The First Ride From Mountlake Terrace
Dad had been riding his bike from West Seattle to his job in SEATAC. When he changed jobs and started commuting to Mountlake Terrace, north of downtown, he decided to try to continue his carbon-conscious ways. He studied the bus schedules to see what it would take to get him to Mountlake Terrace in the morning. Then he poured over bicycle trails to find the safest route home in the evening. Finally, he had his plans laid for both directions of travel. The busses seemed to be the most confusing part of the plan. They are so much more complicated than trains. Trains can only follow tracks, but busses can go anywhere, making it difficult to ever be sure where one will end up on a bus. Also, train fares are simple, one pays for a ticket, and rides the light rail to where it is going. Not so for busses. There are region fees, and transfer fees, so the net fare can be almost anything. And the hapless rider is expected to have the exact change necessary to cover any possibility. So Dad decided to confer with Kimi on the subject. They agreed that two busses in the morning was probably a bit more than suburban Dad was ready for. Afterall, with so many places for random events to intercede, there was not telling where Dad would end up!
Muttly Mutiny
Muttly Mutiny
Dad had another brilliant idea. Since everyone else in the family was busy on the Fourth of July, why not take the dogs for a hike up to Lake Margaret. It seemed like a perfect plan. It was a chance to get out of the city, and enjoy the fresh air in the mountains, and when they reached the alpine lake, the dogs could take a swim. And Dad would only have to carry enough dog water to reach the top, since he could refill his water jugs at the lake. It was a perfect plan.
The Neighborhood Bandit
There is a bandit who lives in Mongo’s neighborhood. He wears a mask, and in the best traditions of bandits, is missing a limb.
Even with the handicap, the bandit is very nimble. Dad has seen him scale fences and climb trees.
Downtown Seattle in Spring
Dad found himself in downtown Seattle again on a beautiful spring day. Seattle is a great city for urban safaris. There are lots of little shops and restaurants to discover, and unique people watching and sightseeing opportunities to enjoy.
As he turned off First Avenue, Dad was thrilled to see a parking spot. As he backed into the parking spot he saw a sign for a restaurant in his rear view mirror. It was lunch and Dad thought, “Why not?”
NJ Pizza in Seattle
There are just some things that are necessities in life. If you are from New Jersey, these things include bagels and pizza. It is not a issue of preference, but an inherent need arising from coming of age in the environs of the Garden State. Many websites tout the fact that the Jerseyans are bagel and pizza connoisseurs. Some expatriate sons and daughters of the state are content to sit and bemoan their lot in life and just wait for a return trip to the place of their birth, where they can finally return to their local pizzeria and bagelry.
However, Dad has never been one to accept misfortune without rising to confront it. When the family moved to Tulsa, he visited pizza restaurant after pizza restaurant. While most of Tulsa was content to munch away on chain restaurant pizza with the consistency of spray cheeze on saltine crackers, Dad would not settle. Finally, Dad found Mario’s in Tulsa. He know he was in the right place when he heard all the NY and NJ accents among the clientele. The pizza part of the quest was over.
Finding bagels good enough to hold up to the bagels from the Englishtown Auction proved more difficult. Fortunately, not long after Dad discovered Mario’s, the bagel chains swept through Tulsa, bringing a reasonable facsimile of a NJ bagel to Tulsa.
When the family moved to Seattle, Dad was launched on another quest. Read More…
Comic-con Snacks
The twins, Kimi & Laura had made plans back last November to attend the Emerald City Comic-con at the Seattle Convention Center. They had even made plans to make their own breakfast and to bring snacks with them to help stretch their limited budget.
Mongo’s gallery
Mongolope 
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