I should fix my little gas price conceit, I have no idea what the prices have been doing in Oakland since I left (nor to I care, but there's a certain neurotic need to keep the journal accurate if not consistent) and I need to process some of the photographs I managed to take on the way. I say I take the coast route, as opposed to the inland Highway 5 route, for the opportunity to take photographs. You do and say many silly things in this life and this, I guess, is one of them.

Later. A drive to Portland with my sister mid-morning to walk through their World Market Fair and then their farmers market, taking the odd photograph. Actually, I more often like finding the odd photograph, didn't really get any, more the photographer half asleep at the shutter panorama with the occasional stumble into something better.

What the hell, I was tired, lunch and then a nap to finish out the late morning and be ready for dinner at a restaurant later with the nephew and long time girl friend. Off to Bainbridge Island Sunday for the family party. More driving, but done by my sister this time. Half of it, anyway.

Evening. Dinner at the “Leaky Roof” restaurant in Portland with my sister, her son (my nephew) Christopher and his girl friend Annie. An order of clams and some kind of Guinness beef stew that seemed the obvious choice to go with a pint of Guinness.

They were serving what has become (to my limited understanding) the trend in more exotic cocktails, mixed with this and that, but Guinness seemed a safe alternative. Wouldn't want to change spots at my age. It could go against nature, not something you'd want to chance after a certain age, plying the system with other than Guinness. He said.

Feeling good, although this writing seems disjointed and clunky. To bed at a reasonable hour this evening, I think, but after one of those local beers I'd had with my sister last night, see if the world seems less spacey and clunky tomorrow.