"Never mistake activity for achievement" - John Wooden

Mid-morning Monday and I'm sitting in our hotel room in Seattle.

I got in about 6 p.m. last night after deciding not to push it enough to make dinner at 5:00, especially given the variable of Seattle traffic during the rush hour. Took a quick shower (30 hours on the road puts one in desperate need) and went over to the folks' for a visit with them and brother Scott before coming back to our shared room at a Comfort Inn nearby.

Sure wish I could recommend this Comfort Inn to any travelers on the north side. Alas, no can do.
The minor stuff you can deal with - clocks plugged in to switched outlets (why??), door lock card readers that respond every sixth attempt, broken drawer glides - but a working room heater is a bit more important. Especially in Seattle at the end of October.
Sitting here with my jacket on.

Question: if I'm in Seattle and dial a local number do I have to enter the correct area code or does my phone know where I am and automatically supply it?
A: my phone (can't speak for yours) does not know and/or supply the area code. There's an old lady in Phoenix who answered when what I really wanted was to talk to my friend/colleague here.
That surprised me.

"Slower traffic keep right" said no driver in Oregon ever.

No one told CA gas prices are dropping. Pam paid $2.99 to fill the Kia before I left and I paid $3.69 in CA.
In OR I paid $3.29, but I figure at least 30 cents went to pay the guy who stuck the nozzle in my car's filler tube and then pulled it out when the tank was full. (Self-serve is not legal in OR.) And that's all he does; no washing of windshields or, heaven forbid, checking your fluid levels.

For a couple of years while a college student I worked at a Montgomery-Wards gas station.
Note: I realize that a significant number of readers may not have ever seen a Montgomery-Wards, has no idea they were a major national retail chain, or know that they had gas stations attached to their auto service centers. Yeah, I'm that old.

OK, the above was written early in the day. We (Scott, the folks, and I) spent the afternoon together mostly just talking. We met Mark & Mimi at Red Lobster for dinner and then ran a couple of errands for the folks on the way back to their place. Now Scott & are are back in the room and I'm ready for sleep.

Not the most action packed day, but there's no substitute for time together. And so today qualifies as very good. Tomorrow, more of the same.