Desperate in Dallas

Stroke of luck as Hurricane Ike veered to the north east prior to my arrival in the big D. Instead of inclement, rainy weather, the week has proved delightfully sunny and pleasant. Sadly, many of the folks along the Texas coast are still not being allowed to return home, as much of Galveston is in miserable shape. Very sad to watch the local news.

J&G are safe in Houston, although I've heard through the D information network that all they have is electric power - no roof, no water, and no everything else. Knowing their canny brillance and awesome preparedness, I'm pretty confident that they planned ahead and are not reduced to brushing their teeth with diet coke. (After the 2nd day, the soda and tooth paste feel like they're bonding into a cavity inducing plastique...not that I should know, but I do.) And, if not, they've likely rigged some fancy contraption to use the available electricity to magically produce potable water. Engineers, the magicians of today. :)

On an inconsequential, but markedly fabulous note, I've had HBO access throughout the week and discovered a nifty new show - Tru Blood, http://www.hbo.com/trueblood/. It is based on the Charlaine Harris novels about Sookie Stackhouse, which I quite like, and the show has captured the eerieness and complexity of the books. I hope that it lasts for 7 seasons and goes into synidcation on free tv. I can't convince myself that another $60 per month in cable charges, to acquire HBO at home, makes any sense. So, unless I spend every Sunday on the road for the next tv season, I doubt that I'll see too many more episodes.

I know that I should be posting something sincere and passionate about Obama v. McCain, but the HBO show is more exciting and more in tune with my interests than either of them. I'll watch the town halls and debates, but I haven't heard any talk of social security reform. Lacking that, everything else is a fictional promise, based on bad books, anyway.

Welcome to 2008!

Fantastic start to 2008, as I had the pleasure of J and Mooosolini's presence! It is rare to have an international film star in my home, but M is obviously well known in the Seattle area. At Pike Place, the fishmongers had to be a little closer than the next person and several small children were almost brave enough to approach for autographs.

A delicate frond-like flower emerges from a nest of glossy dark green leaves, summer's warmth has brought forth an unexpected glory in my front yard.

I've been inspired! I am not sure what this plant should be called, but I am planning to use the warm pinks, oranges, and subtle purple hues of its flower as the color inspiration for my home.

Of course, I've already painted my ktichen a light gray hue - Winter in Paris (I think) - so there is bound to be a little contrast, but it exciting to have made a decision at last.

No standard beiges and browns for this house! I'm going exotic.

Summer is simmering in Seattle. The temperature has climbed past 90F on occasion, and the rains have receded (to weekly showers, instead of daily). Seems like it would be the perfect opportunity to take a week off and enjoy the outdoors.

Except...the chaotic construction process continues. Or, in other words, I still haven't unpacked after 7 months in this home. Why does that matter? Well, when I left VA, it was fall and my suitcases were filled with winter wear. Over half a year later, I'm still wearing wool. :(

I'm becoming very tired of essentially living in one room, and cooking in a toaster oven is not very realistic for extended time periods. Especially when the entire house is covered with a fine and continuous layer of drywall dust and construction dirt. Any vestigal domestic instincts that I may have possessed have been burned out, and I have abandoned efforts to clean the constant dust (as Legolas would say, I have given in to despair).

Enough complaints, here are some pictures of the interior's current state:

Can you tell this is my kitchen? While the exposed studs would seem a little offputting to some, I view them as the foundation of something (anything!) better. And, on the up-side, the large window has been shortened, so it is now possible to install standard size cabinets on that wall. You may notice that the smaller window remains lower. I'm wondering if I should raise that one, also, to keep the back of the house more visually consistent.

This is my new office, and the one bright spot in the chaos. I sub-divided the bowling room of a master bedroom to create an office space that is accessible from just inside the home's entry. Before the division, the master bedroom was about 26 feet long. Now, it is about 16' by 19' deep, and I have an office that is about 9' by 7'. For me, this is a much better use of space. And, I think that it may (technically) count as a 4th bedroom. I had a wood floor added (to allow my office chair to roll freely - whee!) and painted the walls a rather "muddy" yellow. It looked different in the can, but I'm too fatigued to repaint. Plus, I get office furniture in 2 days - yipee! No more sitting on the bed or floor to work. :)

The guest bathroom with the floor tiles laid out. The bright red color on the shower enclosure (partially shown on the left) is waterproofing material. Special thanks to M for the guidance on how to prevent water penetration. I'm hoping that in 30 years or so, when the house is next refurbished, there will not be a spec of mold in the studs, when everything is pulled out.

My plan is for this bath to be a little zen/craftsman. I'm going to paint some shade of green, all the fixtures are white, and I have a warm, almost Santa Fe colored oak vanity with a black marble top for the sink. It could look good or perhaps it will be another trip down "what was she thinking" lane.

However, I did find a couple items in the clearance aisle (oil rubbed bronze) that will result in an electic mix of metal finishes within the room...

Why was I raised to be so attracted to the beckoning red tags of discount? The only thing more compelling is the frenzy of the blue light special - thank goodness that Kmart is now too ritzy for those aggressive struggles toward the markdown table.

Think good luck thoughts, I may well need them when it all comes together. :)

PS - For the record, I've never revelled in cleaning, so I'm actually relishing my newfound "despair" over the dust. It takes so much pressure off...

Rushing snow melt hurtles off a 460+ foot cliff into a grand exposion of sound and water, mist unfurls across the river valley floor. Or, in other words - took a quick trip to see Snoqualmie Falls. The Falls are the second most popular nature attraction in the Seattle area (immediately behind Mount Rainer). From the parking lot, you can walk to an observation deck for a clear view of the falls; they are taller than Niagra Falls, btw. Then, you can hike 1/2 mile down a steep trail to the lower observation deck for a closer view.

After hiking (pant, pant) to admire both the fall and hydro-electric power plant, we headed to Snoqualmie's downtown. Excellent lunch at the Mexican restaurant; the food was good and the bathrooms sparkled. The deep fried ice cream was good, but I still prefer El Territos - somehow, the crust just seems crispier, there. And...it's all about the deep fried crust. :)

Walking across the street, we noticed a display of railway cars. After a few photo ops, we talked to one of the conductors and discovered the train actually runs on the weekends. So, we hopped on and enjoyed locomotive transportation - the train runs from Snoqualmie to North Bend and back; the roundtrip is about an hour. There is a spur of track that takes you to the right side of Snoqualmie Falls. very nice photo opportunity. (Yes, I have guests - A & M are in town)

Very nice day. Tomorrow, a trip to Salty's on Alki.

I'm contemplating life as a spy. After a day spent at the Spy Museum (DC), there doesn't seem to be a much cooler profession. Of course, the down side is torture and death; so, a risk-adverse person, like myself, will need to ponder the situation carefully.

After the Spy Museum, we had a quick lunch at Zola's (excellent sorbet). Then, a nap, brisk stroll to Union Station, and delightful dinner with L & R at Matchbox on H St. Sadly, all visits must end, so we set our alarms and prepared to travel home on Wednesday.

It will likely be a long time (or, at least several months) before I head back to DC, again. In the mean-time, if you run across me in an unusual locale, don't make eye contact or call my name. After all, I may be under cover!

How many miles is the roundtrip from 10th and Mass (in DC) to the Thomas Jefferson memorial? On the way, we stopped at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, WWII Memorial, and the Memorials for Lincoln and FDR.

On Mother's Day, Mum and I started the day with brunch at Les Halles (DC) before departing on our walking tour of the capital. At the end of the day, when we stopped at Elephant and Castle for dinner, she was convinced that we had walked at least 5 (or 15) miles. Drawn into our squabble (I was thinking 2-3 miles, tops), the waiter pointed out that the District of Columbia was only 9 miles wide.

For the next 2 days, our diffident disagreement continued - we finally arrived at a compromise of about 3.5 miles for the Sunday trek. (Btw, Sunday was followed by Monday and Tuesday treks.) On arriving home, she gleefully informed me that she had picked up a map (with a mileage scale) while waiting for her plane and could now prove how far we trudged. Currently, I'm waiting for my copy of the map - so that I can perform my own calculations.

In the interim, I called upon the nps web-site (national park service), mapquest.com, and google to help me with some preliminary calculations. Oops! The rough web-based roundtrip estimate is 5.83 miles. Guess we did walk quite far...especially if you factor in the impact of humidity. Ick!

Now, my current dilemma - must I admit to mum that she may be spot on? Or, shall I wait and dispute her map-based calculations. Hmmm...if the map is in the mail, it seems rude to speak prematurely...I can wait for it. :)

PS - Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and soon-to-be moms in my life.