Swank

• 2 margaritas - Bikini Bar, The Riviera, Palm Springs, CA
• 2 bottles Stone IPA - The Riv
• 1 Knob Creek & ginger ale - The Riv
• 1 glass of malbec - Circa 59, The Riv

the Lobby

the Lounge

the Pool

Huntington Library

• 2 bottles Anderson Valley Winter Solstice - Matt & Diemha's, Pasadena, CA

I love the Huntington Library (which isn't in Huntington Beach, but San Marino - near Pasadena); and my mom loved it too. It offers peace, beauty, and sunshine, and it was wonderful to go back.

Being bonsai.

Zen

I've always loved Japanese bridges.

Candid

London (kind of), Susan, and Michelle

This is Matt. He, his wife, and two daughters live in Pasadena. He was my best man, my first college roommate and is a great friend. They had us over for dinner tonight and it was great seeing him and his family.

Turc

• 1 bottle Endless Summer Light - Wahoo's Fish Taco, Long Beach, CA
• 1 pint Bud Light - Belmont Station, Long Beach, CA
• 5 (?) bottles Miller High Life - Turc, Sunset Beach, CA
• 1 pint Deschutes Black Butte Porter - Yard House, Newport Beach, CA

Turc was a bar I had wanted to drink in for a long time. Nautical theme, pool tables, Big Buck Hunter, tabletop video trivia, aquarium behind bar, miller high life, kick-ass juke box, and lots of other surprises. A great night and I loved this place.

Ivy covered facade

twigged ceiling, "Christmas" lights for ambiance, wood benches

fish aquarium behind bar

puffer fish lanterns

firepit provides additional ambiance

beach-pebble wall

open bbq pit in back corner

Harbor House Cafe

• 1 bottle Bud Light - Harbor House Cafe, Sunset Beach, CA

Harbor House is 24 hour restaurant (and you know I lurrvvee these!) along PCH in Sunset Beach. When I lived in Huntington we'd frequently hit this place after a night of having fun. I wasn't old enough to drink at this time, so "having fun" typically meant driving around the barren streets of the OC looking for things to "have fun" at. After I moved to LA and would go home to visit my parents, we'd ride our motorcycles to Harbor House for late night eats. And the food is pretty good! They make the best milk shakes in the world. I'm serious. The very best. Ever. It's not typical bar or 24 hour food either. There really is quite an assortment of every type of food. Susan and I landed here after a day in LA while heading back to our hotel. And next to HHC is a bar that I had always wanted to go into while I lived in the OC, but was never old enough, or never found the time, or just, well, never made it in. But that was about to change. See you tomorrow. :)

80

• 2 pints Tecate - Taco Surf, Seal Beach, CA

Driving on the freeway in SoCal is like throwing yourself in Class V rapids and trying to stay in control. There are so many cars, in narrow lanes, going unbelievably fast, weaving in and out, with uneven concrete and close-by center dividers; thank God they banned driving while talking on the cell phone. Driving less than 70 mph (and 60 is the legal limit) is the equivalent to the race track at Disneyland; drivers take their speeding serious here. Christopher was doing 100 (in his Dodge Viper truck - yes, this thing is a beast in every sense) on our southSoCal beer run and out of nowhere a cop pulls up behind him....Christopher slowed down to 80, the cop pulled up alongside him and blasted him with "SLOW DOWN!" through his external megaphone, then floored it himself until we lost sight of him. Like I said, everyone speeds here.

Christopher and the Beast quietly parked in the Port Brewing parking lot.

I love being able to drive this fast however. It's such a relief not having to consciously check the speedometer every two minutes like I do in Seattle. I'm terrified of going over 70 here in Washington for fear of being busted, but driving 80 in California was like a ride on my cruiser at Alki; no worries. I actually think I'm a better driver when going this fast - I keep my eyes on the road and not on the speedometer! I love the speed limit in northern and southern Washington on the 5 when it's 70. I still don't chance going 80, but cruising at 75 feels pretty good.

Stoned.

• 4 oz. tasters - Port Brewing, San Marcos, CA
• 1 pint Stone Smoked Porter - Stone Brewing Brewpub, Escondido, CA
  
• 1 pint Mad River Steelhead Double IPA - Stone Brewing Brewpub, Escondido, CA
  
• 1 can Dale's Pale Ale - Christopher's, HB, CA
  
• 1 bottle Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - Christopher's

Christopher and I took a field trip to southern Southern California for some breweries. Port Brewing was our first stop where we tasted some Hop 15, Shark Attack, and others. The tasting room was in the actual storage facility where they make the beer.

The next stop was Stone Brewing. It was amazing! The beer was delicious, the food was delicious (the best vegetarian shepherd's pie I've ever had) and the brewery itself was awesome, as you can see below:

Arrogant Bastard is probably their most well-known beer, but my favorite is the Double Chocolate Oatmeal Stout. Hmmm...I wonder why?

The bar.

The restaurant, with indoor/outdoor seating. (Note the heat lamps in the background.)

Yummers!

• 2 pints Pacifico - Baja Sharkeez, Huntington Beach

Over the course of a week, we ate at several "baja" food establishments >> Wahoo's, Baja Sharkeez, and Taco Surf. We did eat at El Torito Grill, however that isn't really a "baja" restaurant, though it does serve some delicious Mexican food. No Rubio's or Taco Mesa on this trip, but there's always next time. :)

California!

• 1 can Tecate - Michelle's, Shealey's, Winkey's, and Browney's house, Huntington Beach, CA
• 1 pint Green Flash West Coast IPA - Yard House, Costa Mesa, CA
• 1 pint Anderson Valley Hop 'Ottin IPA - Yard House, Costa Mesa, CA
• 1 pint Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA - Yard House, Costa Mesa, CA

I always love returning to Southern California. It brings back such great memories from when I lived there and it's always great to see my sister, Michelle, or SOJO (Sister Of Jon), as she has nicknamed herself. We're in the OC for the next several days enjoying the sun and sand and surf and suds (and miSHELL).

The Day After

• 1 bud light - MnM's house
• 1 bud light - home

Happy happy joy joy! Obama is President-Elect! Yay!

O B A M A

• 2005 Clive Zinfandel
• Rex Goliath Cab
  
• 2003 Walter Clove Columbia Crest Private Reserve

:)
:)
:)

It's been twelve years (twelve years!) since the presidential candidate I've voted for has won! It's such a wonderful, tremendously happy feeling! It's overwhelming! I think President Obama (love the sound of that) will bring great things to the US and to the world. Plus, it's gonna be really kind of cool to see a black person lead our United States (kind of like the early seasons of 24). :) instead of some stupid looking white guy with monkey ears.

Yikes!

• Not sure?
  

Leaves

• 1 bomber Full Sail Dopplebock - home
• 1 can of the High Life - The Jeff's

Today was a leaves-raking day! My there were so many leaves! Those horse-chestnut leaves just kept flip-flopping down off their home limbs, turning up and over on the grass and refusing to go away (or "leave" as I might have said thirty-five years ago). Hey Mister Raik, come and help me out; assist me with these leaves, make them neat and tidy so I can pile them high, scoop'em up and toss them in the bin. (thirty-five years ago i woulda jumped in that pile of leaves. five years from now London will be doing just that. and I'll be right behind him.)

Baptism & Anniversary

• One glass chianti - Angelina's Trattoria

11-1-08

5 pm

London's Baptism

Holy Rosary Church : Fr. Raschko

Godparents: Patrick & Kamila

Reception: Angelina's Trattoria

Beautiful clear night

~

11-1-97

5 pm

Jon & Susan's Wedding

St. Benedict's Church : Fr. Waldie

Best Man: Matt Segal : Maid of Honor: Annette Cuccia

Reception: Skansonia Ferry

Beautiful clear night, calm Lake Union water, stars bright.

Halloween

• 2 bottles Hale's O'Brien's Harvest Ale - K & D's

Madge-estic!

• 1 pint IPA - Yaletown Brewing, Vancouver
• 1 pint stout - Yaletown Brewing, Vancouver
• wine, whiskey, tequila - Westin Grand, Vancouver
• 1 pint Molson - BC Place, Vancouver

Grand Westin!
walk/BC Place
it's a sweatband (yeah!)
/breaaathe/breaaathe/breaaathe/

/tiiiiic...toooooock.....tiiiiiick...tooooock/.....can'twaitcan'twaitcan'twaitcan'twait...CANDY SHOP!!!!!!!OMIGAWDIT'SREALLYHER!!!!MAAAADOONNNNAAAAA!...she's so sugary sweet! her sugar is raw.....on and on, on the beat goes.......on and on, on the beat goes....and dance, and dance, and dance....get down - beep beep - gotta get up off a your seat now - "didja get that?"......"music can be such a revelation....dancing around I feel the sweet sensation....i hope this feeling never ends tonight".......*borderline - [she plays guitar(!)]....music - makes the people - come together, yeah.....*ohhhhh!...miles away...i love this song! *"and I feeeeell!!!! quicker than a ray.of.light.*"every little thing that you say or do/I'm hung up/I'm hung up on youuuuu!"/*giVE mE ThE BaSS LiNE!.....[get stupid, get stupid, get stupid, don't stop it/get stupid, get stupid, get stupid, don't stop it].......left/left/right/right/leftleft/rightright/...gIVe IT To mE!

/sweat/wet/high/
/energy/
/*sweet*/show/

M A D O N N A

Vancouver

• 1 bomber Sapporo - a Japanese restaurant, Vancouver

I love Vancouver. When I first moved to Tacoma from El Lay in 1993, I drove to Vancouver a few weeks later and instantly fell in love with it. I wanted to move there, but after a friend told me, "Uh, you can't just move to Canada. They don't just 'let you in'." So that kind of blew that idea. It reminded me of Seattle, but had the size of L.A. Seattle seemed small to me (and it still does), but Vancouver was the perfect size, and I loved the density and the architecture - endless glass towers that blanketed the skyline. One rollerblading loop around Stanley Park convinced me that this would be a favorite destination during my years in Seattle. Vancouver, Seattle, and San Francisco are my three most beautiful cities in, well, North America. :)

And, as Susan calls Canada; they're our "friends in the attic." This cracks me up! Or, "the country with 20% off". I'm not too sure that this is accurate anymore, however.

One of my favorotist places to eat in Vancouver is Naam. Not only is it 100% vegetarian food, but it's open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! In-fucking-credible! One year when Susan and I first started dating; Susan, her friend, and I drove left Tacoma on a whim one night about 10 pm just to eat at Naam. We were leaving Vancouver just as the sun was coming up - about 4 am - and rolled into T-Town a few hours later; tired, but full of delicious 24 hour vegetarian food.

This time we were in Vancouver for the Madonna concert. "Give it to me, yeah!"

(no) pumpkin carving

• 1 bottle Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale - home

Yelle

• 1 bomber Stone Brewing Vertical Ale - home
  
• Columbia Crest Two Vines Merlot-Cabernet - home

Tonight was Yelle, and I was the only one who didn't get to go (well, me and London). But I'm so glad that Susan got to go see her because I know it was an awesome concert! Je Veux Te Voir!

Dopplebock

• 1 bomber Full Sail Dopplebock - home

Oh Full Sail, I'm in Liquid Love.

HUMP

• 1 can Miller High Life - Pre-HUMP at home
  
• 1 shot Jack Daniels - HUMP / On The Boards, Queen Anne
• 1 shot Herradura - Post-HUMP in Jeff's car
• 1 shot Conmemortivo - The Jeffs'
• 3 cans Miller High Life - The Jeffs'

Olympic Club

• 2 pints McMenamin's Oktoberfest - Olympic Club, Centralia, WA

The Olympic Club could be one of the best bars I've ever been to in my life. It was opened in 1908, before Prohibition, (there are tunnels underneath the bar where bootleggers would hide their illiegal liquids), but reopened in 1997 by the McMenamin brothers (which I'm sorry about). But the best thing is that it's probably one of the least "McMenamized" of the brother's properties. It has an original potbelly stove that heats the entire bar (and the terrific smell of burning wood), an incredible backbar that dates from the early 20th century and the men's urinals are so big that I could easily fall into them and never return. There is leaded glass, pool tables, secretive balconies, outside seating, traintracks within 50 feet, and genuine swiveley bar stools. If ever there was a place to take a shot of whiskey with a Rainier back, shoot some pool and smoke a pack of Camels, this is it.

Hood River

• 10 ounces Full Sail LTD - Full Sail Brewpub, Hood River, OR
• 10 ounces Full Sail Brewmaster's Reserve - FSB
  
• wine tasting flights - Cathedral Ridge Winery & Phelps Creek Winery
  
• 1 pint IRA - Sixth Street Bistro & Loft

Wine Kicks Ass.


I've always said that if I won the lottery, the first thing I would do is Travel. Keep the House, take care of the Fam, but leave immediately. I could do it. Really. It might be a bit more complicated with a child, but I always believed that with a few clothes, toothbrush, cologne, iPod and a coupla books, I'd be ready to go. This trip confirmed it. I coulda just kept on driving...

Waterfalls

• 1 glass Truchard Pinot - Columbia Gorge Hotel, Oregon
• 1 pint Big Horse - Hop Ale - CGH
  
• 1 Basil Haydens rocks - CGH

many years ago when i was a more active mountain biker, another rider told me that a good rider "rides as if they were water". i took that to mean smoothly flowing over whatever confronts. i think waterfalls are incredibly beautiful, peaceful, yet unbelievably powerful. i love standing/swimming/sitting underneath them. the Historic Columbia River Highway showcases many amazing waterfalls. Multnomah Falls was the most breathtaking, but this is Bridal Veil Falls below; breathtaking in it's own way.

Furthur

• 1 pint Sleepy Hollow Nut Brown on nitro - The Rams Head, Portland, OR
  

Tom Wolfe documented Ken Kesey's drug-induced bus travels in his book "The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test". The bus was named "Furthur" (sic) by Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. "Furthur" is inscribed on my iPod Shuffle because that's where I want to go. I strive for Furthur. There is always further to see, further to accomplish, further to experience.

Road Trip

• 0% alcoholic content
  

Road Trip seems to be a new-ish phrase. I don't recall ever hearing it before college, and even then, it wasn't like my buddies and I stuffed ourselves in cars to drive across country. Back in the early Barker days, we called it "Driving 'Cross Country in the Back of Our Green '72 Volvo Station Wagon." My dad didn't believe in flying, so anywhere we went, it was by car, or specifically, station wagon (see above). There were five of us: dad (Rene), mom (Yvonne), brother (Ken), sister (Michelle) and I (Jon). Several times we traveled with our pets as well. When we were moving from California to Kansas, we stuffed every living thing we owned in the back of that Volvo: one dog, one cat, and one fish(!). We could kick the Griswald's asses any day.

My dad is kind of a tech-geek and back then there were two things that were HTH (hot-to-have): the 8-track tape and the CB radio ("Breaker One-Nine for a Ten-Forty Six") COOONNNNVOOYY. Needless to say, our Road Trips were real familial gatherings. After the 8-track faded out of existence, my dad installed a Radio Shack cassette tape. This was the shit. Now we could record our favorite vinyl onto cassette and sing to our heart's content (and you wonder why I so love karaoke). Some of our favorite traveling songs were Tom T. Halls's "Sneaky Snake" and the whole album of Marlo Thomas' "Free To Be, You And Me". (I had this whole album memorized.) Sometimes we would just lurk on the various CB radio channels, but it wasn't long before one of us was begging to do some "trucker speak" just to get a response from one of the 18-wheeler rigs. I think they got a kick out of hearing a child's voice over the radio.

Maybe it was because of all of this that I enjoy road trips. I love seeing different parts of the country and I love driving through it. Today I directed the Fam towards Oregon because I found a "Most Awesome Autumn Drives" on the Internets, and you all know how I love autumn.

World Mission Sunday

• 1 bomber Laughing Dog Brewing Dogzilla Black IPA - home

Lately I've been thinking a lot about my Uganda trip from the summer of '06. I keep in touch with a person I met, John Baptist, through email; however, he tends to write me more often than I write him, and I feel bad about this. The day I met him outside of the Mother House is a day I will never forget. I wrote about it last year and it was printed in my church bulletin and I have copy and pasted it below, with pictures following. (The story involves beer (so it's not totally out of place here) and I was getting progressively buzzed as the day went on.) I'm proud of the writing, though as I re-read it now, I realize I lessened the emotion I actually felt during the day, especially at the end as Pedro and I walked home and met the young boys with their water jugs. As we left the boys and made our way back to the road, we both broke down uncontrollably, and walked the remaining distance back to the Mother House, eyes clouded and damp; never saying a word to each other, but knowing exactly how each other felt.

I'm glad today was WMS...it was something I needed to be reminded of.

******************************
Afternoon outside the Mother House

There was 40 minutes before our scheduled lunch time on Wednesday, July 12th and I asked Pedro if he’d like to go down the road for a beer. He almost didn’t agree (and I wonder what the day would have been like if we hadn’t gone) because we needed to be back in time for lunch at 1:00 pm. I assured him we’d be quick, so we began our walk to the local beer-selling hut. We bought our beers, found a comfortable tree root to sit on and began watching the locals. We soon were approached by someone who introduced himself as a teacher at the nearby technical school, so we talked to him a while and promised that we would visit the next day to give out soccer balls and see the school.

Pedro and I were getting several looks; not unfriendly, but more curious. It’s not often two white men are sitting on an exposed tree root drinking beers in the local neighborhood. We were surrounded by a few businesses - a couple of markets, a beauty salon, a barber, and others that I never fully understood. The businesses are huts made out of red clay mud, thatch or rusted metal roofing, and wood or metal doors that are always open and welcoming in the day.
Directly in front of us, two men began unloading fish racks from their bike. The fish were not big, the size of a child’s hand, and they were hung on a rack made out of twigs and twine. There must have been about 70 fish on a rack and the men had a lot of racks. I enjoyed watching them while they shuffled through their fish.

John Baptist was a tall, nice looking man aged 22. He was dressed well; in a clean shirt and long pants. He approached us, introduced himself and asked about the two of us. We bought him a beer and invited him to sit on our root. He shared that he wanted to become a priest, but that he didn’t have enough money to attend school. Pedro told him to write down a short biography about himself and outline his school budget and we’d do what we could for him. We had a good talk and later, John would become our “guide” for the rest of our stay in Masaka.
Either because John was well-known, or because he was the only one talking to us, the three of us began to attract a small crowd. We immediately bought everyone beers (John’s mom sold us the beer on our word because we didn’t have any cash on us. We paid them the next day.) and we began meeting some of the locals, laughing and talking about soccer and other things.
We were introduced to a pig and her piglets in the back, learned that the men’s bathroom was an open corner of red brick behind the huts, made an appointment to have Pedro’s hair braided, met the “chairman” of that area, and many other things.

It was time to go back to the Mother House as lunch time had passed many hours ago and it was the first time we had failed to show up for a scheduled lunch. We also had an appointment to play soccer at the all-boys school, so we had to get equipment. Pedro and I walked back to our room thinking about all the things that had just happened and deciding that it had been a good choice to get some beer.

We packed up some soccer balls and candy, got a ride in our van to the boy’s school – talking frantically the whole time about our exciting afternoon. Arriving at the school Pedro soon split the boys into two lines, gave the students candy, did some tricks and it was during this time that the full extent of the day began to hit me. Seeing a soccer game being organized with the students and teachers by two teachers from across the world is difficult to describe. One of the teachers asked me, “Why are you crying? Are you sad?” and I said, “No, I’m happy. Very happy.” And I sat down with the rest of the students who were there to watch the game. It was the most peaceful time, watching barefooted kids kick a shiny red ball around a dirt field, and being surrounded by curious kids, watching my every move and laughing at my hairy arms, or feeling my wedding ring, or tracing my wristwatch with their fingers or asking me how come I wasn’t playing football (because I’m lousy). I showed them how to thumb wrestle, how to hand-slap, and how to do high fives. I actually had to teach them how to high five because they couldn’t get their aim right.

The game was over, we managed a group picture in front of a church and then said goodbye. It had been an incredible day and Pedro and I decided to stop off once more to share some beer with John and our other acquaintances. At 7:00 pm it was beginning to get dark, so we headed back along the familiar road to the Mother House. Along the way we ran into some barefooted children, wearing tattered clothes saturated with red dirt, who were carrying jugs of water (perfectly balanced on their heads) to their home, so we took it from them and they led us to their house. It seemed like quite a walk, through narrow trails, and uphill a bit. When we arrived, I was concerned to find their parents not home. There was no electricity and so they would have to wait in the dark. Pedro and I said goodbye and found our way back to the main road. But something had happened between that house and the road; the emotional fullness of the day began to settle in me and I walked along the road with Pedro, feeling overwhelmed by sadness and confusion, but fortunate to have experienced what I did.

Pedro in the foreground with pig and John Baptist in the background with beer.

Lining up for teams in our afternoon of soccer.

The boys Pedro and I met retrieving water from the river.

Corn Mazing and Pumpkin Patching

• 3 cans of the High Life - home

Today was an a-maze-ing (hahahaha) fall day - the perfect day for a visit to the pumpkin patch and corn maze!

I got my own lil pumpkin packed up,

and set out for some rural americana.

Stocker Farms was the destination (ripe and ready!),

and after a couple pretend prom portraits,

we set out to lose ourselves amongst the corn.

After a few hours of a-maize-ing (hahahaha!) navigation, we emerged tired and muddy, but our spirits never 'squashed', we continued to the pumpkin patch,

in search of the perfect pumpkin and the perfect picture.

It was a long, but terrific day that left some more tired than others,

but we're all sure to return next year.

TGIF!

• plenty of Pabst pints at the Poggie
• many, many mouthfuls of malbec and merlot at magnificent MnM's
  

Thursday

• 1 bomber Rogue Brewing Chocolate Stout - home
• 1 pint Roger's Pilsner - Earl Harper Studios
• 4 + pints of various beers - Big Al's Brewing
  

Seattle

• 1 bomber Snoqualmie Octoberfest Bier - home
• 2 glasses Foris red wine - home
  

Last Day

• 1 Imperial pint ale - Coopersmith' s Pub, Fort Collins
  

Hidden Treasure

• 1 bottle PBR - Lucky Joe's Sidewalk Saloon, Fort Collins
• 1 bottle Dogfish Punkin Ale - Ken & Laurie's

Being the oldest in my family, I guess I always thought that I would be keeper of my mom's treasures. Today I learned differently. My brother brought out a large scrapbook that contained pictures, calendars, notes, letters, and assorted ephemera that my mom collected and organized from her life. The earliest entries were from 1966, when she met my dad. Captioned pictures of her when she was 21 and my dad 22 (so young!) - "I can't believe we're getting MARRIED!" - with her wide smile and sparking eyes, entranced me with both curiosity and sadness. I handled every page as if it were a $100,000 bill (wasn't there once such a thing?) and slowly discovered things I hadn't seen before. Truly a hidden treasure.

Lost Cousin

• 1 500 ml Pliny the Elder - Ken & Laurie's
• 2 bottles Dogfish Punkin Ale - Ken & Laurie's
  
• 1 pint Odell ale - Ken & Laurie's

My dad's sister's son, Eric, (my cousin) moved to Colorado Springs a few years ago. I met him today for the first time! He's 22 years old and drove up to Fort Collins from the Springs to visit. It was really cool meeting and hanging out with him. We all played cards, drank beer, and talked about fun family things. It's interesting what you learn about your family when you hear it from a new source.

Rocky Mountain High

• 8 4 oz. tasters - Odell Brewing, Fort Collins

Fort Collins is a beautiful little town and my brother loves living here. My dad and his wife are here for the first time as well.

10-10-08

• 1 22 oz. Sapporo - Waji's, Sea-Tac

I've been waiting for this day for six months - it's the day Susan, London and I fly to Fort Collins, Colorado to visit my brother and his wife. It was to be the first visit to Fort Collins, but when he got sick last spring, I flew out for a few days; so now I'm looking forward to seeing him and his wife again.

Miso Thirsty

• 2 pints Sapporo - Kushibar
  
• 1 bomber Rogue Chocolate Stout - home

OMG! The Kushibar is fabulous! (But what does Seattle have against outdoor heaters?)

Night

• 1 pint Rainier - Hooverville
• 1 bomber Stone Brewing Ruination IPA - home
• 1 Wild Turkey bourbon - home
  

*****

I drove into the night, last night.
The dark was there, waiting.
Sky was tranquil.
Sounds were muted, but some; crystal clear.
Streets were my own, really.
Headlights led me.

*****

pebbles wash, pushing
bridge pa-tuts creaks ominous
sound, nighttime surrounds

*****

Gasworks Park ~ 2 am
I wanted a night picture of Seattle from across Lake Union and thought I could get the perfect picture from Gasworks Park. I arrived about 2 am, but the parking lot was closed. I could drive into it, but technically, the sign told me that the park and lot closed at 10 pm. To enforce this was the lack of lamps lighting the area. I could have easily parked there and walked up to the top of the Gasworks hill, however, or to the edge of Lake Union and had a beautiful picture of the skyline. Instead of parking in the lot, I parked across the street further down by new condos. Only the street lamps lit the area and as soon as I ran across the street, determined to get my picture, I realized that it was only the street lamps that were lit. The entire park was blanketed with darkness. And I got scared. I started to imagine people coming out from behind the trees, the bushes, the gasworks. And I didn't want to go into that park alone.

Seattle Arboretum ~ 2:30 am
There are few places in Seattle where you can go and be alone. The Arboretum is one of them. I wasn't about to get out and hit the trails and find bits of Lake Washington, but I did want to drive through the Arboretum to get a little slice of solitude. It was there.

Lake Washington/Madrona/I-90 ~ 2:45 am
Bellevue is beautiful nestled amongst it's greenery at night from across Lake Washington. The I-90 releases some creepy noises at this hour.

Jackson Street/International District ~ 3:00 am
There was a collection of cops and their cars on a corner on Jackson, but when I slowly passed them, they seemed relaxed, even though they were most likely there for a reason. No wonder the air smelled so delicious...Wonder bread was being baked at the factory.

Alki ~ 3:20 am
The seals were talking as I pulled over into one of the grassy areas off of Alki Drive. Further up Alki, I listened to the water shush-shush-shush over the polished rocks.

Home ~ 4:00 am

Bellevue and I-90

King Street Station - International District

Seattle Skyline (wished my camera was steadier)

Shangri-La along Lake Washington Blvd.

Police along Jackson Street

Telephone Poles along the waterfront

I-90 Bridge

Chelan Cafe (not open 24 hours)

Cadillac Hotel - Pioneer Square

Gizzes

• 12 oz. Port Brewing Hop 15 - home
• 1 bomber Elysian Brewing Night Owl Pumpkin Ale - home
• 2 Blackberry Gizzes (gin and an Izze) - home
• 1 Clementine Vizze (citrus vodka and an Izze) - home

My friend Jeff invented a drink called a Gizze. It's gin and an Izze on the rocks. I also replaced the gin with citrus vodka and that was tasty too; like an Otter Pop. But you'd probably have to like Otter Pops to enjoy a Gizze.

London Wesley Stewart Lamb Barker

• 1 Cadillac 'rita - Mission

London took us by surprise when he was born a boy. I was convinced that London was going to be a girl; I'm not sure why...maybe I convinced myself that was just the way it was going to be. I had put a lot of thought into how I would raise a girl. I even had the perfect name - London Yvonne Helvetica Lamb Barker. I wanted to raise her in a non-typical girl way (whatever that means.) I was hesitant to have a boy because, well, when I think of boys, I think mostly of sports. And I'm not really a sports person, nor what I would even consider a very masculine role model. I was afraid that my boy wouldn't have a solid sports/male role model to look up to. Isn't that what fathers and sons do? They play catch, watch football, grunt at each other, wrestle til they're sore and plan their next few months according to the weekend sports schedule?

I'm just not this type of guy. I do enjoy individual sports: rollerblading, biking, running and the occasional game of tetherball (but only if I'm taller and more experienced than the other tetherballer.), but organized team sports I never really got in to. Sure I'll watch games now and then and sometimes I can watch a sport, say football, and think it's the best game ever invented. And basketball, how exciting to watch the slam dunks and the steals. Soccer? Great stuff. But when it comes down to it, there are so many other things that I'd rather do with my 2-4 hours that it would take to watch a game. I never understood how (mostly) men can get so into sports; like, turn-red-in-the-face-with-anger or I'm-on-a-World-Series-high-because-my-team-just-won into it. There's a passion in them that I just don't have.

And that's why I was afraid to have a boy.

Susan reminded me a little while after London was born, that I have so much more to offer him, however. "Your mom raised you to do things that boys don't typically learn, and you can do the same for London." So what can I pass on to London? I can teach him the difference between a tablespoon (T) and a teaspoon (t); or why baking powder and baking soda are different, but both important; or how to do his own laundry; or plant dahlias; or sew a button; or to put the forks on the left; or to read aloud to his own children; or that wine makes girls googly. These are somewhat inconsequential things, as are sports, but I believe now that God gave me a boy for a reason, and I think that Yvonne Patricia Stewart would be proud of the things that I'll be able to pass on to London.

zero

• 0

Pat(io) Party

• Bud Light, Jameson's, Rainier, vodka punch - PK's house
  

I went to an honest to goodness birthday party tonight for a friend turning 40 years old. There was a karaoke machine, 80's playlist, 80's movies, a keg of Bud Light, vodka-spiked punch, and a birthday cake. The best part was that it was at his house. Perfect.

3 ay em

• 2 pints Chopper Red Ale - Skylark, West Seattle
• 2 pints Elysian Pumpkin Ale - Endolyne Joes

Suspended mist, clear dark sky. Silent neighborhood. 2:55.

Pod: Band of Horses. Sun(moon)roof open. Visit to Alki. Liberty: Blue glow. Alki Asleep. Only sound heard; water over rocks. Soothing. Sleepy. Further...

Lights deceiving. City sleeps. Alki drive. Up gully...

Lonely - longer. Couch! Stop. Snap. Gully, gone. Down Admiral. Solo. West Seattle Bridge (Freeway) 60 mph. Timberlake 90 decibels. 1st Avenue.

No one. Wait! Sanitation! Seattle Times! Through Pioneer Square. Contour >> people! Continue 1st. Lusty Lady - open. Hungry now. Beths? Hurricane? 13 Coins? WHYM? Never been. YNOT? Veggie scramble. Coffee (decaf). 76 mph, I-5 drive, 4 am; passing cars. West Seattle Bridge (Freeway). Off at Alki. Streets still. Sodium lamps lit. Walkers - 2, not together. Back home, Charlestown. 60 mph up, over, bumps, round corners, and down; left on 48th, right into gravel. 4:30. City Asleep.

10-2=08

• 1 can Tecate - Tacos Guaymas, Greenlake
• 1 bottle of the High Life - MnM's house
• 1 Jim Beam Black taster - MnM's house
• 2 glasses Gnarly Head Zin - home

Yay! October!

• 1 can miller high life - home
• 1 bottle Spaten Oktoberfest bier - home
• 1 mango tequila - home
  

Uncle Hal

• 2 pints PBR - Uncle Hal's Tug Tavern

Ingredients:

One dilapidated house.
One outside patio.
One basement living room.
One bar serving beer and wine.
A coupla pool tables and dart boards.
Combine carefully. Drink at your own risk.

"I'm Renee. I haven't seen you in here before, so I'll need to check your id. What's your name? A mini-pitcher is a better deal than two pints of beer, except for today, when PBR is $2 for 'Cheapskate Tuesday'. Usually, order a mini-pitcher if you're going to get two beers or more."

I love you Renee.

nine twenty-nine

• 1 Imperial pint Hobgoblin English Ale - home
  

Solitude

• 1 can mILLER hIGH lIFE - home

• Sunday morning walk for 8 o'clock Mass.
• Soaking under the stars solo - jets off.
• 3 am drive.
• Singletrack.
• Empty house - nighttime.
• Eyes closed; sound off.
• Prayer.

Nine Twenty-Seven Sixty-Seven

• 12 oz. Dick's IPA - home
  
• 3 pints Bud Light - Emerald Downs
• 1 pint Widmer Hefeweizen - Emerald Downs
• 1 bottle PBR - Vermillion

Forty-one years ago my mom went into labor early in the morning on the 27th. I was two weeks earlier than expected and my dad was in Walla Walla for a work project, so mom had to have a neighbor (whom she didn't know too well) drive her to Lakewood General. She was surrounded by new people, in a new city, with a new doctor. At around 11:00 am, I was born - her first. Mom was 22 years old. It was difficult to contact my dad at the time because he was working "in the field". That is, he was in the Walla Walla countryside, sleeping in a truck with his other work partners, so he didn't know he had a baby boy until the next day, the 28th.

Witnessing (and participating) in the birth of London, and knowing what an emotional and painful and exciting process it is, I think about my mom in a hospital new to her (they had moved up from California just months before), lonely without her new husband, and going through the birthing process. I can't imagine how she felt having to ask her neighbor to drive her to the hospital and asking her to sit with her while in labor. There were no relatives nor friends to be with her in her room. There was no way she could contact my dad and I wonder if she was able to call her parents in California. I wonder how she felt when she found out it was boy. I wonder how long she was in labor. I wonder what she was thinking as she lay in her bed, knowing she had just had a son. I wonder if she had wanted a girl. I wonder how she got home. I wonder...?

***************************************************

I think birthdays get better as I get older. I have such great memories from my 40th birthday party last year. When I was younger, I had always looked forward to turning 40; I mean, I wasn't in a rush, but I was never hesitant about it either. I hadn't planned on doing anything for my birthday this year, but the planning just sort of happened. At one point I spontaneously decided that I wanted to have some type of get together. I guess it can seem a little self-important to announce, "It's my birthday and I want you to come!" but that's not the way I think of it. As I get older I realize how much my friends mean to me and how much happiness they provide in my life. Throwing a birthday get together is my way of appreciating the friends in my life.

***************************************************

This was the first year in eleven that I wasn't teaching school on my birthday. Students' exuberant 8:22 am voices greeting me with "Happy Birthday Mr. Barker!!!", sometimes leaving a gift on my desk, or in my hand, made me feel special. "How old are you?" "What are you doing today?" "What did you get for your birthday?" are questions of the day. Also, for the past six years, there has always been a 4th grade student with whom I share a birthday. I love sharing their birthday through their eyes. It almost makes me feel like I'm ten again. :)

Birthday Bowling

• 12 oz. Dick's IPA - home
• 1 can High Life - home
• 1 pint Pyramid - West Seattle Bowl
• 2 pints PBR - WSB
• 1 tequila shot - WSB
• 1 Bud Light Lime! - WSB
• 1 Bud Light in the Bowling Pin Bottle! - WSB
• 1 tequila shot - Yen Wor Village
• 1 Jack & Coke - Young Whore Village

Pumpkin Ale!

• 2 cans MHL - home
• 1 pint Mashing Pumpkin on nitro - Elliott Bay Brewing, Burien
  

Twenty-Four

• 1 can High Life - Barking Lamb Hot Tub
  
• 2 margaritas - home

Twenty-Three

• 1 can High Life - Barking Lamb Hot Tub
  

Autumnal Equinox

• 1/2 can High Life - home

As much as I love summer, I do love autumn in Seattle. The crisp air, the fallen leaves, the earlier darkness, the morning mist, the way the sun sits lower in the sky; all give me a special feeling that only fall can give. I've felt it since I was a boy and I wonder if it was my early years in Puget Sound that have shaped my feelings about fall. A person can't truly experience the fall in Southern California - it's still too warm (not that I have a problem with that - sigh). It's a beautiful time of year here in Seattle, and some of the best holidays are approaching - Halloween, All Saint's Day, and Thanksgiving, along with experiences such as finding the perfect pumpkin in the pumpkin patch, navigating my way through a corn maze, and putting together the perfect Halloween costume. I can't wait...

Fremont Oktoberfest

• 10 - 4 oz. beer tasters - Fremont Oktoberfest
  
• 1 - 4 oz. RedNik red wine - Fremont Oktoberfest

Beer: Good!
Wine: Bad! (Tasted like Hawaiian Punch with vodka.)

OKTO

• 2 bottles Widmer Brothers OKTO - LRobb's house
  

West Fest

• 1 can High Life - home
• several plastic pints Elliott Bay Brewing Hefeweizen & Pilot Light - HRS WF
  

nine eighteen oh eight

• 2 pints PBR - The Siren
• 2 glasses Domaine du Grand Prieur Cote du Rhone red - home
  

Hot Tub!

• 1 bomber 22 oz. Elysian The Immortal IPA - home
  
• 12 oz. Deschutes Anniversary Wit - home
• 12 oz. Snoqualmie Harvest Moon Ale - home

THE FAIR

• 3 bottles Red Hook Summer Ale - Isner's house

Sometime from when I was 2 years old or so until 8 years old, I lived in Puyallup, a small town about 40 minutes south of Seattle. It's grown much since I lived there 32+ years ago, but Main Street is still the same as it was when I lived there. The Western Washington Fairgrounds inhabit much of the downtown area of Puyallup and it was here that I have many great memories. Riding in the backseat of the car down the steep hill of Meridian and into downtown, I never forgot to look into the fairgrounds, vacant most of the year, dreaming of the late summer days when I could finally ride the rollercoaster and enter baked goods for prizes. The wooden rollercoaster was my very favorite ride, and I still love coasters to this day. It would clackety-clack up the first steep hill; the large chain pulling it, pulling it to the top, where the sign at the crest read "Keep arms inside the car at all times." When the final car was released from the hold of the chains, the coaster would speed down, rickety-ricking over the steel tracks, shuddering the wooden supports below and securing my body against the boxed confines of the cart. I loved the roller coaster and looked forward to it throughout the year.

As much as I loved the roller coaster, I may have loved entering baked goods more. My mom taught me how to bake at a fairly early age and when I was five, she helped me with my very first entry into the Western Washington Fair: Hot Wheel Sugar Cookies. My mom was clever and Hot Wheels were those little metal cars that were very popular. She thought it would be a good idea to make sugar cookies cut in the shape of a car, and then use red hots to outline the shape of the car, hence, (such a funny word!) Hot Wheel Sugar Cookies! I won a blue ribbon (First Premium!) and a scan of it is shown above. It was September 15, 1972 - 12 days before my sixth birthday. I think it's funny that the category was "WOMENS HANDCRAFTS". Over the next few years I continued entering baked goods....Blueberry Coffee Cake (blue ribbon), Blueberry Pie (red ribbon (the crust burst and the pie spilled through)), and Nut Bread (blue ribbon). Later, when we moved to Kansas, I continued entering items in the fair - Finney County Free Fair - ranging from flowers, furniture, collections, my cat(!), my cat's cage, woodcrafts, fruit, and models. I won many ribbons, but it was my first one for Hot Wheel Sugar Cookies of which I am most proud.

Susan, London, and I went to the fair today and it is much like I remember it. I love going and it's amazing how much it's the same...the animals - cattle, bunnies, chickens (I loved watching the just-hatched chicks in the incubator when I was younger), sheep, goats, horses, cats, and dogs; the dairy room with the life-size butter cow and free milk; the collection of quilts, flowers, fruits, and baked goods; and the wonderful world of amusement park rides. The same roller coaster is there, but I didn't see it running. There's an innocence to the fair - so much has changed in 40 years - yet the fair exists on it's own timeline. Quilters will always quilt, bakers will always bake, vegetable designers will always lay out their prized vegetables in amazing arrays, and farmers will always compete for "Largest Squash". I look forward to the day when I can return with London, showing him the fair that I grew up with, and perhaps, just maybe, he'll enter his own version of Hot Wheel Sugar Cookies.

Monday

• 1 pint Deschutes Inversion IPA - Duke's on Alki
• 1 bottle Dogfish Head Immort Ale - home
• 1 slow shot Corazon anejo - home
  

Sunnyday

• 1 can mhl - home
• 1 pint Manny's Pale Ale - Ama Ama Oyster Bar

WABL Oktoberfest

• 10 tastes x 6 oz. = 60 ounces (5 beers) Tastes included: Big Al Brewing Brown Ale, Elliott Bay Brewing Mashing Pumpkin, Georgetown Brewing Super Chopp, Rogue Ales Double Dead Guy, Schooner Exact Brewing 3 Grid IPA, Snoqualmie Fall Brewing Harvest Moon (delicious!), Two Beers Brewing Echo IPA, Widmer Brothers OKTO, among others.
• 1 pint Rainier - Triangle Tavern
• 1 pint Manny's Pale Ale - Owl and Thistle
• 1/2 can(?) MHL - The Barking Lamb
  

What can I say? Fisher brings out the best in me.

We hit the WABL (just love that acronym (pronounced 'wobble')) Oktoberfest behind the Pyramid Brewhouse on Saturday. Sunny and warm day that it was, we arrived to find the taps covered by...

tents! Seattle just can't get enough of it's shade. Anyway...

tokens were purchased, plastic 12 oz. mug was seized, and breweries were found. Most were local breweries - I even was introduced to one located on the Admiral end of WS - and many gave us more than the allotted 6 oz pour we were supposed to get. Fisher and I found a spot in the sun, 'tween the shadows of the Pyramid building (and didn't that used to house an online porn company at one time?) and the viaduct. Ran into Michelle's sister and said hi. "You're ALWAYS at these events!" "Noooo, YOU'RE always at these events!" "Nooooooo, yOu'RE always at these events!" After a few hours our tokens were gone and we decided to "wabl" towards the water taxi to catch it back to West Seattle.

As fate would have it, we crossed paths with the Triangle Tavern, which is the corner of what is the only thing left standing from what used to once be a pretty tall and awesome brick building. You've probably seen it packed with Mariner's fans on gameday. Saturday it was filled with locals...that is, those of the street variety, or so it seemed. I was a little hazy at ths point...I don't even remember what I ordered. A PBR maybe? (It was a Rainier Fisher reminded me later.) I do remember using the bathroom however - those did make quite an impression. I'm not sure why, and I'm a little worried because of it. I also managed to rip off the Miller High Life beer code from an empty 24 pack, but my ripping skills aren't what they used to be because I missed the last of the 12 digit number. I can barely make the 11th out to be a 5, or maybe an F, or an E. Anyway...

Donna calls at this point to say that she is heading to our house. I think it was pretty close to 7:30 and we realized we missed the water taxi, so we decide to continue walking to catch the 8:30. As fate would have it, we crossed paths with the J&M, one of my favorite Pioneer Square bars. I think it was taking awhile to get served, so Fisher suggested we continue walking. I'm not sure if we ever did get served, but we continued walking. Thinking we still had some time to kill, I suggested we duck into the Owl and Thistle, which is a cool Irish pub in the shadow of Fado, or somewhere near there. It was pretty empty, but that didn't stop us from ordering a beer, of which I forget what mine was. Maybe Fisher remembers? (Fisher reminded me later that it was a Manny's. Manny's? At an Irish Pub? I really was drunk.) Around this time Susan calls and is very upset because apparently we missed another water taxi. We decide to take a land taxi home, which we do, but by then I don't remember much. (Fisher later reminds me that I demanded to sit in the front seat, so the taxi driver had to remove all his stuff from the front seat so I could sit next to him.) Too much beer in too little time on an empty stomach. After we departed the land taxi and entered the Barking Lamb, I only remember the following:

• scarfing down two types of dip with any and every available cracker or chip
  
• opening a High Life for Fisher and myself
  
• hanging out in the kitchen wobbling back and forth
• listening to Donna make fun of me (later she told me she didn't. I believe her.)
  
• holding London in the bed room
• stinking up the kitchen badly (sorry guys! that was horrible)
• being confused that Jeff was there, but I didn't know where he was (with Hazen)

and unfortunately that was about it. Luckily I woke up Sunday feeling fine - thanks to consuming Advil, lots of water, and a gallon of spinach and artichoke dip with two types of chips before passing out. The interesting thing was, at the time, I felt pretty much in control and cognizant of everything around me. The next day however...things had been forgotten. See you Saturday at Fremont Oktoberfest!

Wanted

• 2 pints PBR - Poggie
• 1 bottle Singha - Jhanjay Vegetarian Thai
  
• 1 bottle Rainier - Admiral Pub

Impromptu visit to the Admiral Theater tonight to see Wanted. It was on my list of things to see/do before London was born. Bless the Admiral Theater.

Aunt Janice & Uncle Ken

• 1/2 can mhl - home
  
• 1 bottle Sam Adams Oktoberfest - HR Rectory

Tonight I visited with my aunt and uncle from Oakdale, California. They are heading out on a cruise tomorrow morning and were able to spend time with us...my aunt has been out since Saturday however, so I've seen her off and on throughout the week. I always have great memories of Aunt Janice and Uncle Ken. One of my earliest is when Michelle, Ken, and I (and mom and dad) visited them in Stockton one Christmas (this was back in the 70's) and we all slept in cousin Steven's (now goes by Steve) bedroom and we kept waking up and running to the living room to see if Santa had made his visit. The parents kept telling us "Go back to sleep!", but of course, we just couldn't. [I don't think cousin Andrea was born yet, but maybe she was a baby.]

They are all special to me for a few reasons: Andrea and Steven are the only cousins that we visited regularly (I've never met my cousins on my dad's side) as children, and, Janice is my mom's younger sister. There is no real resemblence between them (I leave that to my sister who is, now, more than ever, a ringer for my mom - both personality-wise and look-wise), but the fact that she is my mom's sister is special to me. Mom and Janice were very close to each other too, sharing many personal things. When Janice found out that our baby's name was London, she immediately thought that maybe that's where Susan and I conceived him (not true), and she said that if my mom had done that, Ken's and Michelle's names would be Hughson and Hughson. (Hughson is where her dad lived and we'd go to visit often). So I know there were many personal things shared. It's stories like these that I cherish hearing.

I can only guess that my mom and Janice were close because they were closer in age to each other than their youngest sister, Becky. I forget how much younger Becky was than the two of them, but it might have been around six years, which isn't much, except that Janice and Ken were married when they were 19, and Becky would've been 13 and my mom was 23, so in those terms, it's a big difference. Unfortunately Becky is in a psychiatric hospital and I haven't heard from, or about, her in years. She used to play with me when I was a baby though and I still have pictures of Becky as a young girl holding me.

A few years ago Janice and Ken invited us to their time share in Maui. It was a great time and they showed us my grandfather's, and great-grandfather's burial site. I also saw the house where my mom lived the first few years of her life. Even though Janice was born in Centralia (another coincidence), Maui holds a special place in her heart and they vacation there every year. I've only been to Maui twice, but I feel a connection to my mom when I'm there. It's where she began life and I like to imagine her as a baby sitting in her mom's arms in the hot, humid Hawaii'an sun with her dad and her grandmother, dressed in muumuus, sitting under palm trees, cooling themselves in the salty breeze.

Janice and Ken live in Oakdale, California, which is the only other place in the US where there is a Hershey Chocolate plant. We used to tour it as kids. Janice told me however that it is no longer the chocolate plant and some other company purchased it. I was sad to hear this! Driving to Oakdale, you drive through miles and miles of orchards; the air is dry and the land is arid. Every once in a while you might catch a whiff of a turnip factory, and do they ever stink! I like to think of it as Steinbeck country, but I'm not exactly accurate by saying that. There are many fresh fruit stands along the way and it's always fun to stop and get a couple of treats. At my mom's funeral, Uncle Ken talked about how my mom used to drive those dusty back roads through the orchards at top speed, scaring her passengers - he was terrified to ride with her - ...she didn't do it on purpose, that's just the way she drove. I like to think of her flooring that pedal and kicking up the dust as the orange groves blurred by.

Saying goodbye to AJ & UK is never easy...they're all I have left of my mom's family. The memories I have of cousins Steven and Andrea, of sisters Yvonne and Janice, of Ken and Michelle....

A Georgetown Getaway

• 2 pints Snoqualmie Hefeweizen - Smarty Pants, Georgetown

Oh did I have such a delly-i-shus sandwich today! It was a Philly sandwich with vegetarian Field Roast - grilled onions, peppers, swiss cheese, on a toasted french roll with horseradish sauce. I just {heart} when traditional meat sandwiches are made veggie-style. Yummmmmmm. And(!) there was a large patio with rEaL sUn and it was oh-so-hot and luscious!

Million $ Listing

• 1 can mhl - my sub-million $ home
• 1 margarita - my sub-million $ home

So I started watching this show on Bravo on Saturday when they had a mini-marathon, and I got hooked. The show highlights three very young (21-30 y.o.) real estate agents who sell multi-million dollar houses in the LA area. I had never seen it before and it was very easy for me to get sucked in. I'm not even sure why I got hooked. The season finale was tonight and it was left with somewhat of a cliffhanger and I'm anxious to see what happens next season! Will Chad really move in with his girlfriend, will Madison sell his first double-digit listing, and will Josh decide to stick with the real estate business??? I guess I'll just have to stay tuned.