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This AIN'T your Momma's RV, nor was it ours! (Image
source: curbsideclassic.com)
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Sorry folks, but that was the best I could think up
when beginning this 'lil Yarn upon my return home from what I fondly call
"the Other Florence," for which I labourisly scribbled 'bout our last
trek down the "Left Coast" for the Rods "n Rhodies Car Show in:
In case Y'all haven't figured out? I've been
away from thy Keyboard recently during le 24 Heurs du Mans, having been on Sabbatical
for eleven glorious sunshine filled summer Dazes! Although technically summer
doesn't begin until June 20-21st - depending upon what day Summer Solstice
falls upon, when sadly the days sunlight begins getting shorter; but I digress.
Thus, it was funny returning home after
another very enjoyable outing with Tacoma Bureau Chief Mary Ellen, Panda & Alex and "My Girls," i.e.;
Mad Molly and Thy Pixolator, my constant FURR-rocious lap Hoonds; Hooah! as
Pixie's even come to growlin' at Mwah when trying to remove her from said lap;
Aye Karumba!
Although actually having departed for an
evening's Symphonic rhapsody at the Seattle Center prior to departing from our
Tacoma lair, as several years ago Mary Ellen turned me on to the most mesmerizing
Opera known simply as Carmina Barana, having loaned me a CD of it performed by
the London Symphony Orchestra, Me Thinks?
Having forever since wanting to hear I-T
live, I got "the Call" from Mary Ellen informing me my wish had come
true, as this epic Opera would be performed at McCaw Hall to which I
immediately purchased tickets for the second Friday evening's performance.
Even better yet, our Classical Music radio
station KING FM would be broadcasting the opening night's performance in its entirety,
with an added first part half hour's Concerto DSCH, for which Mary Ellen
alerted Mwah to just hours prior to
thee curtain going up at 7:30PM Friday,
May 29th!
As interestingly, Solo Pianist Christina Siemens would
be the featured guest interviewee (taped) during the show's 25min intermission
- as she was actually backstage changing costumes prior to performing in
Carmina as one of the Opera's Soprano Soloist's...
As the following
review seems pretty tepid at best, for
which I hadn't gone to see the Ballerina's, especially from our fifth
floor 'Uber upper balcony seats - instead simply marveling over the music
wafting skywards.
And perhaps Y'all
are somewhat familiar with what arguably is its most famous tune, for which has
been used in countless movies, television programs and even radio commercials!
VIDEO: Oh Fortuna
As McCaw
Hall is named in honour of the Brothers McCaw's mother Marion, when Bruce,
Craig, John and Keith donated $20m to Seattle Opera House's major renovation in
the early 2000's.
As perhaps the name McCaw is only familiar to
Mwah? Along with Diehard IndyCar race aficionados, eh? After all, Bruce was the
major force behind PacWest Racing, our
local racing team between 1993-2002 - featuring such drivers as Danny Sullivan,
Mark Blundell, Mauricio Gugelmin and Scott Dixon to name a few.
Having taken the elevator to the fifth floor
to our balcony seats in the 2,963
capacity seating facility, where the acoustics are fantastic! Pondering the name McCaw I found
myself struggling to quit thinking about PacWest Racing during the beginning of Concerto
DSCH', since after all I was there simply for Carmina Barana.
Thus, I recalled being present at the team's
and Blundell's inaugural IndyCar win at Portland Int'l Raceway and find it
fitting that the team capped their '97 win streak with "B-I-G' MO"
(Gugelmin) taking his lone IndyCar win
at Vancouver, BC, whilst I cannot recall Blundell's other two victories that
year, before I told myself to quit thinking about racing during the Opera!
While most likely, nobody recalls that Scott
Dixon, now a three times series champion, the '08 Indy 500 winner along with
having recently surpassed "Uncle Bobby" (Unser) for fifth in overall
IndyCar wins, having scored his 37th 'W at Texas won the Indy Lights
championship for PacWest or scored the team's final, and Dixon's maiden IndyCar
victory at Nazareth, PA in his rookie IndyCar season 'Wayback in 2001...
As I suppose it's somewhat symbiotic, since
when I say I'm going to Florence, I often hear how I hadn't mentioned going to
Italy; Hya! And thus taking in an Opera seems only natural before leaving for
the "Other Florence." Not to mention Karmically having had 'CARPETS
read me that 'Ol Gordie's (Gordon Johncock) 1973 Indianapolis 500 winning mount
was owned by Craig & Susan McCaw when visiting the IMS Hall of Fame museo
this past Memorial Day.
Alas, the four of us piled into the "Abominable
Snowman" or great white Uhm? As I'll stick with the Snowman tag since
after all there's another such creature known as Sasquatch up here; Hooah! And
made our way very leisurely down the coast sans "Super Slab," aka
Interstate (I-5) Highway, spending the first evening somewheres' in Chehalis?
At of all places an Indian Casino!
Fortunately Mary Ellen insisted we stop at
Oswald West on our way south, where we took a very quick 'Walkabout to the
beach, since we'd make the mistake of trying to stop there on our return on a
sunny Saturday afternoon when there was absolutely NO room for our nearly
30-foot monstrosity - as Mary Ellen proclaimed there must be at least 100-cars
parked there!
As driving The Beast thru Cannon Beach must
have been even more unnerving for Mary Ellen since it was Chock-o-Block full of
tourists, vehicles, etc as we vainly searched for Beach access that your
visually impaired 'Vurd Botcherer could easily navigate.
As it was funny that while spending three
nights in Honeyman State Park, Alex's favourite due to its magnificent Sand
Dunes was cold due to the combinations of overly strong winds, cool ocean
breeze and our campsite being primarily in the shade; Crikeys!
Yet it was a relatively short trip by comparison to
last year's 'Mega 17-day outing, for which I scribbled labourisly in;
As we were primarily there to attend Colin's
GED Graduation ceremony, for which his teacher Leonora really believes in her
students, cares for them and thinks they should experience the emotions of graduating,
as Colin's Lane Community College's Florence campus class of 2015 had four students participating in said ceremony.
And the day prior to actually leaving for
this adventure after having checked out the Audiobooks, as we stood in the
parking lot having a Chinwag' with some locals whilst trying to figure out a nearby
street's name, was it VAssalt, Visher or
Vassar? I quickly blustered out I know a Jimmy Vasser! As Mary Ellen snorted
I'm always anglin' to work motor racing into a conversation; Hooah!
And I did get two other wishes granted, the
first being to ride "Little Toot;" Err the insanely small nine car
Ferryboat across the Columbia River, for which we learned had been upgraded to
a new somewhat larger Ferryboat having cost $4.5m from our amiable ticket taker.
On our way home, as Mary Ellen managed to
drive our entire 802 miles odyssey without ever limping onto I-5, preferring to
travel the two lane Twisty 'Ash-fault instead. For which I'm certain the many
cars and trucks behind us on Highway 101 dually appreciated, right? We diverted
to Fort Stevens.
Although I'd taken a veritable treasure trove
'O CD Audiobooks to listen to, I never got around to actually listening to any,
as Fort Stevens came to my Attenzione courtesy of one of the many Clive Cussler
novels I've enjoyed over the years, having discovered it in Black Wind.
As Fort Stevens was built in 1863 and guarded
the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon, and was the only military
installation in the United States that was attacked during World War II by a
Japanese submarine, which ironically if they'd only known about the Manhattan
Project and Hanford further up the Columbia, Eh! Having loosely first
chronicled Black Wind in;
And further
chronicling in another Tomaso Files tome, after having only gotten halfway thru
the book previously - I enthused how the Black Wind novel taught me who Ryan
Brisco's NTT Data sponsor was.
As Fort Stevens was within easy reach of our
destination Warrenton, which hey Oregon! If you're gonna stick with your ridiculous
law over having somebody else Fillerup' our petrol tanks, then for DAMN sure,
put our gas cap back upon our vehicle! As Mary Ellen's now the proud owner of a
spare gas cap since our original was left off when filling The Beast's
25-gallon gas tank on our way south.
And when crossing over the Columbia via the Astoria bridge, Mary Ellen noted for
the second time in a week mud could be seen along the river's banks which I've
never heard of before, while one of my favourite local grocery store checkers
informed me he'd cut his fishing trip short because the river lacked any decent
amount of water! While Cheryl, my Awesome shopping assistant told me ditto for
Lake Cochise, all of this whilst William Shatner wobbles on 'bout us sending
California our water; Oh Never Mind!
Having spent another very enjoyable night's
respite in one of our favourite 'lil camping spots, as I settled down for my
evening's slumber in Bay City, I pondered what was happening at Circuit de la
Sarthe and surely the competitors were having a much more grueling time than I snuggled warmly in
"The Beast!"
After having arrived somewheres' around
Midnight, the next morning Claudio' of Austin fame inquired what races were
going on? To which I replied they don't race on weekdays. Hey Dude, its Sunday! Oh Crap, I guess that the 24
Heurs du Mans is over by now, totally oblivious to the wonderful outcome of the
day's IndyCar race in Toronto.
While also still totally oblivious to the
fact that thee "Incredible Hulkster," aka Nico Hulkenberg had just
won the classic endurance race, while some Cat named Briscoe's Corvette had
failed to start the race...
As naturally Nico enthused
that winning Le Mans was The best race win of his life! As Nico finished
runner-up in my choice for current favourite F1 driver behind Valtteri Bottas
who stood on the podium in Montreal, while now the pundits ponder;
