Welcome to Northwest Voyager

It's 2009!!

Having survived a full six decades of this circus ride called life, I have decided one of the most important aspects of living is staying in touch with family and friends. I've not been very good at that for the most part so this is an attempt to rectify that oversight.

Obviously, I'm not everyone's "uncle", but in casting about for a catchy tag line, this one popped into my head suddenly, not unlike many of my widely creative inventions - most of which ultimately found success in the hands of others (i.e Mayo pre-mixed in the tuna, the air-pump sneaker among others). The creative genius inside me seems to fail every time in the translation of ideas into millions.

This week's episode finds me huddled inside Black Bear Lodge (aka "Pine River Cabin", "The Cabin Near Lake Wenatchee", "The Leavenworth Ski Cabin", "You Call That a Cabin? I Call That a House") staring out at three feet of snow on the deck and a thermometer that moments ago edged up into double digits. Someone should shovel that snow before the additional three feet sitting on the roof slides down to join it, thus blocking my view out the back door. I'll look around and see if there is anyone who can get to that....

Suzanne and I are on a hunt to replace her recently deceased banana yellow Xterra. It's funny how she continually makes fun of my rattling old Blazer with 160k miles, broken seats, broken windshield, broken fuel gauge and a host of other ailments - it's kind of like me: way too used up to keep doing all the things I'm doing. Meanwhile, the newer, bigger, stronger, faster Xterra has a minor head-to-head with a freeway delimiting Jersey barrier (and an exhilarating near miss with a charging dump truck) and the Nissan is pronounced DOA. Oh well, Detroit Iron once again prevails!

Anyway, for the moment at least, our great outdoor exploits take a brief holiday while we search for a new, modus-transportationis. And while I'm thinking of it - and just for the record - what recession? And what gas price crisis? I must be the only one who fell for all those news stories because you must enter car lots with great caution to avoid being run over by the endless line of SUVs that are flying off the lots.

I'm going to go wander down the road to see if I can find an ambitious teenager to shovel my deck.