Arrived around 1:00 am today, after driving from Vancouver and University of Washington at Seattle. Was hoping to visit Chong in Seattle, but I lost his contact info and had no time. Will post some pics of the excellent Cherry blossoms and the magnificent campus of UW.
My oldest son is now most inclined to study at UW from amongst the many universities he has applied and got accepted. And indeed, UW is one of the most beautiful campuses we have visited.
Most people I talked to at Vancouver and Washington are into organic and they are very receptive to AZ41. Will have to sell some AZ41 so that I can deduct the expense of the trip from my taxes,
Well, Washington has about 50,000 total acres planted to grapes, about 34,000 acres of it to known wine grape growers alone, so definitely, there is potential there for the business. If they used AZ41 first, before the people in Napa Valley does, then they would lay claim to marked improvement in the aroma of their wines by getting rid of nasty fungicides.
But aside from my "business" trip, here's some interesting info that I'd like to share:
Well, going into Canada at the border takes just 20 minutes. Going back into the US from Canada, is 2-hour wait time at the border. Really big hassle!
The trip was pleasant, as my son and the missus took turns at the wheel. No much trouble, people in other States are generally more well behaved than Californians when it comes to driving.
I'm still amazed at the eternal "Road Work" signs that practically occupy the entire length of I-5 in Oregon! You know, Traffic Fines are doubled in construction zones, so maybe, this is a ploy to balance their budget especially that the State of Oregon doesn't charge any sales tax. There's always extra-ordinary amount of Road Work sections at I-5 in Oregon since 1991, and still true to this very day. Tax dollars at work? At least, the roads are better in Oregon compared to that in California.
And to think we were whining at the increased sales tax in California, compliments of Arnold? Well, the sales tax at the college bookstore in Seattle is a whopping 10%! But then again, I'd rather pay 10% sales tax in Washington than pay State Income tax in California on top of an already exorbitant sales tax!
People from Oregon just show their ID's at Washington and avoid the local sales tax, something that is not allowed in California. And I know of some people from Canada driving all the way down to shop tax-free at Portland, and wear 5-layers of pants, jackets, shirts or dresses on their way back to avoid the tariff. Whatever happened to NAFTA?