Bennidito's last night...

Is there a cheerier lit restaurant in Spokane?

Free Parking on Riverside Today!

Parking is a lot easier downtown when I ride my bike. Even better if I walk. But, I had to drive this morning for a long series of errands. The first of which was downtown. I instantly spotted one empty parking spot on Riverside! Wait, it's not really empty. It's half-empty (if you're one of those kind of people, half-full if you're not).

The person driving the aptly-named Lincoln "Navigator" had a hard time piloting his/her Dreadnought into the actual parking spot, and wound up half-in the metered parking area and half-in the 10-minute loading zone. There was plenty of space for the Geo to nestle completely into the Navigator's empty designated area. There was also plenty of room for the driver behind me to get out. Yes - the meter was maxed out.


It seems that the bigger the auto/suv/truck, the harder it is for some to drive. I've witnessed this at work, walking, and on the bicycle. Sometimes I really feel bad for the person driving. I can imagine some guy buying one of these penis-extenders and justifying his purchase by telling his wife - "Honey, I bought this for you because I care about your safety," while she's thinking, "Holy shit. This is ridiculous. This thing's bigger than our living room." Yet, she smiles bravely and climbs onto the seat (without belay) balancing a latte and a cell phone, starts the engine and rolls the dice. Statistically, these are the unsafest cars on the road. I really think there ought to be a mandatory class for anyone who wants to steer these barges down our streets.


Oh yeah, I guess it's pretty obvious that I am one of those types whose bicycle costs a lot more than their car. And my bicycle is not very fancy. Plus, it's washed and waxed, unlike the White Rocket. But the Geo is a chick-magnet. No doubt.

Out with the old...

15 years ago, my dad gave me a BBQ grill for my birthday. It was one of the nicest things I ever received. Every spring I would clean it up and replace parts. About 7 years ago I replaced the broken handle with a baseball bat (I didn't use the bat as a tool to remove the handle, but as the actual handle. OK?). That worked really well and looked pretty cool too. My dad died a few years ago and I became even more attached to the old Charbroil. But the cast-tron racks are almost nonexistent from continual scrubbing and heating and the second replacement burner is now rotten, etc.

Today would have been the big spring cleaning and replacement session. Instead, I went out and bought a new grill. Sarah and I did a lot of shopping around. Buying locally is something we try to do, to help out the old city tax base. This Big Green Egg grill came from Spokane Fireplace and Patio and is assembled in the US. The other one we were looking at was the Primo grill, which is made entirely in the US - "Georgia." Better than Texas anyhow.

I think my dad would be glad that I bought a new grill. He really liked to buy stuff. However, I think he wouldn't have liked that this is a charcoal grill and not propane.

I plan on making some things out of the old one - some bicycley things...

Another day in bicycle paradise.

All it took was a switch from the WinterWarriorCycle to the SpringSummerXtracycle to get us a few more inches of snow! It wasn't a bad ride though, yesterday to work.

I wondered out-loud, to Sarah last week, "How many other places do people normally ride where one can enjoy wearing cycling mittens for the majority of the year?" Nice!

Mister Yuke's Chupacabra Music Video...

Mister Yuke submitted this, this morning. Says he is now going back to his roots and is working on a Polynesian ditty called "The Jehovah Witness War Chant." Oooh Boy.

If you want to sing along, here again are the words:

Chupacabra, why don’t you lower your defenses?
You been out hoppin’ fences and bitin’ the cows
Oh, you’re a mean one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin’ you
Could hurt me somehow

Must you draw the blood of mammals, choop?
There’s room at my kitchen table
a vegetarian diet is always your best bet

Now it seems to me, some fine goats
are safely sleeping in my stable
And you only want the ones that you can’t get

Chupacabra, warm blood you love to monger
Your thirst and your hunger, they’re makin’ you crazed
You’re hairless, oh hairless. Well, you must always be chilly
Carnage in the village, Loren Coleman would be dazed.

Don’t your teeth get cold in the winter time?
Eyes full of tears and your back full of spines
Its hard to tell if you’re mammal or reptile
You’re jumpin’ ‘round like a kangaroo
Aint it funny how you always bring a smile?

Chupacabra, why don’t you come to your senses?
You know you’re our favorite cryptid, we think that you’re great
It may be rainin’, but there’s a blood puddle around you
You better let somebody love you
You better let somebody love you, before its too late

Mister Yuke is back in town. Drops off Chupacabra song.

Looking very tanned, he asked me if I could post this song for him. He says there's a video in the works too. Shudder. Not much uke music, but OK, I guess.

He says his fretting hand is injured. Whatever that means. I can attest that his left hand looked like it has been repeatedly mangled. Blood still oozing through the bandages. Yuck.

Says he spent the winter "South." That's all he would disclose. When I asked about the injury, he said the song might help explain it. Terribly mysterious.



He wanted to make sure that everyone had the words so they could sing along. So there you go. Here's the song.

Chupacabra, why don’t you lower your defenses?
You been out hoppin’ fences and bitin’ the cows
Oh, you’re a mean one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin’ you
Could hurt me somehow

Must you draw the blood of mammals, choop?
There’s room at my kitchen table
a vegetarian diet is always your best bet

Now it seems to me, some fine goats
are safely sleeping in my stable
And you only want the ones that you can’t get

Chupacabra, warm blood you love to monger
Your thirst and your hunger, they’re makin’ you crazed
You’re hairless, oh hairless. Well, you must always be chilly
Carnage in the village, Loren Coleman would be dazed.

Don’t your teeth get cold in the winter time?
Eyes full of tears and your back full of spines
Its hard to tell if you’re mammal or reptile
You’re jumpin’ ‘round like a kangaroo
Aint it funny how you always bring a smile?

Chupacabra, why don’t you come to your senses?
You know you’re our favorite cryptid, we think that you’re great
It may be rainin’, but there’s a blood puddle around you
You better let somebody love you
You better let somebody love you, before its too late

UFO Phil Triumphs!!

What a great night! Met Jacque at the Baby bar. There were other UFO Phil revelers gathered, but we didn't know them and they didn't know us, so we had no way of knowing they were with us. Even though the Baby Bar is a smallish place, there are many interdimensions, apparently.

We had a couple beers and then biked down to the show, where Sarah and the boys were waiting. UFO Phil was in the lobby, working the crowd.

The show started and what a show it was. There was a Q and A session at the end where I was able to ask a question that has plagued my family for years (probably yours too).

"Is George Noory (the host of AM Coast to Coast) really a computer generated disembodied voice, as some have suggested?"

UFO Phil was kind of evasive. I can't say that I blame him. He is in deep with a lot of technological experimenting - the kind of stuff the general public (ignorant villagers) seem to be very afraid of. I left with the impression that if Noory is a computer, he is not malevolent, which is about all any of us can ask for. I know when to quit asking questions. And I did (quit).

After the movie, Jacque pedaled off to another event, and I pedaled home. It was raining pretty hard - prime abduction weather, in my book. I was more scared of the green, Keystone-ice -fueled St Patrick's Day Zombie motorists, however.

TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT!!!!

UFO PHIL - BABY BAR CYCLING MEET-UP!

I am going to be down there about 7 or so. Then we have to leave at 8:15 to get to the movie on time. Glug glug.

I think it is too early to break out the XtraCycle. Although it seems like an Xtracycley event. I will probably just ride the winter warrior on down.

Just got home from a very sad funeral. It was great seeing so many friends there, but it sure underscores how we need to have a good time with each other while we can.

If you have no idea what I am talking about regarding UFO Phil, or the ride, please see the last two posts.

UFO Phil Cycling Harmonic Convergence at the Baby Bar!

Thanks to Jacque at Fresh Abundance for organizing this one! Here are the details.

Note: A bicycle is a more sure-fired and safe way to get to this gala event than a car. There are no CPUs or circuitry for aliens to interfere with. If you are abducted going to this event, you will have the roadrash to prove it, plus many cycling witnesses.

There is strength in numbers. However, if you are foolish enough to put an alien on your handlebars, there is little we can do. You are on your own. Really.

UFO Phil - March 14th at the Magic Lantern!

In between the many "emergency" responses at night, I would often listen to AM Coast to Coast with George Noory / Art Bell. There were a couple of us (Ok it was just me and Chucky) who would have radios stashed under our pillows in the bunkhouse. When the alarm went off, we would often compare notes on our way to an athletes foot emergency.

One of our favorite callers into the show was UFO Phil. His astute observations and panache were sure-fired conversation starters.

I had heard rumors that UFOP lived around here. It makes sense, especially since Mel, of Mel's Hole, is rumored to be from Yakima (I know Wikipedia says Ellensburg). No wonder they made so many X-Files episodes in the Pacific Northwest. I watched the first five minutes of this documentary and it sounds like UFO Phil lives around (in or around) Mt. Spokane!!

My entire family is ready for this movie. I can barely wait. It's on the internet already, but I am going to deprive myself so I can see it on the big(ger) screen.

Counting the days!!!

Springy Handles

photo.jpg
Originally uploaded by Griffith Family

An empty solder container makes a nifty mini vase. Plus it really makes the Winter Warrier Cycle look tougher.

New batch of mead!

Of all the things one can brew, I like making mead the best. I've never made a wine that was as good as something that I could buy at the wine shop. Used to be the only good beer you could drink was the stuff that you home brewed. That's not true anymore.

To me, mead stands alone as something you can brew that is heads above anything you can buy. Whenever I have consumed commercial mead before, I found it grossly sweet. Yuck.

Sarah and I made a batch of mead back in 1992, the year we were married. Every year since, we open a bottle on our anniversary. It's a carbonated mead, so it's capped. Every year, it tastes a little different, but always good.

This batch is technically a technically a melomel, in that I've added a fruit/berry of sorts. It is one of the few berries that is indigenous to the area - the so-called oregon grape. It gave the mead a nice rose color. There is a touch of bitterness from the seeds that I left in for a bit. The smell reminds me of oregon grape blossoms. It seems a little thin to me. But, we'll see in a year or two.

Started enjoying the Johnny Apple Mead that I bottled a couple of years ago. It's a cyser that took a long time to mellow. Now it is really good. Maybe too good.

The next batch is going to have yerba mate in it - maybe some other stuff.

Rosauers Clock/Thermometer Out But Not Down...

Talked to Steve, the manager (thanks to Steve, by the way, for the loan of the shopping cart for CARTNE's triumphant comeback video). Steve says that it's a company on the east coast that fixes the sign. Usually, they do it via remote. Steve's bugged them a couple of times to fix it, but so far, no fix. He was going to call them again.

I really like this sign. When I go to work in the cold, dark morning, I like to compare the actual temperature to how cold I feel on the bicycle. There is sometimes little correlation. I've missed it. It seems like a month since it's been out, but with no reliable way to mark the time/days, I don't know. I was worried that this landmark was going to go the way of Compusa.

David Byrne - Last night...

The cellphone camera picture is not so good.

It's clear enough that you can tell there were a lot of bald heads and thinning gray hair, including mine. The Fox Theater looked great. And it was a beautiful show. Dancers, great lighting, awesome music. I always think that when big acts come to our town, they must leave a little surprised that the venue is so classy, and the audience is so into what they're doing and appreciative.

I know David Byrne has been here before and enjoyed Spokane. Some of the band looked a little surprised, though. I mean they got a standing ovation before they even started. By the end of the night, they sure deserved it. It probably helped that The Fox was selling Geritol shots in the lobby.

Here's a video from a bygone era. Last night, they performed this number whilst wearing tutus.

CARTNE is back!

MAC Art Auction last night...

We won this. I just wish our children were a little younger. This would look great in their room. I think this was in the top five of paintings there. I like it a lot.

Distressing scene of a winter struggle...

Another beautiful day at Mt Spokane.

The trails yesterday were well-groomed. Better than me, for sure. We had fog one minute and blue skies the next.

Having a billboard in your backyard has its privileges...

Like free tarps made from old advertisements. Perfectly sized for an RV! Thanks to my nephew Joey (aka Fricken' Jose) for this.

My neighbor looked familiar...

A lot of you might know Speed Fitzhugh. I am lucky enough to have him as a neighbor. A month or so ago, he was a snowblowin' machine. As he maneuvered the machine-for-blowing- snow up the sidewalk, he reminded me of someone. Today, I realized it was Lee van Cleef. Speed is Lee Van Cleef.