1. I completed the Friday NYTimes Crossword Puzzle in the bedroom, keeping Luna and Copper company. I had left my phone in the living room. Gibbs barked and barked and barked and then barked a little more because the lawn guys were mowing and blowing at Christy's, Jane's, and our house. He also barked when Ed knocked on the door, but from the bedroom I didn't hear Ed's knock -- nor did I hear my phone ring about three times. Ed had called. When I emerged from finishing the puzzle, I saw I had a text message from Ed to call him.
He got off work early today and, on the spur of the moment, wondered if I'd like to go the CdA Casino.
Wow! I hadn't been down there for months and hadn't spun a reel since our April trip to Pendleton.
I made sure the oven was off, the burners were off, that Gibbs, Copper, and Luna had food and water, and that the a/c was on low in the living room, and I leapt into the Camry and rocketed out to Kingston, picked up Ed, and we blasted down to Worley.
2. I had a fun afternoon.
It was fun yakkin' with Ed going down to Worley and coming back. I enjoy the drama, the ups and downs of spinning some reels, and Ed and I took a most enjoyable break at the Red Tail Bar and Grill.
I sat down at the bar and was stoked to see that Red Tail had Firestone's Double Barrel Ale on tap. I don't see this beer very often. It's one of my very favorites. It's a malty, but not overly sweet, pale ale in the British tradition with nice touches of caramel and toffee. I remember when I first bought this beer at Albertson's on 18th and Chambers in Eugene about twelve years ago, my first hit when I took my first sip was that it was 1979 and I was back in England, touring the country, and drinking beer in one town after another.
I really enjoy hoppy West Coast IPAs and, every bit as much, I enjoy taking a break from them.
Double Barrel Ale is, possibly, my favorite "take a break from IPAs" beer and it made my day that I could enjoy a pint before eating a prime rib French dip late this afternoon.
3. Back home, everything was as I hoped it would be. No protest dumps, no protest puddles. Gibbs was ecstatic when I walked in the door, scampering like a roadrunner and jumping up and down on his invisible pogo stick. In contrast, Copper and Luna had found spots of contentment in the bedroom and were still and mellow when I checked on them.
I closed out the evening listening to Jeff's August 3rd Deadish show. Among other things, he reached back to 1963 and played some fantastic Jerry Garcia string band music as part of his tribute to the days between Jerry Garcia's birthday (Aug. 1) and the day of his death (Aug. 9). These are hallowed days in the world of the Grateful Dead, known as The Days Between. Jeff's tribute to the Days Between was awesome. It'll be available at kwep.org for a couple of weeks and I plan to fill the house with this show's sounds a few more times.
What a relaxing day: great coffee this morning, happy pets all day, a couple hours on the road with Ed, spinning wheels, drinking a favorite beer, and enjoying a solid meal at Worley, learning Debbie is having a great visit (with awesome NY beers) at Adrienne's, and loving superb Jerry Garcia music from sixty years ago --- I hit the hay with gratitude tonight feeling like in my little world, things might be unspectacular, but they are pretty good.
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