Back (but bagless) in Raleigh

We arrived in Raleigh this evening but our bags did not. Our flight from Seattle was delayed considerably and by the time we made it to Chicago Midway our brief layover was whittled down to nothing. We literally had time to check the departure board for our gate and walk over to join our boarding line.

Though we just made it on our Raleigh-bound flight, we wound up waiting with our plane at the gate as the crew waited for additional luggage to be loaded. We of course thought our luggage from our late-arriving Seattle flight would be loaded during this 40 minute window but apparently not. Several passengers from Seattle were disappointed to arrive in Raleigh with no bags.
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Last night on Orcas

I see now why shipbuilder and philanthropist Robert Moran chose Orcas Island to live out what he thought was his last days. I also now see why Moran lived decades longer than his doctor predicted: this place is good for your soul. Though I’m exhausted tonight from the whirlwind of activity with which we’ve managed to fill our days here, I will leave tomorrow with a smile on my face and memories that will tide me over until we arrive again.
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Staying active on Orcas

We’re in the middle of our vacation and making the most of every minute. Thus, no daily blogging.

We’ve tromped around Moran State Park a few times, strolled around downtown Eastsound, toured Rosario, walked along the low-tide East Sound beach, and visited my friend Ron and wife, Shelley. We’ve taken a sailboat with Ron out around West Sound, watched float planes soar a few hundred feet over our heads, visited our friends the Taylors at their rental home in Beach Haven, spotted young eagles perched in trees near the water, dove in 50-degree water, gone sea kayaking, spied seals frolicking in the water, hosted a dinner party, dodged multiple deer standing around in the roads and lawns, walked around an old lime kiln in a park, relaxed in our hot tub, and toured the amazing homes around Orcas Island. And we still have two days here!

Today we hope to get to the salmon hatchery to watch the salmon leap up the ladders. It should be an interesting sight. After that we may take another stroll around town and explore some more of this magical place.

In the meantime, you can see our pictures on my Facebook page from Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. More extensive blogging will have to wait!

On island time again!

View on Orcas Island

We’re settled into our home for the week on beautiful Orcas Island! We were fortunate to find lodging on the island Saturday night at the end of our travel day. As a result, we were able to spend more time on the island and not at one of the motels in Anacortes, waiting until the next ferry would take us out.
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Checking in from over South Dakota

We’re in the air over central South Dakota now on our Midway-Seattle leg of our flight, with two hours of flying to go. The Southwest WiFi that I thought was so great before has turned out to be pretty sucky today.

The trip’s been smooth so far. We had plenty of time to board our flight in Raleigh and found combined seating on both legs of our flight. In Raleigh we had a really nice chat with a friendly TSA officer at the gate who’s a Chicago native. He gave us a tip on the only Chicago-style pizza he will eat in Raleigh: the Gino’s East brand that only that Harris Teeter sells. We’ll have to check it out.
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On our way west

We’re waiting for our plane to take us to Orcas Island for the week. The neighbors are checking on our Dobermans while we’re gone, which is nice of them.

We’re looking forward to some time spent hiking, Orcas-watching, exploring the village of Eastsound, and generally relaxing for a while.

We’ll check in again once we’re destinated. The family is so excited!

Petrol price panic

On my daily dog walk through the neighborhood, I encountered an elderly neighbor I’d never seen before, also out walking her dog. After exchanging pleasantries and walking on, I hit upon a thought that should have been obvious all along.

When we were living in North Raleigh I saw the writing on the wall that one day I will be too old to drive safely around town. Since I expect to retire in Raleigh some day, I wanted to live where driving wasn’t necessary. Thus, we now live within walking distance of downtown, buying our house as much as an investment for our twilight years as much as an investment for right now.
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Efforts underway to oust Carr from Raleigh ballot

Since Wake County Board of Elections Director Cherie Poucher told the News and Observer that no one has stepped up to challenge Lent Carr’s candidacy now that he’s back in federal prison, at least one District C citizen has. The Board of Elections has received word that at least one citizen intends to challenge Carr’s candidacy based on his status as an active convicted felon.

North Carolina’s election law states as follows:

ยง 163?55. Qualifications to vote; exclusion from electoral franchise.

[snip]

Except as otherwise provided in this Chapter, the following classes of persons shall not be allowed to vote in this State:

(1) Persons under 18 years of age.

(2) Any person adjudged guilty of a felony against this State or the United States, or adjudged guilty of a felony in another state that also would be a felony if it had been committed in this State, unless that person shall be first restored to the rights of citizenship in the manner prescribed by law.

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Lent Carr back in prison

Yesterday came news that Raleigh City Council District C candidate Lent Carr was sent back to federal prison for violating his probation.

While some folks on the WRAL message boards (okay, nearly all of them – WRAL’s boards are typically clogged with knuckle-draggers) think his predicament is funny, I think Carr should’ve been sent off to a mental institution rather than prison. Carr clearly has mental health issues and even today we as a society do not treat this issue seriously.

Then again, maybe prison is the best place for him. Maybe now he’ll get the help he needs. It’s a sad fact that if you want free healthcare in America you have to get locked up.