Wheeling Bridge

Wheeling Bridge
Originally uploaded by klycolllins.

Wheeling, West Virginia. Population: 29,891. Rachelle and I just got back from a wedding/reception back East. My love of Southwest Airlines was sorely tested by this trip. My "direct" flight (direct is supposed to mean you don't get off the damn plane) didn't turn out to be so "direct". We were doing just fine until Chicago. As we were landing, the flight attendants were telling the through passengers (us) to stay seated so they could get a count. Once we landed, the plane apparently developed "mechanical problems" and we had to de-plane. Seems the mechanical problems weren't bad enough that our plane wasn't sent to a different city with a different crew and different passengers. I guess the mechanical problems only affected flights to Pittsburgh. Anyway, we ended up delayed for two and a half hours which (you would think) would give the ground crew enough time to transfer our luggage. You would be wrong. Whatever. We finally got our luggage 15 hours later. After we called and explained that we were in WHEELING, not MORGANTOWN. Easy mistake. They're both in West Virginia.

This is a picture of Rachelle on the Wheeling Bridge, which is the first suspension bridge ever built in the U.S. I've got all sorts of Wheeling trivia after my trip to the visitor center. Something about George Washington, steamboats, blah, blah, blah. The wedding was actually in Mingo Junction, Ohio, but apparently there aren't a whole lot of hotels there, so we stayed in Wheeling. Where there is a hotel. There wasn't much to Mingo Junction, but I'd love to have that on my return address labels. "The Mingo took my baby". It's actually a really pretty area. Don't think I could ever relocate there, but I really enjoyed my weekend. Living in California you forget there are actual "seasons". Late October in Orangevale is still in the 70's/80's. Late October in Nothern West Virginia topped out at 49 on Friday. That's pretty much what I expect in the dead of January. Brutal. Anyway, Rachelle's family was great, no major drama at the wedding, no fights, nobody spilled beer on the D.J.'s equipment, open bar. Rock on.

Genius!

Genius!
Originally uploaded by klycolllins.

Took Mom & Grandma out to a bar for dinner last night. Neither of them drink, but Rachelle and I are members at Yager's which means we get 10% off every purchase. Rock on. Anyway, we actually ate in the "restaurant" portion of the place. I was never even remotely interested in eating anyplace other than the "bar", but I may never go back. It's a little hard to tell from this picture, but hanging over several of the tables is a brass pole directly over a bucket. Couldn't figure out what this damn thing was for. Waaaaaay too skinny for pole dancing. Turns out that if you pull the chain, water comes out like a sink faucet. Far too friggin' cool. I want one for my dining room table. I'd never use a fork again. Everything's a finger food when there's a sink at the table. Ribs? No problem. Wings? Bring 'em on. Pudding? Finger licken' good! So, aside from the great beer selection, Yager's has some of the best fish & chips I've had since I left Omaha. Nothing beats the Dundee Dell, but these are close. And did I mention the cool water things at the tables? Quiet night after this. Busy day today. More tomorrow.

YesterFest

YesterFest
Originally uploaded by klycolllins.

Busy, busy day in the Sacramento Valley. Rachelle and I started the day out by walking to Historic Folsom to watch the YesterFest parade. I'm not quite sure what a "YesterFest" is, but it appears to be an excuse for people to break out their finest frontier-wear and coonskin caps. Anyway, it was a very small parade, but fairly entertaining. I'm not sure if we enjoyed the parade more or the fact that there didn't seem to be any advance notice that the roads would be closed. Motorcycle cops rolled up about five minutes before the parade was supposed to start and blocked off the main street through Folsom. Boy-Doggie, there were some irate drivers. I can only imagine the foul language that would be filling the cab of my truck if I got stuck watching the VFW, Boy Scouts, an antique fire truck, a group of people dressed like it was 1849 and a Well's Fargo stagecoach march on by while I'm trying to get to Home Depot/Costco/wherever. But it was a hell of a lot of fun thinking about those drivers as I stood in the middle of the street. Today also marked the start of light-rail service connecting Folsom with downtown Sacramento. Limited service, but it's a start. It seems that the light-rail service to Folsom will only run until 6:34pm. I thought that was a little strange, so I asked one of the (many) RT cops on the train why the schedule was so limited. His understanding was that the fine people of Folsom didn't want any "undesirables", i.e., "poor people" to be haning around town after dark. Nice. They were giving away free cake and ice cream at the YesterFest, but the lines were too long so we grabbed a couple of free all-day passes to ride and headed downtown for lunch. After about three minutes on the light-rail I had a better understanding of (and was much more in agreement with) the decision to limit the train schedule. It's not so much that I don't want the "undesireables" in Folsom, I'd just rather not subject the rest of Sacramento to some of the boobs from Folsom. All in all, aside from the slight delays and sub-zero temperatures on the light-rail, it was a good day. B+.

"Left Turn, Clyde"

"Left Turn, Clyde"
Originally uploaded by klycolllins.

So, Bo and I took a ride to Trader Joe's for some $2-$5 wine the other day. Taking a blind dog for a ride can be a little difficult, but he really likes the truck. He also likes to ride in your lap with his head out the window, which is a little difficult when you're driving a stick. And there's not much better than a shedding dog on a hot day in a truck with vinyl seats. Lots of static. It's especially great if you forget you took the shedding dog for a ride and wear dark pants to work the next day. Oh, well. At least the drool wipes up easy.

I've decided to put my Netflix rotation on the blog. Rachelle was concerned that some of my selections might make me look like a loser. I explained that since the only people who read this are Ken, Mark and Brian (and the occasional family member), they're pretty much already hip to the fact that I am a loser. Regardless of whether I watch the entire Rings trilogy in a weekend. Sweet! Anyway, I'll be posting on what I think was worth putting in the queue and what would have been better sent back unopened. High gas prices and general laziness = lots of time to sit in my La-Z-Boy and watch movies.

Orangevale RFD

Orangevale Feed Store
Originally uploaded by klycolllins.

This is a fake horse that sits (stands) out in front of a feed store near my house. Twenty-five years in Nebraska and I never lived near a feed store. Anyway, they dress the horse up in different outfits, depending on the season. Halloween he gets a witches hat and cape. Christmas he gets a beard and Santa hat. Bunny ears for Easter. I have no earthly idea what this season is, though. Straw hat, sunglasses and some sore of brightly colored shirt. Fiesta time? Whatever. Viva Orangevale.

Reason # 1,034...

In-n-Out
Originally uploaded by klycolllins.

...that I love living in California. Nothing better than a double-double with fresh-cut fries and a diet Coke (otherwise known as a #1). In-N-Out is one of the finest burger chains in the greater Cal/Neva area. Their genius lies in the fact that they make nothing but burgers. No chicken sandwiches. No nuggets. No salads. Just burgers. But that doesn't mean there is no variety. In addition to the regular hamburger, you can get a double-double (2 patties, 2 slices of cheese), a 3X3 (3 patties, 3 slices of cheese), a 4X4 (you get the idea). There is also a "secret menu" of different ways you can have the burger(s) prepared. My favorite is "Animal Style". It's like a regular burger but the patty is cooked in mustard. Mmmmm! Now if they only made breakfast.