2010 - What a year!

2010, it's been a busy year...
We started the year on an upbeat with our cruise to the Caribbean, then came crashing back down with the death of my Uncle in April. In May, several events culminated - Jaime got a new job, we traveled to London and Paris to visit family, we picked up our new car (I'd been waiting patiently since February, thanks Bro!), and we finally took the plunge, bought our first house, and headed for the suburbs (we're adjusting well!).

Summertime came quickly - Jaime and I both celebrated our 30th birthdays (we're sad if you missed the party!) We got up to speed on working on projects around the house, and we got to spend some quality time up at the cabin. We also celebrated the arrival of our nephew Philip IV!

As the fall rolled around, we headed to Europe once more, to take in Oktoberfest. Got some autobahn cruising in, visited Amsterdam, drank a LOT of beer, and had an awesome time.

Christmastime was great, we got to see all of Jaime's family when we traveled to San Francisco, and also visited some of my family as well. Then we came home and got to see Tina and Ryan and niece Isabel and nephew Peyton, who were visiting from London.

It seems that every single weekend was packed with visiting friends or family, going to see a show, or some sort of travel. No wonder it felt like 2010 flew by. It really has been quite a year. We are truly blessed.

And so, last night, we found ourselves up in Bellingham, ringing in the new year with friends Courtney, Dan, and Craig at Boundary Bay Brewery (with a keg drop!) What will 2011 bring? How can we top last year? Well, 2010 brought one more significant change...

Happy 2011 everyone, here's to another great year!

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?

The Adventure Continues...

So, Oktoberfest isn't all beer and pretzels, ya know! There's rides too! To get the full experience, we indulged! First up was the swings like they have at the fair...only these swings could be raised WAY into the air - see my picture. It ended up being a great view of the Munich skyline as the sun set! I'm so proud of Jaime. We also took the giant Ferris wheel, this time with a great view of the fairgrounds. We happened into our cart with some Danes who had had a GREAT time...except that when their buddy passed out in the cart, they took off when the ride was over and left us to remove him (with the German Ferris wheel operator scolding me in German)...oh well.


We walked through the grounds one last time, and headed back for the hotel, totally exhausted.

The next day, we ventured to my automotive Mecca - the BMW museum. If you've known me long enough, you know that I'm a car guy, and a BMW car guy. We started off in the building where BMW shows off it's current cars/technologies, and where customers taking European delivery come to meet their reps and start their factory tour (sigh). As we wandered around, a man on a motorcycle began crisscrossing the room and going up and down the stairs on his motorcycle. Crazy stuff...



After that, and some lusting after a 118D (a diesel 1 series we don't get in the states) we headed over to the museum. This is the part of the story where my jaw drops, and Jaime is forced to wipe drool from it. Seriously, cool car stuff abounds. Engine history, racing history, and a big 'ole exhibit on my car - the 2002 being famous for reinventing BMW as a small car maker known for sportiness, and saving them from bankruptcy. It also sparked their first major entry into the US market, and the rest is history.

(BMW's M12 engine from Formula 1 in the 80s, before turbo charging was banned - this engine was capable of over 1,000hp)

(the 507, BMW's first big post war coupe, and the inspiration for the Z8. Jaime called this car sexy!)

(the 2002 - what more can I say? And in Inka Orange! This particular model was a 2002ti (touring edition) and not available in the States)

(that right there is a purdy front end!)

It was all that I expected, radness all around.

After the museum, we headed back into central Munich for an afternoon of much needed relaxation. Kind of dull, but we had a great time lounging in the sun, enjoying some ice cream, and playing cards. For our final dinner in Munich, and Germany for that matter, we ventured down the street from the hotel to a German Chinese restaurant called Win Wah. I mean, when are you going to get to have German Chinese food again? It was good, too!

(The town of Bacharach, in the Rhine valley)

The next day was a travel day, back to Amsterdam. Driving wasn't too bad (at least in Germany). Midway through the day, we stopped at a beautiful town in the Rhine valley for some lunch and a break. Unfortunately the weather had turned and it rained on us most of the time. As a result, we hit some traffic after our departure. Oh well, some things are universal. We didn't realize it, but our biggest challenge of the entire trip was upon us. It was just before 7pm Friday night, and we were on the outskirts of Amsterdam. We punched the address of the hotel into the GPS, and continued on our way. As we proceeded, the streets started getting narrower and narrower, it was getting darker and darker, and the number of people on bicycles kept increasing exponentially with every kilometer we got closer to the hotel. It was, in one word, COMPLETELY FREAKING NUTS!!!

After a slight detour (a street closed to cars) and navigation around the canals, we made it to the hotel. We felt a small bit of relief, dropped our bags, and then prepared for our trip to the train station to return the rental car. It was bad before, but now it was raining, was totally dark, and the bicycles had multiplied again. Between our hotel and the train station was one of the better nightlife spots in Amsterdam. With Jaime as an awesome spotter (Bike left! Taxi right! PEDESTRIANS - they're not stopping!) We trudged on. After navigating what I'm pretty sure was a 12 way intersection, we arrived at our destination per the GPS. Alas, no Sixt rental agency to be found. ACK! It's night, there's people/bicycles/traffic/TRAMS! circling all around us, and we can't figure out where the fracking rental car place is. So, in desperation, we pull into the train station parking lot to regroup (and head to the surface on foot to find the agency). With the car parked, we make our way to the exit. Then, like a miracle, we head up the stairs one floor, and there it is, a tiny office, tucked into the staircase, for Sixt. Holy crap, we found them! After paying the bill (and vowing NEVER to drive in central Amsterdam EVER AGAIN) we head upstairs and outside into the night. Ah, this is a better pace - walking, knowing where we're headed, no luggage, and not in any hurry. After surviving our trip, we stayed in, got room service, and called it a day...

To be continued...

Oktoberfest!!!

(Our flight out of Vancouver - yes, that's a tri-engine MD11, KLM being the last passenger operator)

Well, that was an adventure...flight from Vancouver to Amsterdam - rental car from Amsterdam to Utrecht. And then, after arriving at our Bed and Breakfast for the evening, and strolling out to explore the city a bit, Geoff learns his first valuable lesson of the trip - bicycles are silent killers. Ok then, so I'll keep my head on a swivel.


Our first night in Europe we stayed at a nice B&B in this college town. It was very comfy, casual, and provided for some much needed rest. The next morning, after a fresh breakfast (including some awesome fresh squeezed orange juice) we ventured out onto the Dutch highways, and headed for Munich.


Funny moment of the morning - passing through the countryside, not seeing a speed limit sign, freaking out that you don't know what the speed limit is, seeing a sign that says "ausfahrt" and suddenly realizing you've crossed into Germany, you're on the autobahn, and there IS no speed limit! Unfortunately our rental car was a bit underwhelming - A Volvo C30 with a 2.0 liter engine, no turbocharger, and only 5 forward gears. Not really an Autobahn cruiser. I DID manage to get it up to 175kph at one point, but not for long. We averaged ~140kph. Ok, that's fairly decent...

To break up the length of the drive (~8 hours from Amsterdam to Munich) we stopped in Wurzburg for lunch. Got a much needed walk in, and had some recommended fresh Italian food from a restaurant where they didn't speak English. Lots of pointing at the menu ensued. Thank god "Coca Cola" is universal!

(the palace above the Rhine river in Wurzburg)

Another few hours on the Autobahn, and we were finally nearing Munich. I'll admit it, we had a Garmin...which leads to our next insight - the freeways run all around Munich, our hotel was in central Munich, and there was no direct route there. "Turn onto (insert weird German road name here) and continue for 7km" then "turn onto...and continue for 9km" Finally, the little finish line flag was visible on the map. We had arrived! We parked the car and greeted friends Lian and Mike in our hotel room. After an authentic German dinner (and a beer warm up) we headed to bed to prepare for the main event!


Wednesday, 9:30am, our journey to the Theresienwiese begins. We began our day at the Augustiner tent, where Lian talked to a waitress setting up who promised us she'd get us seated, since most all of the inside tables are reserved. We walked around for a while and checked out the rest of the tents, and then as people started multiplying on the fairgrounds, we headed back. After again locating our waitress, we sat down, I bought some giant pretzels, and we ordered our first round!

(Live every moment, and prost!)

With a toast to my late boss to start, our Oktoberfest experience is on. This is what it's all about. I know in the picture it looks like there was a lot of foam in the glass, and there was, but it was the first pour of the day. We'll cut them some slack, after all, I'm pretty sure the folks at Oktoberfest know how to pour beer...


Food was ordered (1/2 chickens, more pretzels) another round was ordered, Phase 10 was played (awesome card game!) and the tent slowly filled. A nice couple from New Jersey sat down with us. Then the Austrian Police force K9 unit sat down with us.



Madness ensues, more beer is ordered, German phrases are taught (ask Jaime!) Music is played, and slowly, the afternoon begins to run together. Funny thing about that...yes Judy, the beer probably is a bit stronger, but after 4 liters, ANYONE is going to start to feel it.

Time to stretch our legs. We part company with our Austrian friends, and head outside into the sunshine. Good lord it's bright out here! So, what do you guys want to do? Hey, let's head to a beer tent and have a drink! Awesome...


I'd love to tell you about the rest of the afternoon, I know we ended up in the Hippodrome tent...that's really the only detail I'd be able to confirm...maybe ask Jaime...

Gonna pause for now - will continue the story tomorrow...in the meantime, here's the link to the Shutterfly album (some of the pictures have captions)
Address:

Catching up...

Ah, Labor day weekend...the last gasp of summer. And judging by the weather, it's VERY true this year.


Jaime and I spent the weekend at the property/cabin with niece Kendal...and yes, we volunteered for it (well, Jaime did anyway). The weather was at least a little better on the other side of the mountains, got some sun in (and some wind). Wasn't warm enough for swimming (oh well) but we had a good time anyway. Kendal was wonderful the whole time! Only snafu would be the cricket that was chirping from the ceiling at 2am. BUT, a flashlight and a broom took care of that. I swatted him off the ceiling and "took him outside" (translation for those without kids - I squished him).

Housework continues...I'm now a lighting expert - can change out a fixture in about ~30 minutes! We've only got 4 fishbowl fixtures left, so after that, I guess I'll have to develop some other specialty. Thank god Jaime enjoys painting. Also working on the slow process of replacing every outlet in the house (they're all beige and worn out). I've only managed to shock myself twice. Whoever wired this house decided to randomly assign outlets/switches to breakers, because it makes absolutely NO sense! Oh well, the joys of homeownership.


Summer of 30 was a HUGE success - sorry to those that could not make it! Unfortunately, I was so busy socializing that I didn't get any pictures! If anyone has a picture of the hot dog cart, please send it my way. Also, Craig's a rockstar for letting us borrow his Subaru to tow the cart out of the backyard (and hopefully not destroy his clutch!)

Beyond that, summer is drawing to a close. Jaime's folks will be in town next week, and the weekend after that, we're leaving for Oktoberfest. Where has the time gone.

Ok, I'm gonna get back into a rhythm and keep things updated.

Later!

Somewhere, lost in the 'Quah

We're working on rekindling the ole blog, it's been a LONG time! Something about having a house and fixing stuff and planning stuff and summertime and Facebook. Trying to come up with a new title - we're no longer geographically "left" of Seattle on the map, but we're certainly still more "left" of Issaquah (Not talking maps here, people) though maybe less so than when we were in West Seattle...

So "Right of Seattle" is out for sure...I guess "Left of the Quah" would still work...thoughts?

Slighty Right of Seattle?