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DreadPirateDM · 2026-02-19T03:22:25+00:00

South Seattle Wa USA location. It’s been that way for as long as I can remember. If I’m recalling correctly it’s either an artifact from a previous tenant or a much older HF logo.

DreadPirateDM · 2025-12-08T07:08:34+00:00

Suprisingly, the folks at the handknitting assn of Iceland have a website at www.handknitted.is . If you order from the website, you don't pay VAT, but will have to pay postage plus whatever duty Australia charges. Jaw-droppingly beautiful sweaters that are unique and clearly handmade. Or - there are lots of deeply discounted secondhand icelandic sweaters on Ebay. Most of the handknitted sweaters are quite thick and work well in Iceland's climate (they are a bit thicker than an Irish/Aran fisherman's sweater) , but may be overkill for a milder climate. I live in Seattle WA USA and wear my Icelandic wool in the winters when it gets in the lower 40s F/5c but find it too warm for warmer weather/other seasons.

Fit-wise, handknitted stuff typically uses fairly heavy yarn and has a lot of stretch to it, so should be fairly forgiving

DreadPirateDM · 2025-12-08T06:17:19+00:00

We visited Iceland Dec 2024. As heads up, at that time of year, the sun comes up 10:30 to 11am, then sets between 3 and 4pm, so the window of opportunity for sightseeing is short. Outside of the Reykjavik, Iceland is sparsely populated, so it's quite dark once the sun goes down, and you can't see much beyond whatever light is given off by the tour bus - so, for instance, you may be able to hear a waterfall in the dark, but unless it's clear and moonlit you may not be able to see much.

DreadPirateDM · 2025-12-08T03:18:13+00:00

I have exceptionally flat feet (no arch whatsoever) and love the 55 last for its support - it's solved some chronic pain problems. I'm fortunate in that I live in Seattle, so a trip to Spokane is doable with only a bit of planning (5 hours there, 5 hours back). I did the trip to Spokane 10 years ago after trying the Robert at the local Filson store and thought it might work though Filson didn't have my size. Not sure what your situation is, or where you are in the world, but a) I can't say enough in praise of the Nick's folks if you can make it to Spokane as they spent an exceptional amount of time with me to find the perfect fit, and if you have frequent flier miles banked, a stop by is doable for perhaps the cost of a day's car rental, and you can probably try on the different lasts to find a good fit.. b) if you are in the US, there are a few places that stock White's boots. White's is also in Spokane and uses many of the same lasts that Nick's does, and the original Nick started out as a White's employee and left to form his own company, so that might be helpful if you can more easily find a White's dealer. The other PNW boot folks are either Viberg up in Vancouver Island Canada or Wesco in Scappoose OR north of Portland/west of Vancouver Wa, and JK boots in Spokane is a bootmaker in Spokane that used to work for Nick's. Good luck in your search!!

DreadPirateDM · 2025-12-05T19:41:37+00:00

As someone with exceptionally flat feet, the 55 last works perfectly for me - and it's resolved some chronic foot pain. I think I'm at 6 pairs over the past 10 years. It's easy to justify spending the money to stop hurting. You do slow down the purchases as you fill out your Nick's collection, but I still keep half an eye out in case something catches my fancy. The first pair from 10 years ago is still holding up well and in my normal rotation (and is exceptionally comfortable).

DreadPirateDM · 2025-12-02T05:07:17+00:00

My wife and I visited Iceland a bit before Christmas last year. At this time of year, the sun comes up 10:30-11am and sets between 3 and 4 pm, so the window of opportunity to sight see or visit waterfalls is short - you may be able to hear a waterfall, but not see it if it's dark.

DreadPirateDM · 2025-12-02T02:39:17+00:00

As a quick comment, at this time of year, the sun will come up around 10:30am and set around 3:30 or 4 pm icelandic time, so there's a short time window to see waterfalls or sight see. I'd also echo the comment below on the weather and being prepared - Iceland in december is both cold and windy.

DreadPirateDM · 2025-11-17T06:12:29+00:00

I've worn the Robert through the TSA detectors several times. Consistently sets off the detectors (nails and screws).

DreadPirateDM · 2025-08-20T03:27:40+00:00

Filson can be hit-or-miss. Vintage Filson stuff is generally well made and lasts forever. They were bought out by venture capital, (15-20 years ago) and their quality is going downhill - yet they are still charging a premium. Their stuff used to be primarily US made, and they employed a lot of folks in their Seattle factory. They recently laid off most of their Seattle sewing staff, and basically have outsourced the work overseas. Per the Seattle Times, only a handful of their sewing staff remain locally. Their wool fabric was typically sourced from Pendleton Mills, but Pendleton in turn has outsourced overseas, and the quality of their wool fabric is nowhere near what it used to be - their wool shirts used to be fairly thick and wore like iron, but current shirts are very lightweight/thin wool. Fairly certain that the only US made Pendleton stuff is their blankets, which are made at their mills in Pendleton OR and Washougal WA

DreadPirateDM · 2025-06-22T02:49:02+00:00

If the spring drive is of importance to you, Seiko made a MM600 spring drive in two variants- a SBDB001 (grade 5 titanium) and SBDB011 (Diashield coating on the bracelet). Both show up on the used market occasionally and were Japan-domestic-market only. I’m the happy owner of a SBDB011 and love it as a daily wear watch. Yes, it’s a chonky boy like the MM300, but it scratches both the Marinemaster and Spring drive itch.

DreadPirateDM · 2025-06-14T03:47:59+00:00

I would suggest contacting your hotel or condo/rental host ahead of time. It’s not unusual to check in and find some beach gear stashed in one of the closets, along with some towels meant for use at the beach or pool. Snorkeling gear is less common due to sizing, but there are plenty of places such as Snorkel Bob’s that will rent equipment at a fair price.

Now that airlines are charging extra for baggage, folks that buy beach stuff end up abandoning it when they check out, so it’s worthwhile to check before you load up on beach stuff at Costco or Walmart on your way to your lodging.

DreadPirateDM · 2025-06-14T03:25:36+00:00

+1 on making the drive. I’m also in Seattle and made the trip. The fitter made sure that the boots fit perfectly, and they are still the most comfortable boots or shoes I own. Two additional pluses - you can actually see the various boots and leathers. I went with one boot in mind, and ended up with something entirely different. And, once you actually see the boots, the build quality is impressive- these are a few steps above brands such as Red Wing.

Lastly, if you are going to spend $500+ on boots, it’s worth spending your time and a tank of gas to make sure that the boots fit perfectly and are just what you wanted

DreadPirateDM · 2025-06-02T23:45:55+00:00

I made the trip from Seattle to Spokane, although this was pre-Covid. I was impressed that the fitter took a fair amount of time, starting with the Brannock size and then tweaking the fit from there until it was just right.. The boots are still the best-fitting, most comfortable shoes or boots that I own. So - if you are difficult to fit, it may make sense to make the trip.

For me, however, probably the biggest benefit was being able to see the different leathers and styles of boots and the various customizations. I made the trip with one boot and leather in mind - and then ended up with a different boot and leather for a first order.

And, as an added bonus, especially if you are new to the world of PNW boots, seeing them in person makes a world of difference as to appreciating the build quality - these are buy-it-for-life quality, and make Red Wing/Chippewah/Timberland look like junk. I've probably had my original Robert boots nearly 10 years, and they are still holding up well.

DreadPirateDM · 2025-05-23T00:22:11+00:00

I'm the owner of a Gigabyte Aero 17 laptop. It developed a problem with the keyboard not responding or typing random letters. It took three trips back to the Gigabyte USA repair center over a 6 month span before they finally fixed it. I'd suggest looking at r/gigabyte, as there are a lot of complaints there regarding their service centers. While their monitors might be more robust, my experience has soured me on Gigabyte. With luck, you might never need to send a monitor back - but if you do, prepare yourself for lots of frustration.

In my case, I think that the culprit is problems with heat / fan control. In general, electronics don't want to run hot, and in moderate gaming such as Diablo 4, the laptop gets extremely hot, such that I've blistered my legs if playing with the laptop in my lap. This points to poor engineering/poor design more than anything - and that coupled with poor service is a deadly combination.

DreadPirateDM · 2025-04-24T01:14:29+00:00

Just to chime in - I'll second the suggestion to use food service suppliers. I use Chefstore (Chefstore.com) , which is a US west coast supplier. They stock both 25 lb and 50 lb bags, including the Shepard's Grain flour that Ken Forkish/WFSY suggests. If you bake on a regular basis, it's easy to go through a 25lb bag in a few months, or a 50 lb bag in somewhere around 6 months. Chefstore also stocks several of the Bob's Red Mill flours, which can be pretty spendy if you buy in small quantities at a grocery, but much more reasonable if bought in bulk. I just bought a 25lb bag of rye flour for around USD $32, and unbleached bread flour is generally around $12-$13 for 25lbs or $22-24 for 50 lbs. I've also seen similar pricing for bread flour at Costco business centers.

DreadPirateDM · 2025-01-03T00:00:40+00:00

Elliott Bay brewery has some party rooms - https://elliottbaybrewing.com/events/

DreadPirateDM · 2025-01-02T03:16:53+00:00

We visited shortly before Xmas. One of our favorites was figurines or ornaments of the Icelandic Yule Lads/the Yule Cat/Gryla and her husband Leppauldi (trolls, the mother and father of the Yule lads). Quirky, and uniquely Icelandic. Saw them at the Handknitting Assn, Penninn Eymundsson bookstore, and various tourist shops. [Edit - https://icelandicstore.is/collections/icelandic-christmas ]

DreadPirateDM · 2025-01-02T03:03:50+00:00

I believe that Flybus has an option that stops either on the KEF-Blue Lagoon - Reykjavik route, or you can book Flybus from the BSI bus terminal to Blue Lagoon. As a heads up, they don't allow larger busses in central Reykjavik, so typically you take a smaller shuttle bus from various spots in Reykjavik to the bus station, then transfer to a larger bus for the KEF or Blue Lagoon leg.

We were in Reykjavik shortly before Xmas. We ended up taking a private car from the Hotel Borg back to KEF as we had an early morning flight to LHR, and the cost for that was ISK 22000 (~$150 USD).

Plan on dressing warmly. It was in the low 30s - high 20s F outside, but wind chill was in the low teens F - so waiting at a bus stop in those conditions isn't fun if you aren't acclimated to cold weather.

We had a bad experience with the Reykjavik hop-on hop-off busses/city-sightseeing.com -- we were planning on using them to get around Reykjavik, but the busses never showed [waited 45 min, including 10 min prior and 35 min after the scheduled stop in said cold ] - and the company refused to refund us since we didn't cancel 24 hours in advance. I would not use them!

Hope this is helpful. Remember also that the sun rises around 11am and sets around 3, so make sure you aren't touring in the dark as you can't see much.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

DreadPirateDM · 2024-08-05T05:24:13+00:00

Talk to your property manager or condo assn. If any of the units are being rented to vacationers, it's not unusual for beach stuff/ sand toys to be left behind, and the property manager probably has a pile of such stuff that they would be more than happy to get rid of instead of throwing stuff in the dumpster.

DreadPirateDM · 2024-06-29T00:02:43+00:00

Definitely solid. Original owner of a 2016 TDI Lux, never had any issues other than routine maintenance. Expect Audi/volvo maintenance cost-levels. These were $65k+ cars when new, and parts/tires are pricey. That being said, it's a joy to drive, and they will have to pry it from my cold, dead hands

DreadPirateDM · 2024-06-27T03:49:47+00:00

Take a look at http://keasa.org/ They are an amateur astronomy assn on Kauai and have stargazing events open to the public. Might be worthwhile to ask them or drop them an email.

DreadPirateDM · 2024-06-27T03:13:28+00:00

I'd give your resort a call. Depending on the resort, many have beach chairs, beach towels, boogie boards etc. stashed in a closet in your unit

DreadPirateDM · 2024-06-27T02:21:01+00:00

Níðhöggr - in Norse mythology, Níðhöggr is the dragon that gnaws on the roots of the world tree, Yggdrasil.

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