A Tree for Thee

Christmas time.  It seems to happen just about every year, whether you want it to come or not.  

This year I was ambivalent about the Holiday Season.  I'd just as soon not give in to making it the big event it is supposed to be.  Nothing against those with dreams of sugar plums dancing in their heads, candy canes, a blizzard of shopping catalogs storming my mailbox, the expectations of the 'perfect gift' and stockings hung with care or even Jack Frost nipping in the air; I just wasn't feeling it as the current vernacular goes.  It was going to be a low-key event around here anyway, no visitors, no family and no parties on the calendar.  Let us wish the new born Savior our best and leave it at that.  So, I suggest to my wife, "How about we just skip Christmas this year?"  She says, No, I want Christmas.  Never-the-less, I don't intend to make a big deal for Christmas.

I do put out some Christmas lights in front of the house.  It seems like a cheerful little gesture and brightens the neighborhood with a little effort on my part, no harm there.  Well into the short days of December, to the point where it may be too late, my wife says, "We should go cut a tree."  I remind her that this is the time when Kadee Christmas Tree Farm (60 miles east) closes for the season, you'd better call first.  She uses her phone and they tell her they were going to shut down last weekend, but they decided to stay open this very Saturday until 4 PM.  That gave us about 3 hours to get her Christmas Tree selected.  We peeled out of the driveway and drove east to the verge of Texas' Piney Woods to hunt for a tree in the tradition of Sunesons for over 20 years.

Those inflatable lawn ornaments - so 2016 - are all the rage, and are found proliferating on lawns all around our subdivision, were even found at the venerable Kadee Christmas Tree Farm.  

We grab a saw and a tree tag and we are off on the hunt

 A cold front was supposed to arrive in the late afternoon, but it was in the 70's (as so often is the case in a Texas tree-hunting December)

With bow saw in hand, we go to wander the back acreage where rows of Virginia Pines are grow and awaiting harvest.

Victory for Lumber Jill

A 6-footer fits into the back of the vehicle for the trip home

It used to be that around Christmas time and especially on the hour drive into East Texas, we would encounter other cars with a fresh cut tree tied to the top on their way home with the evergreen element for the holiday living room.  I have not seen a family car with a tree tied on top in several years. Also, it used to be that we would have 'Christmas Tree Lots' spring up in December in the far reaches of the mall parking lots, with fir and pine and spruce imported from Oregon, Colorado and states where real trees grow green and aromatic.  Alas, has it all become plastic and artificial.  So it has come to artificial, plastic Christmas trees?  What is next, artificial and plastic Jesus?

So despite my wish to skip Christmas, we ended up with a real live Christmas tree.  

As is family tradition, we stop on our way home to get barbecue.  But even the smoked ribs and brisket at Big Daddy's BBQ did not taste as good as years past.  Is it just me, or is BBQ becoming plasticesque as well?

Merry Christmas! 

Turkey in Wichita Falls (with Tomato Aspic!)

Some people just do things right.  So it is with Bill and Susan, they cook a classic Thanksgiving turkey to perfection.  Some years it works out that we can accept their invitation to gather at their table with family and food, and so it came to pass this third Thursday in November, 2016.  Mighty glad to join up with Sue's brother Bill and wife Susan along with oldest daughter Sarah, her two daughters Sydney and Sage plus her husband Rick.

Sue's job was to bring up the revered Cook Family Thanksgiving "treat", tomato aspic.  For those not familiar with the tradition, it is essentially a tomato jello matrix with black olives and celery thrown into the mix.  Bill eats it. Sue eats it. And I eat it.  All others spurn tradition and the savory gelatin.  Some family discord is to be expected at the Thanksgiving table from what I hear from 'Dear Abby".

Bill take the Thanksgiving turkey out of the oven at just the right moment

Bill & Susan in the kitchen for final preparations

Sue, having made the tomato aspic has done her duty.
Now she sits on the bench awaiting for a call to service

Sage waiting to taste a roasted turkey skin

Carving the bird

The feast begins!
Sage goes for a piece of crispy turkey skin

Susan lays down the scrumptious sides for the feast

Sarah has another load of food to place on the table

Is there a place for the mashed potatoes?

Rick & Sarah

Sue comes to the table when called

We give thanks

All is Broken (Chapter 1)

The report was not good.

The first report we got in August from a neighbor to our rental property in Arlington, Washington was from a phone call.  She looked us up on the county tax roll and dialed our old landline phone number.  We hardly ever answer that phone anymore.  However, this time, Sue was home for the day and picked up the receiver; "Do you know what is going on on your property?" was the leading question from the other end.  Our neighbor went on to explain/complain about large, rowdy crowds making racket and racing their dirt bikes on our 50 acres through the early morning hours.  She reported gun fire and large bonfires seen blazing through the trees.

We asked our local property manager to go out and take a look around and report back to us.  The report was not good.  By State Landlord/Tenant law, she had to give 48 hour notice before inspecting the place on Saturday in early September.  The tenant conveniently was not home (or just did not answer the door), so no inside inspection.  However, there was a mound of garbage thrown out the back door, many dead vehicles scattered about, rutted mud roads from dirt bike activities, junk, junk, junk and evidence of a nascent cannabis growing operation in the woods.  Also, the resident had invited some relations to set up a squatter's camp in our back 40.  All of this in violation of the lease.  Not to mention the Twitter post of his 17 year old son burning a vehicle on our property.  This is not a good report.

After 9 years as a tenant (8 of those years he was a descent tenant) without a single cent in raised rents, we all agreed it was time for him to move out.  He was given his 20-day notice under the law.

I planned a trip from Texas to Washington to do a lot of clean up and repair work, but I wanted to know what exactly what kind of work I was getting involved in before I made the trip.  The last day for the tenant was Sept. 30 -- he was having problems getting everything load (except perhaps himself).  He was finally gone on October 12 after some not so gentle pressure.  Once the house was empty, our representative could get a look inside.  As expected, a sloppy big mess!  But at least this troublesome tenant was now evicted and the gate locked behind him.  A relief.

We then get a call from our manager on October 14; someone has cut the chained gate that leads up to the house, and smashed out the large plate glass windows in the kitchen and the dining room.  Serious vandalism.  The sheriff is called and a report is taken. We file a report with our insurance, but they rule the damage does not meet our deductible.

We instruct our property manager to go ahead and board up the broken out windows and all the rest of the windows too.

Too Late.  Boarded up rental property following major vandalism of
All windows and many fixtures insied

While we are awaiting all the wooden sheeting to protect the windows and doors, Sue's brother Bob and his wife go by the place to take a look in the morning.  Bob sent us the first set of photos from his cell phone - this is our first look at the place since the 'Trouble in Paradise' started.  It is not good.

Bob and Ann stop by again in the late afternoon, and find that the vandals had returned.  This time they kicked in the sliding glass door in the basement, smashed out the all remaining windows from the inside, throw portable heaters installed to protect the plumbing from freezing through the large family room windows, and break fixtures inside the house.  We now file a second insurance claim, this one is pretty big.

Another call to the sheriff.  Someone waits for 8 1/2 hours for a deputy -- no response from the law.  Just "property crimes" do not matter to county law enforcement is the obvious conclusion.

I decide I can not wait for a report of all the facts.  I go ahead and book a flight to Washington to take care of the situation while on the ground.  But I think, the worst has got to be over at this point.  Right?

Junk pile left by renters

Back side of rental house.
Vandals broke through sliding glass door and
smashed remaining windows from the inside

All is Broken or Destroyed (Chapter 2)

We get another report within 48 hours of evicting our tenant, a once upstanding - now turned sour and rotten, from our rental property.  This is the family house in which Sue was raised along with her 6 brothers and sisters.  The report is not good.  Nearly all of the windows, upstairs and in the daylight basement have been broken out.  I decide I need to get out to Washington, and quickly.  I book a flight from Dallas to Spokane so I can handle this growing disaster from Ground Zero.

I arrange to meet my parents in Spokane.  They will drive their dually pickup truck from their home in Western Montana and meet me at the airport, and we three will travel together to begin repair and clean up work in the now vacant and vandalized rental home.  We hope to repair holes knocked in the plaster walls, clean up all the broken glass, paint all walls and ceilings and replace the kitchen linoleum flooring.

On this October Saturday morning we stop for fuel as we turn off I-5, and it so happens that I notice a deputy sheriff parked at the gas station as well.  I strike up a conversation about the damage done to our property just 3 miles up the road.  He tells me, it is unlikely that the mischief would be repeated.  I explain, No we have been targeted twice.  The vandals have shown up with bolt cutters to cut the chain to gain access to then destroy my property. Quite targeted and intentional.  I ask about the effectiveness of surveillance cameras?  The deputy tells me that even if they had a license plate or good enough quality image to identify the criminals, it would be up to the DA to decide if they would use county funds to prosecute.  I ask, so if I had the photo evidence, what are the chances we could get a conviction from the DA?  I am told, "It's a crap shoot".  I take that to mean, law enforcement does not give a rip about what happens to my property in the country.  The deputy shrugs and ends the conversation.  I think, "To Serve and Protect"? Ha!

We unlock the newly installed combination lock and extra heavy chain around the gate and drive up to begin working to get the place set up for some new and better renters in the future.  Mom sweeps up broken glass.  Dad sets to the very hard work of scraping up the old linoleum kitchen tiles.  I get started of patching walls and painting.  The hard work continues for 7-9 hours each day.

Mom paints the kitchen

Dad sands down the family room windows before repainting by Inga

Dad & Sean do a lot of hard work to remove kitchen tiles

Mom adds new paint to the Master Bedroom

Daughter Inga and her boyfriend Sean drive the 5 hours north up from Portland, OR to lend a much appreciated hand for a day and a half.  Brother-in-Law Bob comes by to bring a pizza for our lunch and promised to return on Wednesday with his 1 ton truck to haul off garbage.

Inga cleans up the basement and a pile of used hypodermic needles left on the floor.  Drug use proof positive. The basement had been crudely rewired to set up a "grow operation", including faulty wiring and holes cut through the exterior siding into the basement to run tubes to support the weed growing efforts.  Lots of damage everywhere I look.

Bob, Sean and I load up two loads of household garbage just thrown out the back door and piled up there.  At the county dump, the two loads total an even 2,000 pounds - yes that is 1 ton of trash!  We end up disturbing a family of about 4 large Norwegian rats live at the bootmo f the garbage. EEEEK!

Bob delivers pizza for lunch!

My father, after several days of hard work, offers his free advice: "Lock the door, go into town and find a real estate agent and list the property for sale. Now."   I listen, but I am not at all convinced.  Where he sees only liability and hard work, I see assets of a forested 50 acres with a nice creek running through it and a sweet landing place for our dreams of a retirement home.  Land north of Seattle is not getting any less expensive as the months go by either.  A solid investment at the very least.

After 8 days on the job, we partially settle up with insurance adjuster for the damaged windows and fixtures.  We lock the gate behind us as we drive back to Spokane, where I will catch a plane back to Dallas.  I have a long list.  It is a list of just about everything, since everything is damaged or broken.  Me and the wife need to prioritize how we will tackle the numerous projects needed to return the house to a rental state and a revenue stream to cover taxes and mortgage before we end up there as blissful retirees. 

Lots of hard work and expenses ahead of us I know, but at least we have turned the corner on this nightmare of a disaster.  Right?

All is Broken, Destroyed and Burned (Chapter 3)

Having returned from my labors in Washington on October 29, there refurbishing with much help, Sue's family home that had been our rental property for the past 16 years.  I had planned to return in mid-December and begin to sand and refinish all of the oak hardwood floors.  In the mean time, I threw together a small macabre scene in our hallway for Halloween.  But not enough time to carve a jack-o-lantern this year.  After I had finished handing out treats on Halloween night, I pulled out my long list of projects needed to fix the house and review it with Sue as we sat around the dinning room table.  It was going to be expensive and and a stretch for us.  The now evicted tenant had really never called us the landlords to have anything fixed, instead, they just let everything break without proper repair or else they had destroyed something and left it that way.  I lamented that all was broken or destroyed.

We were still up late as it approached midnight on Halloween, October 31.  Our old landline phone rang, and as is our practice, we let it ring since most any call we want to take, people use our cell numbers.  The phone switched to voice mail, and we could hear the incoming message: "This is Janet [our property manager]... I am at the property... please give me a call."  It would have been close to 10 PM Pacific Time.

We looked at each other, and I asked, "What do you think that is about?"  Sue, with a flat voice said, "Fire".

Arsonist started fire in Living Room
shown here

We called Janet, and she was at the firehouse giving a report.  The Fire Marshal was on the scene too.  Janet told us there had been a fire at our place, but she would have to call us back later after she finished with the fire officials in Arlington.  In the early morning hours of November 1, the Snohomish County Fire Marshal called us to say that someone had kicked in the front door, set fire to an over-stuffed couch that had been left behind by the evicted tenants, and that the flames had burned up to and through the ceiling above.  He noted extensive heat damage across to the other side of the house and through out the kitchen.  The back bedrooms were smoke damaged.  I asked if it was a total loss?  He said, "If it isn't a total loss,it's close."  The Fire Marshal said he was certain that the fire was of a "non-accidental origin"; Arson.

Collapsed ceiling in Family Room

Burned out kitchen and Dinning Room 

Destroyed  ceiling beams

The sheriff completely blew off all previous 911 reports of bad behavior by our tenants, and even failed to come out to take a report when all of our windows were smashed out.  Pretty much good for nothing.  The Fire Marshal told us that this was now a felony arson case, and that Snohomish County had the highest conviction rate of any in the state for these types of crimes.  We were heartened that perhaps we would finally get a true investigation and prosecution of the criminals who had been targeting the our property the past 3 weeks.  We filed a third claim with insurance, the first two were for vandalism, now this was fire.

Sue's brother Bob and his wife Ann did a bunch of social media sleuthing, starting with our evicted tenants (and prime suspects) and there connection - including several people who were living at our house in violation of the lease.  We turned those leads and information into the Fire Marshal, and he said. "This is helpful information."  AS of the end of the year, no progress to report on the case.  A big disappointment.  If our tenants did not burn down our house, they know the person(s) who did.

We know grind slowly forward with insurance settlement, finding a general contractor and employing an architect to design a new home as we gather our resources and start to rebuild.  It will be a better place in the end.  But... Do I really want to frame up a new house with the arsonist still on the loose, without a conviction and imprisonment?  

I have to say: 2016, A year like no other.

Young Turks

Winding down from the dog days of summer, it becomes time to devote some energy to some extra yard chores in the moderating temperatures.  This Saturday, after mowing the lawn, I pull out my pruning hook combination limb saw, and begin trimming off the multitude of sucker branches that are sprouting from major limbs of the ash trees in the front yard.  I have just begun lopping off limbs and pulling them to the curb when the young boys from next door come out to ride their bikes up and down the sidewalk.  My pile of cut branches across the sidewalk is impeding their bike activities, so I begin moving them out of the way.  As the 9-year old pauses, I invite him to come and pull the lanyard that operates the pruning hook and cut off a small branch.  It is a thrill to cut and make things topple by the pull of your hand, and so I select another pruning target. We repeat the process.  We introduce ourselves, I am Mark, and he is Tahrir, from Istanbul.

Tahrir is eager to scoop up the the fallen foliage and pile it up for pick-up by the city's bulky item removal service come Wednesday.  He darts into his house, then back out.  He come and asks me if I like chocolate?  I say, why yes, it is one of my favorites.  He smiles and darts back inside his door.  He then comes out and tells me I am soon to have a cake from his mother who is making a chocolate cake.  

I tell him, if is all right with his mother, I will take him into my back yard and show him our tortoises. We go through the back gate, and he sees Chomper grazing.  "Oh! Ninja Turtles!  I love Ninja Turtles!  We find a dandelion and feed it to Chomper.  Soon I get a piece of warm chocolate cake from Kubrah.

Tahrir and I are now friends, greeting one another enthusiastically when we both happen to be outside.

Next week, when I see Tahrir, he consults with me about my culinary tastes, and then darts back inside.  Reappearing shortly with cookies.  Then a few days later, the same process, only I an invited to his door, where Kubrah then presents me with two bowls of a Turkish pudding, I am told that the recipe came from Noah himself after the floodwaters drained off the earth.

One following Saturday morning as I sit on my back patio, I hear a clambering on the wooden fence.  Tahrir pokes his head over, "Hi Mark!  What are you doing?"  I tell him I am reloading the weed whacker whipper wire on my machine.  Again, a question regarding the culinary tastes.  After I finish trimming the front lawn, Tahrir comes to my door and has a plate of small pancakes with nuts and fruit.  I thank him and his mother for feeding me so well.

Saturday Breakfast, courtesy of my neighbor Tahrir and his mother.

Tahrir and his younger brother, Fhati, have homemade Halloween costumes of cardboard masks and are out parading around their yard as I set up my foyer for Halloween night.  I ask Tahrir, what is your brother's name?  After a short pause, I am told, "His name is 'Strong Zombie'". 

Sue bakes a loaf of pumpkin bread, and we bring it by to young Turks and their parents.  It is the least we can do as neighbors.

Howdy Folks! It's A Fair Day

September means The State Fair of Texas.  
Visitors are greeted by the beloved and iconic 'Big Tex' and his booming baritone, "Howdy folks! Welcome to the State Fair of Texas!".  Before the invention of cell phones, it was always agreed upon by moms and her kids; "If you get lost, we will meet around the boots of Big Tex".

And now that we have cell phones, Grant called home from Missouri, and said that he had a scheduling change at work, which gave him two extra days off while he transitioned to his new schedule, so... it being September, he asked, why don't we plan to meet at Big Tex? 

Grant pulled in in the evening, got a some home cooking and we made plans to catch the DART train the next day that would take us directly to the Main Gate.  We would figure it out from there.  Ans so we did.

Looking over the schedule of events at the fair today

Fair grounds is populated with many Art Deco statues and murals

A cut through the midway
Didn't win a giant stuffed purple bear -
Didn't try to win a giant stuffed purple bear

The 'Texas Star' Dominates the skyline at Fair Park

We cheer on the African Acrobats at a free show

If you haven't eaten a Fletcher's Corny Dog, then you haven't been to the Fair

Add caption

State Fair is famous for its fried food concoctions -
We try go for the 'Fried Twinkies', an old standard.
No regrets

The Swan Boats

Fair Park - Home of the Cotton Bowl

Pig races!  Our porker wins!

A concert by the Marine Corps Band

More fried food, this time let's try 'Fried Cheesecake' - A winner

So long folks!

I'd say it was a fare day.

GTT - Gone To Texas, Inga returns with Sean

It'd been far stretch since she'd been back to Texas.  But she let us know that she'd like to come visit for a few days and bring her boyfriend Sean along to see her natal land.  We all said, "Boy Howdy! Y'all do come for a spell!"

We picked Inga and Sean up at Love Field in Dallas on a Friday evening and returned home for what was to become a beef-eating bonanza.  I put 4 steaks on the grill over the charcoal and we had a late dinner of steak, crusty bread, mangoes and an angel food cake for dessert.  Sean marveled as he told Inga's mother; that is ALL her favorite food!  Sue smiled, "You know, there are no happen-stance coincidences here."

Inga had a Texas-sized agenda laid out for the two of them, mostly to immerse Sean in all things Texan - at least North Texas, Texan.

On Saturday it was up and at 'em by mid-morning with a trip out the back door to meet Chomper and Isaac, the resident tortoises.  Inga and Sean each took a few pieces of melon and had those two curious and friendly reptiles eating out of their hands in no time.

Later on Saturday, Inga had set up a Tex-Mex lunch with her friend Brianna McCord to meet Sean.  Brianna's parents who have been our good friends since the girls were very little also came to town from their place in East Texas to meet Sean.  After lunch at Mi Amigos, Inga and Sean visited the Dallas Arboretum, a favorite spot for us and the kids when our family was young.  I find it gratifying to have the 'kids' return as adults and revisit the places which we parents thought of as special family places.

Come Sunday it was off to the west to Fort Worth for the two of them to visit the world renown Zoo and then a hearty meal at Cooper's Barbecue at the edge of the Fort Worth Stockyards District.  They actually bought more meat than they could eat, so they brought some home for our enjoyment too.

Monday, we all had lunch a our local Chinese spot, Yen China; where, I as a regular, am enshrined with my photo on the wall of the restaurant.  I had told the owner, Nichole, that Inga and Sean were coming from Oregon to eat there, so they got a big Chinese family welcome when we all arrived, and a special plate of pot stickers on the house for our celebration lunch.

Inga had purchased tickets for our home team, play-off bound, league leading Texas Rangers.  This was to be Sean's first professional baseball game, and he was suitably attired in a Ranger's jersey and had been recently converted to the love of the game by Inga.  They were rewarded by a 9th inning, come-from-behind walk-off win by the home team.  Inga, who makes things happen, also made sure that they were in the gallery for the post-game show and got interviewed by roving ballpark TV reporter Jim Knox.

As seen from our TV at Home
Ingsa & Sean interviewed on Post Game Show 

A shot from our TV
Ingas makes sure that visitors from Oregon
are featured after Rangers victory on Post Game TV Show

Inga gave Sean a tour of her former route to Sachse High School; which she has characterized to all of her Oregonian friends, as "The most sterotypical Texan commute to high school one could imagine".  Her drive to high school took her by the Whataburger (beloved Texas institution), past the gun range, then along side the FFA livestock barn, over a limestone hill, thickly filled in the Spring by lush Blue Bonnets (Revered State Flower of Texas) and then to Sachse High. 

More BBQ on Tuesday.  This time to downtown Garland's brew pub and smoke house.  It is a 'hipster' kind of place, so it was a good mix of Portlandia and Texas.

Unfortunately, Inga ans Sean did not pack a bag big enough to bring Portland weather with them.  though they thought that mid-September might be mild and pleasant, they got the tail end of Summer, with temperatures at 100 degrees.

A trip to downtown Dallas on the DART train brought them to the Perot Museum of Science for a day and the free Dallas Museum of Art.  However, by the time they had finished there museum trek, the food trucks were pulling away from their spots in Klyde Warren Park - so they missed lunch.  No worries, Whataburger is open late.

What is a trip to Texas without an order of your favorite Whataburger?  It is incomplete - that's what.  Oh no. Can't have that.  We all pledged to allow Sean to have his first Texas Whataburger.  Inga had raved to friends in tofu land about the flavor and the experience of a Texas Whataburger, but they all mocker her.  They pretended that she was raving about a "Water-burger".  Ha!  They made fun of Inga and her Texas boasting often.  So, it came out that this is what Sean's trip to Texas was all about.  It was to be vindication for Inga once she got Sean to disavow his "Water-burger" foolery.  It was time for tasting a Whataburger, a time for tasting comeuppance.

At the Door of Delicious Texas

Sean Orders his A-1 Thick & Hearty Burger

At Whataburger, they serve you at your table with condiment choices
along with your food & drink order

Smiles
You're eating a Texas Whataburger

Good Eatin'

Sean capitulates and agrees with Inga that a Whataburger is pretty dang tasty.

They pack up there Texas memories and return to the cool, gray skies of Portland.  They say that they will be back.

Happy Trails!