My Trip to Seattle

The view from my Truth or Consequences apartment at Oh-Dark-Thirty on the day I left for Seattle

I've been in Seattle for almost two weeks.  My best friend, Helen, is recovering from knee surgery.  I knew her dad would be staying with her when she first got out of the hospital, but I thought she might still need a cook/chauffeur for a while.  It's been working out pretty great.  Helen wasn't driving until just a few days ago, so I took her to a few medical appointments and did the grocery shopping.  

Sly--the blue was brand-new on the day I took this photo!

 

 

I've also had use of Helen's car throughout my visit, and this has facilitated being able to spend time with my son Sly and also do a lot of thrift store shopping to lay in some eBay inventory.  I've gotten to see the transitional housing residence where Sly is staying, the FareStart cafe where he's in a barista training program, and the Recovery Cafe where he enjoys hanging out.   For a young person who became homeless a few months ago, Sly is doing very, very well.  He's keeping busy with productive things and has a good start at being clean and sober.  

This elephant is a Seattle icon, and if you look closely, you will see he occupies Wall Street

I've shopped thrift stores from Renton, the town south of Seattle where Boeing has a huge facility, all the way up to Lynnwood, north of Seattle.  I've been very careful to buy small things that I can take back home with me, plus I've purchased some luggage to get the stuff home.  I've found some pretty great stuff and could have bought a heck of a lot more if there weren't airplanes involved in this buying trip.  Seattle is a fabulous town for thrift store shopping.

 

Me, at a differently-abled street crossing

 I got to spend Mother's Day with Sly.  We drove to a county park on Camano Island and had a picnic.  We'll probably do something similar tomorrow, depending on the weather.  Clouds and rain are predicted, so we may not see the big solar eclipse.  

Another highlight of my trip was spending time with my friend Chris, who picked me up from the airport on my arrival.  I also got to see her for dinner a few nights ago.  I reconnected with lots of old friends at Freedom, which had been my AA home group for nearly 20 years before I left this area, and I visited with Janet Still, my former pottery and sculpture teacher. 
 
I head back to New Mexico "at the buttcrack of dawn," as Helen says, on Tuesday.  She'll be able to drive me to the airport!  It's been a relaxing trip, and I'm ready to get back to work at my various ventures in New Mexico.

Kinda scary, eh?  I think he still wants to be a T-Rex when he grows up