Honky Tonky

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I almost didn’t blog tonight, almost.

I didn’t yesterday because, about the time I would have, I was nearly 100 miles away at a bar in Lebanon, Oregon. Four of us from the community piled in one car at about 6pm and made a beeline to Sam’s Place to listen to the folks above. The drummer and his wife used to live in Quail Hollow, but moved south of the city to help the wife’s mom on her farm. We only stuck around for the first 1-1/2 hour set so we could make it home by midnight and not turn into mice looking up at a large orange cultivated winter squash. Unlike my last foray into a bar to hear a band with my neighbor, there was no dancing. Nobody was dancing except for the birthday boy and his wife, who slow-danced one song…

Today was a typical Sunday: bike for breakfast, wash clothes, watch Red Sox, lunch, jigsaw puzzle, random YouTube vids, dinner, and now doing this.

Red Sox chances of making the Wild Card round in the 2026 playoffs: 21.5%

 

Cottage Parking

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Here is the outside of the place I’m staying at here in Mount Vernon, WA. Here is where I have been parking. There are two parking signs in the picture; one is a small, official-looking one with a big P and the word ‘parking’ underneath, and the second one is an obviously hand-painted one. That second one is in the center of the two-wide driveway.

The parking instructions from the VRBO owner say, “Park in designated Country Cottage parking stall.”

So where should I be parking? Left or right? I chose the left side for a couple of reasons; the first being that the ’70s pickup truck right in front of the GTI is there for display, and the concrete stops right in front of my car, and secondly, there is a small house next to me, and maybe that side is for them. But if that wasn’t correct, the house doesn’t really look occupied, and there hasn’t been another car there.

Red Sox chances of making the Wild Card round in the 2026 playoffs: 19.2%

 

Can’t Escape the Seventies

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I’m in a VRBO in Mount Vernon, WA, to visit with my brother-in-law Scott and family. The two girls are showing the pigs they’ve raised at the Puget Sound Junior Livestock Show. The VRBO is a small building on a farm property that is decorated in a retro style. There are Mad magazines from that time period, old matchbooks, even the kitchen appliances are from the 70s.

On the coffee table is a pristine copy of the TV Guide covering the Seattle area from June 8th to July 4th. Price, 25¢. The crossword puzzle hasn’t even been done!

On Friday July 4th, channel 4, KOMO (ABC), is showing a rerun of the final episode of the Odd Couple—Felix and Oscar’s five years of quibbling come to an amicable end in which Felix remarries his former wife (played by Janis Hansen.)

The most amazing thing about this issue is it is from 1975, the 199th birthday of the country.

Red Sox chances of making the Wild Card round in the 2026 playoffs: 27.9%

 

Run Donna Run

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Enough old photos of me; here is a picture of Donna racing a friend’s dog on the beach on Guam in 1977 or 1978. The dog’s name was Schwitzen, which Keith thought was German (the VW connection) for “shepherd,” but as it turns out, it translated to sweat. I know I have a photo of Keith with the dog on that same beach somewhere, but I can’t find where it is stored.

Red Sox chances of making the Wild Card round in the 2026 playoffs: 20.9%

 

More Hair

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More rummaging around in old photo albums. Remember my longish hair from a couple days ago’s post? This is me 2 years earlier than that. It is from late summer of 1973, and I know this for sure because the writing on the back reads, “Brian, 17, Before.”

Before, because I was about to join the Navy and have all that long hair cut off. I really wish I still had my boot camp graduation photo, I know my mom had one at one time; I looked like a little kid in his dad’s suit…

Red Sox chances of making the Wild Card round in the 2026 playoffs: 24.4%

 

Track, Daily, Crush

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Black Corvette Day

Track Daily Crush
2018 Corvette C7 GT3-R 2017 Corvette Z06 Coupe 1953 Corvette Replica
I personally think there is too much yellow in the livery… The murdered-out all-black look on this car really works here. I bet when parked next to an OG C1 ‘Vette, it will be obvious this is not one.

Here is what last week’s cars sold for or were bid to (if the reserve was not met):
Track: 1999 Panoz AIV Roadster Sold for USD $28,500 05/21/2026
Daily: 2007 Mini Cooper S Sold for USD $9,000 05/21/2026
Crush: 1994 Cadillac Fleetwood Sold for USD $10,750 05/21/2026

Red Sox chances of making the Wild Card round in the 2026 playoffs: 21.4%

 

More Memories

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One cool character leaning on his 1974 Datsun B210


 
Dug into the old photo albums looking for some photos that could be called memories to put inside the ceramic jar on the sideboard. I found a couple worth scanning, including the one above, which shows a very young me leaning on the first car I bought for myself, a 1974 Datsun B210.

I think I might have posted about this in the past, but I could be wrong. At the time of the photo, I was a couple years in the Navy, and that hair was way too long to be in regulation for a 3rd class petty officer. The trick was I worked from four to midnight, so there was little chance of dealing with the higher-ups who might notice. I bought my hat a couple sizes larger so that every evening I could tuck it under the ballcap and go about my business.

It was fun while it lasted, but eventually I got busted by a master-at-arms and was written up. I was coming back to my barracks after checking on my laundry in the main building. Knowing I was in for some trouble when I showed up at work the following afternoon, I proactively went to the barbershop that next morning and got a high-and-tight regulation haircut. So when I did get to see my supervisor, I was already PO3 A.J. Squaredaway. He tore up the report, and my hair never got that long again.

Red Sox chances of making the Wild Card round in the 2026 playoffs: 23.8%