July 27, Missoula to Oakland

July 27, Missoula - Oakland

Quotes of the day:

Some guys practice like all-Americans but they can't play!

As the bus pulls off to roll into a truck weighing area, THB yells out: “When I’m on vacation, I never get on a scale!” Ahhhhh, he sings, one more pastry before I go to the valley below…

Pics: Some bizarre knob and sign in the shower; the Doubletree fitness center and their sponsor (great equipment, well maintained); Clay Studio sign; graffiti; painted utility box; a Bike bike rack; air clawing; pepsi bottle on E-Bay video; kayaking UPSTREAM in downtown Missoula; THB back in his element

Arghhhhhhh; if I want to exercise and not be rushed for packing and breakfast, I gotta get up early. Soooooo, I get up at 6:30 and go ride the elliptical. Huge mistake. Well, not the exercise. Not getting enough sleep.

Breakfast: we share French toast and berries, best decision we’ve made in a week. Easy packing, time even to do some blogging (hmmmmm….if July 26 doesn’t make sense, this is the reason, and the time, when it was created).

Ten am and we up and on the bus, heading to the Clay Studio. The good news: we get to give up our plates and cups from the Ten Spoons benefit for group shipping. The bad news: one tour around and I am on the bench outside trying to focus. Once again some of the group does shopping, this is a great group for spreading California wealth in Montana.

Back downtown and a visit to the hip Brink gallery where the following items are out:
- A video of a an air claw, with the air claw attached to an air compressor (See pics of DB and THB being air clawed)
- Two paintings for sale and if you buy one you get a free I-Pad
- A video in the front window (and you can hear it outside of the gallery 24/7) of a guy doing a mock rant, on and on
- A video of a couple of artists that take found objects (like an old Pepsi bottle) and create a back story for the objects and then post them on E-Bay for sale; so far they’ve sold 15 of the 20 items!
Not bad for out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere Missoula!

We don’t wander far, just into the knitting store next to the gallery, where THB quickly settles into the BF chair while DB begins a hunt for a project. Looks like THB is getting a nice cardigan for the holidays.

Wander a bit around town and the river, where a guy is practicing his whitewater techniques in a mini-kayak; much jealousy, though today is way cooler than the last few, maybe in the low 80s, and overcast.

Lunch at Scotty’s: mole’ quesadilla for DB, artichoke heart sandwich for THB (excellent, on grilled sourdough), and Big Dipper vanilla ice cream (out of huckleberry, the local specialty) and a chocolate torte. Good combo! Service is very slow and sporadic, and the food is quite good. That seemed pretty consistent throughout our trip, and the food was definitely a notch up in Missoula. Only Caffe Dolce hit the daily double of good food and really good service: they are the Winnah of the Joe Montana quote book!

Short ride to the airport, then a scenic flight (propellers on the plane…) to Seattle, and now coasting past Mt. Shasta and back to the lovely confines of E-ville.

Next (substantial) trip: starting September 12, National Parks (and a few state parks) between here and Denver with a side trip to Des Moines and Omaha with the Oakland Museum. Home around the end of October, just in time to watch the playoffs as the A’s and Giants work their respective ways to the World Series.

Yes, it’s true, THB has hit his dessert limit (see quote), and will be cutting back upon return to E-ville.