Two weekends ago, I made a date to see my dear, darling friend from Decorah, Aimee, who now lives in Port Townsend. I ended up taking busses up to Seattle for a big concert event called Folklife (very much what it sounds like). She and I thought we'd go ahead and triangulate each other once we were both in Seattle... which proved difficult when she left her cell phone on the other side of the Bainbridge ferry. I didn't know she was cellphone-less and she didn't know where I was. I was just talking on the phone saying, "I'm not going to panic until it's dark, I'm alone in urban Seattle, and I have nowhere to stay for the night..." when Aimee walked out from between two booths ahead of me. We proceeded, naturally, into one of those dramatic movie moments where I call her name, she looks, a wave of happiness washes over her face and we both take off running toward each other, then there's the hug... lift... swing... and squealing giggles. If only someone had been there to record it, it was a great moment - two old friends from Iowa who haven't seen each other in a year even though they've both moved near each other to the West coast.
After that, we were old friends again. We handed back and forth her lovely camera and took time to really notice things. We enjoyed street performances of mournful bagpipes, elementary-school fiddle savants, and large marimba bands. It appears that the street musicians who show up at Folklife are better than much of the planned and staged music. I bought a hat that I'm desperately in love with from a young woman - about my age, who has a giant and commanding personality (in the most whimsical and wonderful way).
"I've got just the hat for you. Just a second, I'm looking for it... seeking it... come here, littl-OH... there you are! OK, I'm coming in to hat you... coming toward you... don't be scared... I won't poke your eye - you have lovely eyes... this hat looks amazing wit your eyes... let me tuck your hair... and just move... and that's it... voila! Look in the mirror and tell me that hat wasn't made for your little head!"
Aimee finally purchased the djembe of her dreams (something to then carry the rest of the weekend, but it has an amazing sound, is beautiful, and was a great deal). We took it to a drum circle and I danced, danced, danced. We stayed with friends of hers on the floor of a beautiful studio space with beautiful skylights, staying up late to tell stories. I introduced her to the Dovekins (my newest love - I would do just about anything to curl up in a small back pocket of their bus and tour the universe with them in blissful, gypsy, happiness). The theme of the weekend was Synergy. Whether it was the perfect drum appearing, finding each other without a cell phone, or unexpectedly arriving at the perfect time for a quick pizza that arrived immediately before it was time to board the boat back to Bainbridge island.
I rode home with Aimee and stayed at her house Sunday night and Monday night (oops, the busses don't run on Memorial day!), got to adventure around Port Townsend finding antique shops, coffee houses, ice cream shops, a curious crystal shop, beaches, historic homes, a giant earthen wall with a turquoise door, and walking a dog on the ocean in the rain. :)
The bus on Monday morning arrived as I hugged dear Aimee goodbye (promising to mail a flash drive for all those important-to-memory photos and to see each other again soon). After meeting interesting people on the bus, making the necessary transfers, and enjoying an hour layover at a sweet little greasy-spoon diner for breakfast, the Mason County Transit dropped me off right outside my office and I spent the day at work, then walked home.
A week of work ensued.
The weekend before last, I had taken a Greyhound to Leavenworth for the celebration of Bavarian Bike and Brew, a semi-pro mountain bike race followed by music and microbrews that happened in the "front yard" (hayfield) at the farm Caleb has been working on. We hiked up part of the trail, found a nice look-out, and watched the cyclists climbing around a tight corner from directly above them. I'm now the proud owner of a ceramic mug (made in China) with the logo of the event on it. Life is sure good to me! I took part of Saturday to go hiking in the National forest land abutted against the farm Caleb is on. I took some lovely pictures, enjoyed the beautiful scenery and lovely weather, and had a blast wandering in the wilderness. I returned for a quick lunch with the farm's interns and then spent the afternoon clearing all the weeds from the strawberry patch. Now, we all know I exaggerate sometimes, but when I say "all the weeds", I mean ALL the weeds. When I'd reached the last row, Caleb came out to check on me and was impressed by my work - he couldn't find a weed. I know that if I owned this strawberry patch, and it wasn't my vacation, and I had other things to do... it would be silly to spend so much time doing such a thorough job of weed removal. However, none of that was the case, so I got to exercise my best obsessive tendencies and clear that patch so well, both Caleb and the farmer who owns the land, Grant, said they wouldn't have to weed again before harvest (not that far in the future, but that's not the point).
Caleb and I took Sunday to drive around the area - over to Wenatchee and up to Field's Point, Chelan and Manson. It was good to see "my old stomping ground" around the boat dock that one takes up to Holden (although I never spent much time there, it was familiar and homey). We looked at acres and acres and acres of cultivated land - as far as the eye could see (up to the tree line), but not the way you see it in the Midwest. These were mostly orchards (some vineyards).
Last weekend, Caleb and I had returned to Olympia so that I could go back to work and he could complete his final requirements for the quarter's credits. He walked for Evergreen's graduation on Friday (a last-minute decision, but I got to go to take pictures and celebrate his accomplishment). After that, we planned to take a hike up near Hoodsport on Saturday, but when we arrived there, the town was crawling and we figured a lot of people were up on the trail. So, instead, I took him up to Port Townsend to meet Aimee, buy an awesome Green Man belt buckle, enjoy music in a grassy knoll by the ocean, drink some great coffee, and enjoy a lovely little adventure around the town. We stayed at Aimee's house and left for Olympia early the next morning, tried to check out the Pride Parade/Festival in Olympia (it was a huge celebration last year, but this year... there was a small parade that we missed, and only a few booths - all selling junk except the one with the petition for marijuana legalization - not the celebration we were hoping for). Then, it was time for Caleb to scurry back over the mountains and back to his farm.
The last thing I need to mention is that I spent my work day on Friday down in Rochester reclaiming a ferrel garden bed. There were a few giant lavender bushes hidden amongst grass, thistle, dead shrubs, and dandelions. Between 9:30am and 4:00pm, I reclaimed all but a tiny section of grass (my ride was going... if I'd only had another hour!) I even got some sadly neglected Marigolds planted.
Before, After, And my painting "for the birds":
Well, more pictures to soon follow, but at the moment, I need to go.
Love, love, love to you all!
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