Today I took a friend to the mall to exchange the earrings I bought last week for some others that I could actually install myself, plus we ran some other errands. It is really starting to feel like it is not such a long ways to go that way after doing it a few times – not really much longer than the trips I would make in Colorado to go to the shopping areas there.

One place we went to was Trader Joe’s. Now, I have heard all the hype about the place but I did not know what to expect. I figured it was a cool place from the things I had heard so I had to check it out. The one we went to was small, and I was told it was smaller than many to be fair about it. It was an okay place, and I did buy a few things I do not see elsewhere, but not quite the chorus of angels singing as I stepped through the doorway. It was a little different than what I imagined in that I really expected a place that looked like a cheesy tiki bar inside, with stuff everywhere. Instead, it was basically a fairly organized health food grocery store.

One thing they are famous for is something called “Two Buck Chuck”. I walked around and did not see it so I ended up asking about it. It was not labeled with that name… it was just some brand that is not famous and goes by the slang name I guess. I did buy a bottle of that to try for a whopping $2.47, but last week I got a bottle from Walmart that was $2.97 and it was actually not bad… fortunately and surprisingly it did not taste like Mad Dog, Arbor Mist, or Boone’s Farm. It was not sickeningly sweet and actually had fruit flavor instead of some form of paint thinner with “peppery overtones and an oaky finish”… whatever in the hell that is supposed to mean. If I want that flavor, I will get some beef jerky.

Anyhoo, I got that and another bottle of “Blackstone Delectable Red” to try that was inexpensive and a guy there recommended as being decent for the money. Being a novice at this wine thing I do not know what I am really doing, but I do not have the money to piss away on undrinkable grape-flavored diesel fuel. I want something that tastes good – good meaning you can drink a whole bottle and enjoy it but it doesn’t have to taste like a wine cooler. The “Two Buck” was fruity and sweet; not really too bad but thin. The other bottle is less sweet and flavorful, but has a pretty full body.

I will try Joe’s again, but a different store next time and walk through a little slower to see if I can fully engage in the hype. I need to go to REI and want to hit the flagship store in Seattle, so maybe I will do that, find a Trader Joe’s, and do a few other things when I am across the Sound.

This evening I went down to check on a few things on The Spit. The storms are on their way – we are expecting a temperature drop, winds, rain, and even some damn snow down at 500 feet. Good thing I am at 87! It was pretty breezy when I was down there, and the seafoam is really kicking up:

Seafoam and a Storm Coming in – Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge – Sequim, WA