Day: February 10, 2011

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Beer Buying Adventure

Washington is such a civilized state. Like in Quebec, you can buy beer at the grocery or convenience store! And it’s super cheap, too, as low as a dollar a beer for some brands! I went out to get some fresh seafood for dinner tonight and was lured into the ‘beer cave’ (which appears to be Washington parlance).

Mesmerized by the selection and low prices, I barely took notice of someone entering the beer cave hot on my heels. It was a store employee.

“Miss! You need to be 21 to be in here!”

“I’m well over 21!” (I’ll be 32 next month!)

“Let me see some ID, please.” I pulled out my driver’s license and she squinted at it. “This won’t work; I need government issued ID.”

“It’s my Yukon, um Canadian, driver’s license.” (No one here seems to know what the Yukon is. I’ve been describing it as ‘between BC and Alaska’ (‘There’s something between BC and Alaska?’).)

“That’s a driver’s license?!” The Yukon license is a piece of cardboard with your information typewritten on it and a Polaroid of you glued to it, with the whole thing laminated. I could understand the reaction.

“Yes. That’s what five bucks a year will get you!”

Must have been a good answer since she just shook her head and left me to choose my beer in peace. I ended up going with a locally brewed pale ale.

Must have made quite an impression since I wasn’t carded a second time at the cash.

BTW, you can buy a salmon fillet and five prawns for $4 in Washington. I won’t even get into the price of produce!

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On a Distant Shore

I have a standing contract with a UK company. I triple verified that because this contract was set up in Canada and is with a non-US client, it’s okay for me to continue with it during my stay in the States. It’s not steady income. Some days I make nothing, other days I cover rent for the day. I usually check out the task list first thing in the morning, while I have my coffee, and work at it steadily until I either run out of work or need to get started on more pressing projects.

I’ve been on an early schedule since I left Osoyoos last Monday, something that is likely going to keep up so long as it’s sunny out. So, I was in the office at 8 this morning and was able to put in two hours of work before running out of tasks.

Due for a break, I headed down the hill to the beach and discovered a little café that’s open in the winter! Most of the other business are shut tight, so this gem was a sight to behold! The owner and I had a good gab about the weather while he prepared me a mocha (a real treat since otherwise I never have sugary coffee drinks). I wouldn’t want to get in the habit of going there for a mid-morning coffee every day ($$$), but a few times a week when it’s so nice out will be great. They also make sandwiches and sell ice cream, so the café offers me a place that’s super close by to duck to when I need to get out of the rig. If I have to drive to go somewhere, I’m more likely to stay shut in when I’m in the groove of my day.

Standing on the beach, looking at White Rock in the distance, I had to laugh, remembering standing on its beach and looking out towards what I now know is Birch Bay, Washington. You really never know where your life is going to take you. And now that I realise just how close I am to the Canadian border, having seen it, I can understand better the US customs officials’ bewilderment that I wasn’t go very far into their country!

White Rock, BC, in the distance