Holiday Outing

Yesterday was such a nice day. Not the weather -- no, not that. It was chilly, grey and damp, but at least it didn't rain. No, it was a nice day thanks to a series of events, both planned and unplanned.

The planned event involved driving to Olympia, Washington -- about 100 miles each way for us -- to meet up with our daughter and her family for a belated observance of Thanksgiving. My daughter, son-in-law and 3 gorgeous granddaughters (ages 18, 16, and 3 -- yes, THREE -- LOL) drove from Bremerton to Olympia to meet us, roughly splitting the total distance between us, and minimizing the driving time for all. Daughter had to pick up granddaughter #1 from her job at 4:30, so did not expect to arrive in Olympia until around 6 p.m. We, on the other hand, were fearful of a Saturday night crowd at the restaurant, so arrived shortly after 5 p.m. to claim a table (they don't take reservations on the weekends, which I find odd).

Our rendezvous was at the Olympia Oyster House, a very well-known establishment in downtown Olympia located right on Budd Inlet. Very near the state capitol buildings, it is a popular spot for local politicos, but is also an attractive upscale smoke-free sports bar/restaurant with exceptional seafood offerings. The food isn't cheap, so we picked up the tab for ourselves and 2 of the granddaughters, and son-in-law picked up the rest -- an eminently fair divison.

Here, I must digress and mention that Mike is a HUGE fan of college football, following the University of Oregon Ducks with a particular passion. Saturday's game was the Civil War match-up against the Oregon State Beavers, and the game was televised. The game had 3-fold importance to Mike. First, it is the big Oregon/Pac-10 rivalry. Second, if the Beavers won, they would nab a spot in the 2008 Rose Bowl. And last, but not least, the Ducks were looking for revenge against the Beavers for knocking them out of Rose Bowl contention six years back. A provocative combination for any dyed-in-the-wool Duck or Beaver fan!

In typical sports bar fashion, there are numerous televisions suspended from the walls of the Oyster House, making it impossible NOT to see at least one no matter where you sit. When Mike realized which game they were showing, he moaned, "Oh, no. I was hoping they wouldn't have the game on. I can't bear to watch. I think the Ducks are going to get pounded, but I won't be able to NOT watch!" I knew what he meant. It's a little like not being able to drive past a serious car wreck without looking. It can't be done. We gawk out of overwhelming curiosity, even though we know what we see might be ghastly. And so it was with Mike.

Initially, I thought this would be a BAD thing -- and he was predictably distracted throughout the meal . . . . However, the unexpected results of the game sent him over the moon! The Ducks opened a can of Whup-Ass on the Beavers, winning the game 65 to 38 -- and on the Beaver's home field!! "Oh man, revenge IS sweet!" he said, not even trying to suppress his silly grin.

Mike's overall mood was good thanks to the Ducks' huge win, the baby was well-behaved throughout the evening (with just one very minor "attitude adjustment" -- she's THREE, ya' know), the conversation stayed civil (our daughter sometimes treads into political territory where we rarely agree, so politics must stay off-limits when we are together), AND the food was good. Our orders included the calamari appetizer, a cod & chips basket, a Rugged Ridge BBQ Burger, the broiled wild Alaskan salmon, the Saltwater Bay Seafood Lasagna, the sauteed sea scallops and the 8 oz. top sirloin, and everyone seemed pleased with their food.

Family news included:

• Granddaughter #1 and her boyfriend are moving into a larger apartment.

• Granddaughter #2 announced her 4.0 GPA this quarter.

• Three-year old granddaughter #3 called me "Grandma" for the first time!
  

Everyone appeared healthy and well-fed. The soft economy also worked to our advantage by making the normally-crowded Oyster House a much quieter place with much faster service ....

We finally said our goodbyes and left the restaurant around 8:15, but rather than heading directly home, Mike pointed our Kia in the direction of the new Cabela's store in nearby Lacey. This part is the UN-planned event.

If you've never heard of Cabela's, it is a sporting-goods retailer -- formerly catalog only -- which is opening enormous superstores in key locations. Folks, this place is the sporting-goods store from HELL, a "man magnet" extraordinaire. I think there are few males in this country who could resist its allure -- or would even want to. Ladies, if you are looking for a great place to meet/pick up a good man -- and don't mind a smidgen of red-neck thrown in -- then this is the place to go.

Anyway, Mike followed the road to Cabela's like a fish on a hook, being reeled in without a fight :-)

Christmas shopping season means longer business hours, so Cabela's didn't close until 10 p.m., and he had plenty of time to wander around the store, drooling on the merchandise. I roamed around the store, too, taking in the impressive display of stuffed animals (big game, not toys) and the large aquarium stocked with huge rainbow trout, coho salmon, walleye, perch and other fresh-water game fish. I also enjoyed seeing the wall-mounted displays of record gamefish, like a 70 lb. paddlefish (ugly and VERY strange) and a 150 lb. channel catfish (WHOA!!), among dozens of others. Educational, to say the least. I marvelled at the impressive selection of merchandise, and saw some very clever devices, things that made me wish I fished or hunted or . . . well, you get the idea.

In the end, Mike came away with a new Garmin Nuvi 250W Portable GPS for $149 (a full $100 off the retail price) and a big smile on his face. "Merry Christmas, dear," I said.

We were back on the freeway by 9:30, made a Starbuck's stop at Chehalis, stopped for gasoline about a mile from home, and still pulled into our driveway at 11:50 -- a smooth, stress-free and uneventful drive with little traffic.

Oh, and that gas up? Well, 36.5 MPG didn't hurt our feelings either. Kia. Gotta love it.