Have been lazing around here in M-F for the last couple months. Did have an exciting shower one day, the hot water just stopped! Covered that story in the last issue.
Walla Walla has a Little Theater and since I’m a fan of live theater, bought a ticket for myself and my daughter to go and watch ‘The Nerd’. I’ve since become a volunteer for the LT as a handyman so we’ll see how that goes. Anyway, the play was funny and entertaining.
Here’s some random shots of the stage before the play started.
And the basement fun room where we hung out during intermission, there was wine.
We went down early to look around so it was empty. It filled up later. And at the end of the show, the actors came down so we could visit with them as we enjoyed another wine in those tiny plastic glasses they have. My daughter was in the arts for years so she knew some of the actors personally. Something to do in the evening that’s not sitting in front of a computer screen.
Happened to cross paths with this old Ford…
What a ‘beaut. We had a couple antiques when I was a kid that dad accumulated but mom made him get rid of them as they were parked on the street in front of our house. Mom wouldn’t let him park them in the driveway or under the carport if he wasn’t working on them at the time, which didn’t happen that often as I recall. Was a hassle moving them around when he did so eventually he sold them. One was a classic Model A which he got running. Would love to own one now but without owning a garage it wouldn’t be given the care it needs.
Then one day I just felt like eating out so drove up to Walla Walla and checked out the restaurants in downtown. Settled on the Maple Counter Cafe. Tried the Clam with corn chowder as it was brunch time and I wasn’t all that hungry.
See the drink in the first pic? Not very good, and it cost $14. Definitely not worth that much money. The espresso though, very good. Ambiance was nice. I should have gone in when I was actually hungry…the menu had all sorts of interesting dishes.
And than July 4th rolled around. Remember I mentioned volunteering with the Little Theater? Well, they needed people to man their booth at Pioneer Days in Pioneer Park and I volunteered for the first shift. Setup at 9 AM and hang around from 9:30-11:30 handing out flyers. Got to the park a little before nine, and wandered around the streets where all the vendors where setting up and could not find a space that might be the Little Theater (LT) tent. I had asked the LT officials via email for a site map and they sent me one but it didn’t indicate our space! WTF? After circling the site twice I asked a park official where they were supposed to be. She told me they should be setting up by now and give me the site number of 43-45. So I circled again…no LT group, and the other participents told me their site numbers which were wildly different than what I was looking for, “Oh, that’s over there”, no, it wasn’t. Happened 2-3 times. Grrr. Went back to the park official and she escorted me to the site…which had the numbers lightly spray painted into the grass that I’d never noticed. And there was a guy standing there, like me a volunteer, and he didn’t know where the LT person with the setup was either. Around 9:30 she shows up. We set up the tent, and since with all that walking I’d done trying to find the space, my hips and knees were complaining. Thankfully she had brought a couple nice chairs to sit on which I availed myself of after we were all set up. Anyway…
This gal did an excellent job getting kids to come over to our setup and play the Pachinko board to win a candy, and their parents would then hear the pitch about coming to one of the plays or signing up for the season. You know the drill. I forgot to get a wide angle shot of the entire setup. Doh.
Next to our tent was this…they had a crank generator that people would crank to light the incandescent bulb (hard) and then they would flip it to the LED light (easy). Pretty interesting for most of the young (and older) people that tried it.
My shift was soon over and I wandered over to the porta potties but decided I didn’t need to go after all. Mentioning this for something that happened that I’ll mention later.
As I was leaving the park, I found this row of old cars on display. Had to get a few pictures.
Very nice rigs. Love those old cars. BTW, I’ve been going to Pioneer Park for years and it’s one of the finest city parks I’ve ever been too. And the July 4th celebration here is great fun, bands, performances, etc. Not sure they still do fireworks or if they ever did. Always a band though. Mostly it’s a picnic in the park holiday with entertainment site. As a full time RV’er I’ve traveled all around the US and have visited or at least passed by city parks in many towns and cities but this one is the best small town parks. There’s even a duck pond and bird aviary that’s very popular there.
As I was walking up to this car I smiled and nodded to an older women being pushed in a wheelchair towards the main park. A second later, her assistant came over and pointed out that my fly was open. DOH! Shame! And I’d wandered around the park after my LT shift too. Jeese. I’m an official old guy who leaves his zipper down when I didn’t even use the porta potty. I didn’t blush though as, you know, it happens.
After touring the cars, headed home and since then I’ve not done much other than search for a home to buy. A few days ago, my daughter called up and told me that the house right across from her house was up for sale or rent. Hm. So I drove over and the owner was there. Gave me a tour of the place and it’s a crappy little 980 sq ft 1963 home with a 200 sq ft bonus room that used to be the garage turned into a bedroom with access through the 2nd bedroom. Not ideal. But the guy quoted $280,000! Outrageous for this area of the state of Oregon. So far, in M-F, there have only been 4 homes sold. I’m going to throw him an offer soon, but I really don’t like the place much. Nowhere to park my RV for one thing. As a rental (asking $1800/mo) he wouldn’t give me a discount for the 6 months of the year it would be unoccupied either. The big benefit to the place if I bought it at a reasonable price was the fact that it’s so close to my daughter, just diagonally across the street…and I’m not getting any younger, which my daughter pointed out as she is lobbying hard for me to buy or rent it.
And than another home went up for sale just 2 blocks away. Went to visit that one yesterday. Beautiful remodeled extra large kitchen, but the rest of the home, built in 1940, is old time junk. For myself as a DIY’er, many years and thousands of $$ of remodeling necessary. Has lath & plaster walls. Hate that stuff. Just one outlet in each of the two bedrooms. Just 3 in the LR, one of them a 4-square metal box. Full basement though. Gas floor furnace is the only heating, no A/C. Single pane windows. Big area in the back yard to park my RV though. Alley on one side, lightly traveled street on the other two (corner lot) a block away from a lightly traveled main street. And a 2 car detached garage. But only 2 bedrooms and none in the basement. Hard to imagine what could be done to remodel it upstairs so it’s livable. Bedrooms and bathroom take up half the top floor of the building, kitchen and living room the other half. Trying to think of where to put my computer room or even just a desk for my setup and electronic shop & toys and still have an available space for guests. The full basement would make it easier to rewire for sure as the upper floor is exposed. There’s one large room in the basement that could possibly, maybe be turned into a family room or extra bedroom but requires passing through the not so attractive basement area prior.
So I’m sitting here trying to decide whether or not to make a low ball offer on the house across from my daughter or an offer on the 1940 house. Or just wait for the inevitable housing crash that is looming on the horizon to see if any nearby foreclosures come up for sale. Damn.
Well, thanks for reading my musings. Hope you have a great RV adventure in your future.
While in our old Pace Arrow visiting friends that lived in southwest MFreewater, they took us to fireworks at that WW park. It was 40 some years ago though.
Family moved to WW when I was a junior in HS. We didn’t really go to Pioneer Park much except on rare occasions for picnics. It was within walking distance from our rental house so I visited alone often. Eventually bought a house outside of College Place which was so far away from the park we stopped going. Years passed and I married a WW girl and her family always went there for get together picnics several times per year. But ya know, I can’t remember ever seeing fireworks there. We picnicked there every 4th for years too. I remember the bands that would play ol’ timey tunes, the dancers and stuff though.
You’d be better off waiting for something you really like and not a money-work pit.
As you said, not getting any younger, does anyone?
Just my $5.00 opinion.
David..Up the river.
Yes, I am long retired but I’m fairly healthy and carpentry/remodeling/plumbing/electrical are all in my still set. And of course I have a CC. A money pit would only be when or if I paid way too much for a junker home. A handyman’s special though, would be a challenge but I do have my son nearby for heavy work.