Author: Peg

And I am still not complaining about it being too cool for August.

Indeed, I went out and read some on my “private” patio. Seriously, I have never seen anyone else using it. It used to have rather ratty old metal chairs. It’s been gentrified. People will discover it.

Last Sunday, I was on the train crossing Montana.

If it works — don’t fix it. That’s what I am going to do about my 9 year old WordPress theme. I am going to keep using it. I consulted with ChatGPT and it agrees with my decision.

For almost 60 years I wanted a computer like “Computer” on StarTrek. The Large Language Models are scary close to that. I might not live long enough to see how it plays out. But I am damn curious.

Not that I mind — I’m not complaining that it’s only 79° in the middle of the afternoon. In the DMV. In August.

Made the most of the cool morning: covered a mile in 17 minutes and 37 seconds. My normal summer goal is to get it done in under 20 minutes.

I may have mentioned that the food “needs improvement” here at the Asylum. There’s nothing I can do about it. Accept and adapt. For about a year, I was in full WTF mode. I ate way too many hot dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches (with bacon). And chips or fries. Also, BLTs with lots of mayo. All that showed up in my blood lipid panel — and earned me a scolding from my doctor.

Time for a new plan.
Old plan: Asylum breakfast, a very small self-made lunch, and Asylum dinner.
New plan: Asylum breakfast (as long as we keep the current breakfast cook), a hearty lunch that I prepare myself, and a light Asylum repast at dinner. The reason to keep showing up for dinner at all? “Socialization” — supposedly important for old farts like me.

I don’t mind feeding myself. I did it for years. I do it in Hawai‘i. Time to make a proper trip to the grocery store and stock the cupboard and freezer. Policy has been made. Now it’s simply a matter of implementation.

Trying to avoid a beginning… My WordPress theme. I’ve been using it since 2017. Before that, I changed themes at least once a year. But this one works for me. It does use some “old kind” HTML and doesn’t collapse very gracefully on small screens. So maybe it’s time for a change — but doing so might seriously endanger the first 16 years of the WordPress version of the blog. (The first 9 years are hand-coded in HTML and wouldn’t be affected.)

Somewhere in the empty sweep of the Bering Sea, we dropped anchor off the west coast of St. Matthew Island — one of the most remote bits of land in the entire United States. We came ashore by Zodiac, landing on a gravel beach strewn with the massive carcasses of dead whales, slowly returning to sand in the wind and mist. There were no signs of humans, no structures, not even driftwood shelters — just silence, surf, and the wild weight of distance. This was not just the edge of Alaska; it is the edge of the world.

Most of my shipmates came to see the elusive McKay’s Bunting, a pale little songbird found nowhere else on Earth. But St. Matthew holds more than rare birds. Once home to a runaway herd of reindeer (that famously overpopulated and starved), it has a quiet, eerie history of brief human presence and long, icy solitude. The island is now part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge — protected, uninhabited, and untouched. 

Taking the easy way out, I let ChatGPT draft the description and I am using someone else’s photo of the little white bird. I saw it, that very bird. But, it really wasn’t any kind of a deal to me. And, I didn’t have the proper gear to photograph it anyhow.

Finished plowing through the emails today.

The best thing about being home is yelling: Computer COFFEE. And, if I remembered to put water and coffee in the machine, a few minutes later there is COFFEE. 12 steps away from my bed. I can walk right over to the counter in the altogether, pour a cuppa, and take 12 more steps back to my bed with coffee in hand. That’s a real Old Bat Cave luxury. 

“They” said there was going to be a storm. I went outdoors to welcome it. Not much of a storm. But outdoors is good.

I trimmed up my garden box and dead-headed my orchids today. Also, processed about ½ of the “important” emails.

Tom Lehrer and Ozzy Osbourne have died. But Sir Mic and Keith Richards still live.

Time to clean up after the trip. I am not doing anything that involves money or sharp instruments today. But I got unpacked and the laundry is done.

Seems that I covered over 10,000 miles. Not too shabby.

 

Mode	Miles
Air	3,700 mi
Bus	140 mi
Train	2,986 mi
Ship	3,509 mi
Total	10,335 mi

And, according to my watch, I walked 104 miles. According to Lightroom, I took 1,485 photos. I will be doing a lot of deleting. But, let’s look at a couple of those images.

It was a great trip. Thank you old body for not failing me.

The last day is usually pretty dull and pretty long, but I have my rituals.

Then get off the train and get along home.

Catch the Red Line to Shady Grove. Ride two stops to Gallery Place.

At Gallery Place, transfer to the Yellow Line going to Huntington. Leave the underground at Pentagon City.

Wait for the A40 bus. Which comes by every 12 minutes or so.

And, in less than an hour, I am back in the Asylum. I don’t think that Uber would be faster or easier. 

It was a great little adventure. All I have done is take a shower and eat a little dinner. Tomorrow: unpack, do some chores, and figure out “what now”. 

This trip on the Empire Builder has been splendid. Maybe I was on the good side of the train. Maybe I was looking out the window at the right time. Maybe it’s the best time of year. Maybe I am just lucky.

As of this instant, 3:30 PM, my plan is to get on the train in Chicago and go back to the asylum. Never mind for Covid. Or the fact that they seem to be having air conditioning troubles in my building. Why? Have I lost my marbles? Maybe. But truth of the matter is, I am in head for the barn mode and once I start heading for the barn, there’s nothing to do but to finish the run and get back to my own bed and if I don’t like it, I can always leave again.

Have wifi at ths instant, outside Savoy MT. So doing the blog. It takes all day to get across Montana.

Very seriously considering not going back to The Asylum. Got passport and plastic. The Asylum is chocked full of covid.

Just before “all aboard” time for train 8 to Chicago they announced the coach car was broken SO the we were leaving the coach passengers behind.

You never know about cell service, so, I will finish up while I still have bars.
 

This male sea lion weighs over 1,500 pounds. But the gulls were fearless about stealing fish out of his mouth.

Tomorrow morning I catch the bus to Seattle where I catch the train to Chicago where I catch the train to DC where I metro and bus it to the Asylum where a raging outbreak of Covid is underway. What’s wrong with this plan? Didn’t I catch Noro at the Asylum in February? Did I not learn anything?

I think that Japadog has actually turned into a franchise. But, this is the mothership.

Haven’t a clue what to do tomorrow. Nobody’s promised tomorrow. But if I win another day, I’ll figure out something to do with it.

It’s a gray and cloudy day. Good weather for a last day. Anthem of the Sea has over 4,000 passengers and it is scurrying back to Seattle for another load. 7 days. Seattle to Skagway and back.

A good time to reflect on my packing choices. I didn’t wear the gym shorts, yet. 2 short sleeve and 2 long sleeve shirts would have been enough. I had 3 of each. Didn’t miss gloves or anything thing warm-ish. As usual, I took too much stuff from the bathroom. Mostly for “just in case”. I have a quart plastic bag of “just in case”. Tooth brush, toothpaste, dental repair kit, comb, deodorant, 2 bandages. That’s enough. Oh yeah, and the prescription meds. I might do better next time but I doubt it.

Docking at 8am tomorrow. I am in the last off group, which is fine since I doubt that the YWCA has early check-in. But, you never know.