The Next Chapter in the Book . . .: Chapter 307

Congratulations to Chris' sister and her husband for the birth of their baby boy, William Garrett Stephens, 7 lb 12 oz, 21" long.

And Happy Birthday to Bob! Keep 'em coming...both the naps and the birthdays!

I think I put this woodpecker in last week's blog, but I'm so impressed with him that you get another look at him. No, he is not underwater, that's a sticker from Reagan's birthday I'm using to reduce the bird strikes on our windows. It's not working.

The last of old Auburn high school is coming down. This is the inside of the gym wall where the bleachers used to be. That Trojan mural looked huge when I was inside the gym but mighty tiny with the side of the gym is peeled off.

I went to Tacoma to St. Helen's Mercantile, where my friend Tracy sells her wares. While I was there I stopped at Tully's for coffee. Look at their syrup pumpers! They have faces just the way our ketchup pumper in the fridge used to. Ahh, this brings back memories!

Like almost everyone else on the planet, I've been condemned to wearing a boot for a tendon issue I've been having for a few (5+) years that I've had checked out twice before and given the "all clear". Enter new doctor from when I had my toe issue checked out. An ultra sound showed damage so I "get the boot" until my MRI. Thanks to Carissa for sharing her boot with me. It's a much nicer one than my doctor issued me.

I went to Federal Way to meet Kyanne at the fabric store and noticed that the City of Federal Way has gone about and changed some street names. I didn't use all that many Federal Way streets on my journey and I found about 25% of the streets renamed. I wonder if this is the case throughout Federal Way? Here 320th has been sub-named "Veteran's Way".

And 26th Street has been totally renamed to "Peter von Reichbauer Way, S.", or as the locals (are supposed to) call it "PVR".

While I was manhandling my camera, I accidentally got a gratuitous shot of my car dash.

My parents came over this weekend and we went out to our cabin for a visit. As usual for entertainment, we watched the cars go by on the highway, watched the cities civil servants stopping for lunch at Subway across the street, and played a rousing game of Mille Bornes. They loved it out there.

While I was having a fun time at the beach, Bob was at St. Edwards Park in Kenmore at the All British Field Meet with the convertible Jag. Isn't it a pretty venue? So, while I was having a good time at the cabin,

Bob was having the time of his life at the car show.

On the way home from the cabin today, I took a side trip to see the mothballed SATSOP nuclear plant up close and personal. As some of you might remember, the building started in the 1970's, The Washington Public Power Supply System (WPPSS, aka "whoops") began the largest nuclear power plant construction project in U.S. history. After the Three-Mile Island disaster the project was cancelled. This resulted in WPPSS defaulting on the largest municipal bond defaults in U.S. history.

Anyone been wanting to lease a nuclear cooling tower?

Ah, the natural beauty of colored foliage and a nuclear cooling tower.

Tower #2 almost looks like it's making the clouds in the bright blue sky.

While Cooling Tower #2 was under a beautiful blue sky, Cooling Tower #1 was under a sinister sky to go along with it's sinister reputation.

It's hard to believe that this entire 480 foot tall tower with 5 foot thick walls are supported by those spindly legs around the base. It needed to be up off the ground to draw air up inside so it can perform it's cooling function.

A closer view of the spindly support structure and showing the inside is empty. I didn't not expect it to be empty.

Here's a view on the inside looking toward the top of the tower. I snatched this off the internet. I did not take this myself.

I figured these were stairs were access stairs or maintenance stairs, but the sign calls them "emergency" stairs. This brings up several questions. Why would you be at the top of the tower and need to take the stairs down? If there is an emergency, would you make it all the way down those stairs? Would you even want to make it down those stairs?

Our little PT Bruiser is dwarfed by Cooling Tower #1.

Sorry folks. No amount of pretty murals is going to spruce this place up!

On my way home from the cabin, I got stuck in the usual I-5 JBLM parking lot. As we crept along thus tour bus and I swapped traffic positions for about an hour and a half. I have the their logo and slogan seared into my brain.

Their logo is: "You can take a brewery tour, a wine tour, and a coffee tour while you're in the Emerald City, but you gotta take a cannabis tour in Seattle!"

Woo Hoo! The new Sharknado movie was released! I watched it the other day and, as with the other two Sharknado movies, it was awesome!

For Sharknado 3, Washington, D.C. and the entire east coast was under shark siege.

Somehow the heroes managed to get this pole hoisted into the air to skewer a falling shark. Amazingly enough, this flag went all the way through the shark and came out clean.