Jumping in the lake

the moon was crescent....and it had a small nose... so we packed the Winnie and drove to the lake.

The first evening meal cooked over a fire outside.....was an organic mess of spinach, and kale, an organic avocado, a cherry tomato from our garden,  and a simple oil and rice vinegar, a hippie vegetarian burger, and olive bread....requisite martini.....

some fried potatoes and sweet potatoes to eat for breakfast.....
cast iron pan......good all the time.

time for some relaxation.....plug in the computer and work on some pictures for this weeks listings on etsy..... yep. that's my penguin and beach ball towel, and the swim shorts drying in the sun.......

kick off your shoes.........you're camping!

take a walk with the dog in the tall doug firs.....

the Winnie in the woods......

Washington Parks & Recreation brass marker.....GPS?

Ahhhh....the lake. old tree roots. real old log..... I waded in....and swam. It was one of the things that I must do in the summer...so on a day of 92 degrees, we chose well.....and were at the lake.....perfect for a summer afternoon dip........

it's a 1930s New Deal CCC camp so there is a lot of natural log buildings and signs....and, quite a few stone steps to the lake from the picnic areas........Warmth and comfort that is missing from todays city parks with their cheezy "Water spray features" and corporate Subway "food" concessions.....

more pics to come......it was a gorgeous trip......warm, delicious and my goodness, the neighbors......

 and what was listed when we returned?

2 60s mod dresses..... a couple of 70s dresses......

and a pair of vintage riding boots.......by 9West, size 7.

The Birthday Boy

First we had a breakfast at Dock Street Landing...now Rock the Dock. ...stupid name. Same dive with rearranged furniture. Ask for the veggie burger since it isn't listed on the menu.
We sat on the deck and had the most vegetarian things on the menu. Me, poppers, and Mark had a cocktail! Lucky him, since I volunteered to drive for the day I was sober until dinner time.

We watched the boats float by....someday that will be us sheeting and rigging....We saw 2 Oompa Loompas on one large sailboat.....so I figured it was the Willy Wonka cruise.

2 old folks sat on chairs at the stern, both wearing bright orange t-shirts while a dapper man pulled up the fenders and pointed out Thea Foss landmarks. I figured the dutiful son made Ma and Pa Midwestern wear the super-bright t-shirts in case they fell in they'd make good targets....I Jest!

The old folks were in life jackets. Bright Orange life jackets. Still.

Ooompa Loompa.

Just saying.....

Then we walked the docks and drooled on the boats. We walked to the tiny park and chatted up a guy with a canoe strapped to his 70s Volvo...and we thought "That Dude is Awesome!"

Canoe + old Volvo = Mark and Tressie ! therefore ...awesome! but that's Sunday.

Back home in the late afternoon to continue the party. We didn't have a party like in years past. Low volume right now. So, linen jacket and slacks, Brooks Brothers, as is the shirt. Vintage 50s bow tie....a real Bow tie. It's easy. Just tie a bow. Like in the movies!

Cocktails while dressing....and a tiny glimpse of the new living room...there will be some blogging about the new home and decor next week...

Plaid Sperry slip-ons...and a sweet shot of the most amazing mirror....

He decided to tuck the bow tie in his jacket pocket just before we took off for dinner at Harbor Lights...
We're often overdressed for Tacoma...we're ok with that...but it was a bit hot for the tie.

So off to Harbor Lights.....we love Harbor Lights....not just that they serve real alcohol in the drinks and that the food is good.....but we love it because it has a old-time warpiness there. It looks like time stopped in 1979. We like that.

The bar is "decorated" in Jim Beam bottles. Tacky boat and fish things. Lots of drunk lawyers and middle-aged ladies who still tease their hair in an updo and spray the crap outta it with AquaNet. They drive Cadillacs and wear high heels. They still smoke but not during dinner any more. 

The servers and bartenders are mostly professionals. There are some younger folks as wait staff and they still need to learn how to serve as a profession. We miss Joan who has retired, as has Rose, though Mary was still there to take our drink orders.

It does not escape my esteem that the wall in the foyer has framed and autographed pictures of the 2 greatest male actors of all time......

Bob Denver and Ray Walston!!

You may remember Ray Walston as this guy......

We arrived early and got a corner table right on the water! So beautiful...many sailboats gliding by and the parachute sail people were flying high!

We ordered clams and clams and drinks and clams and clams, and then some mussels.

Dinner done, I drove home and then we took off walking to 1022.  

 I love my multi-colored boat shoes!

One last pic before we head out the door.

Arrived, and waiting for the first cocktail of the evening. Mark drank copious amounts of brandy. It is wonderful to sit outside. I hope the fire pit comes back and we can sit outside come the rainy season.
We love it because we can bring our dog for a walk and have a drinkie and walk home. Isn't that what local is all about?

I had the basil vodka cocktail, the death cocktail, and finally, when Matt arrived it was dark and warm and the full moon was shining bright!

It was a glorious evening.......

Matt's sweet Volvo....and look!

He's got Double Rainbow decals on the back windows! All original OG 70s rainbows! He rules.

A few shots of the really big tree, the moon , the neighborhood.

Then we rode home with Matt in the Volvo since we only live about 7 blocks away from his house.

Dreamtime.

The next morn we loaded (the royal We) the canoe on top of the wagon and took off for its 2010 maiden voyage at Wapato park...

This park used to be so pretty....it looked like a resort of the 1920s back in the 80s when my kids were young. We used to go all the time to swim or just walk around. The City of Tacoma has allowed the lake to putrify into a toxic algae stew. No one can swim there anymore it is so toxic. Thanks Assholes!

But we launched anyway and paddled around for a bit. The patches held real well..yeah!

Since the day was getting real hot we headed for home and crashed. 

It was a low-key birthday, this one.

I think the song of the day was Bali Hai...That's the movie South Pacific where Ray Walston and Mitzi Gaynor are pictured in above.....(if you have never seen it...please do!)......our day was beautiful...another world...on the water....melancholy...but treasured all the same........

The standard by which I measure......

Daniel Clowes.....always......click it. Really, it's OK. It's a tumbler and this is the best I can do about that...

In honor of MJ...deregulation and Ronald Reagan..and other types of out of control behavior....

I am earnest. I can't do the Shiny Happy People thing, but I am basically happy...considering I am living thru the time in history that saw the lovely society formed by The New Deal, being dismantled by the Republican Revolution, for which Ronald Reagan reigned as First King of Destruction, Federal Edition.
Reagan said this: "

I don't believe in a government that protects us from ourselves.

Ronald Reagan

And he meant It !! Regulation is the way we protect ourselves from evil assholes, hopefully. And, when the regulations on dangerous companies become Republican-style weak, Reagan's beloved Deregulation, the BP Oil spill is what happens.

The BP Oil Debacle is the Exact Universe the Republicans wanted, and what Libertarians wanted ....it is their Wet Dream!

And here is the difference between Irony and Coincidence... So, discuss.....is the BP oil hell, Irony, in that, with Deregulation, companies do what the fuck they want and when the shit hits the fan, Republicans call...For...Regulations !!!
....or just a Coincidence that deregulation and catastrophe happened at the same time, and most of the oil is washing up on the shores of states lead by Republican governors.

Texas - Governor Rick Perry, Mississippi - Governor Haley Barbour, Louisiana - Governor Bobby Jindal, Florida - Governor Charlie Crist, Alabama - Governor Bob Riley.

my mind boggles.


This link dates to Sept. 11, 2008, in the Bush/Cheney years..........."Government officials in charge of collecting billions of dollars worth of royalties from oil and gas companies accepted gifts, steered contracts to favored clients and engaged in drug use and illicit sex with employees of the energy firms, federal investigators reported yesterday." and it goes on...

that's from the Washington Post. Billions. Of. Dollars. that belong to you and me.that the oil companies kept because of deregulations and corrupt "regulators" in the Republican "governance" in the last 30 years......

So...I can do better than that.... I prefer this:
Back to Daniel Clowes.....


Aren't you glad that we have recalls of dangerous items? That's regulations at work!
;-)
So, regulations of dangerous or potentially dangerous activities...is a very good thing...and over-regulation is not a good thing.


Mindless shopping ...no, let's not do that. But Shopping Is Fun!!
Yes it is and we are wired for it.....
So, buy vintage and used as often as possible.....Fix, repair, mend and make when you can.
Here's some of my faves around the internets.

Electric Cars !

Urban Farming !

Parks ! this land is your land, this land is my land...