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Weekend at McMenamins Kalama Harbor Lodge and I’m pleased to have a view over the Columbia River.

Almost on our way to Chicago. We just have to leave the gate....

On our way to Bainbridge Island for a leisurely afternoon of wine-tasting and lunch.

A pint of Amber Ale from Red Rock Brewing Company, the first brewpub I ever visited.

2010 Corte alla Flora Rosso di Montepulciano with wood-fired pizzas.

Clouds and mist burned off early to give is a gorgeous Saturday.

Long weekend at the beach to close out September.

Somewhere near the Minnesota/Wisconsin border, probably overhead La Crosse if our flight path is at all accurate.

Or anywhere else in the world at 38,000 feet.

Seasonal beers FTW.

And David’s brew, the Czech Pilsner:

Maker’s Mark. At a coffee shop. At the mall.

I must not be in Utah anymore!

The crab and asparagus omelet at Skillet. Insanely delicious.

At Skillet in German Village.

If Samuel Adams’ Summer Ale is to be believed.

And I’m ready to believe.

Brrr.

In no particular order:

• The Saga of The Trip Home in text messages and international phone calls
• I ATE A BIRD FOOT and other adventures in cuisine
• Traffic!
• OMG crowded sidewalks at 02:00???
• Some other stuff that escapes me at this moment

So, yeah. Pester me about it, would you?

Spent C$10, got 15 losers and 2 winners. Down C$8. Woo gambling?

Julie Anne won, 324 to 310.

283 to 195.

He looks up every 15–20 seconds to check if the signal has changed.

One day of part sun in a row, guess we can’t be too picky.

Scant though it is, the glint off Grand Gateway is most welcome.

There’s a certain charming whimsy to the cuteness that, to my eye, pervades a lot of Asian culture. Maybe we in America need a bit more silly in our daily lives, eh wot?

Fascinating to be in a country with such long history.

Also: GIANT GOLDFISHES!

The high-rise offices of Grand Gateway disappearing into the mists.

Foggy day at Grand Gateway, Xujiahui, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China

Catching the 522 near my house.

Back to work today for the first time since November 23. Since that day I’ve spent 8 days in the Caribbean (ah, sun/sand/water....) and took a day off for my 40th birthday yesterday.

And now SLAM back to the regular routine. Amazing how quickly the old patterns return:

1. Alarm at 05:30, didn’t even twitch.
2. Out the door by 06:00 to the park & ride.
3. On the bus, 30-minute ride to the office.
4. Yay badge still works!
5. Computer set up, time to start Outlook chewing on email updates.

All this and it’s only 07:15. I’ll spend most of today and possibly part of tomorrow filtering through vast volumes of email and other messages and catching up on what happened while I was out.

On the plus side, I’ve a short work week. So the crazy can only last four days.

How’s your Tuesday?

Bacardi Coco and Pyrat XO rums, pineapple and orange juices, fresh lime.

Ahh, the tropics. :-)

Chasing Tail ale in my Squatters Mug Club mug :-)

Snow-capped peaks south of Harrison Hot Springs.

Harrison Lake. Ahh, pretty.

This morning I returned to work for the first time in 17 days. I’ve been in Hawai’i most of this month, a six-day vacation on Maui followed by an 11-day Habitat for Humanity build trip on Moloka‘i.

I was struck by the inanity of my reactions to a few things as I started the workday.

First, the bit of SQUEE when my badge worked to let me into the building, and then into my secured workspace. No reason it shouldn’t have worked, but it’s always nice when you return from an absence and you can still get into the office.

Second, someone stole my chair. I’m using a different chair that isn’t quite right, does not have the adjustments just the way I was accustomed before I left.

Next, my monitors are at the wrong height, and I can’t seem to get them where I want them to be despite wrestling with the adjustment arm half a dozen times in the hour I’ve been here so far.

My work email had 7,000 unread items in it, and Outlook is still yakking with the Exchange server to synchronize and index everything. So I can’t search or sort mail effectively yet.

And now I’m delayed in my work by an network credential that expired and I have updated, but has not propagated fully through my primary domain. I can’t connect to any network resources right now.

All of which seems absurdly important on the one hand—how am I supposed to get anything done if my primary communication methods aren’t working the way I need?—and laughably stupid on the other, because I just spent 11 days helping to build a house for a family who had been waiting more than 20 years for permission to build on their own land because a government bureaucracy kept dragging its feet and piling delays at every turn.

A few hours’ wait for my email to sync and index and my network login upate to propagate?

Totally okay with it now.

Three-and-a-half-hour layover in Kahului, and the airport bar & grill we found near our gate doesn’t offer breakfast items. So it must be time for a beer and a burger at 10:00, right?

Six build days from flat platform to walls up, windows installed, siding on, roof in, and lanai built and raftered.

This has been an amazing week.

It isn't raining — I know this because I'm sitting under a gorgeously clear and brightly moonlit sky — but the slight breeze in the palms sounds exactly like a light rainstorm.

Ahhhhh :-)

We left the build site 3 hours ago with the lanai completed and the roof structure in place.

Crazy week!

Grilled mahi mahi and steamed veggies at the hotel restaurant tonight, looks amazing.

Only five pillows apiece on these twin beds.

I think they just aren’t trying hard enough.

Never thought I would actually get to hear “Stand By Me” on the ukulele, and it just happened at dinner in the rain.

I love Moloka‘i. :-)

this one spoke to me.

About four hours ago, I learned how to install vinyl windows in wood framing.

An hour ago, I led a team of five as we lifted, shimmed, and nailed the northwest window into place.

This trip RULES.

The sealer wrap and window installations have been our main tasks today. This photo shows the house’s northeast corner (the back door is on the right).

I only learned how to hang windows at 08:00 and by 11:45, I was leading a team of five as we installed the northwest window on the far right in the photo.

We’re also hanging siding on the south (front) side of the house.

Moving along nicely!

05:30 arrived fast today, but we have the gorgeous eastern sky to help wake us up.

Kumu Farms, a Moloka‘i organic farming concern, is hosting us for an amazing Fields to Table Dinner this evening. Spectacular flavors to come!

I could spend the rest of my life in this field at Kumu Farms.

Wish I could say it was a tan line, but no—when I peeled off my shoes and socks, I realized I’ll go home with more dirt and sand than I will color.