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Tonight, the aroma of a slow-roasting savory pot roast is wafting through the house, we’re planning our October vacation, and a cool breeze is setting off our wind chimes. Quiet Sunday evenings are the perfect time to reflect on the week past…and wonder where the time flew.

Catching up a bit. Last Sunday, we took a drive with our friend Paolo up to Napa to walk around St. Helena, have lunch in Rutherford, and taste wines along the Silverado Trail. It was the maiden voyage of Jeff’s new Audi A4–a classy ‘quartz grey’–which we picked up on Saturday.

Tuesday, I flew to Seattle for two nights. I returned to the convenient Seattle Hilton, which is directly across from my team’s client office.

Dinner the first night was my usual fun dinner at Two Bells with Jeff–the burgers were particularly good Tuesday. Jeff had to dart off to the airport to pick up his visiting mother, so I switched Jeffs…as in Jeff and Molly…two friends of MY Jeff at home in San Francisco. (Anyone confused?) Jeff and Molly and I shared a fine bottle at the Local Vine wine bar.

Dinner #2 was at a cozy local Belltown eatery called Restaurant Zoe…there were no Jeffs involved that evening. I had an amazing wild boar pasta dish…in addition to the fine company of my local team who found this little gem of a restaurant.

I did snap this very hazy (and blue) shot of Mt. St. Helens on the way north. I thought it was cool in spite of the poor quality.

I think we pissed off the automotive gods this weekend when we replaced Jeff’s ten-year-old Taurus with a flashy new Audi A4.

My Avis rental today? Yep…a Taurus. Strangely enough, in ten years, they haven’t improved the @*#(@&% turning radius.

Perhaps my senses are heightened (or deadened) when I fly, but I seem to pick out the oddest people. Today’s example…on my flight to Seattle.

No sooner had I gotten settled into my comfy aisle seat…in the exit row, thank you…when an unassuming woman approaches my row and says “I need to sit in this seat. I’m sorry.”

My suspicious reply: “Where is your seat?”

Her reply in troubled English: “Window seat. But I need to sit here. I’m sorry.”

So, what the hell. I’m a nice guy. She seemed innocent enough. I figured she was with a partner or group and needed to talk during the flight. I’ve got my iPod…I’m fine wherever…although I specifically pick aisle seats, because I like to get up and use the restroom without announcing my mid-flight bladder status to strangers.

So. Did the woman get up once during the flight? No. Speak with anyone across the aisle? No. In fact, she slept peacefully through the flight…except for when I had to go to the restroom and had to wake her.

Thank GOODNESS she didn’t have to sleep in her assigned seat!

I received a lovely letter from After Hours Formalwear today–actually an “attempt to collect a debt–informing me that the tuxedo I rented for my brother’s wedding had not been returned and that I was being assessed a $10/day late charge.

[Before I proceed…the backstory: I rented the tux in California, picked it up in Michigan, and Cliff’s in-laws returned it in Indiana along with his tux. I informed all stores along the way of this plan.]

Soooo, I called the friendly store helper in Michigan, and she confirmed that the tux was not in her system, nor in her store. Then I called Indiana, and they told me the same thing. But both stores said they would “look into it”.

Minutes later, I received a call back from Michigan saying that they had found the shirt and pants and vest, but there was no sign yet of the jacket or shoes. They said to call back in a couple of days, and they would keep looking.

To me, this is like stumbling on a bloody crime scene, with dismembered tuxedo parts strewn across the room. CSI is trying to determine which parts go with which tux.

I hope the tux didn’t suffer.

So, if you see a jacket or shoes matching this photo–dare I say it…HANDSOME photo–please call your local police.

Astute Tribulations fans might be wondering what happened to the tales of those latter days in Muskegon at the end of August, our serene drive to Freedom, and –most importantly– my brother’s beautiful wedding.

So, before the memories totally fade away…a few tales…and a few photos. (Let me also give credit to Jeff for taking MOST of these shots…they are magical.)

Our week in Muskegon flew by much more quickly than normal. Not only was our trip cut short on end (due to the wedding), but the beginning was clipped as well by our arduous trip into Chicago.

Nevertheless, even a shortened stay with family is an occasion to unwind and enjoy. We did some of our typical summertime favorites: big family dinners, movie nights, Whippi Dip, and another lazy kayak trip down the White River.

On Friday, Jeff and I flipped families. We re-packed and headed to Indiana for an evening wedding rehearsal with my family. Emily–our Garmin GPS–guided us south along Lake Michigan, west to Gary, Indiana, and then south to Indianapolis. No problems. Then we turned west again, and headed towards Freedom and Spencer.

About 30 miles out from our destination…in the midst of endless cornfields…Emily died. Technically, she lost satellite communications, but she might as well have flown out the car window and jumped under a Mack truck. Emily never returned…she still thinks she is on I-70 in Indiana. (Jeff is currently dealing with Garmin on a replacement after hard reboots and firmware upgrades failed.)

In spite of losing Emily to the children of the corn, we arrived at our hotel in Spencer, Indiana…the historic Canyon Inn in McCormick’s Creek State Park…where my family converged for Cliff and Jodi’s wedding. Jeff, my dad, and I kept Cliff occupied prior to the wedding…Cliff and I even found time for a puppet show in the Nature Center.

The wedding took place in nearby Freedom, Indiana, at the charming United Methodist Church. Jodi’s family hosted a reception at the local community hall…where the highlight was CLEARLY my best man toast 🙂 Afterwards, my family re-convened at the Canyon Inn for a quiet evening of conversation by the pool.

On Sunday, we returned to reality…the harsh reality of travel. Let’s not dredge up unpleasant memories…let’s just say that we hit horrendous traffic in Chicago, missed out flight, were rudely dismissed by United customer “service”, and arrived home late…again.

Let’s focus on something happy…like my nephew Benjamin’s laugh 🙂