Tulip Festival - Z Car for Kelly - Tim, Rachel and Me

If you happen to be in the Pacific Northwest some April you might want to check out the

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival





I'd recommend it at least once. The first time I saw it the colors were unbelievable. Unfortunately sometimes so is the traffic. Probably good to go on a weekday if you have time. We went with Esther and Ido our 80 something neighbors when I took the picture above.

They were good neighbors. Ido would sit on his front porch with a spotting scope and watch the sea lions and whatever else he could see on the waterfront. Esther was our first baby sitter for my oldest daughter. Rachel was a colicky baby and needed to be held a lot. She was a crier. Esther volunteered to sit with Rach so we could get out of the house for awhile. I'll never forget when we got home and Esther had a sort of crazed look on her face and her hair was messed up and wild looking. She was normally a very proper woman...but Rachel had been giving her a run for her money.

Esther and Ido are both gone now. Very nice couple.

I've got to get ready for my trip to Montana today. I was looking for a collapsible fishing rod and searched through some of the stores in the Bozeman area. It's funny to me that most of the shops cater to someone who would want to spend a couple of hundred bucks on an Orvis rod or some fancy named rod like that. I think I'll check out Kmart or Jerry's Surplus downtown before I go. I had an old Shakespeare rod that I bought for maybe 10 bucks that I would wager to say I caught more Montana trout on then a lot of those guy's with the three hundred dollar models.

Not sure if there will be any fishing this time of year anyway.


One thing I do want to check out is the Boiling River. It's a spot where a natural hot springs enters a river on the 45th parallel. The river might be too high to use it this time of year. People have gotten washed out of the warm water into the high river and drown. I'll tie a big anchor to myself. Yeah that's the ticket.

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I haven't had a chance to confirm it but I think, from talking to one of my sisters, that my brother bought one of those Z cars

I'm really glad he got a fun car. I was afraid he was going to buy a Ford Escort :-) or some utilitarian? vehicle. A single guy like him should have a sporty rig.

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Here's one last picture of that oldest daughter and my friend Tim from about 17 years ago

On My Way to Paradise

Hi fellow bloggolicious bloggers. I'm excited because I get to go on a vacation next week. I'm going to Paradise...

Valley. It's in Montana, The Big Sky Country, Southwest of the Middle of Nowhere, South of The Big Open. Montana where it's too hot, too cold and too many mosquitoes...stay out. please stay out.

40 below keeps the riff-raff out as they say in Fargo.

One time I was in a Taco Time in Livingston Montana doing my job as a cash register repairman and Peter Fonda was there. I used to see Richard Brautigan now and then at the Eagle's in Bozeman. What a writer that guy was. So sad at the end for him, no friends to be with.

Anyhoo I'm moving to Montana soon, gonna be a dental floss tycoon.

Have you ever checked out Dan Bailey's in Livingston? Good place for fly tying supplies. Yellowstone river is very near and dear to me.

I'm going by myself, to draw maybe, write, sleep, drink coffee...meet some people, soak in some hot water. Stare at the river and mountains. It sounds marvelous darling after a frantic time at work and home. Many changes, losses and some gains. Always learning and really glad to be alive.

Maybe I'll see you somewhere.

In the meantime keep those cards and letters coming. I love to get email and snail mail. We are still trying to get me a body since the straw keeps coming out of my sides and I'm getting a little oddly shaped. If you are sending me email to increase my bust size or get rock hard that's probably not on my top ten list. My bust is big enough and don't think being rock hard would be so good anyway, especially if you accidently bumped into someone with a soft spot.

I saw a bumper sticker on my way home that said, Women unlike computers will reject a 3 1/2 inch floppy.

Not sure how anything could be funny enough that I'd want to affix it to my bumper. Maybe we should invent an electonic changeable bumper sticker so you could display whatever struck your funny bone at the moment on your bumper?

I'm pumped up about seeing the Apprentice tonight too. Your fired! I think I might get the Donald's book it sounded pretty good to me. Amazing an old hippie, like myself, would get so straight. We all have to grow up a little sometime, no matter what Peter Pan thinks.

Don't ever grow up too much though. You gotta laugh, be silly, get excited, be curious, be kind, be thoughtful...be childlike.

I've given up so much lately I need to fill some voids. I'm starting to touch bases with some important friends and relatives in my life which really helps.

Tomorrow is Friday! Yes indeed...lets make the most of it, smell the flowers, listen to the children, make someone laugh, ease a little pain, get outside. Make every day a little bit foolish. Life is short we might as well have some fun while we are here.

Until next time all the best to you and yours.