ASTORIA FORD UPDATE:

I just (at 4:05pm today) received a call from the owner of the dealership. He was very nice and said he was upset regarding my problems. Yesterday I had taken my truck back home- since the service department couldn't 'hear' the problem. I wasn't happy about it...but since there was no 'audible evidence' of a problem... well ok. Well... it wasn't ok. I was pretty upset- but resigned myself to the situation. grudgingly and complaining to my husband most of the evening.

When the owner FINALLY called (by the way, saying he had never received any messages that I called or asked for him) (hhmm, that is what the 2 other guys in the waiting room said he told them too) Anyway, he was very very cordial and seemed concerned. I told him I had to drive to Leavenworth on Friday morning... and he suggested I switch cars back... and not take the problem car (intermittent problem car) on my long drive. So, I will have a loaner and hopefully as he drives my car around himself- the 'klunk and vibration that 'shakes your butt' (my passenger said) and the grinding noise will happen and they can figure out the problem. It only has 7,500 miles on it. A new rear axle was put in at 3,000 miles.

One more note: Ford Customer Service (in Detroit) are being super super great and calling & tweeting me -constantly to check on the progress.

What am I doing in Leavenworth? The WA State Repubican Party Executive Board Retreat. Watch for a fun post about that event!

Vote for Long Beach in the King5 Best of- Western Washington

Here is a post from friend Keleigh Schwartz:

KING-5 is currently hosting votes for "The Best of Western Washington & Northwest Escapes." Long Beach is one of several beaches which have been nominated for best beach.

Please cast your vote, go to the link below and follow the steps in their process:http://best.king5.com/contests/northwest-escapes/4261/local-excursions/beach

Perhaps you could encourage your friends and families to do so as well? Voting ends on April 13th.

NO YOU DONT WANT THAT NEW TRUCK FROM ASTORIA FORD!!

NOTE: Should I receive the courtesy of ANY communication from the ASTORIA FORD Dealer owner...or salesmanager... I will print an update. I WANT to like Astoria Ford. I know that defective lemon cars can happen. I also know that car sales is about customer service. In the event of a defective vehicle- how you treat a customer is important. I also know that many others are experiencing a lack of customer courtesy at this dealership. Even those with perfect cars.

Remember my "Car Story"? When I purchased it? HERE>>> When at 3K miles I had to have a new rear axle put in? HERE>>>>. It isn't over yet. Now I have terrible terrible grinding noise and jerking in the rear wheel/axle area. It is a random occurance. It scares the #%$* out of me and my passengers! Especially when you are on the winding roads around the Willapa Bay Oyster Beds.

I understand that statistically you can get a bad vehicle. What I do NOT understand lies, rudeness and really poor customer service. I do not understand sales people who lie to close the sale and I do not understand sales managers and dealership owners who act like you do not exist.

I will mention that the SERVICE PEOPLE- including STEVE THE SERVICE MANAGER have been really great to me so far today. (of course, Ford Corporate did call them directly and tell them to arrange a loaner) They were not the ones to do the first repair -because it happened hours from home.

I will also say that @ScottMonty of Ford and @FordCustService (Lynn and Shawn) are very helpful. I appreciate their fast fast response and helping me to get a loaner car. (These are my twitter friends) But- why did they even have to intervene? Why does Astoria Ford make life so miserable for their customers? I just sat in the very filthy- super filthy service waiting room- and listened to story after story from unhappy customers. Who BY THE WAY- told me that when I drove up- the sales people on the floor were loudly speaking in disparaging words- about me. A quote from one man (who lives in my community), "I knew they had another sucker that they had screwed over and lied to- just like me. You should hear what they were saying." I heard story after story- of customer service issues that could have been resolved with returning phone calls, actually speaking to someone, and treating the customer with respect. The word on the street was quoted to me in the waiting room by another customer. "They will say anything to get you to purchase, then they ignore you and go back on their promises." Yup. That is how I feel too. How sad that these people felt joy that I was in their same shoes. They knew they were not alone.

I haven't mentioned the harrassing phone calls for referrals. I have asked them- put me on your DO NOT CALL list... yet for some reason the saleskid actually thinks I would refer people to him. My first real warning sign came- when they ignored me- and only spoke to my husband- 'what are you looking for in a car?' I was the one sitting in the drivers seat. The car was for me.

I wanted to support a local business. I wanted to buy American. I wanted to drive to a dealer who was within 1/2 hour from me. I really regret doing this. I would rather drive 3 hours to the city... and be able to actually speak to a human... and sit in a clean room, be treated with an ounce of respect and feel like I count as a customer. I can't believe I am saying this- but I miss LandRover. They could be rude- but their rudeness came with class and afterall- they felt it was their car- and that I wasn't taking good enough care of their baby- it would drive me crazy. They would let me know that I was driving a Landrover...and that with it came responsibilities- like driving 3 hours for service.

This is where it is as of 2pm on Monday. Ford Corporate graciously arranged for a loaner vehicle so I am taken care of. (thanks to TWITTER- no thanks to the dealer) They are trying to find out the cause of the problem. Still no word from the owner or sales manager of the local dealership. I have left multiple messages and asked in person for a call. You would think that considering the challenges of today's economy- the car dealers would care about their customer.

This is an example of why we should not have bail out money! Businesses should reap what they sow. Bad business practices= no return customers.

4pm update: Just heard from Steve in Service. Nice guy. NOW my truck is not doing the grinding jerking thing. They will keep it overnite and try to get it to do it in the morning. I am pleased that he is communicating.

update: Blast from the past.

I was a sophomore in High School (there you know how old I am!).... and this infamous disposal of a whale- at about the same location.

Another Whale of a problem- dig a really big hole

About 200 miles south of us- at the center of the Oregon coast- the beautiful Heceta Head Lighthouse is the stuff of movies, dreams and many stories. This is whale season. Sadly, that also means when whales die at sea- they wash ashore and present a problem. What do you do with a 55 ft rotting and stinking whale carcass?

A Fin Whale washed ashore around the Hecta Head Lighthouse Park near Florence, OR. You can read stories about this HERE and HERE (credit some of these photos). State Officials dug a 11ft hole and are burying the problem today. If you have the stomach-(pun intended- you will see what I mean)- HERE are more photos by Real Estate Agent Rose Sutton on her myspace page. The smaller photos here are hers.

Oysters from Oysters & Art

A few posts down I mentioned the Rotary Oysters & Art Fundraiser. Here are the delicious oysters. And here is my friend Natalie. I encourage you to visit her blog.

Political Party Dinners- in South Bend at Historic Willapa Chamber Building

(from the Chinook Observer, March 11, 2009)
SOUTH BEND - Pacific County's political parties plan their annual back-to-back gatherings in South Bend this weekend and next.

Events get underway this Saturday, March 14, at 5 p.m. with the 84th Annual Pacific County Democratic Crab Feed at the Willapa Harbor Chamber of Commerce Building.

Honored guests are expected to include Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and U.S. Rep. Brian Baird.

Social hour starts at 5 p.m., with dinner following at 6 p.m. A silent auction will continue throughout the evening.

Call 665-0023 for more information. The cost of admission is a $25 donation.

Republicans in Pacific County will convene for their Lincoln Day Dinner event on Saturday, March 21, also at the Willapa Harbor chamber building in South Bend.

This annual event is a gathering of the faithful to honor the great Republican President Abraham Lincoln, considered the founder of the Republican Party.

"Honest Abe is remembered for preserving the Union during one of American's darkest periods and we are honored to hold our dinner in his name," Nan Malin, Pacific County Republican Party chairwoman said. "This is the time to get together, meet fellow Republicans and enjoy an evening of great food and fellowship. We also announce the Republican of the Year at this event."

This year's GOP keynote speaker is Dr. Matt Manweller, an associate professor of political science at Central Washington University and an adjunct scholar for Washington Policy Center, a non-partisan independent policy research organization in Seattle and Olympia. Manweller is the author of numerous books and articles on constitutional law, direct democracy, and judicial politics. His most recent article "The Key to Economic Stimulus" was published in February as an OP-Ed in the Washington Times.

Long-time catering favorites, Karla and Jamie Webber have agreed to serve their famous prime rib dinner one last time. They will provide a chicken alternative upon request. The reception and silent auction begins at 5 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m.

Ticket prices remain $25 and can be purchased by calling Nan Malin 642-2444 or Gretchen Sagen 942-2086.

Hackney Cottage

At the Rotary Art & Oysters event last night- we purchased a photo of the Hackney Cottage (also known as Seaview Hotel). It is from a different angle of this postcard. It measures large like a poster...and it used to hang in Dennis & Co before they remodeled.

The photo shows the front porch- with is behind those trees. I will have to photo it for you...or find the smaller original.

In case you were wondering... this location is where the Lamplighter is now.

Triple Coconut Cream Pie

Brett's Birthday is a few days after mine. Since he is a fan of coconut...and I am a fan of Tom Douglas (of Seattle fame)... this year- I decided to make a cute little 6 inch Triple Coconut Cream Pie for his celebration. The crust has coconut, the filling is creamy with coconut and the creamed top has coconut. The original recipe calls for curled shaved white chocolate too- which sound really decadent- except I didnt have any white chocolate on hand.




Triple Coconut Cream Pie(Makes one 9-inch pie)

Ingredients:For The Coconut Pastry Cream
2 cups milk
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softenedFor The Pie

One 9-inch Coconut Pie Shell (find the recipe here),
prebaked and cooled
2 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extractFor Garnish
2 ounces unsweetened "chip" or large-shred coconut (about 11/2 cups) or sweetened shredded coconut
Chunks of white chocolate (4 to 6 ounces, to make 2 ounces of curls)

Instructions1. To make the pastry cream, combine the milk and coconut in a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add both the seeds and pod to the milk mixture. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and stir occasionally until the mixture almost comes to a boil.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and flour until well combined. Temper the eggs (to keep them from scrambling) by pouring a small amount (about 1/3 Cup) of the scalded milk into the egg mixture while whisking. Then add the warmed egg mixture to the saucepan of milk and coconut. Whisk over medium-high heat until the pastry cream thickens and begins to bubble. Keep whisking until the mixture is very thick, 4 to 5 minutes more. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the butter and whisk until it melts. Remove and discard the vanilla pod. Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and place it over a bowl of ice water. Stir occasionally until it is cool. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a crust from forming and refrigerate until completely cold. The pastry cream will thicken as it cools.
3. When the pastry cream is cold, fill the prebaked pie shell with it, smoothing the surface. In an electric mixer with the whisk, whip the heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla on medium speed. Gradually increase the speed to high and whip to peaks that are firm enough to hold their shape. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with the whipped cream and pipe it all over the surface of the pie, or spoon it over.
4. For the garnish, preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the coconut chips on a baking sheet and toast in the oven, watching carefully and stirring once or twice, since coconut burns easily, until lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Use a vegetable peeler to scrape about 2 ounces of the white chocolate into curls.

Baked Alaska in Astoria

Last month we were at Baked Alaska for my birthday. I found this photo of birthday dessert sampler in my camera phone... and then remembered I took this video too. We have been back a few times.... the Northern Lights Lounge is a fun place for light meals, beverages and awesome views.

Deer hanging out in the back yard.

I haven't quite gotten the hang of the video camera yet..but here are some deer that were hanging out in the back. I stepped out on the deck - from my bathroom upstairs. (our hot tub is under the white canopy tent)

Advanced Helicopter Rescue School in session

Photo by ALEX PAJUNAS/The Daily Astorian
Petty Officer Trevor Tufts, left, observes a rescue swimmer being lowered onto the cliff face at North Head Lighthouse Feb. 17, during a simulated vertical surface rescue. The training exercise was part of the Advanced Helicopter Rescue School which brings helicopter rescue crews from across the country to our area each February and October. (Chinook Observer)

I have to remind myself that school is in session... we keep hearing the Coast Guard rescue helicopters.

Pike Place Market Restaurant Hopping

A few weeks ago- we were in Pike Place Market. We started at Maximilliens (Aura's favorite for Happy Hour), then Place Pigalle (for crab cakes, calamari, escargot & champagne) and ended up at Cutters (delicious Lavendar Cosmo). You have to catch up on a lot- when you go to the city!

PS. It was a special occasion...more on that later.

Jimella's in Klipsan

Jimella's in Klipsan is serving food now. Sit down and eat yummy restaurant food that makes you wish The Ark was still here.

We stopped in for supplies (my local source for french terragon mustard) and I snapped a photo of Alex prepping for dinner meals in the kitchen (small photo on bottom right)

Jimella filled our bag and put up with my video attempts.

Here are some old posts about Jimella's Seafood Market.

I'm back!

Since the beginning of this blog- I have never had such a lengthy absence of postings. What happened? Well, I am tweeting my heart out.. AND busy busy with many tasks, projects and meetings. 2009 has been very busy for me. I haven't started my political blog yet... (there's no time- to quote Jack Bauer)- but will try to get to that soon.

So- for penance- I figure I have to catch up about a month of postings. Life has continued and I have a long list of photos and stories to upload.