Toto, Where’s the Red Brick Road?

 

August 5th, 2019 – Safeway Route.

This was another warm but dry morning.  We didn’t see any of our regulars.  We haven’t seen Mr. Handyman in a while, maybe he’s on vacation, but we’re getting worried.  We removed a roadkill rabbit from the sidewalk.  Those reckless pedestrians!

The University of Washington, Bothell Campus is home for a very large Crow Rookery.  At dawn, the crows fly out to various locations and return at dusk.

They are especially numerous in the spring and fall.  This morning we saw waves of them flying out overhead.    Several of them stopped in a nearby tree.  Getting their assignments?  Catching up on gossip?  We don’t know.  We don’t speak Crow.

At the end of 112th Ave. NE, we picked up a lost license plate.  It had a heavy-duty bracket attached to it.  RoadSport is located in Campbell CA.  When we looked online, it shows registered to a 1996 Porsche Carrera.  Where the heck would the bracket go?  We don’t regularly see Porsche’s on our walks, so we’ll probably recycle it.  We took the first license plate we found to the Licensing office figuring they would notify the owner.  They thanked us and said they give them to the Boy Scouts to recycle.  We now cut out the middleman.

A Nissan key fob.  Or rather, part of one.  It looks like our Nissan key.  No, we checked when we got home.

We did find some money!  At this rate, we’ll be able to retire from walking in about 200 years.  And that doesn’t account for inflation.

This is getting boring.  Still no moths.  Our government dollars at work.

Great.  Half a fortune.  Google to the rescue.  “It is the hopes and dreams that we have that makes us great.”  Really?  As this blog states, “No, it’s pursuing and realizing those dreams that make us great.”  And again, THESE ARE NOT FORTUNES.

We found three balls this morning.  The red one is very bouncy.  The yellow ones were about ten feet apart.  We’ve found others like these in the past.  They are about an inch in diameter, dimpled and made of some type of foam rubber.  They’re not very bouncy at all.  It doesn’t seem like you’d have a ball playing with them.  Any ideas?

Someone again plastered the neighborhood with garage sale signs.  But unlike most garage sales, we were pleasantly surprised to find they responsibly collected the signs.  Well, they did miss a couple, but we understand.

We found some glasses.  No, the drinking kind.  They were near a bus stop and one was stolen from the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.  $287 to $394 per night.  For that, we’d probably steal it too.  Okay, it was plastic.  But the other one was glass.  On to Goodwill.

A Harley-Davidson hubcap.  What? Motorcycles have hubcaps???  It turns out this is a Ford 2004 F250 F350 Harley Davidson Chrome 18-inch Wheel Hub Cover Center Cap.  So it is a hubcap for a Ford Pick-up with Harley Davidson on it.  It’s for sale for $149 for a pair which is understandable for a motorcycle.  But this is a pick-up with, presumably, four wheels.  So confusing.

We found some unopened Lifesavers.  We reached down to pick them up and almost stepped on a snake-in-the-grass.  But it was dead.  Actually, it was made of rubber and never alive.  At least we are 99% sure it wasn’t.

 

August 6th, 2016 – Park-and-Ride Route.

Today was dry and a much more comfortable 5F cooler than yesterday.  We waved to Salinas Construction and got a verbal thanks from a lady at the park and ride, a couple of honks and several waves.  No money, though.  Really?

At one point, we went down into a deep gully after two cans.  We came back out with 15 cans, three water bottles, a beer bottle, a coffee cup and a partridge in a pear tree.  Okay, we didn’t find the partridge.  Unlike most things today, with litter, you get more than you pay for.  While we were bagging the trash, we spotted another can we missed.  It’ll wait for another day.

We removed three road kills today, a large bird, a rat and a native squirrel.  Probably most of them are native, but we were told authoritatively this one was a native.  Hey, we don’t know squirrels.

More partying at the park and ride.  The King County Council passed an ordinance that will allow reserved paid parking spaces in the park and rides.  A bad idea in our opinion.  Wonder if they’ll charge the partiers?

We found a couple of gloves.  A purple glove.  Then again, it might be violet or orchid, but it’s in the trash now.  The rubber glove was across the street from the Proctologist’s bus stop.  Unknown if it’s connected.

We met this guy near the park and ride.  We’ve met him once before. The last time we said hello and he glared at us.  Today we said hello and he just ignored us.

We found these two items together.  A razor blade and a paper towel.  No idea.  In case of a spill, cut rubber band and use enclosed towel to recover?  Seems like a stretch.  Or maybe it’s on the cutting edge.

We found another errant gas cap.  It was a long way from a gas station, so it hung on for a while.  They cost about $15 to replace.  Oh, wait, a BMW, make that $25.  Good thing it wasn’t a Mercedes.

So, yesterday, we found a McDonald’s cup used for tea.  We watched for the McLitterer’s bag, but didn’t find it or the second cup.  Today, we found the bag and cup very well hidden down a gully.   Standard contents: two used pancake platters, unused plastic utensils, two unopened syrups and four unopened butters.  We haven’t gone back and counted how many of these we’ve found, but it’s well over 60 by now.  So, on average, 120 unused packets of syrup, 60 plastic utensils and 240 pats of butter.  Great job Citizens.

Someone left us breakfast again.  A third of a bottle of vodka and some flakes of marijuana.  We got lost on our way home.

 

August 7th, 2019 – Safeway Route.

This morning was overcast and dark.  We used our flashlights for about half of the walk.  No honkers this morning, but we had a few waves.  We may have had more, but we usually can’t see the drivers when it’s dark.  Also, no roadkill.

We did find $20! Okay, it’s Monopoly money.  But it IS the Deluxe Edition.

But then we found the three-quarters of a dollar.  Literally, three quarters of a dollar.  However, it’s worth a dollar, so it counts.  If you have a provably greater than 50% of a bill, you should be able to take it to a bank and exchange it.  If they won’t, you can contact the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.  They redeem around $30 million of mutilated currency each year.  Hmm… we just need to think up a good story.

Three dog poop bags left at the top of the pipeline by Irresponsible Pet Owners.  People, it’s about being a responsible citizen.

Another rubber glove near the Proctologist’s bus stop.  There was something inside, more money?  No, just a napkin.  He must have been eating his lunch during the exam.

Liiv Botanicals.  A nice cloth pouch.  From the description, we thought it was to keep your marijuana in.  But a tag on the inside identified it as an Avon product from 2008.  The tag also stated “Cleaning Instructions:  Wipe with clean cloth.”  This makes no sense to us.  We tossed it in the washer.  

A tied-up sponge outside the KinderCare fence.  We think they’re trying to make a Shuriken, Ninja Throwing Stars.

Good luck with that.  Don’t venture into any dark alleys.

Two cigarette butts next to each other.  Standard and e-.  Great, eLitter.  Whoa!  We thought eLitter would trigger a spelling error.  Turns out there is an Android and IPhone app named eLitter.  The app is produced by a Spanish organization tracking spills and waste.  “The Zero Discharges Association is created in response to the social concern detected by a group of professionals concerned about the incidence of discharges on the environment and, therefore, on our quality of life.”  Nice.  We could download it, but it is in Spanish.  And they are looking for bigger things than cigarette butts.

Someone tossed a McMess including a note. It looks like they scratched out an “F” above “Grading System”   Well, duh.  We give you an solid “F” for this in citizenship.  People, it’s about being a responsible citizen.

OTC Drug Containers.  

• Nexium – heartburn acid reflux.
• Zegerid – heartburn acid reflux
• Imodium – diarrhea

If these are all from the same person, we wouldn’t want to be in their shoes.  Or anywhere near them.

We got a two-bagger!

As we were starting our walk near the apartments on 112th, we spotted a hidden McLitterer’s bag.  Later in the walk, we encountered another one on Norway Hill. The first one was well-hidden and did not have a use-by date.  It may have been there for a few weeks.  The second one is fresh with a current use-by date.  They both had the standard contents.

 

August 8th, 2019 – Park-and-Ride Route.

This morning’s weather was mostly like yesterday but a little bit warmer with a very slight mist, but not enough to cool us down.  We did wave to Salinas Construction but found no money.  We didn’t find any roadkill on our walk, but later in the day we spotted a roadkill opossum on our Saturday route.  We walked down the hill about a half mile and removed it, so it will add for today’s count.

Early on in our walk, we found a high school student’s ID card.  “Hey, the school year’s over.  I don’t need this card anymore, and I’ll get a new one next year.  What to do, what to do?  Oh, toss it out the window.”  We searched the High School website for anything about citizenship.  Nothing.  Is this a problem?  Yes, but we know parents should teach this, but that’s another issue.

Speaking of responsibility, another Irresponsible Pet Owner (IPO).  Nice.  Did you go to Glacier Peak High School too?  Sorry, we did not mean to single out Glacier Peak.  Probably the same could be said of 90% of the High Schools in the United States.  People, it’s about being a responsible citizen.

We found some headphones hung on a guard rail.  JVC. Only $11.00 at Best Buy?  Not a problem, I’ll get a new pair tomorrow.

Ok, also near a guard rail, really?  Another McLitterer? Maybe we need to start our own citizenship class?

Okay, let’s get this cleaned up.  Two wash clothes on 112th Ave NE.  Okay, it’s a little early in our walk to need these,  but it’s the thought that counts.

We picked up a candy wrapper.  Ten pieces of dark chocolate candy for $40.

More evidence of drugs.  Charred aluminum foil used for smoking dope.

We saw a Bud Light can in Gatorade Gully and ventured down to get it. We didn’t find any Gatorade-Butt bottles, but did find five cigarette butt-filled protein shake bottles.  And another empty anti-diarrhea bottle.

Someone lost a box of wood screws. “Count 129 Pcs.”  That’s an odd number.  Okay, when we got home, we had to count them.  128.  Uh-oh, someone picked up one with their tire.

 

August 9th, 2019 – Safeway Route.

The weather this morning was much like yesterday, warm and overcast.  We found no money, no roadkill and none of our regulars.  We did meet three people who engaged us in conversation.

One was a jogger who asked us how often we walked.  We told him six days a week.  He looked at our bags and said he was was surprised we pick up that much stuff.   He thanked us and moved on.

Another was at a bus stop. He asked who we worked for.  We told him we worked for ourselves and had a short discussion about what we did.  He was not one of the regular people we see that this bus stop, so we asked him where he was headed.  He was going to the celebration of Edgar Martinez being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  We wished him well and moved on.

The third was a guy in a Tesla who slowed and said he sees us a lot.   He said one day his arm would come out the window with a bottle of champagne or something.  We hope not.  A bottle of champagne would be very heavy to carry.  Even if he gave us an empty bottle of champagne, it would be heavy.  Believe us, we know.

Some of the first trash we came upon was this.  Empty vodka bottle, orange juice and unlabeled pill bottle.  Looks like a screwdriver gone wrong.

The warranty ran out on the Sedona.  “We’ll just toss them.  Someone will pick them up.”  Thank you for that.

At the KinderCare, more toys outside the perimeter.  We don’t know why, we’ll keep tossing this stuff back.  They have us trained.

Why did the deer cross the road? To get out of the way of the crazy yellow-vested walkers.

We saw a G sale sign.  Thanks, but we are stocked up in “G”s.  We could use some “Z”s or “X”s.

We’ve been following a weird turf war.  Along Juanita Woodinville Way NE, someone with a home with the rear facing the street planted some trees for either privacy or as a noise buffer.  Evidently, someone took exception to it.  Three or four of the trees on either side keep being uprooted and either left there or hauled several feet away.  They keep being replanted and uprooted.  We will see who will prevail.

Tylenol PM. These were found close to each other and the bottle had some pills in it.  Why would anyone buy some Tylenol, take a couple and toss the rest out the window?   The answer is, they didn’t.  When we got home, out of curiosity, we counted the pills.  All 24 pills were in the bottle.  We don’t know.

Another week and still no guests.  How can they afford to keep this place open?

At the top of the Tolt Pipeline, we found these empty cream charger boxes.  Someone making ice cream sundaes for the whole neighborhood?  No, we’ve found many of the cartridges on our walks.  These are like CO2 cartridges but use NO2, Laughing Gas.  People use these to get a buzz by inhaling the gas.  The “high” is from the NO2 depriving the brain of oxygen.  Doesn’t sound like a good idea to us.  These users are probably underage kids.  According to Amazon, there is about $110 worth of purchases here.  You can buy quite a bit of cheap booze for that.

Then, as we approached home.  More trash from the McLitterers.  All the standard contents.

 

August 10th, 2019 – Riverside Drive.

We were blessed with an overnight stay with our Grandkids last night, so Janet stayed home while I walked solo this morning.  Janet said she was making the sacrifice for letting me walk.  Uh, Okay.  I’m sure the extra hour of sleep didn’t factor into her decision.   Anyway, I got back before the kids awoke.

There was a light mist as I started the walk but by the end, it turned to a medium rain.  I skipped our normal cool-down lap down lap on 112th and returned home, totally soaked.

This was a disappointing walk.  Someone left us a package of 12-sheets of star stickers.  But when I got home, there was just one sheet in the package and it was waterlogged.  Into the recycle.

I found a Hyundai hubcap.  But it was pretty banged up.  Into the recycle.

A Wiffle golf ball.  But it had been run over. Into the recycle.  The extra hour of sleep started sounding good to me.

A lost saw blade.  It was still in part if its packaging and in pretty good condition.  Someone finally cut me a break.

At the Sammamish River Park, I found an FRH.  Flameless Ration Heater.   It’s to heat up MREs, Meals, Ready to Eat, for the military.  When I was in the Army, we got C-Rations.  Cold.

A pair of glasses in the gutter.  They were making a spectacle of themselves.

Someone bought Princess Pottymouth and tossed the tag. Twenty bucks on Amazon.   With likes and dislikes like that, don’t bother entering any beauty pageants.  You might add “Littering” to your likes.

This will come in handy.   We can use this to go through the trash with a fine-tooth comb.

Found a funnel. Wait, it’s a “Flow Tool”.  I’ve been calling this the wrong name for years.  How embarrassing.

The street resurfacing is progressing on Woodinville Drive. They paved over a straw and it broke off when I tried to remove it.  That was the last straw.  I headed for home.