Another good Zunday

It is late Sunday evening, dinner today consists of a re-heated pizza (albeit a very good one) and a beer. But not just ANY beer. It is a beer that was given to me for Christmas by Ben, our friends' oldest son. He and other brother Dustin made a batch before Christmas of some excellent brew, and here it is, in full splendor. This photo was taken on the second serving and it still had a really "fatty" and dense head. People who only drink Bud or Miller simply would not understand the importance of a nice "head".

As for taste, it was a complex and mysterious blend of sweetness and murkiness that only a few Christmas brews had been able to produce over the years, most notably the now sorely missed Youngs WinterAle.

But I now have a new favorite. Thanks Ben!

Detroit EmergenZy Over... - maybe not

Latest news is that Grandma will be getting a pace maker. Operation to take place in the next few days. Being close to 93, I guess it is somewhat of a good sign that the doctors believe a pace maker will help her.
Way Go Anna! Hang in there!

Flying Pie PiZZeria

With good friends Phil and Connie we decided to drive East out to Issaquah and have a bite to eat and a brew at Flying Pie Pizzeria. We've been talking about it for months, but we never got around to it until Phil suggested it on our monthly beer meet-up on Wednesday. Deal!

The place is a self proclaimed dump, squeezed in to a corner of an old strip-mall in downtown Issaquah. But what this place might lack in "styled" interior (well, it is actually styled pretty nicely, but no money was spent in the process if you see what I mean) it makes up for several times over in the quality of food and the brews.

Simply great pizzas, with hearty ingredients, and no skimping on the quantity. You will not leave hungry! And with a pitcher of Black Butte Porter for $11, who can complain?

We were joined later by David and Linnea (reasonably new Issaquahists, been there about 18 months) for a truly enjoyable evening. I for sure will return to Flying Pie in the not too distant future!

Cause, with things going the way they are on the Eastside, this place will likely be squeezed out down the road and replaced by some me-too chain store at ground level in a "styled" condo complex. Good places that are outright cheap, not part of a godawkward franchise or styled to look like every other restaurant in Microsoft land, simply does not seem to survive on the East shores of Lake Washington. One normally have to drive up on Capitol Hill, Wallingford, or Queen Anne Hill, to find them. At times like this, I badly miss living in France!

So, do your duty. Drive out to Issaquah and support Flying Pie Pizzeria. And while there, take a few steps down the road to the Rogue Brewhouse for some delicious brews and make the outing into an evening.

Detroit EmergenZy Over...

Well, maybe not, but wife came home tonight. Was supposed to have arrived last night but NorthWest for some unknown reason just cancelled the flight - with NO advance alert and with no efforts to book passengers on other flights. According to a very trustworthy source, wife was in the "oh was she angry" mood at DTW on Sunday afternoon.

As inslut to injury, she never got to spend that extra day with grandma since she pulled down a bad flue and was stuck in bed most of the day before flying back home in the evening.

Grandma is still hanging in and we hope she'll be able to get home soon.

Detroit EmergenZy

Another call from father-in-law. (maternal) Grand-ma is very, very, sick after a heart-attack and hospitalized. Better come home now!

Worked some time in order to get a flight for wife to get back home. She left at 10PM. SMSed me that she got into an argument with the gate agent over her carry-on (supposedly too big, but a lot smaller than many the bags that passed during the argument), and that the guy next to her smelled really bad. Sounds like a fun flight. She arrives just before 5 AM. Assume she'll head straight to the hospital.

Winter Ztorm?

The Pacific NorthWest sometimes never ceases to surprise me.

This is an area of endless natural beauty, of mountains, of sunshine, of rain, of wind, of ocean and archipelago. In the winter time we expect (and hope for) snow. Plenty of it. It is what provides the water needed to support an evergrowing population the the Puget Sound region, it is what provides "the base" for one of the best past times ever; skiing. It is also stunningly beautiful! A filthy dirty area can temporarily be "cleaned up" by a decent layer of the white fluff.

So, when we finally get some snow in the mountains, it is the main headline on the news, it generates an emergency declaration by the Governor, and it creates havoc for people driving. Why?

I can understand that it is of a great inconvenience to be landlocked on either side of the mountain when WSDOT is forced to close the roads due to overwhelming avalanche danger. But a little (or a lot) of snow on the road should not be antyhing that stops traffic. In most other countries, traffic just continuous, albeit at a little bit slower pace.
Here, even when a large portion of drivers are humming around in AWD or 4x4 vehicles, traffic is chaotic when snow's on the ground. Elsewhere, small Fiats, VWs, Renaults, or Saabs and Volvos do just fine in the snow. Here, people can't even drive vehicles that have high clearance, big wheels AND all-wheel-drive. State Patrol is forced to shut down the freeway long before there's any snow on the ground.

But a little snowfall (yes, even if it is measured in feet...) is no catastrophy. It is an expected winter occurrence and it has been like that for thousand of years. Why can't we learn to live with it? No, for some reason, we have to follow the lowest common denominator and close schools and workplaces, advice people that it is slippery outside, that "snow" is something that is "dangerous" and has to be avoided at all cost.

A distant friend in California got the following sent to her from her HR department. Her take on it was that Americans are no Vikings. I could not agree more...

• Walking on snow or ice is especially treacherous and wearing proper footwear is essential. A pair of well insulated boots with good rubber treads is a must for walking during or after a winter storm. Keeping a pair of rubber over-shoes with good treads which fit over your street shoes is a good idea during the winter months.
  
  When walking on an icy or snow-covered walkway, take short steps and walk at a slower pace so you can react quickly to a change in traction.
  When walking on a sidewalk which has not been cleared and you must walk in the street, walk against the traffic and as close to the curb as you can.
  
  Be on the lookout for vehicles which may have lost traction and are slipping towards you. Be aware that approaching vehicles may not be able to stop at crosswalks or traffic signals.
  
  At night, wear bright clothing or reflective gear, as dark clothing will make it difficult for motorists to see you.
  
  During the daytime, wear sunglasses to help you see better and avoid hazards.

All makes sense, but why does it have to be so "regulated? Set the winter Free! Now!

Znow in the Mountains

Snow's been falling mightily during the past week up in the mountains. Even good ol' I-90 has been shut down due to avalanches and control measure to prevent them - halting more or less all traffic across the Cascades.

But today the pass was open. And there was snow! We decided to make it a field day and drive up with one dog. Ended up at Hyak and then hiking all the way to the top of the mountain. Poweroutage so the lifts were not running and the slopes were empty. A few boarders and skieers doing the same thing as us - walking - but it was a perfect day to allow Phoebe to run around and get pooped. She found a few other dogs as well, and the best match was "Shadow", a 9-months old Rottweiler puppy that just wanted to play. But, this was at the end of the day and Phoebe really was tired after running up and down the mountain and trotting through some really deep snow.

The sad thing is as soon as you enter I-90 to drive back home, is that there is slush, and more slush. The wonderful white wonderland at the summit turns to a mix of grey and brown as you roll down the freeway. Sometimes I really wish we could have the same weather down here in town as up on the pass!

Pictures to follow shortly...