July 27, Where have I been?

That’s a very good question with a long answer. I won’t try to tell you about it all at once, as it has been a very busy month. I had hoped to keep up with my entries here to keep you, dear readers, interested. But, alas, travel being what it is, I didn’t always find a way to make time for writing. I know, you say, ‘this is supposed to be a travel blog, isn’t it?’ Well, yes, sort of. More of an adventure blog though, and when on an adventure, plans change. 

After my beautiful weekend with friends at Timothy Lake I made my way to Kent, Washington to spend some time with family in the Seattle area. It was nice to be in a house for a few days and I’m sure the cats appreciated being able to stretch out more too. My step mother is very accommodating and doesn’t mind having the cats in the house. They mostly stayed in our room, even with the door open which allowed them freedom to roam around. 

My step mom and I were both in need of haircuts and she doesn’t get out too much any more, so I took her out so we could get a fresh cut. We did a little bit of shopping too and between those two things it was enough activity for her for the day. 

She gave up driving almost two years ago after she got lost in a familiar place. It was good she realized her limitations and was willing to stop driving. Of course, with the pandemic, she wasn’t really opposed to going out much, preferring just to stay at home and order her groceries to be delivered and to download books from the library. Dementia is tough and isolation doesn’t help. The time I spent there, watching her daily routine, and listening to her stories gave me the opportunity to evaluate her condition and report to my step siblings that it’s time for her to not be living alone. 

I did manage to get in a couple of training runs for the upcoming half marathon. I was blessed with perfect Seattle summer weather, warm days, cool nights and no rain! On Friday July 8, I went to West Seattle to have lunch with my cousin. She’s more like my second cousin, but we just call each other cousin as it’s easier than trying to explain that our mother’s were cousins and so we’re seconds. She’s 11 years older than I am and when I was little and lived in West Seattle she and her sister would sometimes babysit me and my brother and sister. 

She has the cutest little house and beautiful garden that she has carefully curated with plants and art. It was nice to sit and visit a while before heading out to lunch. We went to Marination, a little restaurant on Admiral Way and I took pictures of the Seattle skyline like a tourist. It could be sketch worthy, clouds, skyline, ferries, color and contrast. It’s always good to spend time with her, she loves to walk, hike, yoga and travel so we have a lot to share.

We parted ways with a promise of her to visit me in Arizona in the winter, and sometime when I’ll be there!! 

And then to meet up with Tina in Tacoma. I call her my friend more often now instead of my niece, even though she is my niece by marriage. I am no longer married to her uncle and she’s just 13 years younger than me and we like to play outdoors together. She’s the one who suggested that we run a half marathon and the Winthrop Rhythm and Blues festival. 

I had left the Jam connected to Pearl, my car, in front of step-mom’s house since I was sleeping in the house. It was easier that way and I had use of step-mom’s car. It’s a bare bones Honda CRV, 2008, with low miles and new tires. When I left to go to West Seattle and then on to Tacoma, I didn’t realize how low my phone battery was getting. I had a wire to charge it, but there wasn’t any outlet in the car to plug it in to. I needed to use the map in my phone to get to Tina’s as there’s no GPS in the car. Traffic was incredibly slow, a Friday afternoon of course and the phone battery ran down before I could get to my destination. Having only been there a couple of times, I couldn’t quite remember how to get there. I could’t call, because the battery in my phone was dead. I knew I was close, but nothing looked familiar. I gave myself 10 minutes of driving around trying to find her street before giving up. I pulled into a 7-11, took my phone and the charger inside and plugged it into a wall socket and waited impatiently in this rather seedy store while my phone charged up enough for me to get directions. I jumped back in my car and as I started to back out of the parking lot, a drug addled individual approached the car, asking for money. Like I said, a rather seedy store and not a place where I would likely have been given accurate directions to my destination, nor did I really want any of those people knowing where I was going. 

Once I got to Tina’s, she suggested we go to one of her favorite wine bars in Enumclaw. I’m always up for an adventure and an opportunity to dress up a little. It gave me an excuse to wear a pair of the new shoes I bought.(yes, I bought all 3 pairs!) We had a lovely evening and her dog, Lady, was able to go with us, many of the restaurants are dog friendly these days. Lady made a lot of friends while we enjoyed an amazing charcuterie plate and some very tasty wines. 

Next morning it was back to Kent to gather up my things, and my cats and move north to Bellingham. I had most everything ready to go and still it was an hour before I could get going. I always allow extra travel time and even then it just takes me a while to get where I’m going. Final destination for the next 4 days, Ferndale, Washington.