My New Truck

First of all, its been a very long time since I last wrote on my blog. But here goes.... My last entry seems to have been back in 2022. Crazy! A lot has happened in my life since then. My wife has retired from her position as a music professor at WWU. Our grand daughter, Evie, is 9 years old and about to go into 4th grade at her school. She attends a school for gifted learners. She has become quite accomplished as a cellist. She plans to audition for the Seattle Youth Symphony next year. She is acccomplished in Judo, winning a prize for her Kata last Spring at a large tournament. She is a voracious reader and talented writer. We get to have her here at our place for the week starting next Sunday. I have stepped down as Secretary for the Bellingham Sail and Power Squadron. I still am the historian and editor of our newsletter. Keeps me very busy! We are still very active in the squadron. Perhaps the biggest single change in my life since my last entry has to do with our boat--The Key of Sea, our 36' Bayliner which we have owned and enjoyed for the past 15 years and that I have often written about here. Last August 2023, exactly one year ago, we sold her. It had become too much trouble to deal with and keep repaired and, well, it was just time. We found a great new owner who got a hell of a deal but most importantly he had the skills to fix what needed fixing. It has made a big difference in our lives due the financial windfall of not having to pay the insurance, the moorage, the power bill, the cost of maintenance, etc. It does make participating in boating activities pretty difficult but we're fine with that. We are doing a lot of traveling. For me it's mostly road trips as i have got fed up with long distance air travel. We have flown to places on the wesr coast including Hawaii but beyond that, I'm done! Leslie still loves to travel and has found a couple of girlfriends who do too. So, they have planned and made several international trips. That works fine with me. She heads off and I get to batch it on my own for week or two. We road trip a couple of times a year to Pacific Grove on the Monterey Pennisula--my favorite place in all the world besides B'ham. We stay down there for 2-3 weeks at a time going to places we know well to listen to jazz, eat out at our favorite places and discover new places. I can't really explain what it is that draws us to PG repeatedly. It's traditional. It's a special part of the early part of our life together. It just feels right. Most recently, in fact, as of yesterday, I finally made the decision I've put off for years. Back in 1997, when my mother passed away, after we'd settled her estate, there was enough money left for me to purchase a Ford Ranger pick up and it has been with us, serving us well, ever since--for 27 years. But as time has gone along the old truck has got older and the dents and scraps got more pronounced. Finally, she had become more costly to repair. It was time! Yesterday, I pulled the switch and purchased a 2022 Toyota Tacoma crew cab with a 5' bed and a V6 engine. It has four doors and easily seats 5. I love it! Yes, it is used but only has 25,000 miles on it and is in beautiful condition. And the local Toyota dealer was selling it with a full warranty AND it was on sale as a manager's special. So, between the trade in of my old Ranger, the special sale price and another discount as Costco members, we came away with a really good deal. I imagine it will be the last truck I ever own. I'm fine with that and I'm already enjoying the heck out of it. So solid, it's got power and it looks great. I suppose that about catches me (and you) up for now. I'll try to check in more often. Thanks for listening!