 MERRY
CHRISTMAS FROM SEATTLE ... THE WINTER WONDERLAND! If one has a
seriously active imagination, the liquid precipitation hitting my
window pane and the puddles in my driveway could easily be
transformed into snowflakes against the window and a fluffy layer of
snow upon the ground. Last year at this time we had a freak
snowstorm whose aftermath left about 15" of accumulated white
stuff, it felt almost like Michigan. Oh well, I recently
acquired a season pass to Alpental (a ski resort about 30 minutes
east of here), so when the desire for winter weather hits I head
toward the Cascades. A friend and I road-tripped up to Mt. Baker
right before Thanksgiving with the intention of doing some serious
skiing. While up there, the bridge on the mountain access washed
out, leaving us and 1200 other skiers stranded up there for 3 days.
I was fortunate enough to get the last hotel room in the area,
otherwise we would have had to sleep on the
floor of the Baptist church. No toothbrush, no change of
clothes, NO BLOWDRIER! I thought I was gonna die! The
Red Cross had to helicopter us in food supplies and we were
headliner news on the west coast.
Seven other professionals and I got together in September and formed
an investment partnership. Our first project was to establish
an oak and brass bar/restaurant ("Oscar's") in downtown
Seattle. We found a fantastic location with 2400 square feet
in Pioneer Square, a popular historical district close to the
waterfront. Oscar's procured a contingency lease on the
location and have been actively seeking financing for the past few
months and have worked out most of the details with the liquor
license, forging a corporation, menu, floor plan, decor, management,
etc.. Only time will tell whether or not we can get the doors
open.
The parental units came to
visit the Pacific Northwest twice this year and they nearly slaved
away at helping me restore the inside of my old Victorian tudor.
With their help I managed to complete the restoration of the main
floor (only 2 left to go) ... sigh! I put away the whip and
took them up to the World's Fair "EXPO 96' in Vancouver, B.C.
for 3 days of enduring seemingly endless lines for the many
exhibits. It was very impressive how nice the grounds and
exhibit buildings looked on the two and a half miles of waterfront
in downtown Vancouver. The 3-D movies on IMAX screens were
great! The parents looked pretty hip in their 3-D movie
glasses!
Did up my usual share of
social functions, lots of bicycling, skiing and even crewed in a
sailboat race on the Puget Sound. Saw several plays at various
different theatres in downtown Seattle ("ANGRY HOUSEWIVES"
was great). Hit most of the outdoor fairs: "THE BITE OF
SEATTLE', "BUMBERSHOOT" a total of six days at "EXPO
86" and watched the unlimited hydroplanes race on Lake
Washington during "SEAFAIR 86". Visited an old
Pacific Northwest island Indian reservation (Tillecum Village). Spiked in a few at the annual "Vicious Violet (violent?)
Volleyball Event" and vegged at the Hot Tub Party.
Performed the ritual of leaping over the fire pit bon fire and lit
off around $150 worth of fireworks at the Sun Island Fourth of July
weekend bash. Trekked over to eastern Washington camping to
observe Halley's Comet but the downpour of rain put a bit of a
damper on the spirit of the occasion. Visited a wildlife
reserve in Squim on the peninsula (watch out for those buffalo
tongues in through the window)! We then proceeded to observe
the human wildlife in Victoria, B.C.. Established presence in
some of the finer drinking establishments of the city and played
pool incognito in some of the 'dives'! Played 'Skittles' with
the Aussies at Murphy's pub and won $20 while consuming a beer or
two (well ... maybe three). Was Mickey House at my Halloween
Party and then lugged the remainder of the keg down the street to
another party. Saw several concerts including Billy Joel and
ZZ Top. Receptioned at my old roommate's wedding back in Grand
Rapids. I WORKED every now and then too! As usual it was
a busy year ...
Am attending the Nutcracker
Suite this weekend to get me in the proper spirit and then it's off
to Dayton, Ohio to spend the remainder of the holiday season with my
big brother Dave, his wife Nan and my wild nephews. That's
where I grew up (figuratively) and attended college, so I'm planning
on reunioning with a lot of old friends that I haven't seen for 5 or
7 years. Things are pretty hectic here as I'm sure they are
with you, buying Christmas gifts at the last minute, shipping out
Christmas cards and tying up loose ends. It's just about done
so it's getting close to "Miller Time", time to relax, sit
by the fireplace and wait for Santa. Have YOU been good this
year? Be careful how you answer that ... come on ... be
honest now (personally I took the fifth)! The men from the
home have come to put my straight-jacket back on, so I'll wrap this
up by wishing all of you a Happy New Year and Merry Christmas 1986!
P.S. - 'New Wave', my
fur-bearing quadruped (cat), just reminded me to include my address
so you could postcard me any changes of address or late breaking
news, so here goes:
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