Sunday, August 16, 2009

Seattle, Washington

View of the lake from one of the parks we visited in Seattle. There were so many parks and beautiful views of water all over the city.

Cora playing scientist at the lab in the university.

Bob and Joshua together again.

Bob's gig at Slim's Last Chance. That's Bob on drums. The next night Joshua recorded Bob's playing inside the empty Odyssey for a recording project.

Pearls sitting on the Fremont troll.

Isaac in contemplation by a lake.

Eating ramen in downtown Seattle with the lovely Mariko.

Uwajimaya, the largest Japanese grocery around. What a treat.

After the long stretch of nature and camping, and then the gentle reintegration into culture in Bellingham, the urban environment of Seattle was a shock to the system. It took a few days to get used to so many cars and people and sounds, but after a day or two we found our groove in Seattle. I was surprised that when we were in the downtown tall building area of Seattle, my body suddenly relaxed in a ripple of familiarity. I felt strangely at home among buildings that blocked the sky. Even though I have lived in the rural countryside for over a decade, apparently my New York City roots are still in tact.

We spent the whole time in Seattle visiting with dear old friends and it was such a joy to finally see them in their home town. Although I love being able to see good friends as frequently as possible, I really appreciate the resilience of a true connection with a loved one. Even after years of not seeing these wonderful people, it was so easy to jump right into knowing and loving one another. We have reconnected with so many lovely friends on this journey so far and have plans to visit with many others.

A good friend of mine mentioned to me the other day that all of these posts seem so upbeat and happy. Her comment really got me thinking....why is that so? This trip is not without its challenges, but mostly, it has been a very joyful time. The movement is good for our family. The adventure. The teamwork. I continually have a sense that we are on the right track with our lives. I guess it comes through in the documentation of the trip.

Another friend reflected back that we seemed to have planned this journey out quite well and that we seem to have so much intentionality around it. I would say that her comment is true. An interesting thing I keep noticing is that Joshua and I have a cellular memory of doing the same kind of trip together twenty years ago. On that two and a half month journey back in 1989, we developed cross country traveling chops that are still with us. Yes, it is different and more complex to be doing it with three children in tow, but we also have amazing technology this time, such as computers, an iPhone, a GPS and a comfortable vehicle which make it all so much easier. This type of travel is in the DNA of our marriage. In fact, the intensity of spending so much time in a car and getting to know each other through the built in situation of constant decision making by living on the road, is what made us decide to get engaged. We felt that if our relationship could withstand such continuous close quarters and we could find such cooperation and partnership and still laugh and have fun that it was time to take our relationship to the next level. Our very engagement was born out of life on the road. And here we are again, together with our children, engaged once more.

Next stop, Portland, Oregon.

(Posted by Cora, even though it says Father of Pearl at the bottom. There was a small technical difficulty.)

2 comments:

  1. Hi Pearls! I am enjoying all your posts. I am glad that the happiness is not just for show! My cross country travels were solo just after college; I'd love to do it again. I will be in Seattle in a few weeks for my sister's wedding. What one thing is not to be missed? (I only have a few days.) Much love, Allie

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  2. Hi Allie!

    Thanks for the nice feedback. Have fun at your sister's wedding! We didn't do much of anything in Seattle. We spent time with our friends and had them show us everything on a long driving tour. We loved eating in cute places, including some wonderful Japanese food. I really enjoyed seeing how people live.

    Have fun!
    Love, Cora

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