Are we still listening?

So, highlights of October -
We finally got a couch for our living room. Part of moving into a larger house - a lack of furniture...of course, it was damaged upon delivery (so we've FINALLY got someone from Macys coming out to fix it!)

Jaime spent a week in Baltimore for the CF Research conference

We both traveled to San Francisco - Jaime for her sister's baby shower, and both of us to drive to Fort Bragg (along the coast in Mendocino county) for my great Uncle's 100th Birthday! My dad had also flown down for the event, so we ended up carpooling with him. This was good for multiple reasons - the main one being that I didn't have to worry about him navigating the highways that cross the Coast Range - LOTS of blind corners and steep drops! Also, road trips with my dad are normally quite entertaining, but this one more so because he was able to share many stories of when he was a firefighter with the CDF in Mendocino county. I know Jaime gets carsick easily, but we had a great time as he shared some of his more memorable moments, including smoking the brakes on a vintage ladder truck after missing a shift heading downgrade...Father/son awkwardness not withstanding, my father is a grand story teller, especially if Geography is involved. Of course, it was also great to see Uncle Bru and family. Unfortunately we didn't have much time to stay - it's a 3 hour drive one way from SF to Fort Bragg. At least on the drive back, as we ascended the Coast Range once more, we were able to view one of the most beautiful sunsets in recent memory...

Into November, an even busier month!

The first big highlight was the CF (Cystic Fibrosis) gala at the Sheraton downtown. Since Jaime works for the CF Foundation (through Childrens) they are allotted a certain number of comp tickets to the event. We were fortunate enough to be chosen to go. And it's black tie! So, for me, a quick trip to the Mens Warehouse to pick up a tux shirt and a bowtie to go with my black suit. Jaime had a nice dress to go along, and we were decked out! To say that the event was swanky would be an understatement! There was a silent auction and a live auction, along with a WONDERFUL dinner! We didn't end up scoring anything. I'm pretty sure we were there to help drive up prices. There were some good wines available at the silent auction, but none in our price range. Oh well. We didn't even take a crack at the live auction. At one point, they have one round where people can simply pledge to donate money. There were THREE people that pledged $100,000 each. Just like that... But, like I said, dinner was amazing (I even tried some crab!) and the wine was flowing. A truly great time.

The weekend after that was time to catch up with friends - we had dinner with Deke and Miranda Friday night at their place in Puyallup (Thanks guys!) Saturday we had our neighbor dinner (even though we're no longer in West Seattle) and it was great seeing everyone. Sunday we finally got to see Kevin, Param, and baby. It's always so nice to see friends and just pick right up where you left off, no matter how long it's been..

We made it through Snowpacolypse 2010! Even though I didn't yet have the winter tires on Tigger, we were able to safely navigate to the park and ride and catch buses to and from downtown fairly easily. Of course, this meant work was madness, because there were lots of people that were not that fortunate (I'm embarrassed to say how long it took us to get home Monday)

Thanksgiving was great - we kept it simple with dinner at my parents house with the rest of my family.

And here we are at the cusp of December! We've got our Christmas tree, and should have it setup (along with house lights) this weekend, so I'll get some pictures. Hope everyone is doing well! That's all for now.

Europe for slackers

(Hmmmm, something's not right here...)

(I took vacation for this?)

So, when we last left off, we'd made it to Amsterdam. After a nice relaxing night, we headed out into the city for some exploration. Once again, with our Rick Steves guide in hand (invaluable!). As a driver, the bicycles are crazy - as a pedestrian it's worse, because you're vulnerable. Head on a swivel! Sightseeing was nice - there is not a single level building in Amsterdam. Not an exaggeration! Headed to the Anne Frank house for a very somber look at some of the city's history. Had an overpriced lunch at a rooftop cafe. And as the rain began to pour down on us, we made it to Wagamama for dinner (see posts on our trip to London).



The next day, we headed for the train station to take a trip out to the country. Headed through Haarlem, and up to Hoorn for a ride on a vintage steam train (Jaime must REALLY love me!) Only problem was the cold - thank god for hot chocolate. Seriously, temperature was hovering right around 45 degrees with a North wind and occasional drizzle. After a 90 minute ride on the train, we arrived in Medemblik and caught a ferry to the historic town of Enkhuzien and the Zuiderzee museum. It's the Dutch version of colonial Williamsburg - essentially people dressed up in old-timey clothes doing traditional activities. The highlight? The laundry room, of course! We walk up and see this massive smokestack and big building. Thinking "oh, this must be the blacksmith's shop", we're shocked to walk in and see a GIANT washing machine system, and one burly Dutch dude shoveling massive quantities of coal into the furnace to keep it stoked. Interesting fact - the Dutch actually bleached their clothes by leaving them on the grass through the night - some sort of chemical reaction with the dew and the moonlight caused bleaching (ask Jaime, she can probably explain it). It was a nice look into historic Dutch life, and Jaime even tried some smoked herring. Me? NO WAY! After spending a couple of hours there, we caught a real train back into Amsterdam and hit up a walking tour of the Red Light district. After a few drinks, we headed back to the hotel, and spent the final night (or was it?) of vacation relaxing.


The next day, we got all packed up, had a nice breakfast, walked around for a bit in the morning, picked up some souvenirs, and then headed back to the Hotel to grab our bags and a cab to the airport. Now - we checked with the front desk - cabs to the airport all cost the same - and we had the nice lady call one that accepted credit cards. Not 5 minutes later, we see a gentleman at the door waiving at us. Alright, our cab's here! Walk outside, and he's very helpful with the luggage, and he's got some really nice wheels on his cab. Huh, no big deal, the guy's got style! Hop in, start heading for the airport and notice the meter running after a while. Hmmmm, thought it was a flat fee...

As we get close to the airport, Jaime finally asks - "So I thought it was a flat fee to the airport?"
"Oh, well, yes, it is for regular cabs. Did you not call for an executive cab?"

"no, we didn't. Oh well. Do you take credit cards?"

"No, I don't, unfortunately..."

"Ok, then, we're going to need to find an ATM" (the Dutch HATE credit cards!)

Lesson learned - we talked the guy down to a still shocking 55 Euro (from 70!!! I'm not making this up!) Some poor sap at the hotel had to ride to the airport in a regular cab (but only paid 35 Euro)

Most expensive cab ride I've ever had. Ugh.

But it gets better.

We arrive at the airport and try to check in - "Well, yes mam, the flight is completely sold - these are standby tickets..." Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Ok, well, check our bags anyway, and then get through security and head to the gate to see if any spots open up. Since the tickets were actually purchased through a KLM employee, someone actually asked Jaime if she wanted to ride in the jumpseat (assuming she was a KLM employee as well. Again, I'm not making this up!) Uh, I don't know, is there drink service with that? There is? Oh, you mean I have to help serve it! No, thanks! We'll take our chances.

On the plus side, Schipol Airport has Boingo - so I got to be "That guy" and use my international connection to hook up to the Nordstrom VPN client to log into my work computer, and let my boss know that NO, I won't be at work tomorrow, funny story about that...

As the plane boarded, our hearts slowly dropped, and we realized that we were not getting home that day. Well, make the most of a bad situation! After a phone call to father in law Jim, we got ourselves a hotel, and a dinner recommendation. Checked in, dropped our bags, cleaned up, and got a cab out into the Dutch countryside. Dinner was at an old Windmill that has been converted into an eatery - with the bar on the first floor, and tables all around the 2nd flr. Cool thing - they use a winch and pulley system to raise orders to the 2nd flr, since the stairs are so narrow. This means the beer and wine glasses don't have bases, but instead sit in wooden blocks. I had a shteak, and Jaime had the shpare ribsh, and we learned our waiter had a brother who lived in Shacramento (ask me about it).


After a peaceful, relaxing dinner, and some sink laundry for me, we headed to bed and were ready to face the next day. Fortunately, that day's flight was not oversold, and we made it on board (with real seats!) and headed back for Vancouver. After a 9 hour flight, we landed in Vancouver, picked up our car, and headed for home. I must say, we were expecting the worst at the border, I mean, come on, we'd just flown back from Amsterdam, and opted to fly into Vancouver instead of Seattle. And the Canucks didn't even scan our bags when we landed. But - border was quiet - hardest question we got was about the front license plate not being mounted on Tigger. Oh, and the guy checked our bag of bulbs for proper documentation (which we had paid extra for). And that was it - "Alright, thanks guys, have a safe drive home..." Awesome!
Jaime called our parents to let them know we'd made it, we cruised down I-5, arrived home, got our bags out of the car, cleaned up, and passed out...

Once again, take a look at all the photos here...

Damn, that was fun! So, Oktoberfest 2020? Anyone?