1. It just so happened that my trip to the Seattle area coincided with a trip Colette had planned to spend time with her parents, son, and brothers in Kent. Colette and I had planned to meet up in Pendleton back in April, but some difficulties in her work place got in the way and Colette had to cancel.
So, what a bonus! Colette and I could see each other after all and we met for coffee at Dilettante Mocha Cafe. Outside, it was cool and overcast. Comfortable. So we ordered, sat at a table in the cool marine air, no glare from the sun, and visited for a couple of hours.
It's an especially busy time in Colette's life. Her daughter is completing her senior year in high school. Her parents are aging and need a lot of aid and attention, especially her father. Colette is very close to finishing her Masters of Fine Arts thesis at Eastern Oregon University and has a couple of other credits to compete this summer to finish her degree.
I enjoyed getting up to date on all that Colette has going on. I have much better understanding of her parents' situation and the way Colette, her brothers, and her son are working together to ease the strain on Colette's mom and dad. I enjoyed learning more about the challenges Colette faces as she works to wrap up her thesis. She's close to finishing, has strong support from her thesis advisor/director, and has some time coming up when she can focus on finishing this project. It's a great accomplishment.
2. It was a fun day to drive across Washington State. The driving conditions were easy on my eyes and the Classic Vinyl station on Sirius/XM turned their playlist over to listeners. So I listened to short recordings of people across the country and in Canada explain why they chose the songs they did and tell stories about why the song mattered so much to them. The stories were fun to listen to and every song was exciting to hear.
3. I arrived home safely. A few hours later, Copper and Luna eagerly leapt on the bed. Luna planted herself on my chest and Copper edged next to me, just above my waist, so that I could pet them both at the same time.
I drifted off to sleep thinking about how much I enjoy making trips to where friends and family live.
This trip to Seattle was a perfect example -- yes, I'm sure I would have enjoyed going to a Mariners game over the weekend. I would have loved a visit to the Seattle Art Museum or a stroll through Pike Street Market or scanning shelves at Seattle bookstores. (These are things I used to do when visiting Seattle.)
I had decided weeks ago, however, that I wanted to see friends -- I wanted to visit Hugh and Carol, see their home, have long conversations, go out and enjoy a delicious food together. I hadn't seen Mark for nine years and hoped we could spend some hours together -- and we did. (I hope next time I'll see Peter B., too.) I was eager to visit Bill and Diane, see the Tree House, enjoy the beauty and comfort they've created in their home, eat some of Diane's superb soup, and have a chance to talk for hours in person. We did. I wanted to meet up again with Colette. We succeeded. (Had I stayed longer, I would have sought out others in the Seattle-Tacoma area -- and had things worked out differently, I would have seen Bridgit and Val with the other Basementeers in Chehalis.)
I thought about how, yes, it's stunning and fun to seek out landmarks in New York City, but had the most fun when I roamed the city with Scott Shirk, when Cate joined us, when Ed, Mike, and I had a few beers at O'Hara's, when Eric M. joined Melissa and me and we roamed Manhattan, eating, drinking, and admiring the beauty of NYC, or when I met up with Mary McG and we roamed Brooklyn, dined in Chinatown, met up at Fraunces Tavern and took photographs, talked about plays, and simply enjoyed one another's company.
Yes, it was fun touring the USA with Debbie and Gibbs last year by organizing our trip around dog friendly breweries to visit.
What made it the most fun, though, was not only being with Debbie and Gibbs, but yakkin' with people while drinking beer, enjoying the company of people we'll never see again but who were interesting, forthcoming, friendly, and eager to swap stories. When we stayed at Brian's lake place on Lake Michigan, the most fun by far was when we did stuff with Brian, when Danielle came out and brought her friends, and when Bill and Casey visited -- and we had that huge Indian feast and we had an awesome session at Burn 'Em Brewing.
It was all about friends and family.
That's what I enjoy most when I travel.
My visit to the Seattle area epitomized what I love to do.
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