Tonight we attended another Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SWMS) outturn at the Franklin Room – a fun event that takes place on one of the days the restaurant is closed, and we get the run of the place.
Liz and I were up early today, as we were looking to hit up several places in the suburbs. Our main goal: to go to Owl Lumber and find enough Vertical Grain Doug Fir for some window jambs (Bob is making custom window frames for a few of our windows).
On my run yesterday, I was warming up and passed by this (very) blue car. There was this small little square of an image, on the inside dash… and it caught my eye, but before I could see what it was I had already passed by.
I went a few steps, and decided I needed to go back. So I paused my timer, and wanted another peek.
I wonder how old that tree across the way was. Maybe 30, 40 years old? Am I undercounting here, and it’s more like 50+? And to think it just gets damaged, from a single night of strong winds… and then it’s gone.
I was headed to the office today. And on my way out the door, I stopped in my tracks when I saw this across the street.
SYP is still available, but it’s primarily newer growth. And it’s planted/harvested faster, and a result of that speed is that the grain lines are more spaced apart. To match the tight grain lines of old growth SYP, you’d need to either find reclaimed lumber or go fishing in rivers for sinker pine.
“I left my dear trying to find adventure
She spent years trading my whiskey out for seltzer
Still I hear her voice in the pit of my failure
I ride alone down Goodbye Road”
There are two kinds of people: a person who sees other runners with medals, and gets motivated at the sight; a person who sees other runners with medals, and starts cussing under their breath.
I am that second type. And with what little breath I had, I cursed every single person I came across with a medal.
Liz, trying to carve out a path circa 2014. We eventually hired out the work to clear this area with a mini bulldozer.
It’s weird, the kind of special memory powers a long-running blog imbues. I forget important things like the birthdays of close family members, the kids’ names of close friends. But by god, I’m able to remember the last time I saw a window cleaner outside my office window.
An interesting bit of nostalgia and trivia: every time I start my runs and listen to this song, I think back to seeing Ted Leo in concert with Chris, in Logan Square, circa 2005.
“I have not disappeared.
The boulevard is full of my steps. The sky is
full of my thinking. An archbishop
prays for my soul, even though
we met only once, and even then, he was
busy waving at a congregation.”
I can get through the first 3 minutes fine. And it’s a push, but I’ve mostly gotten through the following 5 minutes. But after that, I seem to just run out of gas. And need to stop every 2 minutes. It’s been… frustrating.
There’s this decent sized divot in the neighbor’s yard, where I think this bunny is nestled. I’m not sure if the areas was the site of a nest, but this bunny really, really likes this spot.
We had a fun time hanging out, catching up a bit over dinner and getting our Trek on. And we also ended up watching an episode of the Lower Decks, as a bonus.