“Last year, shoppers spent $7.9 billion on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. An additional $6.59 billion was dropped on Cyber Monday. This year, Black Friday sales alone are expected to jump to $9.1 billion.” Source Can you guess where most of that stuff came from and how it got here? Nearly everything sold on Black Friday comes from Asia,…
Whenever I see huge cargo ships, as I do often up here, I wonder where they came from, what is on them, and where the stuff goes after it arrives at an American port. I am also fascinated by how many ships come into a port and how many are traveling on the open ocean at…
I did it! I was on my way to Dungeness Bay to meet up with a gal from the Kayak Club, and she texted that she could not make it. It was a chilly but sunny morning so I decided to go anyway. No sense waiting any longer. I did my homework, waited for good…
Last winter I discovered that the public lands (National Forests, Park, Monuments, etc) along the border are used as major highways by immigrants and drug runners. I learned the hard way, when I was looking for a camping spot in a remote area of the Chiricahua Mountains in SE Arizona. Later, while researching the problem…
I attended the monthly meeting of the local paddling group. I was relieved to find that they were mostly my age and older. At the beginning of the meeting, they asked me to introduce myself. I confessed that I have a small kayak and a simple wetsuit and, even though I kayaked quite a bit…
I bookmarked on my computer the marine wind/weather forecasts and tide chart sites. I especially like this NOAA site because it gives me lots of visuals. Yesterday, before going kayaking, I checked the forecasts and wow! I found small craft warnings in effect for the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the long stretch of water that…
I decided to try harder to locate a propane dealer on Monday, and I found one who was open and not too far away. Tango and I drove over with one of the empty tanks and they filled her up! Last night I cooked dinner on the stove and this morning I had Quiche, baked…
I took the Greyhound back to Spokane so I could pick up my car, which was waiting at my son’s house. But first, I needed to arrange for Tango’s care while I was gone. When I asked about dog sitters in the area, I learned that the camp hosts here will watch the dogs, for…
I love having great access to public transportation. I plan to take the ferry to Whidbey Island over Thanksgiving weekend. I can also take the bus to Forks (gotta search for vampires) for only a few bucks. For 50 cents more, I can get to the far southern section of the Olympic Peninsula. I have already…
I have traveled to every state except Hawaii, and I have lived in 12 of those states. I loved some more than others. Sometimes I missed being close to the ocean; sometimes I missed being near mountains. However, I always found unique landscapes and interesting places to explore no matter where I landed. My favorite…