Hello Ardith,

On Mon 2038-Jun-14 20:26, Ardith Hinton (1:153/716) wrote to Richard Webb:

AH>           Glad you enjoyed it!  And, BTW... since you also lived
AH> next door to Washington State... I don't recall hearing any songs
AH> about places like Sequim & Snoqualmie either.  Never mind.  That can
AH> be our little secret.  I've heard quite a lot lately about how
AH> Vancouver is a World Class City now, but in some ways I liked it
AH> better when it was a backwater others didn't know about.  ;-) 

I never did re WAshington state placename songs either .
THink I had a ham operator from VAncouver tell me that on 20 meters one day
recently as well .  I always liked
Portland, Or.  SEattle was kind of  fun, was there in '80
and '81 off and on.  BUddy of mine and I were busking on a
corner with acoustic guitars there once and found out we
took some other guy's lunch hour spot.  .  THere
were two of us or he would have probably made a thing out of it.  I think
we were getting money for van parts .




AH> [re life on the Wet Coast]
RW>  I always joked you could tell the real natives, they
RW>  didn't carry umbrellas .


AH>           I've also heard it said that real Vancouverites have
AH> webbed feet... and I see that a lot of folks around here don't carry
AH> umbrellas. 

AH>           As a high school student I noticed that some of the macho
AH> types who wouldn't be caught dead with a plain black "man's"
AH> umbrella would often use a flowered one if the rain was heavy,
AH> though.  Awhile later Dallas explained to me what was going on
AH> there.  For these guys it wasn't cool to own an umbrella but it was
AH> okay to borrow one in extreme circumstances.  If a guy was using a
AH> rather ostentatiously feminine umbrella others would know it wasn't
AH> his.  ;-) 

Can understand that one too .  I just never liked
umbrellas, I have to carry a white cane in my hand to get
aboutt safely, and the umbrella in my other is a pita.  FOr
the same reason I don't like traveling with suitcases for
personal luggage, but prefer backpacks, or maybe a duffel
bag.  I have been known to do the plastic garbage bag poncho in extreme wet
emergencies.  YEs in our remote audio truck
we carry two plain black utilitarian umbrellas to protect us when moving
gear and making hookups, etc.  One of them lives in the van for just such a
reason, i.e. getting Kathleen
into her wheelchair.  FOr me personally though I like those
cheapy plastic ponchos, or (if I must) the grab a garbage
bag.

YEars ago when thumbing down the wet coast in the fall of
the year I ended up finding a fairly clean trash bag in one
of the receptacles at a rest area.  All paper trash in it,
so I just emptied its contents into another, turned it
inside out, got my trusty pocket knife and made a head hole
and arm slits in the men's room, and instant quick poncho,
back out into the rain to ride the golden thumb express
.

RW>  I actually liked the pacific northwest, just couldn't
RW>  make any money up there.


AH>           I like it too... but I hear what you're saying about the
AH> money.  If you must go where the work is, you're probably better off
AH> where you are.  :-/ 

Yah more opportunities, and the cost of living isn't quite
as high in some aspects, but higher in others.  I could have improved the
work situation by remaining in Seattle, but I
ended up elsewhere up there, a good opportunity at a
restaurant for a three month contract, was going to rotate
back in after another musician and the ownership changed.
Had some fun, lived some stories to maybe tell a grandson
when he's older, or maybe not .

RW>  Kathy and I tell our relatives (Iowa and MInnesota)
RW>  that they'd best not die or marry between October 1
RW>  and July 1 because we won't come.

AH>           Years ago, I spent a couple of weeks with relatives in
AH> Saskatchewan during Christmas holidays & had a great time.  The cold
AH> bothered me less than it bothers many of the locals.  The winter
AH> before last, however, we were more or less confined to barracks for
AH> a month because of the difficulty of getting around in the snow with
AH> a wheelchair.  We have warm clothing & we know how to use layering
AH> to maximum effect.  We have rain gear.  We don't give up easily. But
AH> when our fifty-six+ inches of precipitation per annum arrives in the
AH> form of snow, we sometimes find it best to yield to the forces of
AH> nature....  :-)) 

GOod thinking.  Wish folks around here had those sort of
clues, but you wouldn't believe the folks around here who
try to fight it, and aren't equipped.  Kathy and I know what it's going to
be, and even when living upper midwest knew
that the first snow where one had to drive it was time to be very careful
and get the feel of it once again, i.e. slow
and steady gets it done, make *no* sudden moves, whether it
be braking or quick acceleeration .  THese folks
aren't equipped with the road maintenance tools either.

NEw ORleans on Christmas day a few years ago was quite fun
listening to the ham radio, and local law enforcement.
tHose folks *really* aren't prepared for it.

RW>  You can't have a Blues death if you die during a
RW>  tennis match or while getting plastic surgery.

AH>  Anybody who can afford these things can probably
AH>  afford a getaway in a sunnier climate.  It's not
AH>  so easy to feel sorry for them....  ;-)

RW>  YEp, and if I were going to play Tennis etc. I'd
RW>  rather do it somewhere like Hawaii.  I could like
RW>  living there, visited there many years ago, again
RW>  touring with a band.

AH>           Okay.  I understand Hawaii is one of the best places in
AH> the world to be if you have a heart attack.  Now, here's the caveat!
AH> Many tourists who are unaccustomed to the climate can't wait to play
AH> tennis & other active sports as soon as their plane has landed on
AH> terra firma... with the result that a fairly high proportion end up
AH> in hospital.  In short, the medical professionals there are *very*
AH> experienced WRT such matters.  My sources are an octogenarian & his

I've heard stories like those of your relative there too.
ONly way I'll ever end up going back probably is if Kathy
and I become affluent enough to book a cruise, because she's like Rain Man,
won't fly.  BLind folks who are affluent
enough to make the trip as a vacation and who are dog guide
users used to avoid it because of the canine quarrantine
laws.  IN fact, iirc some dog guide using businessman who
had to travel to/from the mainland quite a bit filed suit on that a few
years ago.  Wasn't a problem for my visit there
though .

closest I get to there anymore is talking to a fellow once
or twice a week on the ham radio .


Regards,
           Richard
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+