New Fangled Contraption & Powell’s Books

If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do things worth writing. ~ Benjamin Franklin

The other day we made a stop at a Taco Time restaurant.  We were there for lunch.  The place was packed.  We put in our order at the counter including soft drinks.  That’s when we found out what the long line led to.  This restaurant had just installed a new drink machine.  It was complicated enough that they had one of their employees explaining just how it worked.  The machine offered numerous different drinks.  Many more drinks than most of the fountains at other fast food restaurants offer.  However, there was a huge, huge downside.  Actually, Walt Disney the creator of lines, would have been proud.  This item creates lines.

There was only one machine and every patron had to stand in line to get the drinks they had ordered.  Unlike the fountain drink machines, one person could be getting a Coke and another person getting water, ice or 7-Up at the same time.  Not so with this one.  It was definitely a line creator.  Is this the new drink machine of the future?  If it is and establishments only have one, fast food restaurants should no longer be called fast food.

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Tammi had boxes of books she wanted to turn in for cash so off we went on Sunday to Powell’s Books in downtown Portland..

I’ve mentioned this place before. I’ve also suggested it as a tourist attraction for folks visiting the Portland area. If you’re not a book lover, don’t go there. You’ll get lost in the aisles and aisles of new and used books. Parking is fairly easy. They have their own little parking garage but it can be full on the weekends. On the east side of the building is another parking lot not as well known because it is only available after hours and on the weekends. Look for the big Dr. Marten’s sign and you’ll usually find several open spaces even when the major one is full. Then, read the small signs and they’ll give you the hours.

The main store fills a whole city block. You can get lost on the many floors of books. Areas are divided by colors. As an example, Civil War history is in the purple room and Travel is in the red room. The rooms are huge and books are organized on shelves about nine rows high. If you can’t find the book here, it just might not be available anyplace. Now how many people would be looking for this book: ~ ~ Hamburger America ~~ 150 Great Burger Joints

While Tammi was returning books and scoping out new titles, I was also busy checking out the travel section. If you need a map or are researching a destination and want a book, this is the place to go. Just the right book might be there. If not, you can discover what others have put together hoping it’s a topic you are looking for.

There were several books that I wanted but I preferred to have them on my Nook. I snapped little photos of the cover and then sat down and searched online to see if the book was available in ebook form. A few were and a few weren’t. I purchased a couple that weren’t and figured I’d order the other two through the internet.  This one I didn’t purchase and didn’t check to see if it was available.  Someone might be interested but not me.   Where the Bodies Are

This is what I learned today --
 
Did you know that a blue whale is almost as loud as a jet engine communicating up to 300 miles away.  However, a 2-inch pistol shrimp is even louder than a blue whale!  We can’t hear them because the sounds are too low for humans to hear. 

‘Tis life on the road.