I’m sitting outside writing this…it’s a beautiful evening and starting to cool off. A hummingbird keeps coming up and staring at me. He likes the violas in the flower box behind me so I guess I need to move my chair. The birds are just singing their little feathered asses off. There’s a slight breeze bringing the salty sea air into the neighborhood. What a smell.

I just got back from going for a walk through said neighborhood down to the beach. A nice evening for a walk and there was only one other person on the beach. It’s amazing -the calming effects of the beaches in the PNW can do so much to soother some mental aches.

I really need to get more active. There’s been quite a bit going on lately actually…despite that I just haven’t been as active as I need to be or much in the mood to write anything lately. I’ve got quite a lot on my mind on top of the many things that are happening in my life right now. I may expand on some of that in a future post…or I may not. In a bit of a different headspace at the moment.

The garden is still booming and my tomato plants (still in the house – too cool at night) really have taken off. Really looking forward to seeing the tomatoes on them. I still want to make that garden-fresh salsa at home. The carrots are sure slow-growing but the peas and romaine are just going nuts.

Speaking of Colorado, I was out of town and ended up in a place that really reminds me of the Rockies. Brought a smile to my face. I met up with some friends and we ate what ended up being a fabulous meal at an Italian restaurant. It was the most expensive meal I have ever bought for myself, but it was worth every delicious penny. We had a great time and shared plates so everyone got a taste. Gotta treat yourself every so often!

This past weekend friends were in the area so we hung out in Seattle for a few days. Had a great time, and got to a few areas I had not been to before. I finally got to eat at Beth’s Cafe. A cool place that lives up to the hype. Rocco’s Pizza was really good. The Five Point was the same as it always is, and that’s what makes it a neat place to go to. Same thing with Dick’s Drive-In.

I hung around Pioneer Square waiting for them to get in to the light rail station. Interesting way to kill time. Some homeless dude wanted me to give him money so he could get some chicken. He was cool and pretty funny but kept talking to me while I was trying to walk away. He finally told me “No man, I’m gonna be straight up with you…I was just f______ with you. I really wanna get another $1.87 so I can go buy some weed!”. Cracked me up. Another one of those great experiences when you get out of your comfort zone.

Got a good score there though. As I was walking past MOD pizza and they were getting ready to open in a few days so they were handing out free pizzas to people. I ended up with two of them which worked out since my friends were starving.

I went to the Amazon Go store and I have got to say that is really pretty cool. You open the app and scan it at the turnstile. You put your phone in your pocket. You put stuff in a bag. You scan the turnstile again and simply walk out of the building. A few minutes later you get a detailed receipt. That’s just incredible. An interesting selection of artisanal sandwiches and wraps; not the typical turkey and cheddar. A pretty decent selection of items – reminded me of a local neighborhood market in a way. Just full of technology.

Busy weekend on the roads this weekend – it’s gonna suck. That’s how it is when you live in a tourist state though. After all the years I spent in Colorado I learned to ignore it as much as I can, but it’s still pretty damn annoying.

Be careful out there!