Month: February 2025

It’s Postal Photoin’ Time Again

I thought maybe an early drive and a caramel latte would be nice. I had picked out a route home so as to be able to grab some post offices parallel to I-5, but there were three not on that path, so I went looking for them. The hotel breakfast looked awful, but I went with my old standby, cereal with a banana with some OJ.

After breakfast I was really ready to go, packed up all my stuff, threw it in the trunk and started back north.

Bucky or #6 Needs A Bath

Couldn’t stand it any longer, I drove down to Eugene to see my new purchase. They have it scheduled to start working on it this Friday, but until then it is tucked away all dirty and forlorn. I dropped off some of the parts I purchased, for them to install, so I don’t have to do it in my driveway in the cold.

After that, instead of going back to the hotel and relaxing, I headed out on the town. First up was dinner at the Snack Shack. Blue Cheese & Bacon burger with crinkle fries, not bad, but not Burgerland wonderful. Afterwards I drove around the dark and rainy streets photographing Post Offices.

Slice, And Another Slice

Back in December I visited a Dermatologist to check a red spot on my forehead. I seemed like it had been there for a long time. I’ve bumped it a few times and at least once getting my haircut it was hit with the clippers, which led to some bleeding each time. But when it became obvious it was growing pretty fast was when I got my new Real ID Drivers License back in November. In my early 2020 license the spot looks small, but by the end of November in 2024 it is very noticeable.

The results of the biopsy came in just before I went on my recent month long “vacation”, it was Basal Cell Carcinoma. Today I went back to the Dermatologist to have the rest of the cancer sliced off. Luckily he got it all off with one swipe. While I was still in the chair I asked, “What about this little cyst on the bottom of my right ear?”

Dermatologist, “Has it been there long?”
Patient, “A while, I guess.”
Dermatologist, “Lets lop it off, and biopsy it.”
Patient, “Good, I want that ear to look good because on my 70th birthday I want to pierce it.”
Dermatologist, “See you in a couple weeks and we’ll take those stitches out.”

Sport, Off-Road, Touring

One Month Gone Edition of SORT
As of Monday, February 3, 2025 at 7:00 PM pacific time:

Sport Off-Road Touring
1972 Datsun 510 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser 2004 Volvo V70
I so wanted one of these, but all I could afford on an E3’s salary was a B210. For your off-roading adventures it’s a Jeep or one of these. The Everyday Driver guys swear Volvo seats are the best in the biz.

Here is what last week’s cars sold for, or bid to (if the reserve was not met):
Sport: 1960 Cadillac Series 62 Sold for USD $71,000 on 1/30/25
Off-Road: 2016 Cadillac Escalade Sold for USD $29,000 on 1/30/25
Touring: 1984 Cadillac Fleetwood Bid to USD $9,300 on 1/28/25

Can I Call It A Vacation?

I’ve now been home now for a little for a little over forty hours and I’m already locked into a full home stop mode.

This means that content output here will be back to just sporadic. Which is a shame, because I looked back and the last time I missed a day posting here was December 27th of last year, or thirty-seven days ago. Tomorrow’s SORT post will make it a little under 40 days of posts in a row. Haven’t seen those kind of numbers in quite a while, maybe a dozen years ago?

As to the title of this post, on this last trip, I didn’t know how to tag it. When were were actually driving from point A to B, I used “Road Trip”. When were stationary somewhere, I was tagging them “Vacation.”

So, phycology majors, homework for next week is a 2-page essay on, “If you’re retired, isn’t everyday a vacation?”

The Proposal

Time for one of my patented longwinded intros leading to a small bit of actual content. Sally, of Santa Fe fame, and I have known each other 42 years. So, when she asked me if I wanted to come down, visit Santa Fe a bit, then road trip together to go to her mother’s 98th birthday festivities, I jumped at the chance.

She was Donna’s friend from elementary school onward and the two families belonged to the same church. When I got out of the Navy in 1983, we moved back to Donna’s home town of New Orleans. The 2 girls connected again, Sally had married, so the four of us naturally became a group. Sally and her husband bought the house 2 doors away. Donna and I babysat the daughter Claire and then a couple years later, son Stuart.

For various reasons we moved up to New Jersey for work in 1987. The Lewis clan also moved north to Lexington, Virginia shortly after. We visited several times a year first from Jersey and later from Aiken. In the early two thousands Sally’s husband proclaimed he was in love with someone else and wanted out. Claire was already in college and Stuart was a Junior or Senior in high school. After his graduation Sally joined the State Department. Whenever she was back in the states for language training or something, Donna and I would get to DC to hang for a couple days. Anyway, we go way back.

With just Sally and me, we get along sort of like an old married couple without the sex. Our senses of humor are similar, we would be in a store somewhere and we would cut up with each other in the checkout line. We “argued” who’s turn it was to fill up the car up with gas. “We’ll always have Paris.” A plan was concocted. There was a get together on Saturday the 18th with the whole family at a place downtown Hammond called Tommy’s on Thomas. A local pizza joint/night time entertainment place that is where Stuart met his wife and where they go every year on their anniversary. This would be the most perfect place for this, I was going to pretend to ask her to marry me. I wrote a script. I practiced kneeling.

We thought for sure that Adele and Stuart’s wife Cristina would be flummoxed, Stuart’s two small kids wouldn’t know what was going on. We thought Sally’s kids, Stuart and Claire, would not know what to say or their sense of humor might kick in immediately and call bullshit on Sally and me. At the last minute, because of a miscommunication, Adel and Claire couldn’t make it, so we decided not to do it, because those were 2 of the 3 we thought would get the biggest kick out of the stunt.

Scene: Restaurant Interior

Brian
(stands)
"As we knew the end was getting nearer, I asked Donna if she would be okay with this, and she smiled and said of course."
(slight pause)
"So, Sally, these last 2 weeks have been the happiest that I’ve been since last September.
(he kneels)
It would be great if we could grow old, older, together. Will you marry me?

Possible Responses:
Sally
1. Yes, I thought you’d never ask.
2. Stunned silence.
3. What?
4. I hope you didn’t buy a ring already?

Brian
1. You’ve made me a very happy man.
2. Stunned silence.
3. I feel so embarrassed.
4. I may be an old fool, but I’m not stupid.