Day 24 – (AD 247) – Jim’s Trek Part II – The Sequel – 20.7 Miles – Still Oregon on My Schwinn 150

Good Day,

Today’s Trek miles totaled 20.7 on my Schwinn 150, alliteration not intended. And I am still on The Dalles-California Highway at the junction of Shady Pine Road. To my left are the southern banks and marsh shores of the Upper Klamath Lake.

At this point in my return journey, from Seattle to Tampa, I have now completed 502.8 miles. My next Interlake address goal is about 640 miles away.

And today is a day worth celebrating. Today August 16th is Bratwurst Day and International Tell-a-Joke Day. And why did the chicken…?

This morning on CNN I tuned into a Norfolk Southern advertisement. Not sure if it is my concentration with Mad Men and Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged but I swear that the background music to the Norfolk Southern ad was/is Conjunction Junction from the show Schoolhouse Rock…


How apropos to my writing.

Mad Men, Season 2, that’s Season 2 MW, Episode 8 – The three main women characters are sort of front and center in this episode; Betty, Joan, and Peggy. Each has her own story line and each story, within the whole, is a subset of their lives on the set, and Heineken appears to be the backdrop.


My posting is short and sweet today. Not a joke, just to the point.


Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim

Day 23 – (AD 246) – Jim’s Trek Part II – The Sequel – 20.9 Miles – Still in Oregon on My Schwinn 150

Good Day,

This morning I cycled on my Schwinn 150 20.9 miles. It looks like I am still on The Dalles-California Highway just south of Collier Memorial State Park. The next intersection on the right side of the highway will be Rainbow Park Drive. It looks like I will still be cycling in Oregon for the next three days… Then its California here I come.

My stats for Day 23 of my Sequel Trek are:

• Location – Collier Memorial State Park, Oregon
• Sequel Distance – 20.8; Total 482.1 miles
• Grand Total Miles – 4,739.2
• Calories Burned - 606
• Weight – 162.4 lbs; Total Loss – 6.6 lbs
• Belly Measurement – 35 ½ "; Total Loss – 9 ½ "
• Blood Sugar - 111 mg/dL
• Blood Pressure – 110/79
• BMI – 22.8

Last night’s supper was sort of simple and relatively easy to compose, and definitely really, really good to eat. I made Honey Pork Belly and Simple Pea Tip Stir-Fry and served on white rice. It was the Pea Tips that were the new adventure. These were the vines and the leaves of the snap pea pods.

Episode 7 of Mad Men Season 2 was the movie fare on this morning’s cycling on my Schwinn 150. Abstract painting by Mark Rothko in Bertram Cooper’s office causes intrigue and bewilderment.

Just waiting to find out, and hoping that our three quilts - Tampa Lightning, Blue Diamonds, and Civil War Re-Enactment I were not on the catastrophic UPS cargo flight that went down yesterday in Birmingham, Alabama. Blumish Two quilt and wall hanging is currently in progress of being quilted. Sea Foam afghan inner top continues to lengthen.

Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim

Day 22 – (AD 245) – Jim’s Trek Part II – The Sequel – 21.0 Miles – I Topped 4,700 Miles on My Schwinn 150

Good Day,

Today I started my day by updating our order and the progress of our new quilts and wall hangings. Completely another journey that keeps me preoccupied is the design and work of the craft that I am trying to learn. Check out our updates and progress at Quilts SB.

And so I started my cycling somewhat later than usual this morning. I did complete 21.0 miles on my Schwinn 150. On the 22nd day of my return Trek, The Sequel, I have clocked 461.2 miles. In total I have passed the 4,700 mile mark, and my total to date is 4,718.3 miles. I still have another 682 miles to my next Interlake address destination.

I am currently located on The Dalles California Highway headed south. I am just about at the intersection of Pumice Street. In the image you can see the entrance to Pumice Street on the left-hand side of the Highway. The landscape has been pretty much the same these past couple of days.

In Tampa, well an image is worth one thousand drops of condensation of humidity on the sliding glass doors to my backyard. Dueling weather websites - Humidity 77% versus 60%. I would say it is hot, and wet, and steamy, sticky and tropical… and bloody humid.

And then there are those evening meals that I just cannot decide what to make. Last night’s supper Sautéed Shrimp and Spinach, with Mushrooms and Onions, Beans, and Couscous. Quick, easy but one hell of a lot of pots and pans.

Earlier I Goggled “Shrimp and Spinach” and found the following image by Vivmom. I thought that I would try and duplicate the meal. A close facsimile resulted, ‘cepting the colorful plate, and my version was something I thoroughly enjoyed.



An AP article published yesterday by SeattlePI caught my eye this morning – “Teen charged in bomb plot loses in mayoral primary.” I’m sorry, did I miss something? “A Utah teenager arrested last year in a Columbine-inspired plot to blow up his high school was eliminated in the race Tuesday for mayor of a small Utah City.”

The small city is Roy, in Utah. The population is about 37,000… and this 18-year old, would-be bomber and terror plotter, “received less that 5 percent of the vote in the primary…” Again I’m sorry. Am I truly that dense? There were actually persons in that less than 5% who voted for him. That approximates just fewer than 370 people. That’s the part that I do not understand.

People, this young man in 2012 had “pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon of mass destruction”, and had “spent months plotting an attack…” And his campaign thought was “People should trust me because I have proven one thing: That I am human… I have made mistakes, just like the rest of us. We’ve all made mistakes in our pasts, and I am no exception.” Well, at my age, I have made a fair number of mistakes, But, and that is a But with a capital “B”, I have never, ever, plotted to cause destruction to the extent that may or would put the lives of others at risk. And I am NOT part of "the rest of us"!!!

And who are the Idiots, with a capital “I”, who had the audacity and sheer ignorance to vote for him? Check out the article at the above link. I am just flabbergasted.

And on to my viewing pleasure this morning on my Trek on my Schwinn 150, Mad Men – Season 2, Episode 6. The issue for the professionals is the position of Maidenform versus Playtex in the market. Yup, that’s the episode.

Be healthy, and enjoy,

Jim

Day 21 – (AD 244) – Jim’s Trek Part II – The Sequel – 21.3 Miles – At 4,764 feet on My Schwinn 150

Good Day,

Another 21.3 miles added on my Schwinn 150 this morning. Total miles to date 4,697.3 miles. The habit is now ingrained. My cycling has now become a part of my daily agenda. I’m still considering the sit-ups.

Today I can be found, traveling south on The Dalles-California Highway. I am still in Oregon on route US-97. I am just on the southern outskirts of the community of Chemult. The altitude is 4,764 feet, and with a population of about 300 Chemult is Amtrak stop.

Okay, I have learned something, and it is only the tip of the iceberg. The Public Web <-> The Deep Web <-> The Private Web. Not sure if I want to turn my PC into a Titanic.



Last night’s supper a variation on Indonesian Beef Rendang… Onion, ginger, garlic, Scotch bonnets (instead of red chili peppers), water, soya sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, turmeric, bay leaf, creamed coconut, unsalted peanuts, coriander… and I added some cubed Kabocha squash, and all over Jasmine rice. Very easy to prep and just simmer for a couple of hours… And then I made a Chickpea Salad.

The odors wafting through the house make an introduction to the Essbee Restaurant. You’re welcome.




I have been watching a very interesting 2011 documentary, Jiro Dreams of Sushi. I am intrigued by the dedication of Jiro Ono, to his craft and his sense of commitment to his life work. The commentator’s description of Jiro Ono and good restaurants and their management:

• They take their works very seriously and consistently perform on the highest level.
• They aspire to improve their skills.
• Cleanliness. If the restaurants doesn’t feel clean the food isn’t going to taste good.
• They are better leaders than collaborators. They are stubborn and insist on having it their way.
• The chef is passionate.

Definitely transferable and something to think about.

Mad Men – Season 2, Episode 5. Not sure why another new secretary is introduced, but Don is continually chasing ghosts and creating complications, sort of. This show is certainly keeping me consistent on my cycling journey.

Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim

Day 20 - (AD 243) – Jim’s Trek Part II – The Sequel – 21.1 Miles – Gilchrist, Oregon

Good Day,

Today’s cycling on my Schwinn 150, I finished 21.1 miles. My total return, Seattle to Tampa, mileage is now 418.9.

I am currently on The Dalles California Highway, and I am a wee bit north of the community of Gilchrist, Oregon.

As I went to IKEA yesterday, I thought that a Swedish meatball supper would be the fare-de-jour for supper last night. The Cream Sauce or Gräddsås, pronounced graad-sauce, is probably the most difficult part to create. A package, water, and cream to make the Gräddsås. But I was a wee bit puzzled at the expectancy of 1 ⅕ cups of water. I do not have any measuring cup graduated in fifths… And then I tried Tångkorn, pronounced tonguecorn. Looks like caviar. English on the label – Seaweed topping; Google translation – Seaweed barley. It tastes like a dull caviar.

Recollections of my favorite character on The Muppet Show – Swedish Chef… and one of his most recent mixtures, Popcorn Shrimp.


Sea Foam afghan has now lengthened to 44 inches. By my calculations we have now 12 more inches to complete the inner top before the perimeter border is constructed.  The quilting continues on our Blumish Two. It is a wonder to behold the results.

My viewing pleasure to my cycling this morning was Mad Men – Season 2 Episode 4. This definitely is a modern day retro soap-opera. A new Parish priest is introduced, and there may be something happening, thematically for Peggy. And the theme is, are, work, power, sex, smoking, and drinking.

And I continue my Trek.

Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim