Next Dan wanted to
find a new stereo receiver with sound surround compatible with our newer HDTV
& BlueRay player. The one we have
from the 90s is ok but is very difficult to reset when we lose power. Dan wanted one that would set itself automatically
when turned on. Turns out one shop was
moving & many items were marked down – like $14K speakers for $9K! Dan passed on the speakers; but did pick up a
new surround sound receiver that was $540 for $320. Now his plan is to move the old receiver out
to the shop so he can share his music with the neighbors. Happy Birthday!
On Dan’s birthday, Thursday,
we headed into Everett for dinner at Anthony’s Homeport. Anthony’s started as a steakhouse in Bellevue,
WA, in 1969; but quickly morphed into excellent seafood restaurant chain in
Washington & Oregon. Very good!
Sunday, 10AUG, it
was off to the 25th annual Stillaguamish Festival of the River &
Pow Wow. This is a free festival where
they usually charge for parking. This
year being the 25th, parking was free. It was a very good event that also had
excellent free music. In fact on
Saturday night the headliner was Jacob Dylan (aka Bob’s son) & the
Wallflowers who have had many hits. And
if we had known, we could have brought the RV, stayed all day, & not had to
drive home late at night. Since this is
festival based on the River & Native American culture, they also had an
excellent $5 salmon dinner; one meal was enough for the two of us. There was an excellent Pow Wow that started
at 1PM – with much drumming & circle dances. Sadly much of the booths for Native American
programs dealt with health issues (diabetes, obesity, heart disease) &
substance abuse.
Tuesday, 19AUG, we
unplugged the RV & headed north to Angel of the Winds Casino (a casino we
have visited many times). It was $16 for
RV spot but they give $15 in coupons to gamble with, plus discounts for
food. After setting up camp we headed to
Dan’s cousin Rob’s & wife Pattie for a very nice visit (our last visit to
their place was back in Sept 2010!). Turns
out Pattie is a big time gardener & Corrie immediately made plans to return
before end of month to pick up some “clippings” for our garden. Then it was back to the RV for a little
gambling, where one of us won, & one lost.
The next morning, Wednesday,
it was a short drive to Bellingham, WA, to visit Sandy & Paulette Petersen;
who we haven’t seen since living next door together at Hamilton AFB Housing, Novato,
CA, when Dan & Sandy worked at Coast Guard Island, Alameda, CA, in 1994. Turns out the RV park was a three minute walk
to their house! It was great to
reconnect after two decades & we reminisced long into the night. Now that we know how close we are to each
other, hopefully we will visit more often & longer when we are in WA state!
Tuesday, 26AUG, it
was back into Seattle to pick up Dan’s turntable. After that we met an old friend of ours, Gary
Boyer, on his boat the BANANA WIND for dinner.
Gary was on the USCGC MUNRO back in 1974 when Dan was a brand new
Ensign. During Dan’s Coast Guard career
our paths have crossed now & then.
Anyway rather than meeting at Gary’s house (which Dan rented a room at
back in the day – but that’s another story for another day!), we decided to
meet at Gary’s retirement reward/toy – his boat.
It was another great time with an old friend we haven’t seen in a long
time; but the time since last together makes no difference because they are a good friend!
The rest of August
was spent preparing the RV, house, & garage/shop for our departure. Along with:
---Corrie making a
couple of visits to Dan’s cousin Sheila in Cashmere, WA
---never ending
gardening/landscaping, battling blackberries, mowing, bush hogging, etc
---Dan discovers
holly trees/shrubs are starting to sprout everywhere & they are just as
invasive as the blackberries; & sets out to remove all them from the
property
---garbage &
recycling runs
---Dan volunteering
at Habitat for Humanity
---we notice a few
bats at night, so Dan installed a bat house on the barn to encourage more of
them to take up residence
---Corrie decided to
take up “canning” & starts making many jars of preserves & jellies
---etc, etc, etc
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