Olympia Traveler

Dave Matthews Band @ The Gorge - 2009

We survived another 3 day weekend with Dave and the crew at the Gorge in George, WA.  We stayed in the campground with our Class-C camper and had tickets for all 3 nights. We had some weather issues on Saturday and Sunday evenings, but everything cleared up for show time, and things stayed rather pleasant during most of the day.

We attended the 3 shows last year immediately after the untimely death of saxophonist LeRoi Moore.  It was a very somber and memorable performance last September, and we were glad to see the band pour some of that grief into their latest release.  Their new album, in my opinion, is certainly worthy of the accolades it is receiving internationally.  

All three nights were good shows.  The opening act, G-Love and Special Sauce, was good for a listen on Friday night, but we decided to skip them Sat and Sun.  The set list consisted of a great mix of old and new songs, and a couple real surprises like 'The Maker' which they played as an encore on Saturday.  Sunday was by far the best night of the weekend in my opinion.  We got some great solo's and some great intertwining jams with Recently and Crush, two of my personal fav's.

Paper Wasps - Good or Bad?

We have paper wasps nesting under the eaves of our house.  The nest is huge.  Its been growing steadily for about 3 months.

I'm don't know much about these guys, accept that they eat a lot of bugs, and seem to leave people alone for the most part.  I mow the lawn right under the nest and they dont seem to mind.  It is a little scary though.

We have another nest on the front of the house, not as big, but closer to the ground.  The wasps are black and yellow, but they are not yellow jackets.

Anyone know of a reason why these little guys would cause a problem?

Quality Burrito - Olympia, WA

Quality Burrito is a very generic name for a rather unique little restaurant. It's actually becoming.  The simplicity is the complexity of this establishment, which is located in crusty old downtown Olympia, WA.  But don't let the facade fool you, this might be one of the best tasting burritos you've ever had.

    Quality Burrito
    113 4th Ave W
    Olympia, WA 98511
    (360) 357-7292

The interior of the QB can only be described as underwhelming.  It smells of the old days, and reminded me of Richards Sandwich shop, which used to be in the same area.  The furniture has to be at least 30 years old.  The old chairs reminded of the Knights of Columbus events my family dragged me to when I was a kid in NJ, banquet style.  The booth seats are the extra high variety, so you can't see anything past the person across from you.  The lights look like they were stolen from the set of a horror movie.  And lastly, I don't know what it is about Olympia townies, but sometimes I swear the place has been invaded by aliens.

Forget all that.  We started with margarita, a couple beers, some sweet potato fries.  The fries were hot, greasy, and a little on the soft side, but they tasted great.  The side sauce was a spicy mayo dip that was just the right heat.  I had a Ramona's burrito with steak, potatoes, bacon, 2 cheeses, rice, beans, and all the extras.  This was a master piece.  I could feel my cholesterol rising with every bite.  I ate about 3/4 before I was able to slow down enough to realize I was already full.  M had the triple taco combo, chicken, fungus, and fish.  She gave an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Some of the other items on the menu look really enticing, including some more traditional burritos, as well as some real treats like the deep-fried burrito.  Maybe in another life for that heart stopper.

All in all, the QB is a great value.  The portions are huge and the price is more than reasonable. Once you get past the feeling your reliving a scene in Godfather II, and the townies/aliens, you will find some unique flavors and some great spice.

 

Boycott The Great Wolf Lodge, Thurston County, WA

Lets face it, we all detest parasites.  Whether it be leeches, tapeworms, boll weevils or a neighbor that borrows your tools and never returns them, parasites contribute nothing and suck the life out of their hosts.

The Great Wolf Lodge in Thurston County, WA is just such a parasite.  In a recent story in our local newspaper, The Olympian, it was disclosed that the Great Wolf Lodge was suing Thurston County in federal court to prevent collection of county property taxes.

See, the Great Wolf Lodge is partially owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, and they dont think the lodge should have to pay taxes because of Tribal ownership.  The land is not on an Indian Reservation, but because it is partially owned by the tribe (51%), it is not subject to certain taxation.  This is pure nonsense.