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Friday, June 30, 2000
One year ago: Surprise
Two years ago: Teaching
Three years ago: The Ringing Grooves of Change
Jack's incisions have improved enough that he was able to sleep in the bed with me, using one of those "pillows-with-arms" to prop himself up. I think he was more comfortable than last weekend!
Jack drove me to the office. He and Chip put their heads together over the most efficient ways to get data into and out of a SQL database, since that's an area that Jack has experience in.
When he'd done enough reading up on tech topics, Jack went to do a few errands and to buy us lunch at Dixie's Barbecue. Dixie's is one of Jack's favorites (he's found none to compare in Bellingham, yet), and we hadn't had a chance to get there yesterday. Chip had never had barbecue from Dixie's before, though it's a popular outing for Microsoft folks -- he liked it, though of course it doesn't compare to North Carolina style.
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Jack and I bolted in mid-afternoon. We hooked the trailer up to the truck (parking it at the office worked just time), then headed south. I dozed off in the passenger seat. Jack felt bad when he startled me into wakefulness by speaking to me, but I wasn't irritated.
There was some confusion when we stopped to pick up Jack's daughter H----. Because we were pulling the trailer, Jack didn't especially want to haul through the back roads off the highway to his ex-wife's mobile home. H--- thought she'd be able to get her mom to give her a ride out to the Hawks Prairie Restaurant at the highway interchange.
But she wasn't there when we arrived at the restaurant! There was no answer on the phone -- was she on her way? We waited and waited. Finally Jack decided to drive around and check the nearby shopping strips; I stayed at our original rendezvous, standing in front of the restaurant reading a book.
Shortly after he left, H--- pulled up in a van driven by her mother. She'd been in the other room and hadn't heard the phone. so when her mom had called her and got no answer, she thought H---- had already left! How frustrating!
Jack drove up. We hustled H---- into the car, and left.
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We ate dinner at an Arby's east of Portland. The meat was bland and salty, the rolls spongy. At least it was food!
We drove up the Columbia Gorge in the early evening. The only dicey part was the all-metal-gridded Hood River Bridge. Jack had been concerned about how the trailer would track. In the event, it was fine. I'll admit, I'm not too fond of that bridge myself!
The Klickitat valley was roofed with pink and purple clouds on the last stretch of the journey. H--- and I craned our necks with each twist in the road, exclaiming over the fire colors.
We arrived at twilight, and tumbled into sleep.
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