Indy's No Name

I grew up in an era different from that of musical legends Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins, but I had a little taste last weekend at Village Theatre's presentation of Million Dollar Quartet.  The musical presentation recreated the four artists meeting at Sun Records on December 4, 1956 and having a relatively good time (they had a fair share of bad times).  Leslie and I both enjoyed the show.  I am amazed with actors and actresses that can suck me into a story and provide an escape from reality.  All of the musical instruments (guitars, piano, bass, drums, and more!) were real and the actors and actresses were really singing in similar voices as the real legends.  The show was also educational.  I thought that Elvis created Blue Suede Shoes, not Carl Perkins (the real author based on comments by Johnny Cash).  Educational and fun: a great combination!  Next weekend is the last show in Issaquah and then it moves to Everett.

My sis and brother-in-law posted photos of Lily, my new and first niece, on their space.  Why are Leslie and I excited?  Lily is the first girl out of four nephews and now, as Leslie put it, she has an opportunity to buy girl gifts instead of boy gifts.  Sorry Wendy and the boys; you have competition :)

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We have to get a physical phone line for various reasons (including my Sprint cell phone averaging 1 signal bar at home and commitments that require a real line).  Since we have to take that step, I question whether we should switch from cable Internet to DSL to take advantage of package discounts.  The next logical question is whether we should use a Verizon bundle that includes phone, Internet, and television (DirecTV). 

We like Comcast's OnDemand feature to catch up on shows that we don't regularly record, but we are very dissatisfied with Comcast's DVR and signal strength into our house.  We are also hesitant to try Comcast's phone service for the same reasons. 

DirecTV's downside includes up-front equipment costs and getting an off-air antenna to view local HD programming.  On the upside, the monthly costs through Verizon's package for phone, DSL, and DirecTV are less than our current Comcast monthly bill for just TV and Internet.

Does anyone have recommendations for or against Comcast or Verizon?  Do you recommend the Verizon DirecTV bundle or is it better to go directly to DirecTV and not through Verizon?

A few weekends ago Leslie and I took a couple days to travel to Yakima for wine tasting.  Columbia Winery invited their wine club members to visit one of their vineyards, Red Willow Vineyard, and other area wineries. 

We didn't know what to expect as we drove there but thankfully we were not disappointed.  Our group met Mike, Karen, and John Sauer at Red Willow Vineyards.  Mike started the vineyard in the 1970s and it has grown tremendously since then.  They grow a variety of grapes for Columbia Winery and some concord grapes (for Welch's, I think).  They have a nice view on the hill that also hosts a chapel that they built.  It was great watching the sunset after a nice meal and wine.

Saturday was spent touring Hogue Cellars.  This was the first time I saw the big metal tanks that they use to make wine instead of barrels.  They still try to get oak flavor into some of their wine varieties, but accomplish this by putting cedar and oak planks into the metal containers (see the photo album).  They also commented on sediment that people find in the bottles and re-iterated that it is not dirt and that it is safe.  Apparently they have a problem with this (and we noticed sediment in some of our samples).  Hogue Cellars primarily uses screw tops instead of corks since it provides a better seal (and preserves the wine) better than corks and you rarely get a bad bottle of wine.  They're still working on the perception that screw tops are not a sign of high quality wine.

We decided to sample some other wineries on our way back from Hogue.  Snoqualmie was our first stop where we sampled their naked wines (and nearly naked).  Naked to them means organically grown grapes and nearly naked mean almost organically grown grapes.  The wine was very good and we were surprised to find white wines that we really enjoyed. 

Next we tried to visit Apex Cellars but they appeared closed.  We are not sure what happened to them.

We opted to take a break from wine and visit a Darigold cottage cheese plant.  I did not learn much because it was a self guided tour where all you could do is look into the plant and guess what was going on.  We tried some ice cream and agreed that we still like Tillamook better.

Bonair Winery was our next stop on our way back to Yakima.  Somehow Leslie learned that the winery ranked high in the best places to kiss in Washington.  I suppose the pond makes a nice setting but you'll have to judge for yourself if you visit.  We showed up near closing time and it was pretty crazy in the tasting room.  The lady pouring our wine frequently missed the glass in the rush.  We only liked one of the wines we tasted.

We continued on our journey to Paradisos del Sol.  This was the surprise winery of the day.  We drove up to a place that looked like someone's house, parked in a small parking lot, and walked into what once used to be a kitchen (or may be it still is).  The tasting bar was attended by one lady named Kim.  She poured six wines and most had a food selection to accompany it and explained other foods that we should try on our own.  For example, one wine was served with a marshmallow that we toasted over a candle.  I liked the wine that was blended with brandy the best!

Kim was a good saleswoman and talked us into buying a passport for the Rattlesnake Hill wineries.  There's some prize if we visit at least 10 wineries in the area.  We only visited two and now we have plenty of reasons to return.

Most of the wineries were starting to close so we drove back to Yakima.  Leslie found Cascade Wine Company in one of the tourist books though it was difficult to find in Glenwood Mall (which probably explains why they are moving adjacent to the Barrel House).  We met Tim who has spent a lot of time in the wine industry and had many of things to say and opinions to share.  He also was very generous pouring the wines and giving us a preview of what would be releasing for sale in a week.  CWC is a store so they sell a variety of wine.  Tim was able to pair the Washington wine with a similar European wine (thus being a good salesman) so we could take both home to compare.  We'll likely visit CWC next time we are in town.

That is it for our wine adventure.  I'll close with Saturday's dinner at the Barrel House that Tim from CWC recommended.  We arrived around 8pm but were shocked to find only 4 other parties in the restaurant.  We were a little scared (e.g., where are all the locals?) but decided to take a chance.  We were well rewarded.  My salmon was excellently cooked and seasoned and the mixed veggies were delicious.  Leslie's bacon wrapped pork was mouth watering as well.  So where were all the people?  I have no idea.  But I highly recommend the Barrel House as a place to eat when visiting Yakima.  (Leave a comment if you know something I don't know.)

Finally, I was too lazy to add comments to the Spaces' photos since I uploaded to my other place first.  See look at these photos for comments and keywords.

My parents visited a few weeks ago and we were looking for things to do.  Leslie would sing the jingle "sky's not blue, let's go to the zoo!" but it wasn't too cloudy that day. 

The Woodland Park Zoo was better than I remembered from mylast visit.  I don't know why I feel that way nor can I remember why I did not enjoy it much last time.  It may even be better than the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo that I grew up visiting, but my parents told me about some fabulous remodel this summer.  I'll have to make another comparison upon my next visit to the Fort.

Check out the photos from the visit.

I recently had to do a lot of research on septic systems.  We knew our house had one but we didn't know where exactly it was in the backyard.  Our realtors pointed to the area where it should be and provided us paperwork from the owner showing it had been pumped five months earlier.  Leslie and I figured the opening to the system was buried under lots of ivy (like everything else in the backyard).  In hindsight, we should have asked for the exact location and had it inspected before signing the paperwork.

We had the wild and out of control ivy removed (see it all in the big dumpster) but we still couldn't find the opening.  Online research pointed to a buried tank but there didn't seem to be the perfect fit for it by looking at the surface.

The trick: attempt to locate the waste line exiting from the house.  Our drain line isn't exposed so I had to guess.  I also learned you can look for two lined up vent pipes on the roof to get a clue.  The pipes matched my best guess.  I started poking a metal rod into the ground until I hit something.  Luckily for me I hit an object 10 inches into the ground and not 4 feet like I feared.  A shovel confirmed the actual tank and its two openings.

Why did I have to search for the septic tank?  Besides the general curiosity, the downstairs toilet would drain really slowly if we had just taken showers or did a few loads of laundry.  A 30 foot snake of the toilet drain did not hit any blockages so I had to turn to my next fear.

I left a message for Evergreen Sanitation on Saturday, they called me back on Sunday, and came out first thing Monday morning to pump the tank that I knew was full.  It turns out the filter on the baffle to the drain field was clogged.  A quick spray (and a tank pump) was all it needed.  The filter is in the white PVC pipe inside the tank in the photo. Now, with luck, I won't have to dig up the tank again for three to five years.

Another tidbit of info I got from the sanitation engineer: don't add enzymes to your septic system.  He said products like Rid-X kill the original enzymes and they take over.  There are no enzymes left in the tank if the additive enzymes die for whatever reason.  He said a lot of people have problems if they stop using a product so it is better not to start.

There you go John.

The announcement of Sadie's arrival in our household is long overdue.  Sadie, a border collie husky mix entered our lives in early December.  Kaos' trainer, Melissa, (really, she was our trainer) volunteers at Homeward Pet and kept her eyes open for a suitable match for Kaos and us.  She even helped us introduce Kaos and Sadie at the adoption place.  This was a good thing because Leslie was a little horrified by their barking at each other and Sadie's pestering (jumping on) Kaos.  In the end, we liked Sadie and Melissa said they were getting along "fine."

Since living together for a month (and surviving the Great Power Outage of 2006) we've learned a lot.

1. Sadie can entertain herself by chasing a bone by herself.
2. When he's in the mood, Kaos will chase Sadie and try to get her bone.  He's learned to nip at her legs instead of playing the bone directly.
3. In retaliation, Sadie will nip at Kaos' neck and ears when Kaos gets the bone.
4. Sadie likes licking Leslie and my ears with an occasional nip.
5. Sadie has to use the bathroom every 2.25 hours when we're home, but can go 9 hours when we are away.
6. Sadie had one UTI since we adopted her.
7. Sadie watches TV, but only has an attention span of 4 minutes.
8. Sadie barks back at the TV whenever a dog barks on TV.
9. Kaos cannot beat Sadie in tug-of-war unless Sadie gives up.
10. No socks are safe from Sadie's mouth.

It's been a growing experience and we're happy with Sadie.  I knew she'd be OK even though Leslie threatened to take her back to the pound.  :)

Steve F once mentioned "a happy wife is a happy life."  I've tried to follow this advice as much as I could over the last few months.  Unfortunately, sometimes the wife becomes unhappy over things I can't control.  Today, for example, she learned that she would be moved from her office with one other person into an office with two other people (for a total of three people sharing an office).  Seven years "seniority" clearly is not worth much anymore.  She definitely is not happy.

I have shared an office with Jeff for a few months and we manage fairly well, but I can't imagine sharing an office with two other people.  Jeff and I *had* the hope of only sharing for a few months, but she is apparently sharing indefinitely.  Leslie has my sympathy (and maybe your's too).  Hopefully she can work with her team to avoid this situation and once again regain her happiness.  After all, I want a happy life.

Leslie and I decided to visit her parents in Trabuco Canyon, California, for Thanksgiving.  We debated about going, but decided it would be a great break from unpacking the new house.  And it was.

The trip was good.  We had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner cooked by Phil and Janie.  Phil did a stellar job and Janie knows what everyone thought of her yam dish that she made with sweet potatoes (instead of the intended yams).  I thought it was good but no one else really liked it (and I eat almost anything).  We all agreed the color did not match the picture on the recipe and that was the biggest problem. 

 We went there thinking we would go sailing and visit Disneyland.  We only managed to sail a little bit.  This was my first time on a sail boat and I really did not know what to expect.  They rented a 33 foot Renaissance.  Things looked "bad" when they were not really prepared for us.  The wood floor was not installed in the bottom of the boat and one of the computers (don't know which one) kept beeping no matter what the owner did to shut it off.  The owner also said the boat was wired incorrectly because shutting down the power to the device also shut down the radio.  No matter, we shouldn't need the radio anyway.

The engine acted a little funny as in seemed to go faster in first speed than second speed.  We figured this was the nature of the crappy boat and proceeded down the harbor to get to the open water.  We hoisted the sail (Leslie and I learned how to do this) and tacked a few times.  Everything was fine until there were some other boats motoring down the water way and three people fishing in the middle of the water  way.  We had to delay our tack and became dangerously close to some rocks since the wind also died.  Janie and Phil started the motor and got very little response from it or steering.  We finally managed to get moving in first speed and motor around the fishing boat once while we got dirty and confused stares. 

We phoned the owner and explained our lack of controlled steering and motor power.  He had Janie and Phil go full throttle backwards and forwards to clear kelp off of the blades.  That part seemed to work but steering was still not up to par.  We decided to play it safe and we returned back to the slip.  The owner took the boat out for a quick spin and concluded that there was something up with the steering.  At least we were not crazy.

  At least I learned a little about tacking and got to look at some nice scenery, including where John Wayne's house used to be (someone tore it down a few years ago and built a new one).

The trip to Disneyland was postponed until spring.  We concluded that going there on Thanksgiving weekend was crazy and we should wait until we make reservations with Club 33. 

That was Thanksgiving break a few weeks ago.  We'll reprise the trip in the spring (minus the turkey) and hopefully have a more successful sailing adventure and make it to Disneyland.

 Finally, we saw Christmas lights on palm trees, something we don't see around Kirkland.