The Rattletrap, Disc Golf, Tacoma Trip And More

(Above: This idiotic machine makes an appearance in everything from Monday on forward. Read on.)

Sorry guys, I haven’t had time to recap every single day of my vacation since it’s been so action-packed. I’ll try to catch you guys up on some stuff that happened yesterday and today.

Let’s begin with yesterday, of course.

JUNE 29, 2009
VEHICLE RENTAL, 8 A.M.

I knew the day was off to a bad start when I was cursed with a Nissan Versa hatchback that gets crappy mileage and has no auxiliary audio port to connect my iPhone to for music during my travels.

In fact, here’s how my conversation with the Enterprise agent went when it came time to check the vehicle. This is brilliant.

Agent: “What do you think?”
Me: “Neat little rattletrap, but this car doesn’t have an auxiliary audio jack. I gotta plug my iPhone in for some tunes.”
Agent: “We have some great radio stations here.”
Me: “I’ll be traveling up to the Tacoma/Seattle area tomorrow though.”
Agent: “They have great radio stations there too.”
Me: “Can you name three of them?”
Agent: (sighs) “Uh, no.”
Me: “You do know that I did ask for a car with an auxiliary audio jack when I reserved my vehicle online, right?”
Agent: “I’m terribly sorry we couldn’t hook you up with one right now, all our other vehicles are out.”
Me: “So what am I to do?”
Agent: “Well…we do have great radio stations here.”

I would have had a more fruitful conversation with a cantaloupe.

DISC GOLF, 3 P.M.

I picked up Brian Taylor in the afore-mentioned rattletrap and we headed on out to Forest Grove to play some disc golf in the shadow of McMenamins Grand Lodge. It’s a pretty little course with a few crazy obstructions and a 10th goal in which you initially throw from the hotel balcony. Pretty wild.

We both finished the first round two over, but the wind kicked up and Brian once again fell apart down the back stretch as he did often times two years ago…I won the match, +7 to +9.

We both suck. Me, just a little less.

JUNE 30, 2009
TACOMA TRIP, 10 A.M.

To counter the Rattletrap not having an auxiliary port or cassette deck, and Portland stations overpowering my iPhone’s FM transmitter, I ran off to buy a 10-pack of CD-R’s which would serve as my emergency music supply. I re-burned all my music (I think 150 songs or something) onto seven discs for the week, so it’s only a minor annoyance not having a shuffle button and instead having to switch out CDs because I’m tired of artists beginning with the letter C.

I was on my way out of Camas at 10 this morning, en route to visit my friend Holly from Lakewood (Tacompton suburb) when I began to be tailed by a Camas police officer. He followed me from downtown to Highway 14. This delayed me several minutes.

I was also delayed several minutes — this one intentionally — as I stopped in Centralia for coffee, hitting up Cuppa Joe just off the Mellen Street exit (81, it would be numbered). This has to be the first time in which two people tag teamed to help me — a young lady made the coffee, which was great, and I had a nice chat with the young man who rang up the order. He introduced himself as Elisha, and we chatted for a few minutes about his family’s musical venture (they sound REALLY good, by the way) and about my job and connection to the area — and found out we have some mutual friends from Lewis County. Whodathunkit…it’s a small world after all.

I arrived in Lakewood around 12:30 and my friend Holly and I spent some time driving around aimlessly, heading to a few parks, taking photos and even heading to the Museum of Glass in downtown Tacoma. It was cool and I’ll upload photos soon…I promise.

We also spent some good time snacking on fresh cherries that Holly had picked off trees in Corey and Michelle’s yard. We held a seed-spitting contest of sorts and I almost got lost in Parkland.

The ride home sucked, as there was stop and go traffic from Tacoma all the way into Lacey, and the Rattletrap guzzled gas like nobody’s business.

If the Rattletrap was my own vehicle, I’d key it because I hate it so very badly.

BACK IN CAMAS, 8 P.M.

I didn’t make it back in time for prayer meeting at New Horizons, but I did get to hang out with Joel Senior for a bit over at Papa’s Ice Cream.

Talk about an incredible hangout spot…the place just opened in the Washougal Town Center a couple months ago and it looks like a great place for folks to come hang out. It’s owned by a gentleman who is a Christian and once served as a youth pastor in his church, so that alone is enough for me to give the thumbs up on the place.

They serve Umpqua ice cream there…yeah, they don’t have that in Missourah.

After that, we went to the Caminas’ house where a bunch of us young men hung out in the kitchen and ate food, reminisced about times past and looked forward to the day I shall return for good to the Northwest, although no one knows when it shall occur.

I just lied. I know when it will occur.

CONCLUSION

It’s so wonderful to be able to come back here to the Northwest and even so much as see the beautiful landscape and scenery here. The facts that everyone I’ve seen here so far has been very welcoming and that I have had time to catch up with old friends just go to indicate the level of friendship that I have with many folks here. It’s almost as if we haven’t skipped a beat even though it’s been two years since I moved away.

On to more fun things tomorrow…aloha, babes.