He's funny

He's intellectual

He grills a mean steak.

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You never know what Mr. Thrifty (and resident Costco Master)  is up to in the kitchen. Recently, he's been replacing the name-brand almond butter that we've enjoyed for years with a version he's found at Costco. But I had no idea until this morning when I caught him making the transfer:

Tale of two almond butters

There is a functional reason for the transfer, in that it's just easier to use the almond butter on a day to day basis out of the smaller jar.

We recently ran out the fat-free refried beans we get at Costco. But Mr. Thrifty found the next-best thing at our neighborhood grocery, Taco Bell brand beans - 70 cents cheaper than the other beans on the shelf!

Home "originals"

I predictably had an immediate negative reaction to Taco Bell taking residence in our pantry. But, reading the ingredients, they were just regular refried beans, nothing nefarious to be found. Honestly, I would have probably passed these by on the shelf, unnecessarily paying more. But when it comes to lower prices, not much deters Mr. Thrifty!

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(Those with an aversion to hunting may wish to skip this post.)

I normally use a very light touch with Photoshop--not doing much more than fixing up scans of old photos, color/contrast correction, and occasionally removing distracting details. But for this photo I decided to do a bit more:

Hunters (Original)

It's a picture of Drake, his Dad, and his brother this past hunting season. I didn't take the photo (I didn't go back this year for hunting season) -- a family friend did. It was taken with our old digital camera, which Drake brought with him. I loved the photo of the three guys, but felt the photo needed a little something.

The inspiration came from a beloved family photo of hunting in the mid-1950's. That little guy in this pic is Drake (with his folks, of course).

Hunters c. 1956

And so I decided to do an antique-y treatment on the photo, but I didn't want to go all the way to black-and-white or duotone. I wound up doing more of a faded-color-print effect, with a bit of a "burned" edge around it:

Hunters (a little bit vintage)

Drake found the perfect bronze-hammered-metal frame, which provided just the right rustic touch. I thought the whole thing turned out quite nicely--and both Drake's brother and his folks really enjoyed received the framed prints.

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...John Lennon died. Garr Reynolds looks back at Lennon's message of peace.

___________________

On December 8, 1980 I had just moved to Missoula, MT. I spent that evening with a nice, funny guy I had met on my last (archeology) field project for the season--really the only person I knew in Missoula. His name was Dave, but everyone called him "Drake." We had dinner at his apartment and listened to the radio remembering John Lennon.

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This is a picture I've been meaning post. It was the day after Thanksgiving--Drake and I took a morning field trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden (just a couple of miles from my Dad's house). It was a very cold morning so we ducked into one of the green houses to warm up. Drake whipped out his hand lens (yes, he always carries one) and was looking at some blooms:

Drake

What I like is how his face is wrinkled up as he's looking through the lens (his face otherwise really isn't so wrinkly). And I think the photo kind up sums up his inquisitive personality.

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...since I had that somewhat horrifying incision on my forehead.

And you know what. It's still pretty horrifying. Sigh.

Me

Good news is though they got it all. I'm going in tomorrow for a follow-up appointment.

I'm still keeping it covered with a bandage (I mean who wouldn't?!) - but they want me to keep it covered even if I wasn't so inclined.

Actually, it kind of makes me cry to look at it. But it's been a tough week, with Drake out of town visiting his family. I normally go back with him this time of year, but since I had so much time off work this summer with my Dad (my current client waited a month for me to get back) I didn't feel I could take more than a couple of days at Thanksgiving. But now I just feel really sad that I'm not there visiting, since I adore Drake's mom, dad, brother (and his kids). I did get to see them (though not the kids) in Chicago since they came up for my Dad's visitation/memorial service. That was really nice.

I just think I'll crawl in bed with a good book...

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-- > Drake's mom gets Drake's computer.

-- > Drake gets my computer.

-- > I, well...I get a new computer.

I just pushed the button on a new, Leopard-installed 24-inch iMac.

This is precipitated mostly by Drake's mom's computer, an ancient first-generation iMac, which seems on its last legs. Drake will back visiting his folks in a couple of weeks and can get her all set up on his (former) computer. And I've been wanting to switch to an Intel Mac for some time, but decided to wait until Leopard. So the timing was right.

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Nobody can pack a dishwater like Drake (aka Mr. Thrifty).

Dishwasher

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After spending so much time away from home the past couple of months, I appreciate the simple pleasures of being at home. Drake talked me into going up to our building's roof deck last night, even though I was feeling somewhat wilted. It was a perfect warm Seattle summer night, with a beautiful view of Mt. Rainier.

Drake waves and chats

The view

Anyone remember the Cryan' Shames version of Up on the Roof?

Right smack dab in the middle of town
I've found a paradise that's trouble proof (up on the roof)
And if this world starts getting you down
There's room enough for two
Up on the roof (up on the roof)
Up on the roo-oo-oof (up on the roof)
Oh, come on, baby (up on the roof)
Oh, come on, honey (up on the roof)

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I am still working [working as in night and day] my way through this week.

This morning I had a client meeting first thing, and when I arrived I took the opportunity to visit the restroom. Which happened to coincide with my phone somehow dialing Drake, who, well, had no problem figuring out where I was (complete with flushing sounds, hand-washing, etc.).

I have NO idea how my phone dialed - I have a key-lock enabled that prevents any keys from activating unless I explicitly take my phone out and unlock the keyboard. Thank heaven the phone dialed Drake and not someone else on my contact list.

I discovered the phone was on a call when pulled my phone out to double-checked that the ringer was turned off. How my phone turned itself on and dialed is a mystery. Very weird.

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