Is that all she does? Make her hop!
Thursday I went in to work at 6:00 pm and got off work at 2:00 am. So I didn't get to sleep until about 4:00 am. I had Friday off, but since I had to be in at work Saturday at 6:00 am, it was a short day.
I woke up about 12:30 when stochasticjack gave me a call, updating me on his work situation. About 2:30 in the afternoon, I decided I should at least get out and do some grocery shopping. Instead, I ended up driving the truck south on Military Road. I got down to Milton and decided to see if the old meat market my mom used to shop at in the 1960s and '70s was still there. She would go there about twice a year, driving her pale yellow '66 Mercury Commuter wagon into Fife. All that meat would immediately go into the giant white top-loading freezer in the basement, to last the family about 6 months. Going there was always an adventure, because she was driving outside of Auburn. That was instant excitement right there. Also, to get there she had to drive from one valley to the next one over, which meant lots of going up and down hills, so that was fun for me, too. Even though it had been probably 30 years since I had last been there, I remembered the route perfectly. Unfortunately, the little meat market was long gone, just an empty space that hadn't been turned into tract housing yet.
I kept going, driving almost into Tacoma and then doubling back to drive down the River Road into Puyallup. But almost immediately, I started taking side roads until I ended up on Waller Road, a road I'd never been on. It went south for quite a few miles. The countryside was flat and full of old fields and farms, though there were plenty of residences, too. A highlight was seeing roadside signs that said "Willie Nelson says" "'Buy your fruits at the side of the road!'" Unfortunately, the roadside fruit and vegetable stand that followed was already closed with a "sold out" sign in the window.
When Waller Road finally ended unceremoniously at a T-intersection, I turned east. I finally came to some real civilization. I stopped at a Wendy's and was served by a very cute, very short Asian girl named "Bibi." I did not take pictures of her, so by internet standards, it must not have happened. Afterwards I took a road I thought would be interesting, but it turned out to just wind through some McMansions. I can't imagine people want to live in enclaves like that. They're so dull and uninspiring. I did get to see several dozen ducks milling about a small pond on my way out of there, though.
I drove back north on SR162 into Sumner. The small two-lane highway just can't support the growing urbanization any more. Traffic was backed up for several miles. That was true of a lot of the roads I drove on. New residential areas are springing up all over the place in southeast Pierce County, and the infrastructure can't support it. It's a shame, too, because this is all prime farm land. But it's relative closeness to Tacoma and Olympia means cheap(ish) housing takes precedence.
I finally got back into Auburn about three hours after I left home. I stopped at the Safeway downtown to get my groceries. Then a thought struck me. Where could I find Mexican coke? Real Coke made with real sugar? A quick text to SJ gave me a couple of ideas. I drove to the Mexican market that's across the street from my usual Safeway. I found the Mexican Coke, plus a painted prayer candle, some Chinese soap, and a Lithuanian beer. There's also a Russian deli attached to the store. I got some cheese and sausage. I really liked this store. I need to go there more often.
So three and a half hours after I took off to do some grocery shopping, I finally got my groceries, and the most thrilling part of the trip was the grocery store right by my house.
I woke up about 12:30 when stochasticjack gave me a call, updating me on his work situation. About 2:30 in the afternoon, I decided I should at least get out and do some grocery shopping. Instead, I ended up driving the truck south on Military Road. I got down to Milton and decided to see if the old meat market my mom used to shop at in the 1960s and '70s was still there. She would go there about twice a year, driving her pale yellow '66 Mercury Commuter wagon into Fife. All that meat would immediately go into the giant white top-loading freezer in the basement, to last the family about 6 months. Going there was always an adventure, because she was driving outside of Auburn. That was instant excitement right there. Also, to get there she had to drive from one valley to the next one over, which meant lots of going up and down hills, so that was fun for me, too. Even though it had been probably 30 years since I had last been there, I remembered the route perfectly. Unfortunately, the little meat market was long gone, just an empty space that hadn't been turned into tract housing yet.
I kept going, driving almost into Tacoma and then doubling back to drive down the River Road into Puyallup. But almost immediately, I started taking side roads until I ended up on Waller Road, a road I'd never been on. It went south for quite a few miles. The countryside was flat and full of old fields and farms, though there were plenty of residences, too. A highlight was seeing roadside signs that said "Willie Nelson says" "'Buy your fruits at the side of the road!'" Unfortunately, the roadside fruit and vegetable stand that followed was already closed with a "sold out" sign in the window.
When Waller Road finally ended unceremoniously at a T-intersection, I turned east. I finally came to some real civilization. I stopped at a Wendy's and was served by a very cute, very short Asian girl named "Bibi." I did not take pictures of her, so by internet standards, it must not have happened. Afterwards I took a road I thought would be interesting, but it turned out to just wind through some McMansions. I can't imagine people want to live in enclaves like that. They're so dull and uninspiring. I did get to see several dozen ducks milling about a small pond on my way out of there, though.
I drove back north on SR162 into Sumner. The small two-lane highway just can't support the growing urbanization any more. Traffic was backed up for several miles. That was true of a lot of the roads I drove on. New residential areas are springing up all over the place in southeast Pierce County, and the infrastructure can't support it. It's a shame, too, because this is all prime farm land. But it's relative closeness to Tacoma and Olympia means cheap(ish) housing takes precedence.
I finally got back into Auburn about three hours after I left home. I stopped at the Safeway downtown to get my groceries. Then a thought struck me. Where could I find Mexican coke? Real Coke made with real sugar? A quick text to SJ gave me a couple of ideas. I drove to the Mexican market that's across the street from my usual Safeway. I found the Mexican Coke, plus a painted prayer candle, some Chinese soap, and a Lithuanian beer. There's also a Russian deli attached to the store. I got some cheese and sausage. I really liked this store. I need to go there more often.
So three and a half hours after I took off to do some grocery shopping, I finally got my groceries, and the most thrilling part of the trip was the grocery store right by my house.