Keeping Up

Wendy Lee

We are approaching the end of a year of thirties. A few next month, and then we are all at that point. Thirty. Miss WL always seemed near the end, of the birthdays. I had a hard time, thinking of myself as thirty, and now, thinking of WL as thirty.

I did not write much the last birthday I spent with WL, but it is hard to imagine my life without WL. (I did, however, write about WL shortly before she moved to Seattle.) And often, I am caught off guard, by the fact that she lives only a few miles away. We have been through just about it all. WL moved to Rosemount in first grade. She was in my homeroom class, but then moved to another. So I suppose I met her then, twenty-three years ago. But, best friends in fourth grade. In the nerdy sense. We skipped recess together, to write. Short stories. Dramatic short stories about best friends. Distraught by moving. Or car wrecks. Drama. We struggled through middle school. Which involved silent treatments. Notebooks filled with rumors and horrible judgements. Girls vying for attention. We took the same classes in high school, always fairly competatively. I always remember being competative with WL. We had hard times. We wet to college. And moved to different towns.

But now, for two years, we have lived in the same town. A bit farther away than a corn field, but still a short distance. Sometimes, I forget how much I need WL. How well she knows me. But, I know that when I remember, when I really need her, she is here. And I love her. She is one of the most intellegent, thoughtful people that I have ever met. She is aware. Of herself, and of others. And the world. It all. All at once. Which is one of the hardest things ever. And she does it all with a smile. And understanding.

As she turns thirty, I am so thankful for the twenty-three I have been able to share with her. She has brought so much to my life.

Happy Thirty, WL.  

A Day to Remember

Every morning I wake up and check my email for the daily forecast. In my Inbox this morning:

Today we will make weather history. Whether you've lived here for 3 months, 3 years, 30 years, even 70 years... today will be the hottest day you've ever experienced in Seattle. Our forecast for this afternoon is 101 degrees. That'll break the all-time record high, which is 100 degrees (set 15 years ago in July 1994).

First, we will set a record this morning for the warmest "night" ever. Lows will likely stay in the 71-72 degree range, and we've never had a day where we didn't fall below 70 degrees. That will change after today.

So -- stay safe and stay cool today -- and go do something fun... as you'll likely remember this day for many decades to come!

Something fun? That I will remember for decades? I am feeling a bit of pressure.

Jogged

The first morning I was home, I went for a jog. I was overwhelmed by the feeling of comfort and nostalgia the route, the movement, the memories brought to me. Down the street on which I learned to ride a bike. Down paths frequented on Rollerblades. Past my fifth grade teacher's house, my elementary school best friend's house, and crush Tom Preissing's street. Within a stone's thrown of WL's house. Winding the streets of a neighborhood I remember as a field. Past Scott Highland's Middle School. Across soccer fields where games were won and lost. Finishing amidst the forrest that is the front yard.

Most of my summers at home I jogged in the evenings, with MJ. Following a day in the Vehicle Maintenance office at Coke, when I arrived home, there really was no thought, no question, we just met and jogged. I have since tried to motivate myself into such routines and am unable. I am not sure why it seemed so easy. Other plans for the night always waited until after we ran. And on nights without plans, we would make smoothies, sit outside and continue the conversation which was always going. Continued from one moment to the next. Begun in the early strides of the summer, destined to fade into emails come fall, but for the summer, an essential bit of my life. Most likely, the reason jogging seemed so easy. And now, the reason jogging at home brings back such wonderful feelings.

Hosta

Packing tonight, for a trip home to Minnesota. With mixed emotions. So excited to see my family. And catch up with friends. Looking forward to a bit of time in Minneapolis. A day canoeing. And a lake. Thunderstorms. And Dad grilling.

As I walked home from the library this evening, I noticed a flowering hosta. Mom always grew hostas. On the East side of the house. I think maybe they were given to her, when they bought the house thirty years ago. And seeing the flowers, I immediately thought of home.

But also, seeing the flowers, I felt at home. Here. I am kind of disappointed to be missing a week of summer in Seattle. It is a sort of intense don't-have-too-much-fun-without-me feeling. Hard to leave one home for another.

As I snapped a photo, I remembered a fairly recent post on Cousin E's blog. Hostas. I went back to her blog, which I have never been able to get set up on my Google Reader, so only read occasionally, and felt happy. Which I suppose, is her point.

Music and Landscapes

Several weeks back, in search of live summer music, I was ecstatic when I saw Josh Ritter's tour schedule included a stop in Kennewick. Not only that, but Helio Sequence was listed as the opening band. I immediately bought a ticket. I really did not know where Kennewick was located, but it could not be that far away. It is in Washington, after all. Turns out, Kennewick is a bit further than anticipated. Three and a half hours might seem like a lot for a Friday night concert, but this time it was actually not so much.

With a freshly organized iPod, a change of clothes, and a Diet Coke I cut work early Friday afternoon to drive over the Cascade Mountains into the Unknown. South Central Washington. In my six years as a Seattle resident, I never been down to the Yakima River Valley. I have crossed the I-90 pass no more than half a dozen times. And have never taken I-82 South.

My original weekend plan included the three and a half hour drive to Kennewick for the concert, another three and a half hour drive early Saturday morning to the trailhead for Mount Adams, two days of climbing and a nearly five hour drive back to Seattle. But, I decided Friday to scratch the Mount Adams climb and head back to Seattle Saturday. It was a hard decision for me, I did not want to miss out and had been looking forward to another weekend in the Mountains. The first part of the drive, I was regretting having not thrown my pack into the car. But, as soon as I was over Snoqualmie Pass all regret went out the window. I was so excited by the idea of exploring a place so different from the green of Puget Sound.

 

No time to explore on Friday, though. I had a destination.

I must admit that, though I loaded my iPod with lots of new music to which I have been intending to listen, I pretty much kept Josh Ritter on repeat. I was so excited for the show. And, really, his songs are perfect for road tripping.

The show was at the Red Room, and was incredible. Helio Sequence was good, but Josh Ritter was so great. So great. He was not at all what I expected. He laughed a lot, kind of giggled, actually. Bounced a round. And played lots of great songs. For nearly two hours. I was not even really disappointed that he did not play Leaves and Kings, which is my favorite. And would be so great live. I definitely would drive hours to see him again.

I woke up Saturday, with no agenda, but with To The Dogs Or Whomever in my head. A sure indication of a great day ahead.

All I did was drive. I drove South, along the Eastern edge of the Columbia. Then back North. Sometimes on the highway, sometimes on the back roads, though the grape vines and peach trees. The colors were so great. Warm.

I walked through the NcNary National Wildlife Refuge. I stopped at Rest Areas and View Points. I felt like I could drive forever. It has been ages since I have taken a road trip. But, now I am hooked.

The vegetation and landscape were so beautiful. And, oddly exotic. I felt so far away from home.

And there was so much space. Open skies. Views for miles. I waved to C, SO'M, and MP on Mount Adams. And to AP and MM on Mount Rainier. Happy to see the mountains from a distance. Wearing a sundress, in temperatures above a hundred degrees.

Turns out I had been missing quite a bit, cooped up in Western Washington. But, now that I know, I am certainly going to continue to explore.

[Pictures from the drive are here.]

Weekend in Review

Friday

After work and a walk with Miss Else, a quick but enjoyable dinner in the magical Freeway Park. Grocery store BBQ and a beer. On a warm Friday afternoon evening, nearly perfect.

Then to Town Hall for A Conversation with Gloria Steinem. A house full of women. The format included five women writers seated on stage, discussing the process of writing and how being a woman has influenced their work, how they have been influenced by other writers, and hope to influence society. It was pretty great.

I thought a lot about how much my mom, who recently returned from a literary retreat in Maine, would have enjoyed the conversation. Much of the audience was women a generation older than I, and I was so glad that I was raised by my parents. I probably would never have considered attending had I not been brought up in a household where reading and writing were integral parts of daily life. I guess, as I grow up, I realize how much of of my parents is in me. Which gives me some piece of mind. That no matter what, I will be okay.

I walked home, after the talk, at dusk. The colors were perfect. So, I grabbed Miss Else, and we walked some more. Nowhere, really, just around. Eventually making it back home. To watch Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. In bed. Then to sleep.

Saturday

Awoke late, to another hot, sunny day in Seattle. Such a fabulous summer. Spent the morning doing not much of anything. AM picked me up shortly after noon and we drove East to Marymoor Park for the No Depression Music Festival. 

 

We set up camp and sat outside listening to fabulous music all day. Ten hours, actually. Highlights included Zee Avi, a set featuring local artists (including Sera Cahoone), Justin Townes Earl, and Iron and Wine. And, as expected, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, were fantastic. KEXP's photos are good, here. But none of Gillian Welch. I really like this one of her though.

It was a nearly perfect day. So great to spend time catching up with AM. To relax and people watch. To listen and chat. Though we left our chairs only to fill our water bottles, buy beer, and to go to the bathroom, we arrived back in Seattle well after dark, exhausted.

Sunday

At six in the morning SO'M, C, and I left rain in Seattle for bluer skies in Leavenworth. And a day of rock climbing. Though we had clouds for a bit of the morning, the weather eventually cleared and the temperature rose to ninety degrees. 

 

 

We were all quite lax about the whole climbing thing. C practiced leading. And I struggled climbing everything. After four pitches, we called it done. We drove down to the river so Miss Else could swim a bit and we could cool our feet. Then into town for a beer and a bite to eat. And back on the road West. Nearly as soon as we crossed the pass, we hit rain. And traffic. Stop and go for well over an hour. Thankfully, we had a catalog to entertain the boys (thereby entertaining me as well).

Miss Else and I arrived home, not too late, and with enough time and energy to get a bit done around the house. Ready for the week.

One Dimensional

After yet another fairly long climb on Sunday, and the necessary subsequent days of recuperation, I am beginning to feel flat. One dimensional. It seems that if I am not actually climbing, I am packing for a climb, drinking beers after a climb, uploading photos of a climb, or drinking beers while planning the next climb. I have a permanent helmet line from the glacial sun. Piles of granola bars in the kitchen. Chapstick in every pocket. A reusable grocery sac labeled 'Boots'. And an increasing alcohol tolerance.

Looking back over my calender from the past few weeks, it turns out there have been several activities having nothing to do with gaiters or ice axes. Or beer. Experiences I have had, and have not had the time, or the patience rather, to site and write about. 

A list of those things which have been on my mind and not yet mentioned:

Went to see, and was inspired by, SIFF's A Sea Change.

Although I showed up too late to the event and was turned away, watched Paul Farmer's talk at UW live on the internet.

Read Let Me Stand Alone, which is one of the most amazing books I have read in a long time.

Survived, and kind of enjoyed, the new Transformers movie.

Was impressed by the Andrew Wyeth exhibit at SAM. So impressed.

Took Miss Else on a hike to Lake Serene.

Attended an interesting lecture by Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman, promoting their new book Enough.

Now, as a long weekend approaches, I am looking forward to time away from the mountains. A weekend more multifaceted than my typical Boeapls inspired Saturday/Sunday. A weekend in Seattle. With sunshine. And my sewing machine. Time to finish The Year of Magical Thinking and to begin That Mad Ache. A weekend with leisure to page through magazines. And energy enough to bike, with unsore muscles, to Golden Gardens. A weekend in flip flops. Yes, an entire weekend in flip flops. No Superfeet required.

Bamboo Cycles

I stole this link from L's gchat status:

An article from the BBC about Zambikes, an organization that builds bicycle frames from bamboo in Zambia.

Good find, L.