A reflection as I wait to leave Seattle

 

Kirstie's masterpiece, her family which is our family

As we say farewell to the family here in Seattle I am recalling:

 

·      Arriving to the glorious fall colours

·      Sitting at the window watching Dark-eyed Junco’s and hummingbirds flitting about in the trees

·      Raking and picking up the fallen leaves filling a large compost bin a week

·      All the weather we have experienced, the deep snow drifts at Granby, watching snow fall in Oregon, light rain, heavy rain, big blue skies and temperatures that dropped into the -18 degrees in Colorado

·      Having to get used to the short daylight hours, dark just after 4.30 pm

·      Shopping at QFC, PCC Community and Metropolitan Markets, Whole Foods and Safeway for basics and for special treats

·      Experiencing a Cyber Truck 

·      Having toast and peanut butter with Kirstie in the mornings and sharing my lipstick

·      Being bemused by all the pumpkins decorating porches

·      Ambling around the neighbourhood taking part in the Halloween festivities

·      Listening to James and the ASB choirs sing carols

·      Pops making pancakes with James and Nan colouring in with Kirstie

·      Making my first chowder, corn and shrimp, for Christmas Eve with Jason and Elle who came down from Vancouver

·      Witnessing the Americans voting for their next president

·      Joining in all the special Seattle Christmas events: the Teddy Bear Suite at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, the Gingerbread Village at the Seattle Sheraton; the Fleur de Villes Noel at the Pacific Place; the Bellevue Snowflake Lane Parade; the WildLanterns at the Woodland Zoo; and just appreciating all the effort families put into their decorations

·      Feeling gratitude for being with family for Christmas and watching all the excitement and mayhem of Christmas morning

·      Marveling at the 400 drones creating the Mile High Drone Show in Denver

·      Movie nights with the little ones

·      Watching two series, Disclaimer and Landman 

·      Rewatching ‘Wild’ with Reese Witherspoon after driving over the Bridge of the Gods on the Columbia River

·      Being part of the weekly routine, James at karate and soccer, Kirstie at swimming, dancing, gymnastics and soccer

·      Strolling to fetch the little ones from their school, two blocks from home

·      Walking trails along the Puget Sound, walking the 5 kilometers around Green Lake, walking along Lakes Washington and Union, walking downtown Seattle, walking the Bryant and Ravenna neighbourhood, walking the trails in Arches National Park in Utah, walking the Deschutes River Trail at Eagles Crest in Oregon, walking the Crooked River trail in Smith Rock State Park; walking the Pilot Butte in Bend, and just loving the fresh crisp air

·      Visiting the Japanese Gardens to marvel at the maples in fall

·      Joining Birds Connect Seattle neighborhood bird events and outings

·      Reconnecting with the birds of the western USA and getting a few lifers like the Surfbirds and the Bewick’s Wren 

·      Learning about wolves at the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Centre

·      Seeing salmon returning to their breeding ground in Piper Creek

·      Walking a Pacific Ocean beach from the Moolack Shores Inn 

·      Visiting the Ballard Locks

·      The Multnomah Falls exceeding our expectations and walking over 600 feet to the top of the falls, a mile ¼ of steep switchbacks

·      Enjoying seaplanes landing and taking off on Lake Union

·      Hopping on and off the 62 buses into Fremont and Downtown Seattle, riding the Monorail and taking the 1 Line either to downtown Seattle or to the airport

·      Investing in our new MacBook Airs

·      Spending many happy ‘retail therapy’ hours at U village shopping for winter clothing and Christmas gifts

·      Always being on the lookout for a perfect daily coffee

·      Going book shopping at the Elliot Bay Book Company for the new Louise Penny book

·      Pruning, weeding and mulching the garden

·      Fred doing what he does so well, DIY around the house and garden

·      Fred and his Amazon account, parcels arriving almost daily

·      Managing our disappointment at not getting to the summit of the Pike Peak Highway in Colorado to ride a 14ner, we got to do a 11er instead

·      Cooking with Shawni and family dinners around the dining room table

·      Pleasure of live sport, the Seattle Kraken vs the New York Islanders, my first Ice Hockey game and an NFL game, the Seahawks against the Vikings

·      Loving our ballet outing, the Pacific Northwest Ballet performance of The Nutcracker

·      Road tripping in Utah, Colorado and Oregon 

·      Spending blissful days in the Arches National Park from our cozy Airbnb in Moab

·      Taking the car across the Edmond-Kingston ferry for a night on the Olympic Peninsula

·      Riding the ferries to enjoy being on the Puget Sound

·      An unusual activity, dock fouling in Bremerton and crow watching around Seattle

·      Celebrating Shawni’s 40^th birthday with a memorable dinner at Purple 

·      Babysitting while the kids went to Las Vegas to celebrate the 40^th

·      Appreciating my first Thanksgiving with the Hadfield and Aitkin clans in Granby, Colorado and I have so much to be grateful for

·      Swimming in heated outdoor pools in frigid temperatures and then enjoying a hot spa

·      Exploring downtown Seattle: the Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, the Chihuly Garden and Glass, Smith Tower, Seattle Waterfront

·      Time with the little ones at the fascinating Seattle Public Library

·      The deep satisfaction of family time and experiencing the daily rhythms