Here I am, quietly dipping a toe back into blogging. Life, as it tends to do, threw a few curves our way over the past several years, and I simply lost my ‘voice’ for a while. I found I needed to just sink into the quiet and tend my people, garden, and critters, but the desire to write has been growing steadily for many months. Where do you begin when it feels there are so many words wanting to spill out, so many thoughts you’d like to share, and stories you’d like to tell? Of course, you start right where you are…..
Today was one of those classic, stormy winter days; a wild mix of strong, gusty winds and heavy rain. The plans for the day included the monthly trip to Costco with my mother and a leisurely lunch out where she could talk to her heart’s content about any number of things. As I stood at the kitchen window considering the dark clouds and the rain peppering the glass, I had briefly considered rescheduling my trip off island, but knowing how much my mom looked forward to our outings, I decided to carry on.
I really couldn’t use the weather as an excuse, because as the saying goes, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.” Like most Pacific Northwest folks, I have a wide assortment of gear from which to choose, so I laced up sturdy waterproof boots, donned a rain jacket and sallied forth.
For the short crossing to the mainland, I usually stay in my car, but today I decided to go up to the passenger deck and I’m glad I did. In the booth next to mine, was a group of tourists, and we struck up a conversation as the ferry left the dock. I answered questions about island life, and the novelty of the ferry rides. The gentle rolling of the boat, grew a bit more extreme as we neared the middle of the channel. Conversation suddenly stopped as the ferry’s hull hit a bigger wave with a resounding boom and a shudder. One woman quietly asked if the boat was okay. I smiled and assured her the ferry was just fine, and could handle a great deal more. Eyes grew large when I told them I had been on board several times when the waves were big enough to crash over the entire bow of the boat.
Soon enough, as we neared the mainland the water calmed, my new friends relaxed, and we parted company; they heading to Seattle’s Pike Place Market and I to my parent’s condo just up the hill.
The shopping trip was a success, and the rain even obligingly let up just long enough for me to load purchases into the car. Lunch at Panera’s was delicious, and Mom was able to catch up on family news and vent about the current state of the union. Later, just as the ferry slipped away from the dock for my trip home, the sun came out. The weather, the scene, the colors so exciting and vivid, I quickly stepped from my car and captured this photo.
As I returned to my cozy car, I thought once again, how fortunate I am to live in this beautiful part of the world.