Changing seasons

I found this leaf today... last time I checked, it was still August (and therefore technically SUMMER), but apparently that fact is lost on the tree whence this leaf came. [sigh] At least the weather has been nice this week.

New walk signals at Dexter and Mercer

New walk signals have been installed at the (rather busy) intersection of Dexter and Mercer in South Lake Union. These are the type that count down until the hand stops flashing, which I find to be quite useful. I noticed last night, however, that the northbound signal on the east side of the intersection wasn't working - it never went to "walk" so I had to dart across and hope that the cars turning onto Mercer saw that I was there. In the near future the city will be installing pay stations on the streets throughout this neighborhood, eliminating the free parking that currently exists. I guess it's all part of the growth that the area is experiencing under the watch of Paul Allen/Vulcan.

Near miss

As I was reading the Providence Journal-Bulletin on a plane that ultimately never took off (more on that later) I discovered that the hotel I'd been staying at over the weekend had had a fire alarm/evacuation while we were all at the wedding reception. It was really weird to be idly reading the newspaper of a city I don't live in and to come across an article with such relevance to myself. At first I thought the evacuation had happened while I was there, and I was thinking that perhaps I'd slept through it (those of you who know me know that this is a distinct possibility), but then I realized it was earlier in the evening and we hadn't yet returned to the hotel.

How many states have you been to?

I just found this neat tool to show you which states you've visited. There aren't many I haven't visited (and I didn't count a state if I only changed planes there - that would add Georgia and either Missouri or Kansas - wherever the Kansas City airport is). I've lived in three states (CA, RI, WA). I've camped in five (only five?? -- CA, SD, WY, WA, WV). Road trips help bring the state count up - driving around the Southwest with my family as a kid and then driving across the country 7 years ago helped my list grow substantially. (My sister is currently making her way from FL to CA by car, so I imagine she'll add quite a few new states to her list!!) I'd like to go back to Alaska since I was only there for a long weekend a few years ago. I haven't been to the Rockies since 1992, so that would be another area high on my list. Later this week I'll be back in Rhode Island for the wedding of my good friend from college. Interestingly I've never been to Mexico, despite that being the closest country to us where I grew up (the Bay Area in California).

Wonder-ful news

The storm damage that ravaged Mt. Rainier last fall has been repaired enough that the 93-mile circumferential Wonderland trail is now open for business. I attempted to hike the trail three years ago but had to turn back after only 25 miles when heavy, constant rain flooded the rivers and washed away the bridges. The damage from November's storm was far worse. I don't have any plans to try the trail again (though I'd like to complete it someday), but it's great that they've been able to get it back to working order with 1-2 months of hikable weather still left this summer!

Lolcar

Lolcar!
Originally uploaded by gecko_12.

The good news of the week is that I'll be getting a new (to me) car pretty soon! My parents' friend's mother is no longer driving, so my parents were able to buy her car for a great price. It has a few issues - a dent in the front side panel, a gas gauge that doesn't work - but it still runs well and has only 73,000 miles on it (100,000 fewer miles than my current car). It also has a brand new set of tires! My mom and I are thinking of driving it up to Seattle over Labor Day weekend, but those plans are far from concrete. The 1992 Jetta that I've been driving for the past 8 years has started to have more and more problems recently, which prompted this purchase. I've loved driving the Jetta - it gets 400 miles to a tank of gas and has a lot of "pep" due to its German engineering and manual transmission - but I definitely won't mind parting with the rusted engine block, lack of cupholders, and a safety system that consists of seatbelts only.