was time to go home, and the socially clueless man wandered over to chat while we were in the midst of packing up. Despite us literally walking around him to put things away in the trailer, he nattered on for several minutes before finally moving on. Just go, please.
And now my friends, it is time for me to go. It’s getting late and I’d better get some rest before a busy work week.
Have a good one!
Tidbits
Animated Knots - brilliant!
X is for… - the ways the letter X was represented in alphabet books of long ago
That time Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days…
Making: I spent some time in the garden today and made some headway on the beds down the side of the house. The flower seeds I planted a couple of weeks ago are starting to come up!
Recently eaten: Michael roasted a chicken for dinner tonight, with all the fixings - brussel sprouts & bacon, roasted potatoes, roasted vegetables (carrots, onions, and parsnips), dressing, gravy, and cranberry sauce. I’m stuffed!
Reading: I am nearly done with those blasted hippies - just a few more pages to go! I keep that one next to the bed and never make it very far before falling asleep. I started reading Red, White, & Royal Blue - an unusual choice for me as I don’t care much for romances. I promised my friend I would give them a chance, and this is one that she suggested (she’s exceptionally good at recommending books and restaurants). I’m quite enjoying it! I’m also looking through Visible Mending, and getting more ideas for fixing up my clothes - I just need more holes in them now. Finally, I started a book of short stories - The Pugilist at Rest.
Videos of the Week
I do love me some strange Soviet music from the late 80’s… The audience shots are just as good as the band!
“Gray Pigeon” by Pyotr Mamonov & Zvuki Mu band (1987)
Here’s another one from 1987… what a year.
Finally, here’s the Art Gray Noizz Quintet, who we went to see on Wednesday night. What a great time it was! This video is from a few nights before we saw them. And here’s the full show from the night after that. Skip ahead to 46:10 for a great version of The Theme from Shaft. Enjoy!
Question of the Week
Answer if you wish, and I’ll share next week - anonymously of course. Just hit reply…
What’s on your summer reading list?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last week I asked if you are pen-picky or pencil-particular. You’ve supplied us with a nice array of writing implements to investigate! I want to try them all!
I am extremely pen-particular. My favorite writing pen is Dr. Grip by Pilot. They are nearly $10 but so worth it. I have 2 black and 2 blue and packets of ink refills so I never run out. I make it clear to anyone who comes near my desk that the pens are hands off - and I'm serious. LOL
I like a good old Bic medium black and a #2 pencil made of the real wood. Faber? I think they make a good one. I love those two.
Pen-Picky? Get ready to go down a rabbit hole of Japanese pens.
When I lived in San Francisco, I would spend my pen money on the Pilot Hi-Tec pens at Kinokuniya Stationery in Japantown.
There's a wide range of types, but because I was using them to make fine-lined illustrations, I favored the ones with a grip, anywhere from .25mm to .5mm.
Here's a guide.Tombow brush pens are great if you want to do some painting, even watercolors.
If (when) I visit Japan, it will be a struggle to get me out of pen stores, like this one in Osaka.
Pencil. Specifically, the Sharp Mechanical Drafting Pencil, .5mm, black.
Berol Prismacolor Premier colored pencils are superb.
THIS is my favorite pen!
Last year, my daughter A. had gotten me a couple as a gift - the market down her street sells them. They're really cute - you push the kitty's tale to release the pen nib - but the reason why I LOVE them is the fact that I can sit in bed with the New York Times crossword puzzle and the ink will flow no matter what angle I'm holding the pen - I could write upside down with these babies! And the ink is smooth and the line nice and thin.
And THIS is my favorite pencil. Again, it was a gift and I've never gone back! I love it for all of my art projects. A bit pricey, but worth it.
Current Temperature: 62.4 F (16.9 C)
Current Humidity: 77%
Wind (max gust): 10.3 mph
Precipitation: 0.00 in
Number of Subscribers: 100