May 2014
  
 
Thursday, May 1
Redmond, WA... working with the setting on the new Sony DSC-WX350 camera...
 
may_2014_001.JPG (915064 bytes) may_2014_002.JPG (1288669 bytes) may_2014_003.JPG (766889 bytes) From Studio A...
1st shot: due east, toward the Cascade Mountains
2nd shot: northeast, toward Building 50
3rd shot: north, Mount Baker
 
may_2014_004.JPG (1078666 bytes) may_2014_005.JPG (1402240 bytes) may_2014_006.JPG (887959 bytes) From Studio D... southward, over the 520 FRWY, toward Mount Rainier...
 
Near the Commons, atop the Building 99 parking garage... southward toward Mount Rainier... the blue bike is Hong Hoa's new Electra Townie 3i...
 
may_2014_007.JPG (1060809 bytes)  may_2014_008.JPG (2165988 bytes)  may_2014_009.JPG (2091193 bytes)  may_2014_010.JPG (2332070 bytes)  may_2014_011.JPG (1864419 bytes)
 
 
may_2014_012.jpg (1060072 bytes) may_2014_013.jpg (1087998 bytes) Friday, May 2
Redmond, WA... I made credentials for Queen Anna (though she's now "Queen Elsa")...
 
 
Saturday, May 3
With Hong Hoa and Queen Elsa
 
may_2014_014.jpg (1643532 bytes) may_2014_015.jpg (918163 bytes) may_2014_016.jpg (1084560 bytes) Renton, WA... picking up coffees and hot cocoa at the Starbucks drive-thru before fetching Hong and Geneva. This was to be a bike riding day, but a steady, cool rain forced other options. The Starbucks drive-thru lady commented on the bikes racked to my car and she litterally laughed out loud at the prospect of riding on a day such as this! The light morning rain turned into a deluge for the rest of the day...
 
may_2014_017.jpg (642275 bytes) Renton, WA... at Hong's place... Queen Elsa was happy to finally have proper credentials!
 
may_2014_018.jpg (1058747 bytes) may_2014_019.jpg (273248 bytes) Redmond, WA... We held our luncheon at the Claim Jumper at Redmond Town Center, and made new plans for the afternoon...
 
After lunch we repaired to Crossroads for coffee, etc...
 
may_2014_020.jpg (1547644 bytes)  may_2014_021.jpg (702989 bytes)  may_2014_022.jpg (751193 bytes)  may_2014_023.jpg (933278 bytes)  may_2014_024.JPG (529182 bytes)
 
may_2014_025.JPG (543356 bytes)  may_2014_026.JPG (1108937 bytes)  may_2014_027.jpg (1061754 bytes)  may_2014_028.jpg (1017163 bytes)  may_2014_029.JPG (255428 bytes)
 
may_2014_030.jpg (491020 bytes) At Crossroads we ran into my old friend Jazzy...
 
At the Cheesecake Factory at SouthCenter after watching Rio 2...
 
may_2014_031.jpg (1280660 bytes)  may_2014_032.jpg (1074333 bytes)  may_2014_033.jpg (839659 bytes)  may_2014_034.jpg (479660 bytes)  may_2014_035.jpg (904580 bytes)
 
I enjoyed being in the movie theater with Hong and Geneva, but I gave Rio 2 a "thumbs down" review. The 3-D animation was interesting, but the shallow "humans are bad because evil loggers are destroying the environment" message is just another load of simplistic environmental pablum. Back at Hong's place we watched Frozen again... a vastly superior movie!
 
 
may_2014_038.jpg (1146687 bytes) may_2014_036.JPG (455721 bytes) Monday, May 5
Newcastle, WA... Clouds over Newcastle...
 
may_2014_039.jpg (888511 bytes) may_2014_040.jpg (1265050 bytes) Wednesday, May 7
Redmond, WA... At REI getting a coffee mug holder for Hong's new bike. I also looked at a Burley child trailer for pulling pretty little Geneva behind my bike, or Hong's bike. We are going to have fun biking on the Sammamish River Trail! We'll be riding, picnicing on the Mambe blanket, and taking closeup photos of ladybugs in the bug viewer!
 
may_2014_041.jpg (1255237 bytes) Saturday, May 10
Seattle, WA... dropping Hong and pretty little Geneva off at Pier 69 on the Seattle waterfront, where they met auntie Khanh... these ladies were beginning a 2 day jaunt to Victoria, British Columbia, aboard the Victoria Clipper...
 
may_2014_042.JPG (1113936 bytes) may_2014_043.JPG (2064726 bytes) may_2014_044.jpg (1792684 bytes) Sunday, May 11
Seattle, WA... fetching Hong and pretty little Geneva at the Victoria Clipper dock... Pier 69 on the Seattle waterfront... after their trip to Victoria...
 
may_2014_046.jpg (2216633 bytes) may_2014_047.JPG (1914713 bytes) may_2014_048.jpg (2171060 bytes) may_2014_049.jpg (2347551 bytes) Tuesday, May 13
Bellevue, WA... lunch with Amy... around Expedia...
 
may_2014_050.jpg (2659898 bytes) Tuesday, May 13
Bellevue, WA... Downtown Park...
 
may_2014_051.JPG (2258454 bytes) may_2014_052.JPG (1581114 bytes) may_2014_053.JPG (394586 bytes) Tuesday, May 13
Bellevue, WA... Eastgate... a pleasant evening...
 
may_2014_054.jpg (1909912 bytes) Wednesday, May 14
Bellevue, WA... my new pineapple cutter... thanks to Lily Chiang for the idea!
 
Wednesday, May 14
Bellevue, WA... a remarkably beautiful day around Puget Sound, and a good day to wash Bigfoot. As I was climbing atop the rig for the dreaded roof scrub I was joined by a fairly large iguana who made himself comfortable on my picnic table. We just stared at each other for a full minute! He showed no indication that he was going to come after me, so I did what I do... I pulled out a camera. About then his owner came along, quite relieved to have found her boy. Her name is Jody, my neighbor a few spaces down. The iguana's name is "Bo." She said that her "boy" seemed to like Bigfoot's space, what with the trees around... See Morepicnic table. We just stared at each other for a full minute! He showed no indication that he was going to come after me, so I did what I do... I pulled out a camera. About then his owner came along, quite relieved to have found her boy. Her name is Jody, my neighbor a few spaces down. She said that her "boy" seemed to like Bigfoot's space, what with the trees around...
 
may_2014_055.jpg (2703777 bytes)  may_2014_056.jpg (2010495 bytes)  may_2014_057.jpg (3242251 bytes)  may_2014_058.jpg (2596003 bytes)  may_2014_059.jpg (3554307 bytes)
 
 
Saturday, May 17
Renton, WA... bike riding with Hong Hoa and Geneva...
 
may_2014_062.jpg (303663 bytes) Fetching Hong and Be Hong... Be Hong wearing her nón lá... Hong's snap...
 
may_2014_063.jpg (2969155 bytes) Hong on her new Electra Townie 3i cruiser bike... she calls it "Baby-Blue"...
 
may_2014_064.jpg (4213356 bytes) may_2014_065.jpg (222737 bytes) Pretty little Geneva likes the bugle horn on her bike almost as much as the bike!
 
may_2014_066.jpg (4074392 bytes) may_2014_067.jpg (3534140 bytes) Today was a practice ride... soon we'll be on the Cedar River Trail and the Sammamish River Trail...

After riding and dinner at the WildFin at Renton Landing we repaired to the local movie house for a showing of the Disneynature film "Bears." Very Good!

http://nature.disney.com/bears
 
 
may_2014_074.JPG (874102 bytes) may_2014_075.JPG (1506982 bytes) Sunday, May 18
Bellevue, WA... atop the parking deck at the Microsoft Advanta campus... playing with the zoom on the Sony DSC-WX350... facing east from Eastgate toward Cougar Mountain and Tiger Mountain...
 
may_2014_068.jpg (1106063 bytes) Tuesday, May 20
Bellevue, WA... at the Lil' Jon... a pleasant light streamed through the window and played upon my biscuits & gravy...
 
may_2014_071.jpg (1110919 bytes) may_2014_070.jpg (1000781 bytes) may_2014_072.jpg (825885 bytes) may_2014_069.jpg (311746 bytes) Tuesday, May 20
Bellevue, WA... Gregg's Cycle shop in beautiful downtown Bellevue... I bought the Burley Honey Bee trailer for the Electra rig but a couple of bolt adapter parts had to be ordered from Portland...
 
may_2014_073.jpg (658371 bytes) Thursday, May 22
Bellevue, WA... Crossroads... Thursday night Dusty Strings series... Carolyn Cruso on hammered dulcimer...
 
may_2014_076.JPG (955540 bytes) Saturday, May 24
Bellevue, WA... a late afternoon visit with Wendy Russell, an old friend from Charlotte. Our friendship goes back to around 1976. I'll always remember seeing the just released original Star Wars movie in the theater back in the summer of '77 with Wendy. Wendy lives in Portland now and was in town for a seminar...
 
 
Sunday, May 25
 
may_2014_077.JPG (796411 bytes) Redmond, WA... my workplace in the Houston room... Studio A...
 
may_2014_079.jpg (755756 bytes) Tukwila, WA, SouthCenter... at REI with Hong Hoa and Geneva... Geneva performing a sleep test on a tent...
 
may_2014_080.jpg (1040041 bytes) may_2014_081.jpg (847153 bytes) may_2014_082.jpg (489562 bytes) may_2014_083.jpg (1311521 bytes) Tukwila, WA, SouthCenter... at Blue C Sushi with Hong and Geneva...
 
may_2014_084.jpg (205801 bytes) Tukwila, WA, SouthCenter... at Blue C Sushi with Hong and Geneva. This is Hong's shot... Hong had a better angle!
 
After cleaning off the Blue C kaiten we repaired to Renton Landing for a showing of Godzila 3D... a stunning movie. My first thought at Godzilla's conclusion was that I want to see it again...
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla_(2014_film)
 
 
may_2014_085.jpg (1272307 bytes) may_2014_086.jpg (2757076 bytes) may_2014_089.jpg (1613878 bytes) may_2014_088.jpg (1693359 bytes) Tuesday, May 27
Redmond, WA... at Marymoor Park with the new Burley trailer attached to my Electra Townie. First test run = Pass! This should be a fine carriage for a certain Little Queenie...
 
may_2014_090.jpg (1323670 bytes) Wednesday, May 28
Redmond, WA... Biscuits and Gravy at the Family Pancake House. This being my 3rd day off in a row, I was starting to feel like Johnny Vacation! Next stop, the local hardware store for bike modification parts, then Victor's Celtic Coffee house...
 
Interesting article:
Cycle helmets are useless, says brain surgeon (The Telegraph, May 30, 2014)
If you want to wear a bike helmet, fine, wear a bike helmet. If I don't want to wear a bike helmet, I should not have to. Most bike helmets offer *some* protection for the top of one's head, but in all of my crashes through the years I've never landed on top of my head. Moreover, bike helmets look "Devo" and they mess-up my hair. I prefer riding with my (titanium reinforced) camo fedora. I despise "Nanny State" intrusion! "Let those who ride, decide!"
 
 
Saturday, May 31
Redmond, WA... Biking with Hong Hoa and Geneva at Marymoor Park...
 
may_2014_099.jpg (263015 bytes) Hong's shot... pretty little Geneva picked flowers for our hats...
 
may_2014_091.jpg (1979545 bytes) Teaching Hong to setup the new Burley trailer...
 
may_2014_092.jpg (1725771 bytes) The trailer is now known as the "little red wagon," which brought to mind the words from a favorite old song... Won't You Ride in My Little Red Wagon...

     Won't you ride in my little red wagon
     I would love to pull you down the street
     And you know all the kids will be jealous
     When they see my playmate so sweet
 
may_2014_093.jpg (1616709 bytes) may_2014_094.jpg (1421686 bytes) may_2014_095.jpg (2146399 bytes) may_2014_096.JPG (2076657 bytes) Hong in the meadow... along the Sammamish River...
 
may_2014_097.jpg (1058483 bytes) We rode on to the Redmond Town Center where we stopped for coffee...
 
may_2014_098.jpg (815988 bytes) Later at the Outback Steakhouse in Bellevue, Geneva was brave enough to put her hand into the jaws of an alligator!