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Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Next Rest Stop 34 Miles
There's hardly a thing I truly desire that I don't already have. And certainly my time is more important to me than the few dollars saved at a Boxing Day sale. So I have no bargains to crow about in the blog today.
I did think it was interesting that on our trip to Seattle, for the first time, I noted WiFi signs at the rest stops on Interstate 5. I believe there are three in each direction between the border and the city.
Now, as well as a trip to the restroom, it's possible to check out the winter pass information for free. The whole web is not actually free but the following sites are provided gratis:
I did think it was interesting that on our trip to Seattle, for the first time, I noted WiFi signs at the rest stops on Interstate 5. I believe there are three in each direction between the border and the city.
Now, as well as a trip to the restroom, it's possible to check out the winter pass information for free. The whole web is not actually free but the following sites are provided gratis:
Access is made available through a private company closely connected with www.coachconnect.net, so it is possible to buy time with a credit card. It is well designed for the RV crowd at $30/month and at the present a $2.95 tariff for 15-minute access would be useful for emergency email. Bear in mind, often these rest stops may be miles and miles from an exit.WS DOT Home Traveler Information (cameras) Travel Alerts and Slowdowns Construction Updates Weather Mountain Passes Accountability Washington Tourism
Monday, December 24, 2007
The Bluest Skies in Seattle
'Twas the night before Christmas
and all through the Eighth Ave Inn
not a creature was stirring not even ...
Okay, so I'm not much up to my rhyming old self.
So far the trip has been nice. We left before breakfast yesterday and got all the way to Bellingham before eating in a Country Buffet in the mall. We walked around in the mall before flying down the Interstate in the rain. We got right into the city easily and arrived too early to check in. For some reason they wouldn't let us have the room available until 3:00. So we walked to the commercial section of downtown and even to the Pike Street Market. Incidentally, they do continue to throw fish in the winter. After checking into the Inn, we got a call from the Thomas family. Joel, Lynne, Ben and Whit arrived and whisked us off to dinner in at a Bippy de Peepo or something like that. It was an Italian, family-type restaurant right down here close to Lake Union. It was fun and filling. It's the type of place where groups order large dishes and then everybody takes some. Everybody took a lot but our waitress still packed up the extra for us.
Speaking of eating, there is a nice breakfast offered where we're staying. It's just continental but there there plenty of fruits, yogurt, as well as cereals and muffins. This morning, we took our coupons from Expedia and walked right to the Music Experience Project. It was interesting especially the hand-on sections. I wish I'd had access to something like that as a child. Who knows, I might've been a rock star. The science fiction museum, obviously another of Paul Allan's hobbies, was interesting enough. I couldn't help but hold my Samsung cell phone on the opposite side of the glass from the Original Startrek series communicator. It was life imitating fiction. We ended up eating in the Westlake Center after trying out the new trolley car that runs about a mile to the shore of Lake Union. How sort of European! Finally this whole part of Seattle is getting a makeover. If I had a million dollars I could probably buy a studio apartment that'll be worth three million in a few years.
It's only 5:42 but it's, of course, dark. I won't bother unloading photos until after we go back home. There's no rush but everything will surely be closed tomorrow. Maybe I-5 won't be crowded as we travel back up to the Canadian border during the late morning or early afternoon.
and all through the Eighth Ave Inn
not a creature was stirring not even ...
Okay, so I'm not much up to my rhyming old self.
So far the trip has been nice. We left before breakfast yesterday and got all the way to Bellingham before eating in a Country Buffet in the mall. We walked around in the mall before flying down the Interstate in the rain. We got right into the city easily and arrived too early to check in. For some reason they wouldn't let us have the room available until 3:00. So we walked to the commercial section of downtown and even to the Pike Street Market. Incidentally, they do continue to throw fish in the winter. After checking into the Inn, we got a call from the Thomas family. Joel, Lynne, Ben and Whit arrived and whisked us off to dinner in at a Bippy de Peepo or something like that. It was an Italian, family-type restaurant right down here close to Lake Union. It was fun and filling. It's the type of place where groups order large dishes and then everybody takes some. Everybody took a lot but our waitress still packed up the extra for us.Speaking of eating, there is a nice breakfast offered where we're staying. It's just continental but there there plenty of fruits, yogurt, as well as cereals and muffins. This morning, we took our coupons from Expedia and walked right to the Music Experience Project. It was interesting especially the hand-on sections. I wish I'd had access to something like that as a child. Who knows, I might've been a rock star. The science fiction museum, obviously another of Paul Allan's hobbies, was interesting enough. I couldn't help but hold my Samsung cell phone on the opposite side of the glass from the Original Startrek series communicator. It was life imitating fiction. We ended up eating in the Westlake Center after trying out the new trolley car that runs about a mile to the shore of Lake Union. How sort of European! Finally this whole part of Seattle is getting a makeover. If I had a million dollars I could probably buy a studio apartment that'll be worth three million in a few years.
It's only 5:42 but it's, of course, dark. I won't bother unloading photos until after we go back home. There's no rush but everything will surely be closed tomorrow. Maybe I-5 won't be crowded as we travel back up to the Canadian border during the late morning or early afternoon.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Going a Little South
We avoided yesterday's rush on the roads. Rather than that, we're heading south to Seattle in a few minutes. Staying in a downtown hotel will make it easy to visit the Music Experience Project which has now been open for seven years. I didn't even really know about the addition of the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, which opened in 2004. Of course we do know the outside of the freaky-looking building near Seattle Center. We already printed the vouchers from Expedia and will present them for use tomorrow.
We'll stay for two nights, returning on Christmas day. I think we last stayed in Seattle the Holiday Inn Express. As Jay was working at one in Richmond BC, he got a discount at all lodging within the company. That would've been the end of 1999 or during the subsequent year.
Things probably won't be very busy tomorrow because of the time of year. I do look forward to seeing the decorations in the downtown area. I'm guessing sellers do not throw fish around the Pike Place Market in the winter. I'm betting the original Starbucks, however, will be pouring a lot of coffee for last-minute Christmas shoppers trying to dry off and warm up.
We'll stay for two nights, returning on Christmas day. I think we last stayed in Seattle the Holiday Inn Express. As Jay was working at one in Richmond BC, he got a discount at all lodging within the company. That would've been the end of 1999 or during the subsequent year.
Things probably won't be very busy tomorrow because of the time of year. I do look forward to seeing the decorations in the downtown area. I'm guessing sellers do not throw fish around the Pike Place Market in the winter. I'm betting the original Starbucks, however, will be pouring a lot of coffee for last-minute Christmas shoppers trying to dry off and warm up.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Original Skid Row
Although there are five free days for the Christmas break, we've still not decided on anything specific. I guess this is one time when there are not any last minute deals available. At least, I can't seem to find any three or four day get-aways selling for a song on the Internet nor in the local newspaper. On the contrary, it seems as though suckers who don't book early have to pay through the nose.
Of course, we could simply drive somewhere close. Hotels are seldom busy as business travel has ceased and many folks are staying with family even if they are travelling. I can remember going to the nearly frozen Okanagan one Christmas. On others we went to visit friends or jumped on a ferry for Victoria. It's only Wednesday, so there are still a couple of days to make a final decision.
It may even be fun just to slide down to Seattle for a few nights. Discounting the wait at the border, it's only a leisurely three hour trip. If one's willing to stay cheap, it's possible to find, because of the season, a hotel within walking distance to downtown for only $60 per night. In order to see the city where the term skid row was coined, I fired up Google Earth. I was first awed by the program in October 2005 and since then it's continued to grow and develop. It doesn't often get the press it deserves but for those of us who like geography it's truly a miracle.
Of course, we could simply drive somewhere close. Hotels are seldom busy as business travel has ceased and many folks are staying with family even if they are travelling. I can remember going to the nearly frozen Okanagan one Christmas. On others we went to visit friends or jumped on a ferry for Victoria. It's only Wednesday, so there are still a couple of days to make a final decision.
It may even be fun just to slide down to Seattle for a few nights. Discounting the wait at the border, it's only a leisurely three hour trip. If one's willing to stay cheap, it's possible to find, because of the season, a hotel within walking distance to downtown for only $60 per night. In order to see the city where the term skid row was coined, I fired up Google Earth. I was first awed by the program in October 2005 and since then it's continued to grow and develop. It doesn't often get the press it deserves but for those of us who like geography it's truly a miracle.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
On the Move
My personal memories may frequently be categorized by location. They may have been formed when growing up on the other coast, working in the Middle East, or during the vacations and journeys we've taken. It seems I've typed an amazingly large number of words in my eJournal and images describing trips and journeys from my past.
Since I started blogging in September of 2003, other vacations both short and long have taken place. So, this has been a good way to chronicle our comings and goings. Although not expressly a travel blog, I do frequently get the chance to make entries from the road. I thought I could take a minute to locate and organize many of the them here. Click a date in the following list to link to the starting day.
Place - Length of Stay - Month of Travel
========================================
San Francisco - 4 Days - October 2003
Calgary, Alberta - 4 Days - December 2003
Victoria, BC - 4 Days = February 2004
Port Angeles / Grand Coulee Dam, WA - 4 Days - April 2004
Sri Lanka / Singapore - 2 Months - September / October 2004
New York City - 7 Days - May 2005
Europe (6 countries)- 3 Weeks - September 2005
Victoria, BC - 2 Days - December 2005
Sequim, WA - 2 Days - March 2006
San Diego to Vancouver Cruise - 7 Days - May 2006
Sri Lanka / Hong Kong - 5 Weeks - October 2006
Arriving in Seattle via the MS Veendam on a coastal, repositioning
cruise. Taken in May 2006.
Since I started blogging in September of 2003, other vacations both short and long have taken place. So, this has been a good way to chronicle our comings and goings. Although not expressly a travel blog, I do frequently get the chance to make entries from the road. I thought I could take a minute to locate and organize many of the them here. Click a date in the following list to link to the starting day.
Place - Length of Stay - Month of Travel
========================================
San Francisco - 4 Days - October 2003
Calgary, Alberta - 4 Days - December 2003
Victoria, BC - 4 Days = February 2004
Port Angeles / Grand Coulee Dam, WA - 4 Days - April 2004
Sri Lanka / Singapore - 2 Months - September / October 2004
New York City - 7 Days - May 2005
Europe (6 countries)- 3 Weeks - September 2005
Victoria, BC - 2 Days - December 2005
Sequim, WA - 2 Days - March 2006
San Diego to Vancouver Cruise - 7 Days - May 2006
Sri Lanka / Hong Kong - 5 Weeks - October 2006
Arriving in Seattle via the MS Veendam on a coastal, repositioning
cruise. Taken in May 2006.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Our Latest Cruise Revisited
I took me longer to get them online than it did to take 'em.
Back in May, I did complete some blog entries during the trip. We headed down to Seatac airport to catch an Alaskan Airways flight to San Diego. During our three night stay, we accidentally visited Mexico for a few hours. We did the zoo, too. Then we got on our the Holland America ms Veendam for a five night coastal trip to Vancouver. We spent a half day in Seattle and a whole day in Victoria, BC. The eight-night journey went without a hitch.
To individually select from the more than 90 photos, use this option. Or, if you'd rather run through a slideshow of all the photos, just click here.
Back in May, I did complete some blog entries during the trip. We headed down to Seatac airport to catch an Alaskan Airways flight to San Diego. During our three night stay, we accidentally visited Mexico for a few hours. We did the zoo, too. Then we got on our the Holland America ms Veendam for a five night coastal trip to Vancouver. We spent a half day in Seattle and a whole day in Victoria, BC. The eight-night journey went without a hitch.
To individually select from the more than 90 photos, use this option. Or, if you'd rather run through a slideshow of all the photos, just click here.
Labels: British Columbia, cruise, places, Seattle
Friday, May 12, 2006
Update from Seattle
I've been out of touch for a few days only because I'm too frugal to spend the cash required for wireless at sea. I can't do much in one minute if it costs 75 cents; I'd be too nervous.Right now I'm up in the Lido Restaurant on the top of the ship. We docked at Seattle a few hours ago and we hiked up to the market and looked around.
We slowly head to Victoria tonight and have the entire day there tomorrow.
I'll get back to regular blogging on Sunday and even 'back fill' missing information and pictures.
It's been a great trip so far ...
Saturday, May 06, 2006
South Bound
This morning we're off. In order to get the cruise deal, we have to fly out of Seattle. Getting down to Seatac is a slight hassle but as the flight is late in the day, we will be arrive in plenty of time by getting on the 9:00 am bus that leaves from downtown Vancouver. As we've a lot to do, I shall enter some information that I typed yesterday while my students were taking the course final examination.
Can I be doing this again, already? It doesn’t seem very long ago that I had my laptop in class during a previous final examination. I suppose it really wasn’t long ago for these intensive courses fly past like greased pigs. Have pigs learned to fly? I’d suggest that perhaps only the slippery ones have.
I find myself sitting in front of a classroom. I’ve already corrected the listening part of the final exam. I administer that separately, so I can keep busy while they are completing the writing section.
As I want to get these grades turned in a soon as possible, I have also opened a copy of the course marks in an Excel spreadsheet. All the columns have been filled in. The only free spaces are those where the final exam scores will go. Then, there’ll be an instant numerical grade in the last column. The weightings of the activities and assignments create a rather lengthy formula:
=(Q10*0.45)+((R10*2)*0.15)+((S10*16.667)*0.1)+((T10*16.667)*0.1/2)+(U10*0.25).
Basically, it all adds up to a single decision. The result helps me decide if a particular student is ready to go on to the next COMM course. I suppose there are numbers that contribute to more far-reaching choices. Numbers used by structural engineers might help design a part which is capable of handling the lives of thousands of people. A number may allow the pinpoint accuracy needed for a spacecraft to hit the surface of another planet. Still, I think the ramifications of my formula are significant. The number in my last column has the ability to determine the future actions of twenty-two people.
Can I be doing this again, already? It doesn’t seem very long ago that I had my laptop in class during a previous final examination. I suppose it really wasn’t long ago for these intensive courses fly past like greased pigs. Have pigs learned to fly? I’d suggest that perhaps only the slippery ones have.I find myself sitting in front of a classroom. I’ve already corrected the listening part of the final exam. I administer that separately, so I can keep busy while they are completing the writing section.
As I want to get these grades turned in a soon as possible, I have also opened a copy of the course marks in an Excel spreadsheet. All the columns have been filled in. The only free spaces are those where the final exam scores will go. Then, there’ll be an instant numerical grade in the last column. The weightings of the activities and assignments create a rather lengthy formula:
=(Q10*0.45)+((R10*2)*0.15)+((S10*16.667)*0.1)+((T10*16.667)*0.1/2)+(U10*0.25).
Basically, it all adds up to a single decision. The result helps me decide if a particular student is ready to go on to the next COMM course. I suppose there are numbers that contribute to more far-reaching choices. Numbers used by structural engineers might help design a part which is capable of handling the lives of thousands of people. A number may allow the pinpoint accuracy needed for a spacecraft to hit the surface of another planet. Still, I think the ramifications of my formula are significant. The number in my last column has the ability to determine the future actions of twenty-two people.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Getting Ship Shape for May
Last week I checked out this book from the library. San Diego is not a place we've been before, so we'll need a little advice.My current class doesn't finish until May 5th. Then, I've got exactly a week before another begins. A week turns out to the perfect amount of time.
We'll head out on Saturday the 6th by first taking the Quick Shuttle down to Seattle to catch the flight to San Diego. After three nights, we'll board Holland America's Veendam. Subsequently, there's a leisurely, 5-night trip up the coast with a free half day in Seattle and a complete day in Victoria. We're back in Vancouver on Sunday the 14th, just in time for a new class the next day.
The ship was in the Caribbean for the winter. The day it docks at Vancouver, it'll begin a summer of cruising the Inside Passage to Alaska and back.
Labels: Seattle, travel planning
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Blog as Memory Dump
I got a Christmas card from Bret yesterday. It did remind me to get one out to him. Bret is an old friend. In fact, we lived a bicycle ride away in my hometown of Sunapee, NH. We attended all grades in a class with around 30 others. So, it is rather strange that we're still nearly neighbours. Bret and family live in Seattle. It'd be a long bike ride, but it doesn't take much time to get there driving down I-5.
Bret reads this blog sometimes. He synchs up daily with AvantGo. In his card, he mentioned something about me teaching English to the world via this venue. I must admit that task is my chosen career but it's entirely accidental if it occurs in this forum.
Exactly why have I been writing so religiously here for so long? I write my eJournal and images for personal reasons. I like being able to add a few ideas to this catalogue of Dennis. It's really not for others although I'd not be tempted to keep it up without the theoretically possibility of sharing with others. I am absolutely sure I'm so fantastic that even the most mundane aspects of my life are worthy of world-wide attention.
Bret reads this blog sometimes. He synchs up daily with AvantGo. In his card, he mentioned something about me teaching English to the world via this venue. I must admit that task is my chosen career but it's entirely accidental if it occurs in this forum.Exactly why have I been writing so religiously here for so long? I write my eJournal and images for personal reasons. I like being able to add a few ideas to this catalogue of Dennis. It's really not for others although I'd not be tempted to keep it up without the theoretically possibility of sharing with others. I am absolutely sure I'm so fantastic that even the most mundane aspects of my life are worthy of world-wide attention.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
A New 'Must See'
This year, I have decided the television show I just can't do without is Grey's Anatomy set in Seattle. Might it be that I have an unnatural infatuation for Canadian actress Sandra Oh? Anyway, the show's not your typical medical drama.
Labels: Seattle, television
Friday, November 18, 2005
They Do Highways Right
There's not a single toll booth between here and Tijuana.
US Interstate 5 is a very important chunk of asphalt. Although it's probably not environmentally-correct to admit, I love being able to roar through Seattle during non-peak hours. It reminds me of a video game.
This photo was taken on our way back from a summer trip to Portland, OR.
US Interstate 5 is a very important chunk of asphalt. Although it's probably not environmentally-correct to admit, I love being able to roar through Seattle during non-peak hours. It reminds me of a video game.
This photo was taken on our way back from a summer trip to Portland, OR.
Friday, November 04, 2005
Heading South
I can't quite say why I'm up early today. I awoke before the SkyTrain was running. (If I concentrate, I can hear as the system runs at the foot this apartment building.) Rather than lie there I decided to get up. I've fed the fish and petted the hamster. I've made coffee. And for the last twenty minutes I have been plugging different destinations into www.expedia.ca.
My present class finishes up on December 2nd. That means I've more than a month off and although I'd be satisfied hanging near home, I feel obligated to, at minimum, check out what I could do for a week. I love testing different possibilities. I have a much longer attention span than any real-life travel agent. After all, they'd soon wonder if I were serious. Even the best of agents tire of customers who can't commit to a plan.
There are some amazing bargains from Seattle. How about a diagonal run to Orlando, FL for $200? Vegas or Reno hotels are cheap at $30 in the middle of December. This isn't the best time for Washington DC, is it? Domestic Canadian routes are not only frigid but too expensive. Whether it's the sunny US southwest, Mexico, or Central America, most Canuks end up heading south at the time of year.
This picture was taken during school break in 1983. As poor U of WA grad students, my roommate and I decided to hit the road. We had less than a $100 between us, I think. We were either really brave or extremely stupid. I remember sleeping right in the station wagon as it was parked on a steep San Franciscan street. Thankfully, the old beast didn't break down as we would've had to abandon it and hitchhike back up I-5.
My present class finishes up on December 2nd. That means I've more than a month off and although I'd be satisfied hanging near home, I feel obligated to, at minimum, check out what I could do for a week. I love testing different possibilities. I have a much longer attention span than any real-life travel agent. After all, they'd soon wonder if I were serious. Even the best of agents tire of customers who can't commit to a plan.
There are some amazing bargains from Seattle. How about a diagonal run to Orlando, FL for $200? Vegas or Reno hotels are cheap at $30 in the middle of December. This isn't the best time for Washington DC, is it? Domestic Canadian routes are not only frigid but too expensive. Whether it's the sunny US southwest, Mexico, or Central America, most Canuks end up heading south at the time of year.
This picture was taken during school break in 1983. As poor U of WA grad students, my roommate and I decided to hit the road. We had less than a $100 between us, I think. We were either really brave or extremely stupid. I remember sleeping right in the station wagon as it was parked on a steep San Franciscan street. Thankfully, the old beast didn't break down as we would've had to abandon it and hitchhike back up I-5.
Labels: cars, Seattle, travel planning
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Teaching Kids Part Time
This picture contained a bit too much information to fit on this page, but you can click the thumbnail version to open up a larger one.I worked in Kuwait right out of college. After finishing, I went to Seattle to do some graduate work. I took TESL and Linguistic courses which would have led to a Masters Degree. I never did complete my program as I left for overseas work in Taif, Saudi Arabia.
While at the University of Washington, I also taught part-time at an Islamic School. So, this is a 20-year old, scanned, class photograph. I wonder what they're doing nowadays.
Monday, November 22, 2004
Tourists from Washington
Over the weekend, some high school students from Easton, Washington visted the area. They arrived by train from Seattle and stayed in downtown Vancouver for two nights. They participated in some local activities. While in the area, Joel Thomas brought them out for a visit to New Westminster too. The SkyTrain makes access easy and quick. They came up to this apartment and visited here for a little while.
Labels: Joel, New Westminster, Seattle
Saturday, May 15, 2004
Down I-5
I will be travelling to Seattle today. It is time to catch up with friends. Bret and Joel were high school friends from the other side of the continent. The three of us ran, The Harbor Gameroom (March 16, 2004), an arcade at Sunapee Harbor, New Hampshire in the early 1980's. The last time we were together was at our 25th High School Reunion in 2002.
I am sure that I'll be able to blog from there. Bret is in the midst of adding computers for the kids, a wide-sreen notebook book for his lovely wife, and enough wireless networking to tie it all together.
I am sure that I'll be able to blog from there. Bret is in the midst of adding computers for the kids, a wide-sreen notebook book for his lovely wife, and enough wireless networking to tie it all together.
Labels: Bret, Joel, New Hampshire, Seattle, The Harbor Gameroom
Friday, April 16, 2004
Viewer-Supported TV
I've never actually become a "member of quality television" by sending them a cheque. Yet, I do get WGBH-Boston and KCTS-Seattle via satellite. Public television seems a bit of an anachronism in the current, 200-channel universe. (I hold the same view towards Canadian taxpayer supported CBC.) There are many specialty channels which carry PBS-type programming.
That said however, I do enjoy their science programming and have recently set up the PVR to record, NOVA. The topics are diverse and always interesting.
I was simply amazed by this week's show (which first aired in 2001). The photography was amazing and the specifics are both humbling and awe-inspiring. The processes are so complex that it really is a miracle that any pregnancy can actually end with birth.
NOVA Online | Life's Greatest Miracle
That said however, I do enjoy their science programming and have recently set up the PVR to record, NOVA. The topics are diverse and always interesting.
I was simply amazed by this week's show (which first aired in 2001). The photography was amazing and the specifics are both humbling and awe-inspiring. The processes are so complex that it really is a miracle that any pregnancy can actually end with birth.
NOVA Online | Life's Greatest Miracle
Labels: Seattle, television
Wednesday, October 01, 2003
Seattle-area resident, Bret Wirta phoned last night and left a message. He's in Vancouver for a medical equipment exhibition. I will give him a call this morning and, hopefully, we'll meet up.
Locate additional information at the my eJournal and images blog site.