Tag: The Hobnob

More Sad Good-Byes

Dear Liza,

The Covid pandemic is shuttering more small local businesses, I am sorry to say. Between fear of infection discouraging folks from going inside to shop or eat, vaccination requirements making staffing difficult, the owners themselves getting sick, and the general economic downturn, we have lost two favorite places as of this past Saturday.

The first is our dear Hob Nob, where Jason and his crew were some of the first folks to welcome us to the neighborhood. The Wonderful David, Cane, Morgan, and Kate have had to find other places to be, and we will miss them.

Good pulled pork sandwiches, inexpensive wine and super-goofy-friendly wait staff made the Nob a fun place to go hang out, people-watch, and then walk the block home.

While out on our walk today, we stopped by the Flower Bomb, which is closing its doors, too. Solara had the bad luck of opening in her new digs in February 2020, just a month and a half before the shut down.

We will miss her and her delightful shop. I wish her well.

We have also said goodbye, since the pandemic, to Noun, a cool antique shop; The Nerd Out, a comic themed restaurant and bar; and Bistro Agnes, a lovely french restaurant downtown.

We are learning important lessons. If you like a place, support it to help it stick around.

Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can eat out today.

Appreciate where you live!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Forty Seven and Counting

Dear Liza,

Yep, Grandpa Nelson and I are celebrating another anniversary! They just keep coming around, as they have since 1975.

We have celebrated in a variety of ways, as our circumstances (and the world) have changed. Our first anniversary saw us re-visit Francisco and run out of cash. In a world before ATMs and with no credit card, we two barely-adult-people ended up wiring my folks for gas money to get home.

Much later, after our kids (your Auntie Katie and Daddy David) grew up, we flew to Hawaii to celebrate. We had a wonderful time and I got third degree sunburn, just on my back, from snorkeling for three hours. Fortunately, there are no pictures!

This year, of course, there was no travel. The continuing pandemic and Omicron variant, and the cold winter weather, have put a snag in anything like that. We did manage to get a few blocks over to The HobNob, our local pub, for their Customer Appreciation night.

We saw neighbors there, and Jason, the owner. I respect Jason immensely. Like your Auntie Katie, he has managed to keep his small business alive during a really tough time. Through a combination of reduced hours and extra work, he has stayed afloat, and the whole neighborhood came to show their love.

Even the dogs!

After egg nog, dinner, and cookies, we headed home to warm pajamas, a cat for our laps, and a fireplace. Happy forty seven, sweet man.

Love,

Grandma Judy

David and Da Nob

Dear Liza,

This past evening, we got to go out to our favorite local place, The Hobnob. The evenings are getting cooler, but we sat at one of the new outside tables because of social distancing. We wore sweaters and jackets.

Auntie Bridgett and I went inside to see David, our favorite server, and order some drinks. Full of fun, stories and southern charm, David is one of those fellows who lights up the world.

As we enjoyed his conversation, I couldn’t help noticing his new ear art. When I mentioned them, he pulled them out and told us their story. A friend of his owns property in Camas, Washington, with large Carnelian deposits. David was able to chisel out a good sized piece and the use his lapidary skills to create these beautiful pieces.

See why we love him?

Besides hanging with David, we all enjoyed the sunset, passersby on 34th Avenue and glasses of wine.

When our evening out was over and we headed home, we realized that this was probably our last summer-ish evening out. Cold weather and even rain is predicted for this weekend, and Fall will start next week.

Love,

Grandma Judy