Whitestone Winery Party

The Spokane area has a lot of great wineries. One of my favorites is Whitestone. The cool thing about Whitestone is that the vineyards are right on the banks of Lake Roosevelt, probably the closest working vineyards to Spokane. They have an interesting microclimate which allows some phenomenal reds. Today, they opened up their winery in Wilbur to show the way they make the stuff, and to feed us! Thanks!

Great Sunday

First some campaigning for Local 29 president.



Then -




Sarah and I doorbelled for our candidates in a very cold rain. Sarah, Kirk and Jack-o-Saurus joined us for dinner.








Life is good!

Signs

So I am running on the bluff and I see a bunch of these signs:




After about the 20th one, I see a man with a hammer pounding one in.
"This is a park area. You can't put your signs here."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean it's a place where you can't put up political signs."
"What do you mean?"
"You see that thing that you pounded into the ground? That's called a 'sign.' The ground you pounded it into, well, that's a 'park.' Your sign placement might be seen as an ironic indictment against charter schools."
"I thought this was a public thoroughfare."
"Look. You can do what you want. It's not like I am going to call the cops. It's just that your actions may be counterproductive for the effect you're trying to achieve." Then I shook his hand and wished him well.
The Friends of the Bluff were doing a big clean up, so I stopped and talked to an organizer who reaffirmed that this is a park, and as such, no political signs are allowed.

Pumpkin harvest 2012

Nice pumpkin harvest yesterday. These are supposed to be really sweet pumpkins. I will curry one up here in the next few days. I am guessing the biggest one is about 30 pounds.

Electronic Yodeling Pickle

This may be what you've been missing. Exclusively at Boo Radley's.

Running for Prez

I usually don't have much to say about my job on this blog, but wanted you to know that I am running for president of my local - Local 29, the Spokane firefighters union. Won't be a mudslinging affair because the guy I am running against is a really good guy, and he is my friend. Currently, he's the VP and will remain so if Local 29 voters choose me. I am looking forward to the chance of working with him. If you want to check out my facebook site, here it is. If you like it, you can like it.

Spider enjoying a snack in the garden

Epistar halogen-type LED lights.

Every once in a while, I get a great idea for an invention. Then I research it and find out that it already exists. Having gone down the invention road before, I am usually happy when this happens. Discovering that you can buy something is much better than spending the thousands and never seeing your dream product exist. So it was when, yet another, halogen lamp burned out in my office. Finding these LED lights on line made me really happy.

We have a couple of halogen track light setups at our house. The bulbs use a lot of electricity, put out  heat and fizzle a lot. They aren't cheap to replace, usually just under $10. This particular LED model is 3 watts instead of a halogen's 35 watts. They burn at a cooler temperature. $8 - free shipping. I like to buy anything hardware-related at our local Ace by Huckleberry's. But there isn't anything like this in my local hardware store.  So I bought three of them on Amazon.   There are cheaper deals there too, but I wanted them shipped fast.

The light they shine takes a little bit of getting used to. It's fairly white compared to the warm tones of the halogen. But, at a tenth of the energy use, I am sold.

RIP Neil Armstrong

First man on the moon. Ukulele player:

Pumpkin take over continues

The pumpkins continue their occupation. My response? Next year... more pumpkins.

Don't Move Jefferson?

I think they are going to move it. Which made me think. I am still seeing some "Don't Move Jefferson" signs. When the new school is finally built, effectively moved, will those signs still up in people's yards now signify that they like the new location?

Pumpkin pollen airmet issued

The bees in the garden are making emergency landings on the raspberry bush to depollen. Wonder if they race through trace and climb through rime. That is all.

Dumpster diving

That's right. Now that supermarkets are carrying liquor, they are having to throw outdated or wilted liquor into dumpsters. This Romulan Ice Ale is still pretty good.

Idaho Fishing License

You can't have blue hair apparently. Same kind of selection for eye color with the addition of "multi."

Barrier to World Peace!

You've heard about it. And it's on Hatch Road.

Garden going strong!

Raspberries have been on for a while.



I think the pumpkins are going to take over.


Basil for pesto!


Every spring, I pull up all the poppies that sprout. Those that sneak through to summer make the garden beautiful..


Hidden mini patio behind the pumpkins.



The bees bury themselves in the poppies. Poppy honey would make a very fine mead.


Bees in action.


While the garden grows in the heat, we watch Le Tour in the basement.

Fishing yesterday

Adding to the list of biking, running, swimming, ukuleling, I've really gotten back into fishing. For years, I've been fishing out of a canoe. This year, I started reading up on kayak fishing. I got a really good deal on a kayak that was pretty much all set up for fishing. Wow, so much better than the canoe!

A very relaxing ways to spend some time. You sit right on top of the water. For some reason the sky looks extremely big. And the logistics of landing a fish become a little more interesting in a kayak.

Been doing pretty well as far as catching fish from the kayak, and yesterday was no exception.

A month or so ago, I spent a day practicing falling off and getting back on the kayak. Up until yesterday, I've been wearing a wetsuit on my forays. Eventually, I would like to get comfortable enough to go on the ocean and fish. 



On second thought...

I am a grandpa!

OK, I guess more importantly, this kid was born! He tried crawling off the scale when they weighed him. I like his style. Mom and dad are great!

Great Fathers Day So Far!

Sarah's perfect poppies!

Some fishing last week.

Guesthouse in Bellingham

Was a great cheap place to stay. Plus, I really like the housekeeper's name:

Wha Happened?!?!

By Cannon Hill Park today. I think the last picture might be a clue.

Aberdeen High School Marching Band Goes By Our House!

Looking good Bobcats! You guys will look great in the parade!!!

Recruit School Graduation

 Kirk graduated from his 11 week fire recruit class yesterday. Now the real work and fun begins. He has another 9 months of probation with lots of tests and studying while working as a firefighter. Congrats to him and to the entire class. It sounds like Spokane is getting a really good bunch with these guys. Yay!

Arggghhhh!!!

A couple of issues ago, Robert Herold, wrote a compelling piece in the Inlander about how the city of Spokane should reform its lavish pension system for police and firefighters. It was a pretty convincing piece with only one major flaw - there is no City of Spokane Pension for police and firefighters.

I tried to get him to write a retraction. I really like a lot of what Herold has had to say and did not want to delegitimize  any of his further editorials by casting doubts about his credibility. He wouldn't do it, and he told me I should just write a letter to the editor. So I did. It did not appear. I think this is because they had already accepted two that took Bob to task in a fine fashion. I suspect there were many more.

I look forward to future editorials by Professor Herold in the Inlander. May I suggest these topics: Outlawing the use of dogs for unicorn hunting, Eliminating the pet deduction on income tax, Allowing full voting rights for leprechauns, and of course, Compulsory warning labels on Pop Rocks®. Poor Little Mikey.

Here is what I wrote, in all its sarcastic splendor!

As someone who usually enjoys Professor Robert Herold's editorials, I was very curious to read what he had to say about the City of Spokane reforming its pension system for firefighters and police officers. Why the curiosity? Because, interestingly, there is no City of Spokane pension system for firefighters and police officers.

It's a shame Bob wasted all that ink and paper to stridently plea for reform of something that doesn't even exist. At least he didn't waste much of his time preparing this editorial. Obviously, Professor Herold's academic forte is not research.

I am a firefighter and a member of IAFF Local 29, the city firefighters' union. The majority of my state-administered pension plan's contributions are made by me. The city does contribute some and so does the state. However, Spokane's firefighters and police officers do not contribute to Social Security, nor will they receive it. Correspondingly, the City of Spokane makes no contribution to our Social Security. The taxpayers of Spokane pay one-percent less to a firefighter's or police officer's pension than they would if they were having to, instead, pay into his or her Social Security. That's right. The City of Spokane saves money because firefighters and police officers are on this pension plan and not on Social Security.

Not satisfied with just attacking something that doesn't even exist, Bob also launches into general falsehoods about police and fire retirements.

Bob, a  firefighter or police officer has to work until at least age 53 or be penalized up to 9%. Contrary to what you wrote, there is no retirement allowed before age 50. Most will not even retire at age 53 because much of their retirement would go to pay for private medical insurance until Medicare kicks in at age 65.

Professor Herold worked for 31 years at EWU. He says he didn't have a pension plan - only a 401K. He neglected to disclose that he did have the option of joining a state pension plan, very similar to mine - except he also receives Social Security, but he declined. I suspect he may now be regretting this decision, and this may be the impetus for his editorial. If Professor Herold did as much research into choosing his stock portfolio for his 401K as he did for his article on mythical "police and fire city pensions," his investments surely have not done very well.

Should there be a conversation about public employee pensions? Absolutely. But, why don't we start with discussing pensions that actually exist - what they cost, who pays for them, etc.? Bob, Like I said, I have enjoyed your editorials in the past. Now I have to wonder if they were all just works of fiction, as well. Do your homework next time.

John Griffith
Spokane, WA

MONEY BOMB!!!

Usually not a big fan of robocalls, but this one from a day or two ago was fantastic. Some highlights - MONEY BOMB! MONEY BOMB 2 COMING AT YOU! Make a maximum investment, right here, right now! Our campaign was successful until Obama's War on Women.

In less than 60 seconds, this call left on my answering machine tells you all you need to know about who they think their base is.

Audio is on there twice because it is that good!

As seen in Seattle yesterday

In Spokane, I have seen people walking out of bars in the Zone, but in Seattle....

Shit just got real.

Bought my first polo shirt.

Vancouver Trip

Washington not BC. Was in Vancouver for an educational seminar put on by the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters (WSCFF). I have been to a few of these over the years, but I don't think I had been to one in Vancouver. The picture above is a WSCFF rally where we endorsed Jay Inslee for governor.

When all was said and done, those of us from Spokane had to stay not where the classes were, at the Hilton, but at the Red Lion at the Quay. This Red Lion has an Expo 74 look to the architecture. The restaurant hovers above the Columbia River. The bar and restaurant look as if a pirate ship have rammed them. I have a fondness for tiki bars, and this rekindled the flame. It was fantastic!
The classes were pretty good. During a lunch break I took a walk around Downtown Vancouver. If you were at a conference in Downtown Spokane, within a few minutes walk, you would be deep in the heart of restaurants, condos, department stores, bars, restaurants, movie theaters, museums, etc. Not so Downtown Vancouver. There are towers upon towers of condos, Downtown (a lot of people live there - no state income tax - and then travel across the bridge to work/play/shop in Portland - no sales tax). There was a movie theater, a few bars, coffee places and a Subway, as well as a very nice park. And that was pretty much it. Weird. There is a really extensive trail system by the river too.

When you walk across the bridge into Oregon and then take the light rail into Portland, you can see the population increase - more shops, more fun, more noise and you feel bad for Downtown Vancouver. Vancouver is in a great location. There were a lot of bicyclists there too - riding to Portland. It's amazing how a different tax structure and a different political mindset can really push or pull populations.

I know that this is a pretty broad statement, and I apologize to my Conservative friends in advance, but every city that I have been in that is perpetually thriving is one that is perpetually politically Progressive, environmentally-aware, justice-oriented, diverse, open-minded, taxes progressively, etc. etc. Maybe Portland and Vancouver need each other to exist.

Nice people in Vancouver and a great bunch of firefighters who hosted us. Thanks and we'll be seeing you later!

Garden

So begins a new season of the vegetable garden. Those plants already growing in the box are kale and collards. They are from last year.

Interesting plants, they would freeze and look destroyed like the other plants but then thaw out to look just as good as before the freeze. Kale and collards should be in the diet of every arctic explorer.

Last year, the garden was getting destroyed by slugs as usual. For the first time, I used Sluggo, an environmentally OK slug killer. Overnight they were gone!

Just hoping the wild turkeys don't get into the garden this year. Might have to do some fencing.

I don't think I got started planting until June last year. So, I am ahead of the game already.

GROCERY OUTLET

It's like the Harbor-Freight of food.

About a month ago, I visited the new Grocery Outlet in the old Safeway building downtown. Fantastic!

Found a bottle of wine that we usually pay $11. At GO, it was $2.99. Produce is cheap and good. Not much in the way of meat. Tons of frozen food. Great pasta from Italy. Bulk spices are a great deal. Beer is about the same price.

Like Harbor-Freight, you walk out of there with a lot more than what you were looking for. Best to not go there on a daily basis. The neighborhood Rosauer's continues to be our daily go-to store.

The cool thing about GO is that you never know what you might find there. Items come and go. That $2.99 bottle of wine isn't there anymore. But, I kind of like that.

Looking forward to their liquor selection (if they get one). I might be able to finally score some pimento liqueur. I think it would be great to get some Grocery Outlet reusable shopping bags to bring to Trader Joes.

Mission Complete!

Last weekend, I finished the 165 mile swim. It started on New Years Day. The last few weeks, I was putting in 4-6 miles every day - five days a week.

I wound up being the first to finish the challenge. It remains open until the end of July. I'm happy about my standing. But, I am really happy to get back to running and bicycling. I will keep on swimming, just not near as many miles.

I have to stop eating like I am swimming so much or else! I should be posting here more frequently too.

Where I has been...

In the pool. Hours every day.

Why? Because I have a plan. Part of that plan requires me to swim a marathon plus next week.

I have ceased all running and all cycling for the last two weeks because of the plan. After the plan, I will have a life again. It will be sad if my plan does not work, but I will be able to bike and run, one way or the other after next week. I will probably read a book or play the ukulele or watch TV or something else.

The plan sucks. But, it is the plan.

New shoes

I have not been a very good blogger lately. Really, there hasn't been too much to write about. I know. That hasn't stopped me in the past.

Still swimming - a lot. In fact, I have been putting in some absurdly long swims. The other day I swam for 3 hours straight, stopping only long enough to drink some Ultima to keep from cramping up. Sometimes I feel like a third-stage guild navigator.

And on that note, a few year back, I started getting into the minimalist shoe deal.

I tried to buy some minimalist running shoes at Runner's Soul back then, and was told they would never carry 5 -Fingers or any other shoe like it because they didn't think there was a market for it.

Yesterday, I was in the locker room, having just finished swimming and folding space, and I ran into a fellow I haven't seen in about 12 years. He told me he was reading Born to Run and this was inspiring him to get back into running again. A few minutes later, my son texted me that he was off to buy some new running shoes. I have been procrastinating about getting myself new shoes, but I thought that there seemed to be some cosmic shoe plan for me after these two conversations, so I walked over to Runner's Soul.

It's obvious that Runner's Soul has seen the light regarding minimalist shoes. Wow. A lot to choose from. I picked out the New Balance Trail Minimus. I ran with them today.

The soul on these shoes is thick enough that you won't be hobbled by a rock or an acorn, yet you will be able to feel all kind of craziness underfoot. They are light- weighing somewhere between the Pankas and the most minimalist trail shoe you could purchase two years ago. A lot of my running lately has been to work and back, with a backpack full of stuff, and these should work well for this.

I Paid $100 for these shoes, but it looks like you can pick them up online for about $70. I like buying at Runner's Soul whenever I can, so I did. Many New Balance shoes are made in the USA. However, all the interesting ones are made in China. Sigh.


I like these shoes. They will be replacing my full-suspension running shoes, not my paper-thin Pankas! The Pankas, after liberal shoe-gooing, are still going strong.