Our Seattle Adventure

Vodka Pie Crust

2010-06-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

It was a success - the America's Test Kitchen aka L-S Test Kitchen produced one tasty strawberry-rhubarb pie using the ATK vodka pie crust recipe. Very flaky, tasty.

Memorial Day Weekend Painting

2010-06-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

OK, OK, so I haven't had a post since Feb? I guess we've been busy! It was rainy on Memorial Day Weekend. Marc and I painted our bedroom - a different shade of tan. Consider it cafe con leche. This time with an eggshell so that the dogs won't scuff it up as much (as the preceding flat paint). I also changed all the light switches and outlets to a modern light. We rotated all the furniture 90 degrees clockwise. This way we can take advantage of the territorial view of Lake Washington out the West window. Big bang for $30 plus labor! Marc and I worked well together painting - no fights... :-) Top photo is old color/layout. Mike

Feature in uweek!

2010-02-18T20:20:00.000-08:00

Hi all - with the popularity of curling and the Olympic games, many in the media are writing stories on curling. This week I was featured in uweek, the University's newspaper. See the story at the following URL:

UW resident curls, just for fun -- not for Olympic glory

Enjoy!

Mike

Cars, naval ships, and family visits

2010-02-14T14:32:00.000-08:00

My dad came to visit in Jan. One really neat thing we did is visit the Lemay Car Collection. This guy collected thousands of cars throughout the years, and they are housed on an 88 acre former Catholic military high school campus. The pink 1946 Kaiser convertible in the picture is in the boys shower room just off the pool (which has been filled and now has cars on the floor built over it). We also went to Bremerton, via the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. We lunched in Gig Harbor on the way. Anyway, Bremerton is a naval town, thus the pics of the ships. We also saw a theater now church with homage to Rick Warren. Not to mention the next day, while shopping in Sammamish, we saw the opposite end of the spectrum - a tribute to soil. It was a great time together, although not quite as sunny as last year. PS I also included the picture of the Tucker - notice the center, moving, third headlight! The yellow car is a great Buick convertible. The pickup is a 1952 Chevy - just trying to get an idea of original brake lights for my truck. The red shoe car is a novelty - two seater.

Christmas Tree

2010-02-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

Well, here are some pics of our tree. We bought a fake. Good thing, as it is still up! Marc did a fabulous job of decorating - much of it is mini-silverware and cups and saucers. It was a hit at our holiday parties. I think that at this point we might leave it up until March 19th. Oh, and Mary bought us a Ken doll ornament. Bailey posed in the background.

Dachshund Ying-Yang

2010-02-14T11:36:00.000-08:00

Well, the dogs just curled up to sleep like this last night - assumed a ying-yang without any coaching. So I thought that I'd snap a picture! It's kind of true - these dogs are opposite in personality, yet have lived together > 10 years and are close. Enjoy! Mike

A lap greyhound

2010-01-03T13:25:00.001-08:00

Rhea came for dinner with Chuck and Erin last night. Despite her 50 pound weight, she feels as comfortable in a lap as a dachshund!

Artisan bread

2010-01-03T13:20:00.001-08:00

Well, now that we have the dutch oven, I was able to make the America's Test Kitchen artisan bread! Take a look!

Here's a link to the recipe:
http://www.grouprecipes.com/52997/almost-no-knead-bread.html

Tom and Jerrys

2010-01-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

When we've traveled back to NE for Christmases, I have been introduced to the Tom and Jerry. Marc and I happened to run across this set at the University UCC Church thrift sale - aka Superfluity - and picked it up for $6. Eight mugs are included. Of note, the kind of T&J that we have grown to love consists of the batter with beaten, separated eggs with sugar. We served these up at two dinners in december this year. >What is the Tom and Jerry? Well, here is a blurb from wikipedia:

A Tom and Jerry is a traditional Christmastime cocktail in the United States. It was devised by sports writer Pierce Egan in the 1820s.

It is a variant of eggnog with brandy and rum added and served hot, usually in a mug or a bowl.

Another method uses egg whites, beaten stiff, with the yolks and sugar folded back in, and vanilla extract added. A few spoonfuls are added to a mug, then hot water and rum are added, and it is topped with nutmeg.

The name is related neither to the popular MGM cartoon nor to the earlier Tom and Jerry by Van Beuren Studio, nor to famous bartender "Professor" Jerry Thomas, the author of one of the first bartender's guides, How to Mix Drinks (1862). Instead, it is a reference to Egan's book, Life in London, or The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn Esq. and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom (1821), and the subsequent stage play Tom and Jerry, or Life in London (also 1821).

To publicize the book and the play, Egan introduced a variation of eggnog by adding ½ fl oz of brandy, calling it a "Tom and Jerry". The additional fortification helped popularize the drink.

Christmas in Nebraska

2010-01-03T12:52:00.001-08:00

This year Marc and I traveled back to Nebraska to spend Christmas with his family. It was quite snowy, so our travel got delayed a bit, and the extended family Christmas event was canceled. We spent some time at Marc's parents' house in Lincoln and had a great time! Mark K, Joel, and I each purchased a 40 oz bottle of Busch Light, conveniently wrapped in a brown paper bag. All in all, it was very relaxing, the food was excellent, and the company great! Merry Christmas to all - and best to you in 2010! Mike

Snuggled Up

2010-01-03T12:47:00.000-08:00

We bought a little bed for Bailey, thinking that he would like one of his own - we also have a little red bed. But these 10 and 12 yo dachshunds like to snuggle up in one bed!

A view of the Mighty Miss'

2009-12-20T10:34:00.000-08:00

Hi all - we had a great trip back to Minnesota and Wisconsin for Thanksgiving. We had a chance to go see Marty and Kelly - captured some views from Garvin Heights - pretty place. We also stopped by the Saint Mary's campus - we placed Finn in the creche. It was a great trip! I also organized a reunion at the curling club - was able to see Brian, Theresa, Paula, Beth, etc. We had a good time! Mike

Marc and his buddy

2009-11-15T11:31:00.000-08:00

Bailey got a buzz cut to keep the pollen and brush out of his fur when we walk. Hard to see from these photos, but he turned out pretty cute!!!

Fall in Seattle

2009-11-15T11:26:00.000-08:00

We've had a few nice fall days in Seattle. Marc and I were able to get out and enjoy them with the dogs. Now the rain has set in for awhile, but here's a glimpse of some of the sunny weather.

Bathroom updates

2009-11-15T11:17:00.000-08:00

OK, boring post I know, but we switched out a few little details in the bathroom to make it look a little more fresh... new shower curtain, etc.... Mike

Old house

2009-11-15T11:00:00.000-08:00

For those of you who haven't traveled to Seattle to visit, I thought that I'd take a pic of the reprint that we ordered. King County archives keeps vintage photos/negatives of historical snapshots used for taxation purposes. Our house was built in 1926. This photo was snapped in the 1930s. It hangs in our dining room. Surprisingly, it hasn't changed much over the years!

Tiger Mountain Summit

2009-11-15T10:06:00.000-08:00

Marc's brother Joel came to visit us here in Seattle, and we took the opportunity to hike Tiger Mountain. It's about a 35 minute drive from here. We took the opportunity to take some of the unmaintained trails (in other words... steep) and made it to summit #3. It was a great hike!

Curling Season

2009-10-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

Mike's curling season got under way last night. Marc and our friend Mary went to go see the action and have a cider at the bar. [Marc]

Sailing

2009-10-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago our friend Alan invited us to go sailing on his boat out on Puget Sound. It was a beautiful, crisp fall day. Alan even let Marc steer the boat for a while. Unfortunately, Mike forgot to take his dramamine(tm), so he was looking a little green almost the whole time. The last picture here is after Marc got soaked by sea spray, which was I guess his own fault since he was at the helm at the time. [Marc]

Still Some Sunshine in Seattle

2009-10-04T10:47:00.000-07:00

Bailey and Sprout enjoying Sunday morning sunbeam. [Marc]

Truck Restoration Video

2009-09-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

I frequent a website dedicated to old trucks called Stovebolt.com. They have a feature of my truck which can be seen at:

1954 GMC 100

I also stumbled upon a great 9-10 minute video of a guy from Wisconsin who did a great job on his 1946 Chevy truck - over 8.5 years! Check it out!

1946 Chevy PU

When the weather clears up this afternoon, I will be back at it...

Mike

The Harvest Continues

2009-09-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

[Marc]

New rubber

2009-09-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

Hi folks - happy Labor Day Weekend! Are you sick of hearing about my truck? I suppose we could change the blog to "Mike's Old Truck Project" versus Our Seattle Adventure, as I could be doing this in whatever city. Well, when I bought the truck, my goals in the short term were to:
1) Fix the brakes - done
2) Change the tires - done (this post)
3) Install seat belts

Well , there were some bumps along the way!

Anyway, the tire thing proved more work than it should have - the rims on the wheels were 16", but designed to be used with inner tubes. The four tires were bias ply - front 6.50-16 and back 7.00-16. They were all terrible. Bald. The back ones were retreads, and it looked like the tread was peeling off. The thing bumped and glided all over the road, tracking in every road imperfection. The date branded on the tires was 1975 - so older than me!

I could find replacement bias tires on the internet from Jim Carter, but who to install? Most of the tire shops around here have young kids (with strong backs) that don't know how to work on these. My 35 yo neighbor saved the day - he found 4 16" radial tires (10 ply) off a duallie. Two were near perfect, two were somewhat worn, but still plenty of tread. $50 apiece for the good ones, $15 apiece for the worn ones. Bigger than the original tires, but would work. I found new tubes on E-bay. Plus a spare tire - it was a weird size - 6.70-15 - so no radial conversion. But I found a new old stock bias tire on E-bay that was perfect!

Jeremy (my neighbor) came home on Sat evening after work (his tire shop) - we ripped off all the tires and mounted the new ones in the yard! I have to emphasize Jeremy -- I'm not skilled with tire irons. But now they're on!

Now I just need to get the truck running again - but I figured out the problem... the wire between coil and distributor is shot! So I'm not getting a spark! More to come... Awaiting parts in the mail (story of the year).

Anyway, I took some pics of the tires - front left (radial) and spare (bias, new old stock or NOS).

Now I just need to work on those seatbelts...

Mike

Sweet old truck

2009-09-01T18:46:00.003-07:00

Click here to view these pictures larger(TOP PHOTO)

Click here to view these pictures larger(BOTTOM PHOTO)

I wanted to post these pics - this is one of Butch's old trucks that has gone to pasture - now known as the "dump truck." It appears to be a 1950s Chevy Advance Design big truck - duallie, flat bed, probably 1-ton? Pretty neat! It was decorated as such for a wedding on the property. I will have to check it out in person next time I am back in MN!

Lauren's Wedding

2009-08-25T07:28:00.001-07:00

Mike's coworker/friend married Doug in Los Angeles' Temescal Gateway Park. It was a quaint, beautiful setting, with a dinner/dance to follow in the reception hall downhill. All in all it was a great time!

Sunday Visit to the Beach

2009-08-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

After the wedding festivities (more on that later), we headed north to see the beach and ocean at Leo Carillo State Park. The beaches in California are always crowded in the summer, Sunday was no exception. But it was still quite beautiful. [Marc] PS About the candid looking-into-the-distance style photos -- just something different to try, and everyone looks less squinty that way in the bright sun.

Harvest Time Begins

2009-08-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

We're back from a weekend trip to Los Angeles (more on that later). My post-return inspection of the tomato plants found a good handful of cherry tomatoes. (Actually, I think the variety is officially a "grape tomato," but that's a finer point than needed.) The first of many, I can see. [Marc]

New turn signal lenses

2009-08-19T07:56:00.001-07:00

They say that God is in the details - well, that's what I focus on when I get frustrated with the mechanicals... The secret is not to try to do too much at once, and remember that the cover can stay on indefinitely - and the truck WILL wait for you!!! The old turn signal lenses were original, cracked, and opaque. I found these from Jim Carter - about $4 or $5 for the pair. I polished up the chrome around them and put them on. Bit by bit...

New Glove Box

2009-08-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

Another quick, inexpensive fix to add detail. The new glove box was $13 at Jim Carter. I should have snapped a pic before pulling old box - but as you can see, it was worn, had been painted once, and had water damage, etc. I think it was actually a grease stain on the bottom. There was so much space beneath the dash that pulling and installing took a mere 10 minutes!!! Notice the USAA card flashed at the side in the last shot. The AAA card will also be there!

New Door Panels

2009-08-19T07:43:00.001-07:00

The interiors of these trucks are simple - as best I can tell, this truck represents a deteriorated amateur restoration from the 1970s - when reproduction parts were not available. Now I can get just about any part that I want on the Internet. It's great! The door panels and headliner are made from molded cardboard. Looking at the original photo on top, the original cardboard was covered with vinyl. It had much water/moisture damage (I think that this truck sat in a leaky barn for many years after it was fixed up). Anyway, I bought new panels with metal trim from Jim Carter - about $50 - then polished up doors and installed. It will make a nice improvement! Slowly coming along...

My frist tow

2009-08-19T07:34:00.001-07:00

Well, the truck drove home (30 miles from Monroe, WA), but it has not really been touched in years, so there are many things that I want to do to make it a reliable weekend driver.

Here's what I did so far:
1) Rebuilt brake system - hired out
Rest I did myself
2) New battery - Optima 6V
3) Replace upper radiator hose and clamps, flush radiator
4) Change engine oil
5) Change transmission gear oil
6) Change fan belt (as pictured above)
7) Change spark plugs

The weekend before last I went down to the tire shop to talk to the sales person about new tires (promised a call back, but no return phone call). 'Tis OK, because my neighbor and I are going to break and mount the tires in the yard! Anyway, I totally stalled out and kept stalling and stalling and stalling - especially when under load, going uphill. Needless to say, I had the truck towed home. Thanks AAA - it was quick and didn't cost me a dime. Now the trouble shooting begins - fuel vs fire? I think that the timing is too retarded, so that will be a first step. Then it's a review of the fuel system - clogs are VERY common in these old trucks as crud from the gas tank floats around. I will stick to cosmetics for a little while as an ego booster...

What lies under your seat

2009-08-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

I saw a YouTube video about a woman who was updating her 1954 Chevy truck - what I realized is that the bottom seat cushion is not attached - it basically sits in the frame and is removable. Underneath is a tool or other compartment. Although I didn't have any tool in it... What was found was a 1 ft in diameter by 6" high mouse nest (dormant, no mice) on top of old carpet. I pulled it all out and used the Shop-Vac to remove any last trace. The truck is starting to smell just a bit better!

Blog Trifecta

2009-08-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

A couple random pictures from our trip to San Francisco over Fourth of July weekend, just to make a trifecta blog post. [Marc]

Tomatoes

2009-08-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

And here's another summer project ... tomatoes! Back in early June I put out a few tomato plants in the planter on the southwest corner of the house. Because of the Seattle climate, you really can't put them out very early, and you need to keep them protected from chilly weather even then. (I learned this from a tomato growing class at the local garden club.) I put out a couple heirloom beefsteak varieties, a red grape tomato variety, and tried an 'ivory' colored variety just for fun.

I designed my cover/trellis to expand up once the plants got bigger. (Yes, that's sun tea on the corner.)

Now the plants are almost as tall as the trellis!

Lots of fruit, but nothing has ripened yet. Hopefully we'll see some delicious results before the end of the growing season. Will let you know how it goes. [Marc]

We're going to be so rich!

2009-08-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

In case you've been wondering what Marc's been up to while Mike is working on the truck ... Here's a little project I did a couple weekends ago. New drawer boxes and runners on the built-in unit in the hallway!

First, I removed the existing runner-less drawer boxes and installed new high-tech Austrian gliders in the wall unit (only the best materials, you know me).

I had ordered new, pre-assembled drawer boxes on-line. Special locking devices that fit with the gliders go underneath the boxes. (Note how they have a cedar plywood base, nice for storing linens.)

Then, I installed the new drawer boxes in the wall unit.

Finally, I tore apart the original boxes and re-installed the front panels onto the new boxes.

Voila! No more squeaky, creaky, askew drawers. They now glide in and out quietly with a nifty soft-close motion. (Cue oohs and aahs from audience.) Now I know how Nadine from the television show Twin Peaks felt. [Marc]

Small dogs fit in many places

2009-08-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

Hi all - we've been busy with fun activity this summer, and I confess, working on that truck has been the highlight of my free time! I really enjoy troubleshooting all the problems to get it to a place where it is a reliable weekend driver. There will be a separate post on that. Anyway, as above, Sprout "jumped" in the laundry basket (or was placed there... before washing, of course). Bailey is used to clean up after the mess - Marc spilled couscous in the refrigerator, and Bailey wanted to clean up the dust at the bottom of the dog food bag. They're great for crumbs!

A Trip Home

2009-06-29T07:24:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to Minneapolis, then on to Wisconsin. I took a red-eye on Saturday am. I arrived, went to Katie's house, then got ready for Jack's birthday. Jack turned 4, and his birthday party was at the Hopkins Fire Department. Then it was a round of visiting - I saw Paula, Connie, Theresa, Dottie, etc. before traveling to Shell Lake. While in WI I saw Erin and Terry, having a chance to dine at the new brew pub in Eau Claire. Then Jack and Emilie returned to Shell Lake; we spent a good deal of time in the water. Going back to Minneapolis, I caught up with Anne, Khanh, JT, and Jane/Chris/Andrew and Chris' folks. I returned to Seattle for a bit of rest on Sunday before returning to work. All in all, it was a great week and a nice chance to get away! Now it's back to work this AM - after 9 days away. Enjoy the pics of the Hopkins fire truck, and a sunset (typical) at Shell Lake. Mike

Emilie and her favorite dog

2009-06-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

This year I was lucky to have so much family visit - my dad in Feb, Jane (with Andrew) in May, and Katie and Emilie in June. Emilie really likes the dachshunds, especially Bailey. She had a great time walking and feeding "her" dog. And when she and Jack pretend to be dogs, Emilie chooses to be Bailey, and Jack Sprout. I feed them each carrot sticks, as part of this little game. Katie and Emilie also took a Seattle bus tour this time, taking the monorail, and also going up the Space Needle. It's always great to have family visit and get so much time together 1:1. Mike

Truck Horn

2009-05-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

Well, when I got my truck, the horn didn't work. While I can fine nearly any remanufactured replacement part on-line, no one seems to make 6 volt horns anymore (except for moped horns). Anyway, GM used 6 volt electrical systems until 1954, then converted to 12 volt. I still have the original 6 volt system which is fine for now. I found this horn on E-bay - it is a 1930s Acorn trumpet horn - for about $35 (including S&H). Last weekend I put it in the truck. It's nice to have a horn! The truck doesn't accelerate or stop as well as new vehicles - so it's nice to have a horn to alert other drivers that they need to watch out for me! This weekend I will work on the window lifters. The windows have fallen out of track and don't go up and down as easily as they should. More to come!

Memorial Day Weekend Projects

2009-05-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Mike installing new horn for the truck. (Expect another post on this sometime soon.)

And our tomato plants with newly-installed floating row cover (recommended to extend Seattle growing season). [Marc]

April Showers Bring May Flowers

2009-05-01T18:58:00.000-07:00

Spring has finally sprung in Seattle. Here are some pictures of the tulips we planted in the front of the house. [Marc]

Saturday drive

2009-04-18T08:32:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm trying to get the truck out on the road each weekend. Now that the new battery has arrived, it should be easier! Last weekend we went on a trip to grab a sandwich and to visit Peter and Maria. Junior and Oliver posed for the pics (with Peter and Marc in the background). Peter and Marc had to push me and pop the clutch so that we could get home. Oh well! We'll see how the new battery does!

Where old trucks go to die...

2009-04-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! We went to the 2.5 hour long Easter Vigil last night. It was a bit on the long side (they decided to do 8 baptisms). Today we will have brunch with friends, which shall be fun. I thought that I would include this picture on the blog - it has nothing to do with Easter, I guess, unless you consider vehicle restoration as a form of resurrection. Anyway, my neighbor Anita sent me this picture - it is from an unofficial truck cemetery in Sprague, WA, which is in Eastern Washington near Spokane. It's hard to tell from the photo, but it looks like there is a mixture of GM, Ford, Mopar, and International in the mix. I will have to visit someday!

Speaking of dead trucks - my 6 volt battery is toast. I'm waiting for another to come in the mail, which shall make weekend touring a much more reliable activity!

-Mike

Puerto Vallarta

2009-04-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

Realized that we haven't posted anything about our trip to Puerto Vallarta at the end of last month. But then again, we forgot our camera so there aren't any pictures to share! Not that there would be much photographic interest in us spending four days just relaxing by the pool, relaxing on the beach, or relaxing while eating delicious meals (accompanied by margaritas and cerveza, of course). In lieu of pictures, I put together a little map that illustrates our get-away.

I think the most interesting thing about our trip was that we sat next to a guy with MY SAME NAME on the plane from L.A. to Mexico. (Cue Twilight Zone music here.) As it turns out, my name doppelganger is much more fabulous than me (he owns a hair salon in San Francisco). We had a good time talking with him and his friends, we even ran into them again on the last night of our trip.

While I didn't pick up any souvenirs in Mexico, I did acquire a head cold that ballooned a bit out of control when we returned home. Darn that low-humidity cesspool of microbial nastiness of an airplane air conditioning system! My doctor prescribed some good medicine so I'm on the mend, but still a little deaf in my left ear.

The trip was relaxing and definitely worth it. I'd love to go back again, but I think Mike would probably like to mix it up for our next trip. Any suggestions? [Marc]

Wine tasting at J&M

2009-03-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

My friends Sue and Adam came to visit - we saw the sights in Seattle and had a chance to go to JM Cellars. The owner was there that day and gave us a tour - he stuck a wine thief in various barrels and gave us a sampling. It was a neat, small winery - only 4500 cases a year vs the 6.5 million at Chateau Ste Michelle. I highly recommend a visit!!!

We also visited the other Seattle sites, of course, like Pike Place Market and the original Starbucks!

An 18 year-old dream actualized...

2009-03-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm not sure if it began when I was 14 or so, but I have been crazy about old trucks ever since I can remember. I learned to drive on a 1972 Chevy 1/2 ton shortbox with a 250 ci inline six and a three on the tree. No power steering. I loved it. It was a rustbucket, so it had to go. So, when I moved out to Washington, I always said that I would look for something. They don't salt the roads out here, so there is more available. But what did I want? I knew that I liked GM (Chevy/GMC) more than Dodge or Ford - easier to get parts. But I do like the 1967-72 design, the 1960-66, and the 1947-1954. My goal was to find a low rust vehicle. I also wanted to find something that ran. Another criteria would be that it was not too tweaked out - I didn't want a big V8, auto, air etc. Ideal would be low rust, sweet design, complete, inline 6, manual transmission, and something intact, but not so nice that you'd be afraid to drive it. Well, as the economy has been down, people have been selling their extras. I sold my 1998 Accord in June 2007 - I have not had my own car since then - I share a care with Marc. I have been looking, looking, looking. I drove a 1968 Chevy which was cool, but with exhaust leak and rust and poor linkage. I also stumbled upon a 1954 GMC - sweet look - but was it for me? I thought about it for two weeks and researched the heck out of it - I was then able to negotiate a price - then it was mine. I love it! It is what I've always wanted (way better than a BMW). Rough, noisy, stinky (like gasoline), and totally me. I love this truck and am so glad that I stumbled upon it. It's totally intact with low rust (almost none), and it's something that nice, but not so nice that I'm afraid to drive it. It will be a love/hate relationship as I have the days when it doesn't start etc., but I'm glad it's mine!!! I'm such a country bumpkin. And this is Part 1 in my story. More to be continued! Mike

Christmas in Nebraska

2009-03-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

OK, I know that it's March, and I should have posted those Christmas pics sooner, but that's just life I guess! We went to Nebraska on Christmas Day to celebrate with Marc's family. Christmas Day we were in Lincoln, with dinner at his parent's place. On the 26th, we went to Bow Valley, NE. We had the family Christmas in the basement of the church - potluck, laidback, and about 50 people. Then Dennis and Ruth Ann renewed their wedding vows upstairs with Deacon Sylvan. They were celebrating their 40th anniversary. We also stopped by Marc's grandparents homestead to hang out for a bit. Pics above from top to bottom:
1) Marc, Mike, Loretta, Claudius, and Joel (Marc's grandparents and brother)
2) Ruth Ann and Loretta - mother and daughter-in-law (Marc's mom and grandmom)
3) Mike and Marc in front of the confessional at church
4) Dennis and Ruth Ann with their three kids and Dennis' parents
5) Dennis and Ruth Ann renewing their vows with Sylvan

It was a great time, and I was so relaxed!

In Boston...

2009-03-09T18:48:00.000-07:00

Well, my call schedule has been busy, and Marc has been in school, so I have gotten behind in the posting. I will try to do a better job. This last weekend I attend the College of American Pathologists Resident Forum - it was held immediately prior to the United States and Canadian Association of Pathologists (USCAP) meeting. The meeting was held in Boston, and fortunately, the weather was decent. I had a chance to reunite with my friend Eleanor -- we were at Minnesota together for 8 years - 1998-2006. She is now a pathology resident in Boston, I in Seattle. It was great to catch up after 2.5 years and compare notes!

Susie

2009-01-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

Well, this is my year to hold little babies. Our friends Carrie and David had their first this year - a little girl named Susie. Mike works with Carrie at UW Pathology and Dave works with Marc at the engineering firm. We snapped this picture at the holiday party of the engineering firm. As Carrie says, "Susie is perfect."

Oliver Teo

2008-12-13T16:51:00.000-08:00

Well, we've been busy I guess, considering it's been a month since our last post! I thought that I would add a pic of little Oliver Teo, born right at the beginning of Nov. I work with Oli's mom Maria - she is one of the 4 women I work with this year that had babies this fall. Little Oliver was pretty cute, so calm, and so well-behaved -- I think that I must have held him for at least 45 minutes, and he just snoozed. Well, will have some holiday postings, I suppose!

Mike&Oliver

Honeymoon in Fargo

2008-11-11T12:10:00.000-08:00

Photos from top to bottom:
1) Erin and Chuck's Wedding at the lakeside (Pelican Lake)
2) Mike and Marc in Molly and Aaron's yard - we slept in the tent - it was great!
3) Molly and Aaron - Mike went to medical school with Molly.
4) Mike and Molly
5) Marc and Molly
6) Canoeing on Spirit Lake
7) Mike with Chloe - the B&B dog

Well, after we were married on a Monday, we flew back to Seattle. I worked on Tuesday, and Marc attended orientation for graduate school. On Wed we flew to Fargo. We spent two nights at a B&B in Minnesota, then went to Chicago/Milwaukee for a day on Friday to visit one of Marc's friends. On Sat we went to Bemidji, MN to visit Molly and Aaron, then on Sunday we went to Detroit Lakes, MN to attend Chuck and Erin's wedding. We returned to Seattle on Monday, and the dogs were happy to see us!

Happy Veteran's Day

2008-11-11T12:02:00.001-08:00

Well, happy Veteran's Day to all! It is a holiday for me, so I'm home with the dogs. Marc is at work. Anyway, this last weekend Marc and I assembled a shed that we had purchased for the bikes, lawnmower, etc. Basically a place to shove all our junk as we clean out the basement in preparation for the remodel. Hopefully we can start on Jan 1! I also snapped some photos of our fence which we stained last month - it will stay this nice rich cedar color and won't gray like most unstained cedar items do here in wet Seattle.

See old post for pics of fence when it was new:

http://mikeandmarc.blogspot.com/2008/03/new-fence.html

Happy Birthday Bailey!

2008-11-02T13:10:00.000-08:00

Bailey turned 11 Nov 1. Jane and I walked the dogs down to University Village (shopping mall nearby - high-end stores, outdoor type mall, dogs welcome at many stores. We went to Mud Bay Pet Store and bought pig ears for each dog as well as picked up some samples. I then took Sprout for a lap around Williams Sonoma to see what was for sale. We walked home, and then later that night, Jane and I sang Happy Birthday to the Bailey and then gave him a pig ear to munch on - it kept him busy for 40 minutes! Jane and I worked on dinner and a pumpkin pie. All in all it was a great visit! Bailey was happy too!

Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm living up to my stereotype - obnoxious pet owner and gay pet owner. I never thought that I would break down and buy a dog costume, but I did. Oh well! Bailey and Sprout looked pretty cute. Jane came to visit this weekend, which has been fun. Last night we went to the neighborhood Halloween party. Then late that night Jane and I went to the Granite Curling Club - I've started to curl again! Hooray! Today is Nov 1 - Bailey's 11th birthday. I suppose we'll get him a real dog treat (vs carrots). Have a great day! [Mike]

Pregnancy Prosthesis

2008-11-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

Well, this year 4 of my coworkers have had babies. Needless to say, I've had to attend 4 baby showers this year - amazing! As a joke, I bought this fake belly and boobs from the costume store. I wore it to one of the showers. As seen in the photo is my fake belly mirrored against Robyn's real belly. I also took it to work where DT dressed up as a pregnant retired Hooters girl. It was Halloween and we had a party at work. Silly! Now I need to sell this on E-bay to get rid of it! [Mike]

Hiking at Tiger Mountain

2008-11-01T10:38:00.001-07:00

Our friend Sean came to visit us last month. Mike met Sean in Minneapolis, then when Sean moved to San Diego, Sean and Marc became friends. We were blessed with great fall weather - very sunny. We headed to Tiger Mountain, one of the closest hiking places in Seattle. Within 25 minutes of leaving home, we were at the base of the mountain. We got started late, so we didn't make it to the summit, but it was nice to be out in nature for awhile!

Bawlmore

2008-10-25T12:43:00.001-07:00

Baltimore is supposed to be 3 syllables, but it seems that those from Maryland chop it into 2. I recently went to the American Society of Clinical Pathology meeting in Baltimore. I hadn't been there since 2005 - when I interviewed for a residency of Johns Hopkins. The meeting was down in the Inner Harbor, and I have to admit, it has been revivified and a pretty neat place! In my free time I walked around the cobblestone streets of Fells Point and browsed the record stores and antique shops (purchasing nothing of course). For dinner, some of the Washington folks went for crab and seafood - one lone picture captured - Larry, Monesh, Jennifer, and Mike. It was a great time! Who knows when I will be back... the flight from Seattle to Baltimore requires a connection and is quite a long trip! Mike

Roses

2008-10-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

When we moved into our house, there were a number of rose bushes in tough shape. Frankly, we thought that they were all spent - a master gardener looked at our yard last year to give us advice on what to keep and what to chop out. She thought that the rose bushes were likely just the root part of the graft (rose bushes are often grafted) and that no flowers would come. Well, our first year, we got a single yellow rose, 8 feet off the ground. When we cut all the trees and bushes down in anticipation of the fence, the rose bushes took off - but no flowers. Oh well. Then, the rose bush least likely to bear flowers (it was small, shriveled), burst out two bright red roses in early September, right before we got married. I suppose that it was nature saying -- good luck in San Francisco! I had hoped to catch a photo, but by the time I had a chance, a windstorm had blown all the petals away - so I captured a photo of the petals. That's all that remains until next year. Oh well! Still lovely to have had a couple of roses this year!

We're hitched!!!

2008-09-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

It was everything we ever wanted in a wedding and a great day with family and friends! No need to say more! Mike & Marc

E-collar for Bailey

2008-09-04T20:07:00.001-07:00

Poor little Bailey - he began limping on Monday night. I was worried that it was a problem with a herniated disc, but once he started licking his paw, we figured out what the problem was - he had an infected sore between his toes. Thus, he had to make a trip to the vet, get a wound debridement, a shot of antibiotics, and a 2 week prescription. He now has an E-collar and looks pretty cute! It's kind of funny to see him try to crawl under the chair, bed, etc., but keeps bumping the collar into things. He should make a full recovery, but must not walk to vigorously for the next few weeks (which he is excited about).

Seattle free stuff

2008-09-04T19:54:00.000-07:00

Seattle is notorious for putting free things out on the street - people who are moving get desperate to get rid of stuff, so they put it on their front lawn with a big sign marked "free." On Labor Day, Marc and I were walking down the street with the dogs when we noticed the bureau on the street. It is a bit beat up - the finish has been stripped, so the grain is quite raised, it has some water damage, the pulls are missing, and it is a bit "loose." Well, I figure we can put a piece of 1/4" plywood on the back to straighten it up, and we can then sand and pickle or paint the wood. With new pulls and drawer liners, it will be a nice piece. I told Marc that the sad thing is that we will probably move it from house to house to house and have it for 50 years! Will let you know when I actually get it fixed up! Mike

Wine tasting with the best-friends-in-law

2008-08-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

We met Chris and Megan at Mark and Amy's wedding - Amy is Marc's sister, and Mark is her husband. Mark went to high school with Chris. Chris and Megan are traveling physical therapists, and they have been in Olympia, WA since earlier this year - we ran into them at a roadside lookout in the Olympic Mountains (see previous post). Anyway, we invited Chris and Megan to come see us in Seattle before they left for their next work assignment in Wisconsin. We drove over to Woodinville to visit a number of wineries to taste wine - including, Januik, Silver Lake, Columbia Valley, and Chateau Ste Michelle. I had never been wine tasting before, so it was fun to try the different varieties. We came home with some purchased wine and spent the evening sipping wine, eating a great pork loin, and listening to records for the rest of the night. It was great to see Chris and Megan again - hopefully we can visit them next summer when they go to Alaska! [Mike]

Summer rainbow

2008-08-16T08:16:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Marc and I took a long bike ride to attend two parties. His work hosted a party on Bainbridge Island, so we biked from our house to Downtown, then took the ferry to the island. From there, we biked to and from the party. Once we returned Downtown, we then headed south to another party. A light rain/mist began as the sun was setting, creating a magnificent double rainbow. We captured a couple of shots, but it doesn't quite do it justice... it was pretty intense in color!

Steely Dan in the rain

2008-08-05T06:43:00.000-07:00

Steely Dan in the rain... Well, when I was at Children's Hospital, Sally, Loree, and Laura invited us to go to the Steely Dan concert at Chateau Ste. Michelle, this great local winery. Now, it only rained 2 days over the last 40 or so, and of course, it happened to be on the day of an outdoor concert. Oh well! It was a great concert - the musicians were great, and Donald Fagen sounded exactly the same as he does in recording. Unfortunately, they did not play "Rikki don't lose that number" or "Reelin' in the years," but they did play a slow version of "Do it again." It was great to get out and see live music in the company of friends, good wine, and great food!

Beach Weekend

2008-08-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend we headed down to Long Beach ... Washington, not California. It's about three hours south of Seattle by car, and basically comprises a bunch of beach resorts located on a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and Willapa Bay (picture above). Unfortunately, there really isn't any swimming allowed because of the cold water and rip tides. But it's a great place to relax and even fly a kite if you like.

We stayed at a little place called the Shakti Cove.

The dogs had a great time at the beach.

We also tried out the forest loop trail at Leadbetter Point State Park, at the very tip of the peninsula.

I think we all agreed (including the dogs) that next time we we'd like to stay a bit longer! [Marc]

Summer Haircuts

2008-07-28T06:43:00.000-07:00

Well, one of the drawbacks of long-haired dachschunds is that they overheat in the summer! Thus, I took Bailey and Sprout to the groomers this weekend to get them shaved. They turned out so cute! Little buzz cuts for dogs! Bailey, our little diva, of course, squirmed around the hold time and two people had to hold him while he got chopped. Oh well, I only get them groomed twice a year!

Wedding Details

2008-07-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

Are as follows:

Date: Monday, Sept 15, 2008

Time: 11:30 - 11:45 am

Location: San Francisco City Hall, San Francisco, CA

Guests: All are welcome - consider this post an invite; please keep in mind, however, that the City Hall rules say that a maximum of 6 guests are allowed. Not sure if this is enforced, but if so, we will have to prioritize family first for the ceremony portion of the day; as it's only 10-15 minutes, the extra guests, if any, could wait in the lobby, and it wouldn't be too long.

Reception: No formal reception -- we will go out to lunch with whomever shows up.

Gift registry: None. Marc and I lived too long on our own and acquired too many possessions. Thus, in lieu of gifts, those inclined should donate money to their favorite charity, or they can choose one of our favorite three:

San Miguel Middle School - Minneaoplis

Dignity Seattle - Call the phone number at the upper right hand corner; other option would be the national Dignity chapter (DignityUSA)

Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue - we wouldn't have Bailey and Sprout without them!

Thanks to all (especially our families) for your support along the way - we couldn't have done it without you!

We're Getting Hitched!

2008-07-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

Well, this is the first photo that Marc and I had taken together - back on February 13, 2004 - he was my date for the University of Minnesota Medical School Ball, and we were crazy about each other! (We still are some of the time, of course.) We even slow danced to Nora Jones "Come Away With Me."

Marc and I met on December 6, 2003 at The Flame. I was in San Diego attending the 2003 American Society of Hematolgy meeting, and my friend Yvette wanted to go to The Flame to check out the scene. (Ironically it was a lesbian bar at that time, and there were only 6 guys there or so.) While I was dancing, one of Marc's friends pushed him into me, we struck up a conversation, and it all began. Marc had been at the Flame after volunteering as a chaperone for a youth dance at the San Diego LGBT Center. It wasn't quite love at first sight, but we were pretty much crazy about each other shortly after we met, which motivated us to continue the relationship despite the distance.

Marc was working in California, and I was going to school in Minnesota. So, for the first three years of our relationship, we flew back and forth, talked on the phone, etc. I even made Marc read the Long Distance Relationship book, which we've both loaned to our sibs.

We chose to start our lives together by starting over again in a new city - I moved to Seattle in June 2006 to begin residency in Pathology at the University of Washington, and Marc moved to Seattle in January 2007 to join me (he's working as a civil engineer and has enrolled at the University of Washington).

We've had a great 18 months together here in Seattle, with the usual ups and downs - it was a bit stressful to sell two homes, move across country, start new jobs, buy another home, and learn to live together. As the summer has progressed, we've talked about our future and we decided that we want to be married. We talked about all the different options - but the recent decision by the Republican-appointed California State Supreme Court (consistent with what was twice passed by legislature but vetoed by the governor - though the Governator now says he stands behind the decision) now makes it legal for same-sex couples to wed - so we plan to do so! Keep in mind that this could be reversed in the fall State of California election - so it may only be for a couple of months.

On September 15, 2008, we will wed in San Francisco... a simple civil service performed by a judge, clerk, etc. in the San Francisco County courthouse. We're both looking forward to it, and we are especially excited about it's intimacy - a small wedding where we can celebrate our union, without the stress of planning a large wedding. We will of course plan a party in Seattle in the future - those of you that can't make it in Sept - don't worry - you can be with us in spirit and celebrate with us in 2009.

More details to come on the specifics...

Mike and Marc

July 4th weekend - hike at Wallace Falls State Park

2008-07-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

Well, Marc's sister Amy and her husband Mark came to stay with us for a few days. We had a grand 'ol time on the 4th at our neighborhood block party. On the 5th we went for a hike at Wallace Falls State Park. It was nice to get out and see the trees! Enjoy the pics. Also, STAY TUNED TO THIS BLOG - there will be a very improtant posting in the next 7 days! Mike

Gettin' back in the groove of posting

2008-07-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm supposed to be living up to my Seattle life by being a regular poster on our blog, but this has not happened. Oh well! My summer work schedule cleared up significantly July 1, so this should make a difference!

Marc and I have made an effort to discover as much of the country as the sun comes out this summer. This last weekend we went to the San Juan Islands - specifically Friday Harbor. It was pretty neat. We drove from Seattle to Anacortes, parked the car, then took our bikes on the Ferry. We spent one day kayaking and one day biking. A very relaxing trip!

Parking kayaks at Dead Man's Cove

Overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca from the American Camp.
This was a fort that was built by the Americans when they were fighting the Brits over the US-Canadian border - recall that San Juan Island is across from Vancouver Island.

Memorial Day Weekend on the Olympic Peninsula

2008-05-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

We took an overnight trip to Port Angeles and the Olympic National Park over Memorial Day weekend. It's really amazing all the natural beauty just a couple hours outside of Seattle. It was the first time I've been on the ferry here in Washington. I thought I would upload a couple pictures for everyone. [Marc]

(Above) From the snow on Hurricane Ridge, looking north. Strait of Juan de Fuca and Canada in the background.

(Above) From Hurricane Ridge, looking south at the Olympic Mountains.

(Above, Below) The bluffs at the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge near Sequim. The shore really reminded me of the California Coast!

Daffodils and a Camellia Bush

2008-04-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

OK, enough about the weather! Truth is, no place is perfect. Those in San Diego love the sun, but complain that it's never green and there is no change in the seasons. Those in Minnesota (that arguably do have more sunny days during the winter) are getting snow at the end of April (I was always excited to see winter come and then really excited to see it end). One great thing about the gray and the mist is that it makes this the Emerald City. Our yard and neighborhood look great - look at our backyard. Marc snapped some pics of the camellia bush blooming, as well as some of the daffodils. Ah, spring is upon us! [Mike]

Let the Sunshine In!

2008-04-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

Things are looking better this weekend! It's been a busy week, and the weekend ahead will be too. I was in Vancouver briefly to help moderate a conference session this week, taking the bus up on Wednesday night and the train back down Thursday evening. The trip back was beautiful, at least the portion of the tracks near Bellingham, immediately along the shore Puget Sound. Watch the sun set over the islands. [Marc] P.S. Happy Birthday, Mom!!

So Ready for Summer

2008-04-17T22:54:00.000-07:00

... but it looks like yet another rainy weekend ahead! [Marc]

New fence

2008-03-17T20:56:00.001-07:00

OK, to be brief - original picket cedar fence built in 1920s. Rotten post. The yard was overgrown. Marc did 100% of the work - he coordinated to have things clear-cut, then a contractor to put in the new fence. It looks great! Enjoy the pics!

Inactive blog...

2008-03-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

OK, Hi to all out there who have been regular readers of our blog! Sorry for the delay. Feb 3rd was the last posting, so I guess that it has been 5 weeks or so. So much for the weekly postings! Well, so much has been going on and so much to report. First of all, our chunky dachshund lost all his weight - he started out at 22.5 lbs and now he's at around 16 or so. Yeah carrots - I gave him carrot sticks versus Beggin' Strips as treats. He's much livelier and happy! Marc thinks he wags more. Probably so! We had my sister Jane come to visit. Marc and I took our own trip to Palm Springs. We enjoyed the sun. We also had the fence rebuilt - it looks amazing. All of these things will eventually appear - with pics. Oh, and another good thing happened - I lost my computer on the bus. Fortunately the people of Seattle are honest - so someone turned it into Lost and Found and I got it back. I leave you with a pic of me and the hounds - we have all these traffic calming devices in our neighborhood which Jane has relabeled as dachshund-calming devices. Will try to keep up with the posts! Mike (and Marc)

Skinny Sprout

2008-02-20T06:50:00.000-08:00

Well, when we got Sprout he was just under 22 pounds, and his target weight should have been around 16 or so. He couldn't roll over (he'd get stuck on his back), he couldn't crawl onto his dog bed very well (he looked like a beached whale), and he couldn't go up and down the front steps - I had to carry him. Well, I figured that the main problem was overfeeding and lack of exercise, so I have been working on him over the last 10 weeks to slim him out. It wasn't too hard - mainly just fed the dogs separately (he was eating all the food), measured exact amounts with a dry measuring cup, and cut way back on treats (few Beggin' Strips - he gets carrots instead). Admixed with this were a ton of walks. Well, the results have been enormously successful, and the dog can run and play and jump like a little puppy! It's great! Now I just need to work on my own portion control - too many sweets at the hospital and living with Marc brought me the "Coupledom 15." Oh well! Thank Marc for the Excel spreadsheet - Sprout is in red, Bailey in Blue. We tried to bring Bailey up 8 oz or so to make him look less ribsy.

Christmas Road Trip

2008-02-03T13:19:00.000-08:00

Well, my apologies to the devoted blog followers - I have been bad about putting posts up in January. Sorry! The impetus for this post is that Yahoo Photos has closed, and they made us switch to Flickr. After giving an introductory free trial, one must now pay $25 a year to store photos. Thus, I figured that I might as well make a video of our trip back home for all to see. Anyway, our trip was pretty fun - Marc flew to Lincoln, NE on the 20th, and then he spent the 21st with his folks and sibs. On the 22nd, I flew to Minneapolis. Jane and I drove from MSP to Bow Valley, NE, which is where Marc's paternal grandparents live in an old Nebraska farmhouse. We spent the evening reuniting with Marc's extended family. Jane, Marc, and I all stayed in Crofton, NE at the Argo Hotel, which is this great vintage hotel/B&B. We made it back to MSP on the 24th, and spent the 25th at Katie's house with my family. We got to see friends, including Paula and family, then we made it back to Seattle on the 28th. On the 29th we adopted the dachshunds. It was a great season!!! Enjoy the photos and video! Mike and Marc

No girls aloud... I mean allowed...

2008-01-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

Well, Mom has been cleaning out the house, so at Christmas-time, she brought a stack of letters that we had written as kids. I got a kick out of this one. I suppose that I wrote it when I was probably 8 or 9. I don't remember the exact context, but I bet that Chad (neighbor at the lake) and I had built a fort at Turtle Lake, and we didn't want my sisters to bug us. I laughed and found it ironic, for now at 31, I live in an all-male household (Marc plus two boy dachshunds). Girls are always "aloud" here, however!!! Mike

Dogs of Our Own

2007-12-29T17:10:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally did it! After many years of looking at Petfinder.org, Marc and I adopted dogs. Welcome Bailey and Sprout! Sprout is the black and tan, Bailey is the brown and tan. They are middle aged dachshunds, raised as pups with a family that gave them plenty of love and attention. Now the family has 2 little kids, which makes it harder to take care of "the boys," as I like to call them, so that's how Bailey and Sprout came to live with us. We're going to have a grand ol' time taking walks, sitting in front of the pellet stove, etc.! Mike, Marc, Bailey, and Sprout

Junior the Tiny Dog

2007-12-16T12:54:00.001-08:00

Does anyone remember the Cities 97 version of "Dixie the Tiny Dog" by Peter Himmelman? We'll, it's a song about a dachshund sung in first person. Marc and I took care of Junior for about a week when Peter and Maria were away. We loved him so much that I had to make a little video of our 9 pound friend. Hope you enjoy! Mike & Marc

A territorial view

2007-12-16T12:28:00.001-08:00

Well, one of the things that the folks of Seattle love is a view. We don't have a perfect mountain, sound, or lake view, but we have what is labeled a "territorial view." If you stand in the right place in the house, you can see the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, as well a a bit of Lake Washington. Pretty neat city living! Can you see the mountains and the lake? You might have to click on the photo to enlarge it!

Yap On - Yap Off - The Yapper

2007-12-09T15:23:00.000-08:00

Well, we've found out that in addition to clapping hands, the bark of a dachshund can also activate "The Clapper." We're taking care of Junior for a few days - he's a great dog and doesn't bark much, except when people come to the door. Well, yesterday Marc and I decided to walk to Whole Foods, so we left Junior home alone. He got a bit lonesome, and as we were just one house away down the street, we could hear him barking. We sat there for a bit watching the light flick on and off as he barked and just chuckled. Today we had Bailey and Sprout (another pair of dachshunds) come over for a visit - the three dogs barked at eachother, and we watched the lights blink on and off. I snapped a pic of Marc and Junior - they've become good buddies, and Marc even loves Junior's breath after giving him fish treats! I think that Marc will put a bow in his hair to keep it out of his face!

Take a slow boat to Ketchikan

2007-12-02T09:27:00.000-08:00

Well, now that I've discovered how easy it is to load videos onto Blogspot, I thought that I would upload some of the videos that I have made this year. In May, Marc and I took a cruise to Southeast Alaska. Neither one of us had been on a cruise before, and we wanted to see what it would be like. The ports were so-so - immediately off the docks were jewelry stores and other little stores that were not so interesting. Beyond the immediate town, however, Alaska was gorgeous. I especially liked taking the train up the Yukon Pass. We were on the port side of the ship and had a balcony - one of the most relaxing things was just sitting in our room and looking out at the coast of British Columbia and Alaska as we sailed North. All in all, it was quite a relaxing trip. I created a video that is a photo montage of our week. Enjoy! [Mike]

This home boasts a "roughed-in 3/4 bathroom!!!"

2007-12-01T19:14:00.000-08:00

At least that's how the realtor explained it on the MLS listing. This is a basement bathroom that tops all, even some of those in Southern Minnesota that I've used while away at a curling tournament! We like to refer to the toilet as the "stool in basment," a term that I got from a former coworker in the lab. Since the floor is unlevel, it is built up on a pedestal (line by 1970s gold linoleum)! We told Emilie that it was "her bathroom," and to my surprise, she used the toilet without fear! The shower is a bit scarier - the water just flows on the floor, underneath the shower and beneath the toilet to the floor drain. Marc's dad Dennis is the first and only person to use it since we moved here - to quote the professor, "It's not a big deal, it's just like the army!" Anyway, it is a little rough, but the plumbing is all there for a future remodel. Besides, it is nice to have a second toilet, no matter how rustic! DT insists that we shouldn't remove it and that it's the best feature of the house - I suppose that if we ever pull it, we'll have to wrap it up for him as a gift!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2007-12-01T18:58:00.000-08:00

Great thing about Seattle, is that we have 4 true seasons - just like Minnesota, although they are much milder. This snow shouldn't last, but it sure looks great! I tortured Marc by making him listen to the Chipmunks Christmas album to celebrate Dec 1 and the beginning of the holiday season. Marc even filmed a little video, which I edited and posted on the blog. Hi to everyone - we miss all our friends and relatives back in the Midwest! Mike and Marc

Computer Cable Chaos Conquered

2007-11-25T17:00:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I took some time to tame the computer cable clutter under the table we use as a desk in the office. I got the idea from the Unclutterer blog. The whole project took a couple hours and less than $20. [Marc]

Before:

After:

Marc's Family in Seattle

2007-11-25T10:19:00.001-08:00

OK, so once again, behind on the posts - Marc's brother Joel came to visit us in August - Marc and Joel went to the Space Needle, and the three of us went to Little Mount Si - it was raining, so we couldn't take a longer hike. Marc's parents (Dennis and RuthAnn) came to see us in October, and the four of us went on the Seattle Underground Tour. It was great that family could come and see us out here! [Mike]

The Nieflings

2007-11-25T09:46:00.000-08:00

I think that I heard this on "A Way With Words" - nieflings is a combination of nieces and nephews. So, instead of writing a post on "my niece and nephew," I can write about my nieflings. I haven't been able to find a link to that show, but a Google search for "niefling" or "niephling" identifies other blogs. Anyway, Emilie is now 5 and Jack is 2 and a 1/2. This is a recent photo that was taken of them at school.

The Clapper

2007-11-18T13:21:00.000-08:00

Does anyone remember the 1970s or 1980s commercial for The Clapper? Click on this link (The Clapper) to see the YouTube rebroadcast of this quirky gadget. Anyway, this morning I was hauling stuff out of the garage to take it to the King County Hazardous Waste Site. Up high on a shelf, I found a Clapper (I suppose I could have sold it on E-bay, but I thought that I would keep this one)! I remember that Anne had gotten one of these as a gift, and for a short time, we put it in the family room hooked up to the fire engine lamp. Unfortunately, it would make the light blink on and off when the stereo was on. Well, we don't have a ceiling light in our living room, and the wall switch does not control an outlet. Thus, when we walk in the house, we have to cross the room to turn on the lamp. Well, thanks to the Clapper, we can now just clap our hands as we come in/out the door! We'll see how it works, I guess! It does seem to be a bit more responsive than the one in the old house, mainly because the wood floors reflect sound better than carpet. Clap on, clap off!

Jukebox Saturday Night

2007-11-18T12:55:00.000-08:00

We have a habit of having folks over for dinner, drinking wine, enjoying the new pellet stove, grilling something to eat (last night it was grilled pork tenderloin), and listening to LP records. Anyway, Erin and Chuck represent the first couples dinner party we've had in our house. Erin just adopted a greyhound named Rhea (a potential new pet to pet-sit), so Rhea came along to be with us. We had a great time together, and Rhea was one of the most well-behaved/low-key dogs I've met in quite awhile! Rhea is pictured with the squeaky crab chew toy that she chose herself at the pet store.

Mike y Molly

2007-11-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

Hi All - well, it's November, but I'm still posting events from October. This is a snapshot of former classmates, Mike and Molly. We were in school together from 1998-2000 at the University of Minnesota Medical School until I started my PhD years. Molly and I had many adventures then, including helping to teach medical Spanish to other health professionals. To this day, we still make Podcasts and videos for each other in Spanish to keep up with the language, although I will admit that Molly is much more disciplined about it than I am. Anyway, Molly and her husband Aaron came out to Seattle to eventually take a trip around Port Angeles and the Olympic Peninsula. Luckily they were able to spend a night with us before they took their big excursion - the weather was perfect - in the 50s and sunny - and we were able to walk all around the neighborhood. We snapped a photo of Molly and me at the base of the Ravenna Park Ravine, which is just south of our house.

Lounge Lizard

2007-11-12T23:18:00.000-08:00

Mike rightly pointed out that, with the exception of our jack-o-lantern exhibit, I haven't been contributing much to the discussion here lately. Trust there is lots going on, including evening classes at UW, and I will probably have more news to report in the next few weeks. But for now, just a small news brief: Tonight we made a trip up to Lynnwood to get a deal on a new chair. A recliner, to be more specific. It is a little more contemporary, not the traditional cheesy rec-room plush-pillow kind. We chose pattern somewhere in between the red and tan pieces that Mike got when he moved to Seattle last year. (We took cover and pillow to make sure it will look okay.) Even though the won't be ready til probably after Christmas, I was able to assemble a computer simulation on the manufacturer's website as a preview in the meantime. [Marc]

Happy Veterans Day (observed)

2007-11-12T16:01:00.000-08:00

Well, I had the day off today, so I booked some chores and got stuff done at home. We were supposed to have the chimney folks out to work on some flashing, but the winds were too gusty. We did have 4000 lbs of wood pellets delivered. They dropped them off at the curbside (the forklift was too wide to go down the driveway), and then I carried them bag by bag down to the garage. Simultaneously, I cleaned out the garage, putting some stuff away, setting some stuff aside to sell on E-bay/craigslist, and throwing out garbage left by the old tenants. I'll probably be a bit sore tomorrow! It will be worth it though, to have all those pellets so close by to keep us warm this winter! Next year I will have the delivery done on a Saturday when Marc and I are both home...

Dawg crazy...

2007-11-10T17:15:00.000-08:00

Well, Junior came for a visit today. Junior belongs to Maria and Peter (Maria is a pathology resident with Mike, and she's originally from Ripon, WI). Anyway, Maria knows that Marc and I love dogs, so she brought Junior over to visit. He is a 9 lb 10 year old miniature dachshund. We took him for a walk around the neighborhood, and he seemed right at home with Marc. I suppose that we'll have to get on petfinder.org to find our own pet sooner or later! In the short term, we'll just keep petsitting - I think that we will take care of Junior over New Year's!

My High School Car

2007-11-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

There is a special feeling in an Oldsmobile... more than the luxury ride it's the feeling of pride when you get in side...

OK, I have to admit, I troll craigslist a little too much. I found this beauty for sale in Ballard - it's only $700 - a 1984 Oldsmobile Delta 88.

My mother bought a car just like this in 1984. I drove it from 1992 - 1998 - we sold it when I got the Accord. To this day Joanne says "That was a really good car for you."

Anyway, because it was so cheap, I did think about it, but what would I do with it? It would collect dust/rust on the street.

Even though it wasn't a neat car, just a big old 80's boat, it is the feature of one of my recurring dreams - maybe once a month of so I have a dream that I am driving the Olds... now's my chance to actually do it!!!

I can admit that I did go on craigslist to look for 80's cars for my friends - I thought that I would get a blue Datsun B210 for Erin, and a green Chevy Beretta for Kelly. Maybe I could find a LeCar for Jane and an RX-7 for Katie!

Pellet Heat

2007-11-04T21:58:00.001-08:00

Well, we have been accused by some of being "country folk," but the pellet stove insert is in, and we love it! For those of you who have never heard of a pellet stove, basically it is a small freestanding stove (or fireplace insert in this case) that burns wood pellets. The wood pellets are made from scrap sawdust, and are basically a way of using waste material from the lumbering process. For those of you who'd like to read about the technology, see an overview at Wikipedia (pellet stove). Anyway, I first got hooked on the idea when I visited Kelly and Marty's house in Nevada. They have an all electric home, so they are using a pellet stove for their primary source of heat. I vowed that when I moved from Minnesota to Seattle that I would seriously consider a stove as an option.

Anyway, Seattle is a bit quirky in that natural gas isn't as popular as the Midwest. In 1926, our home was built with a coal furnace. In the 1950s or so, many of the city homes changed to heating oil - that is our main source of heat now (another blog to come on the EnerRoyal, our funky little oil furnace). Our house has always had a masonry fireplace, although by the time that we got here, the firebox was shot (the chinking had fallen out). So it was repair the firebox or put in an insert.

To get a gas insert, we'd have to pay for hook-up. A wood insert was an option, but that meant splitting wood. So, the pellet insert was ideal for us - the warmth of a wood or gas fireplace, without having to pay for gas hook-up, and without stacking/splitting wood. We just pour the pellets in and go. It is self-igniting, and we have a remote control programmable thermostat.

I did this big pellet survey, and I found that actually the best deal for us are the Blazer pellets from the Home Cheapo. They're made in Oregon. I bought a few bags to try them out, and will have 2 tons delivered next week. That should get us through the entire year!

The greatest thing about this stove is that you can choose it's heat output - anywhere between 8,000 and 28,000 BTU per hour. So, in comparison to the furnace that can either be fully on or off (blasting out 68,000 BTU per hour) we can run the stove continuously at a low level. It heats the whole main floor, and it makes the living and dining rooms ever so toasty. Jane is just going to love it!

Drawbacks? Well, it is more work than gas - you have to clean out the fly-ash every few weeks (takes 10 minutes or less), once a year you have to clean the chimney out, and you have to haul around pellets. It is much easier than wood, however! Besides, I like to tinker, so it makes me happy.

Some people do claim that pellets are "carbon neutral," although I don't think that this is quite the case. There is some energy expended in the manufacturing process as well as transportation. It probably is better than using the oil furnace, I guess. Also, while it is very clean burning, there is a small amount of ash that makes it up the chimney, so that is a factor as well.

All in all, the pellet stove has been a great addition - I'm looking forward to winter - it will be a welcome addition!

Would love to hear your comments, so please post away! Mike (and Marc)

PS I found a cool pic of the cross-section of a stove so that you can see its innards. Click on this LINK.

Happy Halloween!!

2007-10-31T22:17:00.001-07:00

The Pumpkin Patch and Gas Works Park

2007-10-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

Whew - I've been told that I've been a bit behind at not posting regularly enough, so I will try to post multiple times this week to catch up.

Well, Katie and Emilie (Mike's sister and niece) came to visit, so we drove to Monroe, WA out to Baylor Farm to pick up some pumpkins. I should note that we first stopped for a picnic along the Skyhomish River. We then arrived at the farm, were greeted by a bassegle (beagle basset cross), and then got behind a tractor for a hay ride down to the pumpkin patch along the river. There we picked out 3 pumpkins totaling 100 lbs which we brought home. The next afternoon Marc, Katie, Emilie, and I carved our pumpkins. They certainly turned out well! Marc's already posted a pic (see post from 10/31/07).

That Sunday, Katie, Emilie and I took a trip on the bus (Emilie's first trip) down to Gas Works Park. It's an old refinery/SUPERFUND site at the edge of Lake Union. Emilie snapped a pic of Katie and I on the hill north of Downtown.

All in all, a great visit!

A Low-Car Diet

2007-10-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

OK, OK, so I took the term "Low-Car Diet" from the city of Seattle - it was a promotion sponsored by the City of Seattle - http://www.seattle.gov/waytogo/onelesscar.htm. Basically, once Marc and I knew that we would be moving to this house and that we would be in a location where we could take the bus frequently, we decided that we didn't need to have two cars anymore. Thus, after 9 years and 100,000 miles of excellent service, I retired the Accord - I listed it on craigslist, and within a week, it was sold to a woman in Tacoma who was delighted to have it. Marc and I are sharing his Volkswagen now, which seems to be working just fine. We both take the bus to work everyday, and drive the car only 1-2 times per week to do errands, etc. I anticipate that we will only drive about 5000 miles this year. I subscribed to FlexCar, which is a car-sharing program. One of the neat things about the City is that they will give me $600 of FlexCar credit for selling my car. We rarely need a second car, but what is handy is that FlexCar has a Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck. We use it periodically to run errands - especially when purchasing furniture, etc. from craigslist! All in all, it has been an easy thing to do, and we enjoy being able to walk and take public transportation everywhere. Goodbye Accord - you were my second car ever - thank you for so many years of service!