Thursday, May 15, 2008

Back to Seattle

After 26 hours door to door from San Sebastian Spain to LA, a three hour nap and then a drive to Palm Springs, we finally were able to pick up our car and head north to Seattle. We made a stop in the Bay Area to see our daughter Megan, husband Matt and Athena and Ricky. They are all doing great with Megan back to work, Matt teaching a Latin course for HS seniors at Cal this summer, Athena and Ricky both with birthdays in June. They are amazing children and a credit to their parents who could write a book on proper parenting. After a shopping spree in which Athena got to purchase her own birthday gifts with her self proclaimed budget of $14.99. She was actually pretty close until we let her do some deficit spending:) It was wonderful to see them all and we are planning a summer visit for a week or so. Our trip back to Seattle took about 13 hours with Deanne and I driving in 2 hour shifts.
We had our last In & Out burger in Redding Ca. knowing that healthy diets begin the following day. We arrived at 10 pm on a surreal, misty, rainy Seattle night ( we have a lot of these) Our great tenants had left our home in pristine condition for which we are grateful. We unloaded the car, and just let the sounds of Seattle sink in, the late night boaters, the water lapping against the logs, the creaking of the struts on the dock and the wind coming from the Southwest bringing with it the familiar rains we are famous for here in the Emerald City. The foghorns, the sightseeing vessels making their last trip back to harbor, the Mariners flag flying on the home across the channel and finally the sight of the Space Needle along with the city lights illuminating a the lake and Queen Anne hill across the way. What a sight, with the clean fresh air and the familiarity of being home and a sense of completion we look forward to having Caitie home tonight, Mike and Dana, Matt and Jonny home on Sunday for a long awaited reunion. We woke up to the sound of the UW crew team practicing as they do each morning, making a pot of Peet's coffee and planning the day which will include taking all of our stuff out of the storage closet and resuming our normal daily activities. We will be on the road again in a number of months but for now we will enjoy the summer with friends and family re-telling the many adventures we were so fortunate to experience. Stay tuned!!
Ciao for Now
Mike

2 comments:

Martha said...

Dear Mike,
You have such a wonderful knack of writing; I feel as if I am there on your dock in Seattle, feeling the wind on my face, listening to the foghorns blow and swaying with the rhythms of the waves lapping on your boat...; and traveling all over the world...what a marvelous way to live. Have a great summer!
Your Yoga friend,
Martha :)

MIKE said...

Hi Martha
I haven't checked the blog in awhile. Its great to hear from you. We were in your neck of the woods for a few days and had a great time with our grandkids. Hope your teaching is going well!!
Have fun!
Mike