I've been updating my main site - graeshome - way  more than here. Why? Because I can get to it from work. I suppose, technically, I could write what I wanted to post in an email and send it that way, but I am a very visual woman. I like the immediate gratification of seeing what I am creating the instant I create it.  The main site isn't all that visually appealing, but it's accessible. I love the look of this site, but the only time I can access it is when I am at home (like now). Of course, when I am home I'm not usually ready to post updates. It's not as quiet and I'm not in a writing mood at home. I've discovered my peak writing times are somewhere in the 10 am to 2pm range. Before that I am not entirely awake, and after I am getting worked up to tackle family things - picking up Catling, thinking about dinner, cleaning up the house, managing the pets. Yes, I have a very short productive work day. Well, for writing anyway. My muse must be easily distracted.

Catling and I are at home today. I woke up just before 7am to a blinking alarm clock that read 3:03. Being as it was pitch black outside it took me a second to register the clock was flashing, not steady. Then I woke up the husband, turned on the TV to see what time it truely was, and got dressed real quick. Why wake up the husband? He was supposed to leave for work before Catling and I. The local news stations let us know the correct time and that our school district had busses running 2 hours late. That was somewhat unusual. Our school district rarely closes or runs late even in the bad weather. Catling was still asleep - did I mention it was pitch black out at 7am?  Just as I finished getting through to Husband's work and after I had already called my work,  the news updated to our school district being closed. Closed!  It hasn't closed in 3 years. This was a surprise. I had to re-call work and ammend my being late to not coming in. It took Husband a good 20 minutes to get out of the driveway with the car - it has great traction normally - and about an hour to get to work (normally a 30 minute drive). Catling and I have plans to build a few snowmen when it gets lighter.

We fixed the car - sort of. The last item to check off our 'things to replace before it gets ultra expensive' is an oxygen sensor. That gets done this Friday. After that, if the car is still running poorly we'll just have to make do since it will take more time and money to figure out than we have.

Other major news - I participated in and won NaNoWriMo, and as a co-ML no less. This year's competition will be a bit harder. I'm trying to coordinate the local area folks here so we only have to drive in to the city's write-ins when we want to. Sadly, I'm thinking most writing is done at home in this little town. But on the upside, we have a sponsor and dedicated area for writing. And the folks at FAFB can visit at the Starbucks nearby. Lost in the conversation? Check out the website, www.nanowrimo.org, and visit the regional forums, United States:Washington:Spokane.

My stomach is growling and my eyes are begging for coffee. Plus I have about 1/2 an hour before my muse wakes up, so this is all for now. There weren't really any other revelations or major happenings that needed to be told. If you'd like to see the daily-ish mumblings from earlier then visit here. I'll try to do better with updating here, but no promises.

Happy 2008 to you all.

~ grae

Thanks to Wicasta Lovelace for the link!

As you can see I've rearranged a few things - such as the layout & theme - in the spirit of adventure. We'll see how I like it (and if I can find that weather pixie again).

Huh. Well I completely missed June...wonder what I was doing. Now that July is here the weather seems to think it should be August already and is gracing us with 100+ degree weather on a regular basis. Not quite what we had in mind thank you very much! Just when my electric bill was going down too. Sheesh.

Everyone is doing fine - mind you, I didn't say well, merely fine. Nothing exciting has happened, nothing horrid either. Maybe that's why I missed June. It kind of crept by unnoticed. Ok, ok, not completely - there was the two day trip to Orcas Island and back on my bike with Dad. Now that I'm mentioning it I suppose I should relate the whole story - or as much as you're likely to hear from anyone else...   

We started out gamely enough - motorcycles were tuned up, cleaned, luggage packed & properly stowed, etc. Then, after all our gear had been put on, I started up my bike, noticed the clutch lever was positioned a bit lower than normal and asked Dad to wrench it back up a bit. 

Wrench it he did - right into two pieces.  Hmm.  Not a huge problem, we'll just canibalize one off another bike in the herd. (There were 3?... 4?... of them in the shop/barn at the time.) Easier said then done, my friend. Seems not a one of the other bikes had a clutch lever that fit. McGiver that Dad is, he took the most likely fit and pounded it into submission. Ok. Good enough to get us to the Honda shop.  So, we're ready to roll again and I discover it is mighty darn hard to shift from first gear into second, or third, or fourth...you get the drift.  All because of the 'duct taped/jurry rigged' clutch lever (if you don't understand the reference ask someone older than you). We limp down the road - well, I limp down the road - over to the Honda shop. A ten minute drive taking at least 15 or more. Well, wha'd'ya  know - there isn't one in stock that fits. Huh.  So we order the part, buy a new clutch lever and perch so it works properly and spend another 20 minutes or so putting it on. I gotta say, the guy that helped us there was nice and helpful. He even lent us his tools so we didn't have to dig ours out and checked on us a few times to see if we needed anything else.  (I spent the day riding with my left-hand mirror sandwiched between my control dials and my windscreen, but at least I could shift easily now!) 

I think it's about 11:30 or noon, but we're finally ready to go. (Our original start time was supposed to be 9am or so.)  We spent a nice leisurely day taking slow back roads and little two lane, 55-60mph state highways all the way over to the coast. We missed the planned ferry out at 6pm, instead catching the last one at 9pm. Not a problem, I'm thinking. It's still light outside - once we hit the island it's only a 15 minute ride to the marina and we're done.  You do see where I'm going with this, right?

So, here we are on a nice slow cruise across the water, both of us tired and the sun is sinking further and further behind the hills. An hour later we reach our stop. The wind is brisk, a bit chilly and it is totally dark. Have I mentioned we're on motorcycles?  Did you know that riding a motorcycle in the dark is akin to peddling a bicycle at 30mph with only a teeny headlamp to see by? No? Well, now ya do.  It wouldn't have been so bad, but I am a novice, 100%, when it comes to riding in the dark.  AND we were going around safety pin turns that are posted at 20 - 25mph.  Not too bad in the daylight - almost fun even, but not at night. Especially not when the locals know every turn personally and barrel around them surprising the shock right outta ya!  Ok, so it wasn't all that bad, but it was very challenging. I might try it again sometime, when I'm less tired.

We arrive at the gravel laden parking lot of the marina, barely able to stand and shivering.  Thankfully there are hot showers waiting for us.  Our overnight accomodations are on a sailboat, so we unstow the bare minimum needed for the night, pop over to the segregated bathrooms that are completely empty at this late hour, and enjoy a much needed hot shower.  My idea of long hot showers and Dad's evidently don't match because I was just stepping out of mine when he hollered in asking if I was ready. *sigh*  We packed up our clothes, again, and padded down the docks to the rowboat awaiting our bodies, eager to take us out to the far edge of the marina's protected inlet where our beds lay. Our hosts, my Dad's little brother and his wife, were great. They rarely get visitors (not clients, they have tons of clients) but were kind enough to let us off the hook until morning to do our catching up.

The night passed. Morning saw us awake, tired and in Dad's case, coughing up a lung.  He had inhaled some paint fumes a few days earlier and it set off his allergies something fierce. He should never had started this trip, but I didn't know that at the time. Anyway, Dad is coughing, his head is aching, he had very little sleep and even less rest.  So we decided to cut the vacation short and just come back home. The quickest way possible was not exactly quick - the ferry only stops at Orcas Island every once in a while and if you miss it your SOL. Once we got back to the mainland (11am), we could have taken the freeway across the state, but Dad hates freeways - can't say I blame him, they are very straight and boring.  Instead we took Highway 2 (20?) which entailed lots of road construction and rain.  Once I figured out I wasn't gonna go sliding off the road at every high speed turn I picked up the pace a bit.  We made it to Leavenworth fairly easily, but after that it was one headache after another. Miles of corrugated roads, more miles (15) of thick, deep gravel (!!!) roads and slow, slow going. I should have argued for the freeway from Leavenworth on.  I like the twisties as much as any other rider, but at that point I was worried about Dad making it back - and it was getting later. There is something to be said for straight and boring with speed.

We made it to Dad's house safely with all our bike and body parts attached in the right places (with the exception of my wedged mirror) 'round about 10pm.  My throttle hand was completely cramped up in pain and I was beyond tired, but I gathered my things, including my child, and drove my car back home.  I think I dumped everything on the kitchen floor and remembered to undress before crashing in bed, but I'm not entirely sure. The rest of that night is still a bit fuzzy. 

My bike's clutch lever is in and I need to go reattach it. I also have an oil leak somewhere around my head gasket, somewhere, that I need to fix. Then I think I'll try another trip - perhaps a bit closer this time. Maybe just a little day trip instead of a vacation. But first I have to get my Physical Therapist's permission.  Turns out I have tendonitis in both wrists and really shouldn't be typing either. Oh well, one of these days I'll learn.