The Travels of Argghhh! Pac NorWest Edition.

Yesterday saw the Master and Mistress of Argghhh! make our way to the Kansas City International Aerial Port of Embarkation, where we started the day with 'ritas at the Cuervo Tequilaria and used free tickets boarded the contract carrier and winged away to Seattle, via Los Angeles and Sacramento. SWWBO was entertained by (and entertained) a small Yuppie Larva named Bailey who was traveling with her ventriloquist-dummy puppet, Margaret. Both were far more interesting to listen to than the self-important sales reps who had to let everyone know just how important they were by sharing their cell-phone conversations. If anyone would like some interesting marketing and customer data for a Ginormous Manufacturer or a Massively Sized software company, let me know.

The air was bumpy approaching the Rockies, but otherwise the flights were uneventful. Upon arrival to the LA basin we flew by the fires in the mountains to an uneventful landing in the land of backyard swimming pools. After recharging the 'Ritamatic we departed to Sacramento, with everybody in LA wants to be an actor Ah-nuld and Doctor Evil as flight attendants. Flying up the central valley we were able to see the California Aqueduct, the straw by which LA enforces it's claim on 95% of the potable water on the continent, essentially asserting that "We're LA - you can't have any water, if that means your livelihoods and towns dry up so that we can have swimming pools and green lawns in a desert - tough, either shut-up move to LA, or we'll send the Ghost of Mulholland after you for harshing our mellow."

Departing from Sacramento (having, sadly, left the Dynamic Duo behind with a crew change) we flew up the mountains, with the Armorer tracking the trip by the passing volcanoes. Until, of course, we got past Mt. St. Helens, where we entered the Seattle Zone, where the pallid residents blink in bleary-eyed fear when the Great Heat Tab appears in the sky and the Air Force is flooded with UFO reports.

A credit to SEA-TAC, we got our bags (all of them), and our car, and went from airplane to out of the airport in 30 minutes. Then we spent 40 minutes on the 1.5 mile stretch of road to get on the 405 to get to Bellevue, where we're staying.

It only took 20 minutes to make the 15 mile trip, once we actually go *on* the highway.

After a brief stretch to refresh, we contacted Bad Cat Robot, who alerted Castle Adjutant Brab, and SWWBO and I sauntered through the Bellevue Financial District to old Bellevue and 520 Bar and Grill where BCR and Brab awaited us.

The Armorer was too lazy to ask someone to take a picture with him in it. Besides, I know what I look like, I wanted pics of the chicks!

BCR had the Filet Gorgonzola, Brab the Crab Cakes, SWWBO the Pot Stickers and I had the Teriyaki Beef strips. Brab and BCR introduced us to edamame, better known to us mid-westerners as soybeans, as an appetizer. She was correct to do so, they were far tastier than I would have thought for such a versatile vegetable. The food was excellent, the 'ritas worth the $10 each, the entree's reasonably priced and worth the cost. We had a tableside visit from Michael Degginger, the Executive Chef, who proved a gracious host and actually kibitzed with us, taking the time to discuss in detail the various choices we'd made and a few food trends - in other words, I would guess Chef Degginger enjoys his work, (I know he's *good* at it) and has that knack for customer relations that makes you feel welcome, and not just the subject of the latest fad published in ExecChefs 'R Us magazine. Well done sir!

The Master and Mistress of Argghhh! recommend the 520 Bar and Grill to any and all. And no, that was *not* a compensated endorsement. Though I might email the Chef a link, for the fun of it. A good riff from Castle Argghhh! doesn't have quite the impact, I suspect, of making a nice splash in the food section of the Seattle PI.

Most of you Denizens were savaged in conversation behind your back, of course.

With that, Brab kindly took us back to our lodgings, and we await our fun and frolic of today - with BCR as our guide, and we'll hopefully be joined by Princess Crabby, who should have gotten in late last night.