Apples In August

Did you miss me?

I went to see a super-sexy, very intelligent, deeply philosophical, soul-searching, life-giving friend of mine who I will simply refer to as "R". She turned a milestone age that rhymes with 'sporty', so I went to celebrate her glory. I haven't seen her in more than ten years. She allowed me to share her personal space, meet her inner circle, bond with her family, and generally spoiled me while there (thank you, R!).

We walked and walked and walked and talked and talked and talked. She says she is exhausting, but it wasn't R that exhausted me. I think it was those shots of Washington Apples (yummy), the crown and cokes, the Frenatis and the staying up way too late that exhausted me. Mt. Rainer was out quite a bit. "WOW" is all I can say about Rainier. If you've been there, you know what mean; if you haven't, you need to experience it. WOW.

The coolish weather was a nice break from the Texas heat. I had to giggle at those Pacific Northwesterners complaining about their humidity and their heat. It was a good 20 degrees cooler there. It's all about context, I know.... Still I am giggling.

Titlow Beach was our first stop after dropping off my things at home. It's a rocky beach where I collected rocks of character for My Sweet Eldest. There's some story about the world's largest octopus being found there near Narrows Bridge. We watched the sun setting and did lots of laughing while the tide snuck up and nearly trapped us near the boulders. Cold water makes for sharp minds! Later that evening, we indulged in delicious desserts at The Ram, overlooking a setting sun on the water. R has a lovely family. Truly.

Day next, we ventured three hours south to Long Beach (the world's longest beach!) . We rode mopeds on the beach....got stuck in the sand...got unstuck in the sand. (KP is probably still laughing at the thought of my fat a** zipping around in a yellow helmet and yellow moped in a slow-paced beachside town of Long Beach. Shoosh, KP!) Floating in the overcast skies were kites and seagulls. Decorating the packed gray sand were jellyfish, more seagulls and beachcombers.

Picturesque.

Romantic.

I even got to meet The Legendary T (R's male best friend) -- park ranger, painter, historian, policeman, preservationist, surfer with a gaggle of kids (thanks for letting me crash your world, too, T!). The next day, R and I shopped and ate all around Long Beach, then drove to Astoria, Oregon and saw T's art LIVE in a gallery there. I need to save my pennies and make a purchase someday.... Before leaving T's place, I snapped some pictures of fruits begging attention from their trees found in his back yard -- one was a (real) Washington apple - half green, half red and small, poking it's bottom out from 'neath the nurturing leaves.

There's nothing like youth, especially the innocence of young men. Being my age, and married, with a shaky self-image, having 22-year-old boys serenade you and your friend because it's your friend's birthday is definitely a sweet memory (can we say 'vicarious'? lol) . We played pool with them, then watched them strive to be famous music artists in the alley of the bar. I'll never forget the lip-pierced J and curly-headed pre-law student R sing their hearts out passionately. And that station wagon. Ohhhh the station wagon.

R and I attended Mass on Sunday night (before the bar and before yummy Italian dinner served by a very sexy waiter), and I was humbled by streaming tears. At All Saints, I witnessed something I'd never seen before. The bread was unleavened bread that after it was transubstantiated, the priest tore into tiny pieces. Actual breaking of bread. Very cool! Eventually, he had to sneak to the back and bring out the circular hosts that I'm used to seeing. The music was kind of jazzy instead of solemn like in my home church. The congragation even goes out to dinner together after Mass on Sunday nights. Love that sense of community....

Monday was supposed to be 'Seattle Day', but R ended up having to work for a few hours, so I kept my hungover butt in the bed. I had the best fun later that evening going to downtown Tacoma....walking and talking (duh) with R, plus seeing the world-famous Chihuly glass. The U-Dub @ Tacoma campus, Union Station and the general area down there was nice. There's a little marina there, too. How the water frees my spirit and comforts me, even if it's in the middle of the city hustle-bustle.

Tuesday was homecoming, but my flight wasn't till the afternoon, so I had R take me to the train station at Sumner, where I commuted with Workers of The Daily Grind to downtown Seattle. Again, I walked and walked, trekked UPHILL and UPHILL and UP THE DAMNED HILL. Holy cow! I had no idea how many hills were in downtown Seattle! Yes, I went to Pike's Place Marketplace, saw the famous fish throwers, the 'roided up flowers, the colorful and succulently inviting fruits and vegetables, the 3D puzzles and quaint eateries of international food. Flowering baskets hung all around, rainbow-colored umbrellas lined the rooftops, so much sensory stimulation! The first Starbucks ever established is at Pike's Place, so of course, I ventured in and made a purchase.

Before getting to Pike's Place, I trekked UP THE HILLS to St. James Cathedral. I walked through lower-income housing, over a major highway, through construction and past a hospital to find the glorious glass over the doors larger-than-life speak to me: I am the branches, you are the vine. Tears poured out of my eyes look up at Jesus's outstretched, welcoming hands. I made the sign of the cross, said 'thank you for getting me here' (with a little help from my husband!) , then marveled at the doors. I snapped my pictures of the Station that iconifies St. Veronica (a special interest of mine), lit some candles, then headed toward the Space Needle.

I missed my kids. A lot. After the third day, I would cry and cry without even being able to fake it while talking to them. I knew I'd miss them...but to that degree I was not expecting. I was missed. I've heard about it several times every day since. I am so blessed. Blessed to have kids that want me around, blessed to have such a wonderful friend in R, blessed to have a husband who cringed and let me go despite his discomfort with me going.

Indeed, I am a blessed woman. Thanks be to God.

P.S. Yes, *I* took all these pictures, as well as the ones in the previous three entries....so behave! I'll send the feds after you and charge you interest on previously owed money if you claim them as your own!