A new approach

For anyone who has read my blog, you already know about my pet peeve. Namely, when I am at a stop sign on my bicycle, I hate when cars stop, when they don't have a stop sign, and try to wave me across. I always point to my stop sign and say "You have the right away."

Usually, I will smile and wave them on. I get it. They are trying to be nice and most don't know the law that says bicycles are vehicles too, when it comes to right-of-way laws. It's frustratingly comical as I wave on that first stopped driver and then the one behind him now breaks for me, and on and on. Or the old "I have a break in traffic soon as this car passes. Oh, he's slowing down. He's stopping. F@$k, there goes my break." For some reason bikes really confuse people. But, there's a new approach. This idea was Sarah's. And it simplifies everything while upping the ante.

Next time, when traffic keeps stopping, wanting you to ride across on your bike, there is a way to make their actions legal. Namely get off your bicycle. Doff your helmet. Now you are a pedestrian. Carefully walk across the street. Don your helmet. Climb aboard your metallurgic steed and become a bicyclist again! If there is a crosswalk nearby, do the same thing after carefully walking to the crosswalk. Very satisfying, very legal, very educational. Bicycles are vehicles. If they have a stop sign and you don't, you don't stop. Pedestrians are not vehicles. Every street corner is a de facto crosswalk. You must stop for pedestrians. Which is funny because when I am not on my bicycle and am a pedestrian, cars rarely stop. This is what makes this new approach so great.

Migration

Over the years, I've documented the shopping cart as a symbol of Spokane pride and gumption. Most of my best sightings were in the west central neighborhood and downtown. Yesterday morning I spotted this at The Park Bench in Manito Park. Maybe a product of global climate change or maybe an omen. Regardless, welcome to the neighborhood old friend, welcome.

Goldfinch pests!

A blurry iphone picture. But, make no mistake - goldfinch are nibbling on the beets! Our fault for not having their feeder out yet.






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Iron Goat anniversary party

Rode down to the party on Saturday. Folkinception moved me to swaying and what not. Iron Goat beer was great. Stopped by Ramblin' Road on the way home for beer and food. Kind of a tough bike ride up the hill. I have the beginnings of a cold, I think. Hoping for healing after receiving the vision of the three alien kings.

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Captain Doyle video

The Captain Doyle

The memorial was great. Very moving. I had a drink recipe ready to go for the Volstead Act to use in making a "Captain Doyle." The Volstead Act was way ahead of me, and had their own concoction. It was much better than the one I had come up. I am not sure of all that was in it. It starts out with a rosemary twig ignited in a splash of absinthe. There was Jamison whiskey and a little bit of tomato too. Really good! Order one or two today!

Celebrating the life of Captain Doyle

The Spokane Firefighters Memorial Project will be dedicating its first memorial plaque at 6 pm on June 2nd, 2014 for Captain Leonard Doyle at the site of his death - the Peyton Building at 10 North Post.

“Leonard Doyle was the Captain at Station 4. At age 37, he had 15 years on the department. He and his wife, Freda, lived with their four children at 2333 South Grand Boulevard.



On June 2, 1956, Captain Doyle was called to a fire in the shoe store on the street level of the Peyton Building that eventually went to a third alarm, working fifteen engines and eighty firefighters. Captain Doyle and six other firefighters were advancing a hose lead into the fire when the floor collapsed from beneath them, plunging them all into the basement. Some of the firefighters already in the basement were trapped and injured by the falling debris. Captain Doyle was crushed under a falling safe. Seventeen firefighters were sent to the hospital and twenty-five others were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.



Many were injured trying to free Captain Doyle. Many of the men said it was the worst fire they had ever been to.”



The Spokane Firefighters Memorial Project will be placing permanent memorial plaques at the site of each Spokane firefighter’s line-of-duty death. Captain Doyle’s will be the first installment.  For more information on this project call Greg Borg at (509)998-3617 or visit https://www.facebook.com/spokanefirefightersmemorialproject. The dedication time and place for each memorial follows:   

West Medical Lake Fishing

A great morning of fishing, including this two-pounder that Sarah pulled out. She out-fished me 4 to 3.  Kayak fishing is the best. You have a lot of things to do at the same time and when you aren't busy it's amazing sitting right at the point where the sky shakes hands with the water. Having Sarah with me out there makes it even more outstanding! I think it's time to fire up the smoker.

Hydroponic garden up and running

I moved the hydroponic setup to a sunnier spot this year. I have a few things to fix on it. Would still like to switch over to solar for the pump, get a bigger tank and incorporate some fish.

Last year, the roots really wound up clogging the lines by the end of the season. I have some plans to remedy this.

My garden will never look as good as the Robinson's, I suspect. Looks like they ate a lot of space cacti. Never noticed that before.

Coffee time

I have some green coffee beans still on hand, that I kind of forgot about. Running out of roasted coffee beans jogged my memory and the roasting commenced. Really tasty coffee but the caffeine was almost too much (almost).

Looks like the party is over.

More Fish Lake fishing at the lake.

I don't know why, but I have been having really good luck fishing lately, while those who have been fishing with me have not. This is usually not the case. I am enjoying the ride.

The audio has been removed from this video for obvious reasons.

Fish on!

Bloomsday family photo

Garden

All the vegetables started in February in my basement are now moved outside. And in their place downstairs, I'm now sprouting squash and cucumbers. Going to expand the garden a little bit this year too.

The little two-person garden patio has already seen some prime afternoon sipping and contemplating action this spring. Once these starts are in the ground, I should be well-camouflaged and less likely to bring neighborhood property values down.

Cashing in.

Perhaps you have heard that the ponderosa pine is now Spokane's official tree. Shortly after this announcement, several of my neighbors began cutting theirs down. Perhaps to make commemorative plaques.



Our old house on the north side of town was 840 square feet. It was on a very busy street. But, in the front yard were two towering trees. One was a cedar. The other was a fir. These trees made the house look like a little cabin. A couple of years ago they were taken out. Now, it's a bleak little house. I really like trees. I also understand that sometimes they have to go.

We've taken a lot of trees out of our current yard, mostly maple. The arborists who have done the work have also trimmed up our remaining trees so there is less chance of them crashing into our home during a windstorm.

When I see a bunch of trees on several properties getting cut down at the same time, I wonder if the homeowners were scared into doing this by the tree trimmers. I've never had this happen, but have you ever been approached by a company who told you your trees were likely to fall into your home and should be removed? I often wonder if this was what happened to the trees at our old house.

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First kayak fishing of 2014

Yesterday was a very calm day out at Eloika Lake.

For a couple hours, I had the lake to myself. Lots of memories of fishing here as a kid. I like Eloika because you never know what you are going to catch. It's mostly perch, but you can catch bass, trout, crappie too. In its depths of six to twelve feet, lurks a small relative of the northern pike, the grass pickerel. It's been a really long time since I caught one. They are relatively small and look like this.

I think this is my third year of fishing out of a kayak instead of a canoe. I am sold. You can make much better time in a kayak. Sitting on the water is beautiful. The wind doesn't blow you around as much as in a canoe. And when you are on a sit-atop kayak, you are always dressed appropriately for an unplanned swim. The water temperature was 46 degrees yesterday.

When the sky opens up and the blue hits the water, you are sitting in it. It is a little dizzying when the clouds are flying and you are hovering on top of them.

Incidentally, I caught some fish - three perch, not enough to take home. They swam away at the end of the trip to fight another day. Six perch and we eat fish tacos for dinner. Fishing is just an excuse.

3D Spokane Goodness

Click on the picture. Cross your eyes. Enjoy Spokane on a really nice day - in 3D!

First tulip at our place!

Garbage Day

There's always a great orderliness and peace that comes with garbage day. Garbage trucks on their rounds fulfilling their end of the pact while we citizens have done our part. It's a perfect picture of why we have cities, why we pay taxes and why we have government. Socialism? If so, give me more!

And when your child is out there waving at the cops, the firefighters and the garbagemen as they drive by, I'll be doing the same... Comrade.


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Big Horn Show Lesson

A great Big Horn Show last weekend. Grandson Jack learned about the differences between black bears and grizzlies.





Both are very smoochable.