Playing catch up today. I removed the manacles that keep me attached to my computer and left for the mainland yesterday morning not to return until almost midnight. I needed to set up a computer for a niece and took the opportunity to kill several birds with one trip.

The first stop was in Tacoma. I picked up my 3 year old grandson Mikey and met with his mother (Katie) for lunch. Then I returned him home and my other daughter (Jenny) put him down for a nap. My granddaughter Robyn (Jenny's little girl who will be 4 in January) was already down for a nap. I unloaded a filing cabinet I had been storing for Jenny and then loaded some software on her computer. We visited and then Robyn woke up. There is something special about a little kid (who is still waking up) that comes over, climbs into your lap, and then snuggles into your arms. A little while later, Mikey did the same thing. We went out into the back yard and I spent a little time kicking a minature soccer ball with the kids. Their lack of technique was more than made up with by their enthusiasm.

The next stop was back up to Kirkland where I needed to drop off some chairs for my sister Madelane. There was no one home when I arrived. As a last minute effort, I tried to open the door. It was unlocked so that mission was accomplished.

The last stop was at my brother Roger's in Kirkland. I needed to set up a computer for his daughter. He was still assembling the computer table when I arrived. I helped him finish that. We never did find the little bag with the "v" sticker on it — so it was a trip to the hardware store. By the time the table was together it was dinner time.

After dinner I set up the computer (it was an old Windows 95 machine) and cleaned up the hard drive. She just needs it for word processing so it should work find.

All in all it was a day of visiting with family — not to mention the driving up and down the freeways. A good time.

Now the mancacles are firmly reattached and it's back to reality land.