Today\u2019s tasks were a dental appointment followed by an eye exam. The dental appointment was planned (cleaning, and lectures from the hygienist that included the \u2018f\u2019 word \u2013 \u2018floss\u2019). <\/p>\n
Monday had a church friend come over to chop down the maple that split during the last windstorm. He had a chainsaw and a chipper, so he cut down the tree, then cut some logs and fed the branches into the chipper. My job was to prepare the branches for chipping; that involved a sharp machete-type knife to strip branches, and take them over to the chipper.<\/p>\n
That went well, we got everything cleaned up, and he got some firewood for his house (I have a propane fireplace, so couldn\u2019t use the wood). The negative part was my regular set of eyeglasses fell out during that work, and are not to be found. Since I wear the glasses for reading (and computing), replacements were needed. They were about 2 years old, so were due for replacement anyhow.<\/p>\n
So I was finished up with both appointments by noon (with a stop at the local Dollar store for some home prep stuff, and some cheap \u2018readers\u2019). The next stop was to Home Depot to get supplies for a garage shelving project. <\/p>\n
Both appointments and the HD are in Poulsbo, about 30 minutes away from the house, across the Hood Canal bridge.It is a \u2018floating concrete\u2019’ bridge that has two 300 foot spans that retract under the roadway to allow passage of ships (and submarines). So I have signed up for text messages about bridge closures, which usually last about 30 minutes, along with some more time for traffic to get back to normal.<\/p>\n
While at HD, the bridge closed. No worries, I thought, it should be OK by the time I return (there was also a grocery store trip planned). Then the bridge got stuck open due to tides; it was about 7 feet out of alignment, and would require a tugboat to get it back to normal. No ETA on the opening time.<\/p>\n
There are two ways home from where I was. The short 30 minute ride across the Hood Canal bridge, and the long way around the Hood Canal \u2013 about 2 1\/2 hours. Since there was no ETA on the opening, I decided not to wait for the bridge. Nice weather today, in the mid-70\u2019sF and sunny, so a nice day for a drive.<\/p>\n
So, drive I did. Headed south to Union WA, which is at the southern end of Hood Canal. Then loop around on Highway 101 back north up to home. A nice, picturesque drive; mostly along the edge of Hood Canal, so nice water views the whole way. Through the eastern edge of Olympic National Forest, so scenic that way too. A bit of construction on 101 that caused a 15 minute delay for one-way traffic, but I got home about 4:30pm. <\/p>\n
\nInteresting fact: I listened to the \u201cClassic Rock and Roll\u201d station on Pandora during the trip. First song on the list: \u201cTraveling Man\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Turned out to be a good decision. The Hood Canal Bridge didn\u2019t open until closer to 5pm, and there were tens of miles of backup to get through, so I probably wouldn\u2019t have made it home until 6pm or later. A pleasant drive, overall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today\u2019s tasks were a dental appointment followed by an eye exam. The dental appointment was planned (cleaning, and lectures from the hygienist that included the \u2018f\u2019 word \u2013 \u2018floss\u2019). <\/p>\n
Monday had a church friend come over to chop down the maple that split during the last windstorm. He had a chainsaw and a chipper, so he cut down the tree, then cut some logs and fed the branches into the chipper. My job was to prepare the branches for chipping;<\/p>\n