Into The Pacific Northwest

Today was spent exploring a few towns in the Olympic Peninsula - about forty-five miles from Seattle.  The weather was tailor-made for me - low sixties, overcast, light drizzle.  I couldn't have been happier.  The sun did peek out mid-afternoon, but not enough to make much of a difference. 

The air is crisp and scented with pine.  I rode with the windows down on the back roads that led us here - we didn't go down this tiny little lane with the truck, but I loved the canopy the trees created. 

We explored Port Townsend (pictures to follow) most of the afternoon, but these photos were taken on Marrowstone Island, which is where we wound up at the end of the day.

We tried to chase the setting sun, but didn't have a lot of luck.  I got a smidge of its pink glow in this shot, reflected in the water along with the clouds.

The town of Nordland is where the residents of this island have their mail delivered, but it's a stretch to call it an actual town at under a nine-hundred residents. 

As we drove off the island, I got this shot.  While moving, Ed at the wheel, me hanging my arm out the window.  You're welcome.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Après-ski Is The Place For Me
2011: Rain Or Shine
2010: In My Dictionary, Team Is Always Spelled Without An I
2009: The Italian Energy Drink*
2008: Shroom
2007: Looks Fairly Serene To Me
2006: Taste, Smell, And Hear The Memories
2005: Eddie’s New Ride

Long Shadow In Kansas

Another Kansas picture - this time with rows of corn lining the highway.  I was traveling west and the sun hadn't been up very long, which is why it's directly behind me. 

We almost never go to Kansas.  I can count on one hand how many times we've been to there or through there in the past nine years.  It is pretty flat and very wide open. 

I really enjoyed it this time of year since it's the end of the corn season and also apparently the time when they bale a lot of hay, which were dotting the fields in rolls.

I also like this time of morning, when no one is on the road and the light touches everything in a way that doesn't happen the rest of the day. 

As you can see, it even makes Kansas look appealing.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Spreading Joy, Pixie Style
2011:Coming Soon
2010:Feren Films Y’All Shouldn’t Miss
2009:This Guy Sucks
2008:Shine And Shine
2007:Eddie Hoots It Up Friday
2006:Eddie The Bird Whisperer
2005:Laundress

Keeping H-116 Safe

Seen on the back roads of Arkansas.  Not really sure why this abandoned building needs a barbed wire fence around it, but then again it's Arkansas - maybe they're storing Moon Pies and RC Cola in there.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: It’s Never Too Late For A Monday Meme
2011: Minatory Montana Morning
2010: Crafting A Way To Fill A Need
2009: The Other White Meat: Tropical Style
2008: Night Falls On The Fuel Island
2007: Wanderlust Checklist
2006: What Are Records??
2005: Hello, America!

View From A Kansas Rest Area

Somewhere in Kansas.  Me sitting in the truck watching cars pass on the highway.

Thrilling.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: I Hate New Blogger!!
2011: Come On In And Take A Seat
2010: Doctor Recommended For Sure Death
2009: Wardrobe Malfunction: Intentional And Uncensored
2008: Eddie Friday: Outlined
2007: Modern, Yet No So Much
2006: Why Higher Education Is Desperately Needed
2005: Does A Bear Shit In The Woods?

The Force Of Gravity Mixed With A Little Quirkiness

This kid made my night.  Love him.  Love the song.  Oh, and he's 16 years old.

Listen to Carlos Guevara singing John Mayer's "Gravity". 
 

Carlos Guevara - Gravity - The X Factor 2013 by caseycarlsonx1

The other stunner of the night was Danie Geimer.  Spectacled, quirky, beautiful.  And 15 years old.  FIFTEEN.

Listen to her belt out this killer rendition of "House of the Rising Sun".  She's just amazing.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Sí, Soy Un Ciudadano De Los Estados Unidos
2011: The Things You Do For Love
2010: Sweating Profusely From The Head Is Clearly A Sign Of A Highly Intelligent Individual
2009: Eddie Watching Boats And Waiting For Brisket Friday
2008: It’s Probably Best Not To Piss Of The Devil
2007: Reminders For Morons
2006: Feasting With Saints And Sinners
2005: We Live In The Signpost Forest 

Ominously Beautiful

Heading west in Wyoming, we encountered the setting sun with streaks of rain coming down along different sections of horizon.

It was ominously beautiful.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Signs Of Fall
2011: Life Explained…By Graphs
2010: An Amazon Sized Beverage Supply
2009: He Wasn’t Hiding His Face Once The Camera Started Rolling
2008: Waiting To Be Served
2007: The Men In Mexico Are Snappy Dressers
2006: A Mystically Beautiful Day
2005: Rock It!!

Make Life More Interesting

This post's Flipboard finds come from the "Inspire, Motivate, Reverberate..." page.  These are my favorites:

Some people say life is hard.  If you believe this, make it easier.

Don't follow others.  Follow your dreams.

Lunch breaks aren't just for lunch.

Everyone has a few regrets.  Here are a few you might wish you did sooner.

Sometimes you just gotta give stuff up to be happy.       

There's a manifesto that tells you how to be happy.  A manifesto, I say. 

I'm all for a little tolerance.  But these are 20 things you shouldn't have to tolerate.

Having 31 flavors to choose from can be difficult.  But then again, so can answering these 31 questions. 

Sometimes the opposite of what you think you need is what you need.

And then this one isn't life-changing or inspiring, it just looks yummy.

Even though it has a weird name: Cherry Almond Coconut Protein Balls.

And finally, 50 Deep Questions That Make You Think Aout Life.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Supply Meets Demand
2011: What Do You See?
2010: If No One Hears You Talking To Yourself, Are You Still Considered Crazy?
2009: It’s A Shame He’s Such A Crab
2008: I’m A Big Fan
2007: I’ve Been Everywhere Sunday Coming To An End
2006: And Everyone Thought It Was Dick Cheney
2005: But They’re Hard To Find!

The Kiss

If you've seen it, you know the feeling.  The feeling that lives deep inside and bubbles up every time you watch an episode.  Any episode.  Maybe even all nineteen episodes. 

It's My So Called Life.

And it's where Jordan and Angela live.

Jared Leto has never looked so good.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Driving A Hard Bargain
2011: Making Places Beautiful With Sarah + Bessie
2010: High Class High
2009: Not Such A Bad Idea, This Man In Chains Thing
2008: Razz Ma Taaz Me!
2007: Casa De Cambio
2006: Eddie Birthday Suit Friday

2005: Goodbye Alaska

The Only Way To Enjoy Texas

Holed up in a hotel for the weekend.  My favorite way to escape the heat of Texas.

We have no bikes because our interim trailer doesn't have a storage box for them, but it's really too hot anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter.  We contemplated going to an outdoor festival but I nixed it after coming out of the grocery store with a soaking wet head.  It was so hot in the store sweat was dripping down my face. 

Just from buying cantaloupe. 

We might hit the hotel pool tomorrow.  I'll probably last about four minutes before heading back into the air-conditioned room.  I'm pretty sure that's not enough time to get a tan, right?

Boy, I sure hope there's something good on Showtime.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Bleu Evolution
2011: They May Look Pretty, But They’re A Bitch
2010: Food, Family, Fun, And Poker Winnings
2009: Ring Of Moving Fire
2008: Everything Is Weathered In Weatherford
2007: Eddie The Professional Tourist Friday
2006: East Coast Tag
2005: Float And Set

Fun Funky Freaky Friday The 13th

Ryn Gargulinski is an artist, writer and performer.  She created the image above, which I found when Googling images for Friday the 13th.  I thought it was perfect.  Especially since I sort of know her.

She wrote this article about me for the Tucson Citizen newspaper.  She's also my friend on Facebook.  We've never met in person but she seems pretty cool.  Artistic.  Funky.  Eclectic, if you will.

She's extremely creative.  And she has her own style.  You can look at her work and say - as if she were super-famous already - "That's a Gargulinski."

See her stuff for sale on Etsy.  Like her on Facebook.  Follow her on Twitter.  And keep track of everything else she's doing at ryndustries. 

Get Gargulinski-ed!


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Scooting Around Town
2011: Eureka! Sand For The Golden State
2010: Eddie Lounging In Black And White
2009: Not Quick Enough For A Sunset
2008: We’ve Got Onions, Cream Cheese, And Choppers!
2007: Just Steps Away From The River
2006: The Anything But Itty Bitty Co-Op City
2005: What The Hell Are You Looking At?

Give It A Try

Photo taken on our Bahamian cruise. 


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: The House I Live In
2011: Through Chicago To Cheese Country
2010: Ghost Rider
2009: I Only Think I Know A Lot Of Things…Here Are Ten Of Them
2008: Texas Love Bugs And Hurricanes
2007: Pimping For Presidency
2006: Demographics Of A Lifetime
2005: Glacial Impact

Light As Air

Photo courtesy of Google Images

Our first load?

Lightweight aircraft parts.

Can't get easier than that.
 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Remember The Living
2011: In The Pink While Manning The Wheel Of A Big Rig
2010: Still Standing
2009: Eddie Dumps It Friday
2008: Vicki Goes Hollywood
2007: Market Flora
2006: Now Where The Hell Did She Park My Truck???
2005: Channeling Angelina Jolie

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

Who remembers Frankie Laine?  He dined at our family restaurant when I was young.  I had no idea who he was and had never seen Rawhide, but now can't get that song out of my mind whenever I hear the word "rolling".

This is our new trailer.  Well, not new.  Just new to us.  It's a flatbed like we have, but instead of aluminum (which is light), it's steel with a wood deck (a lot heavier) and it has a rolling tarp system.  Our trailer is in for repair and we're going to use this for the next few weeks, which will allow us to haul freight we currently can't.  The big bonus is that Ed doesn't have to tarp - just slide it open, load the freight, slide it closed. 

After being home for two weeks, we head out tomorrow. 


 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: A Beautiful Iranian Mind
2011: Clowning Around
2010: Smolder
2009: Comrades In Driving
2008: Black, White, And Tan
2007: If Wishes Were Horses, Beggars Would Fart At The Speed Of Light
2006: Draped In Sarcasm
2005: Feast Your Eyes

How I Spent The Day

Today was a total loss.

Maybe tomorrow will be different.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: From Farm To Table
2011: Ups And Downs
2010: Three Men, Two Generations, One Passion
2009: Miss Tooth Reigns Supreme
2008: And This Is Why She Will Always Be A Maid At A Hotel
2007: I’ve Been Everywhere Sunday
2006: Family Reunion Rules
2005: Chillin’ In Anchorage

That Sunday, That Summer

I spent the better part of an hour today mesmerized by an 18-year-old boy.

No, I'm not trolling high schools.  I was visiting a friend who has a 17-year old son.  And that son has an 18-year-old friend. 

And that friend was beautiful.

Zac Efron beautiful.

David Beckham beautiful.

Ryan Gosling it-hurts-just-to look-at-you beautiful.

I think there was a butterfly in my stomach.

The friend I was visiting punched me in the arm to bring me back to earth.  She said I was staring.  Whatever.

It wasn't a cougar moment.  I'm not a cougar.  I'm more like a bison/sloth hybrid.

It was just one of those moments that instantly take you back to when you were young, checking out the cutest boy in class. 

Or the guy who worked at the movie theater. 

Or that really cute guy who worked at the video store where I rented movies I didn't even watch (because who has time to watch that many movies?) just so I could touch his hand when I handed him my video card.  I may or may not have even memorized his schedule. 

By the way, have you ever searched for "Jailbait" in Google Images?  Don't.  You'll probably go to jail.

What a wonderful Sunday it turned out to be. 


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Heading To The Mountains
2011: End Of Summer Rainbow
2010: UGG, What A Surprise!
2009: Under The El
2008: We Escaped With Our Teeth Intact
2007: Praying In The Jewel Of The South For Over 250 Years
2006: Drive Time Champion
2005: Yukon Bet We’re Far Away

Pecan Bacon Syrup. Need I Say More?

It's time for another Flipboard post.  Look what I found this week:

I can't say this is something I do as I enjoy being wordy, but perhaps I should work on learning to write short in the future.

I know you're supposed to live and let live and all that crap, but am I seriously supposed to think marrying a synthetic doll (and having a synthetic doll mistress) is normal?  It certainly begs discussion.

My wardrobe is predominately black.  I've joked that I have so many black t-shirts that my clothing cabinet looks like Simon Cowell's closet.  I've always been a fan of black clothing (not all black) and in the truck, the darker color just seems to work.  But I might consider lightening up.  I do always get compliments when I'm in fuchsia.

We've yet to bike Manhattan.  Perhaps next time we're in town, we'll have to do the Central Park thing.  Sounds like a nice ride.

I know, I know.  We've got to eat plants.  Where do I start?

And these two things - I can't decide which I'm going to make first - the Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette or the Candied Sweet Potatoes with Candied Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Bacon Syrup. 

Pecan Bacon Syrup, people!


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: That’s Right, The Entire Web
2011: And We Have A Winner!!
2010: So What’s Wrong With A Good Idea?
2009: Where Is A Palm Reader When I Need One?
2008: Fred’s Plan Appears To Have Backfired
2007: Eddie Plays A Round Friday
2006: Don’t Worry, Be Happy
2005: 50 Little Facts About Alaska

How To Get Rid Of A Pain In The Ass

Apparently, I've knocked something out of whack, creating what feels like a knot in my right butt cheek.  What, too much information?  Don't need to know that much about me?  Well, everyone has butt cheeks, so just deal with it! 

On the recommendation of a friend I bought this foam roller to work out the pain in my ass.

I wish it would work on people.
   

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Working Together, The Democratic Way
2011: Teams Take A Day Off
2010: The King And Queen Of Sun And Sand
2009: Popeye Would Love This Stuff
2008: From The Confines Of The Hampton Inn
2007: When I Grow Up, I Want To Be…
2006: Fire Water
2005: Ed Having Fun With Photoshop

Heading To Primm

This route took us through eastern Nevada, then south through Las Vegas, across California through Barstow and finally down to Los Angeles.  For those who like the western desert scenery, this would have been a real treat.

We stopped for the night in Primm, just on the Nevada-California state line.  No gambling was on the agenda.  We rolled in just after dark and went to sleep not too long after. 

The thing I like about oversized loads is the fact that in most states, you have to shut down at sunset or thirty minutes after.  That allows us to work banker's hours for the days we're under the load, but also means we have to be up at the crack of dawn to get started the next day.

What's that saying about early to bed, early to rise?


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Fashion (And Country) Forward
2011: Slowly Meandering Through Farm Country
2010: Long Beach Lights
2009: 4423 Humboldt Avenue
2008: Eddie Tourist Friday
2007: Ripe For A Dognapping
2006: What Lies Beneath
2005: Big Sky Country

Who?

We've finally had a chance to stop home for a few days.  We have truck repairs to get done and appointments to go to.  Joy.  Well, for me it was, because after my appointment today, I went shopping.

I bought this cute little owl mug - inspired by the Geico commercial with the owls.  Who?

And bike shorts - omg, you don't even want to know what I look like in those things.

And a cute notepad in a box.  It's got a bicycle on it - you can see in the background.

Tomorrow I  have a morning appointment.  You know what that means, right?

All afternoon to shop.

On the other hand, it's going to be 101 degrees.  That might put a huge kink in the plans.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: You Can’t Ask For A More Convenient Setup
2011: The Thoughts In My Mind About This Guy, Are Criminal
2010: The Queen Of High Society
2009: An Icy Glare For The Heat Miser
2008: Jazz Funeral On Decatur
2007: Keeping The Homeland Secure One Dog At A Time
2006: Reputation Is Everything
2005: ”_________________”

Scenic Route?? Please.

US Route 93 through Nevada.  I am not a fan of the west.  And this is not my idea of scenery. 


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: My Handsome Melon Headed Angel
2011: It’s My Turn
2010: Bird Traffic Waiting For The Light
2009: The Lady And The American Pro Driver
2008: The Signs Don’t Scare Me
2007: Pocket Full Of Min Pin
2006: Less Is More
2005: Sleep Deprived

Only The Lonely

America's loneliest road - US Route 50 in Nevada. 

We had a 12' 8" wide load so we were following a pilot car - which on this road seems completely unnecessary since I'm pretty sure we can see obstacles from here to California.

So I guess we weren't completely alone.  That's him in front of us.

And in front of him, the road. 

Stretching far into the mountains we'd soon cross over.

Needless to say, there wasn't much happening in the cell phone signal department.

Let me tell you, lonely takes on a significantly larger meaning when you don't even have access to cell or internet service. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: Tunnel Of Love
2011: A Stinking Welcome
2010: The Star Of The Spinning Centerpiece
2009: My Nizzl Fa Shizzl
2008: When You’re Smiling
2007: I’ve Been Everywhere Sunday
2006: Decision Dilemma
2005: Alaska Later!

Somewhere Out West

I can't remember exactly where this was taken, but I'm pretty sure it was somewhere along US-50 in Nevada. 

Sinclair Oil was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1916.  Their service stations are still alive and well today - they're the ones with the green brontosaurus on their signs. 


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2012: All You Have To Do Is Feed Them
2011: Homeward Bound!
2010: Foreign Invasion
2009: Downtown Detroit: Occupied And Vacant
2008: Barracks And Decatur
2007: Dicks In Tennessee
2006: Canoe The Blue
2005: Minalicious