The Big Sale
Let us not be ashamed to speak what we shame not to think.
-- Michel de Montaigne
Saturday, July 29, 2000
One year ago: Big News
Two years ago: Fever Dreams
Three years ago: Nerves Sit Ceremonious
Wow! this is the first anniversary of my first meeting as an employee at StockCharts.com! I still had a few days to spend at Microsoft, but I went to lunch with Chip, Kellie, and Kat at the Redhook brewery, visited our future office (bare concrete, a big empty space), and our temporary office in the Bellevue highrise. It doesn't seem like a year!
The excuse for this trip down to the Klickitat valley was the big sale that Jack's parents hold every year, during Klicktat valley days (the local summer festival). They clear out the big pole barn, and various folks bring the stuff they want to get rid of, and lay it out on the tables. This is the one time in the year that Jack's dad cleans out the slurpee machine (where did he get it?) and makes frozen drinks -- strong ones!
Jack, his daughter H---- and I did a short run on the raft, putting in at "Al Smith's" place (not the former governor of New York), and taking out at Jack's parents' place. It was already getting very hot.
We went up to the swimming hole with Jack's nephew. My water socks are great for walking on the cobblestones in the bottom of the Little Klickitat. When I wore my sandles last year, I was afraid they'd fall off! H---- dealt with her fear of jumping from the high rocks. Did she get up to the bridge, where her dad jumps? I don't think she made it that far up. While walking quietly among the stones, I saw a crawfish, a small fish with a large head that Jack told me was called a bullhead, and numerous small fish.
It was fearfully hot when we returned. I kept my tshirt on over my bathing suit, wetting it in the bathroom basin every now and then. this really helped me keep cool! I sat and read under the willow tree. The folks hanging out in the garage teased Jack and asked why I wasn't joining them, but it was too hot (literally like a 120 degree oven) and they were all drinking. I visited from time to time, then went back into the shaded, breezey space under the willow bower.
There was a big feast for lunch/dinner -- smoked chicken, salmon, ribs, salads, cheesecake, pie. For some reason, there were notably fewer people at the sale this year. Nobody could figure out why. But all the neighbors were there, plus family friends. They traded some merchandise back and forth, so it probably all evened out.
* * * * * * * *
After lunch, a raft trip. Jack's sister T---- and her young son, the neighbors we visited last time we were here, and H---. I wonder if Jack's neighbor picked up on my irritation when he started ranting on conservative political topics last time? Otherwise, I couldn't figure out why he brought it up again as we walked to the raft. There didn't seem to be anything said to spark the topic.
Jack's sister was toasted. She has driftboat experience, but not rafting experience. She would keep piping up, contradicting Jack's orders to paddle or turn or stop. Sheesh! No wonder guides don't want to have drunk people on their rafts. We ended the trip at the town of Klickitat, at the little swimming beach there. We loaded the raft onto the trailer, then neighbor J--- and Jack's sister were really eager to have a few beverages in the tavern. I decided to wait outside with the kids, since the music was really blasting in there and I didn't want to drink.
* * * * * * * *
After we got back to the house, I showered and got dressed. It felt good! As the twilight drew in, Jack suggested we take two of the plastic chairs and go sit by the river, next to the bridge. H---- came too. Jack and she swam again, but the current made him nervous about H---, rightly so! So he kept telling H--- not to let herself drift in the water. A family friend who is staying for the weekend in a trailer, was throwing rocks down to splash Jack and me on the shore -- he didn't see H---- in the water! Thank heavens, no rocks came near her. She went in when she'd swum enough. Jack smoked a cigar.
As it got darker, we saw fish of all sizes rising to feed on insects. Similarly to watching a meteor shower, you have to somehow watch the whole river at once, in order to see them. I saw a bird fly straight across the river, at an altitude of six inches! I think the fractal patterns of the flowing river appeal to some deep part of our brains. They soothe us!
Jack said, "What do you want to talk about?" referring to the entry where I was so bummed. So we talked, about some specific things and some general things. I think he's reassured that I'm not trying to "file off his rough edges." One problem was that I'd sent email about some of the specific things that had been concerning me in that entry, before I posted it, but he hadn't read the email yet! So I had to try and recall what I'd said. We had a good talk, regardless.
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