Movin’ On

Back home in Davis. It’s starting to sink in that Dad is getting ready to sell his house (the one I grew up in) and move to the East Coast with Pam. I have to admit that we both feel anxious about this (which is normal when you make big changes in life). That being said, I still have the rest of my family and a good team of caregivers out here, so I think it will be alright.

I’m lucky to have a loving family, and Dad says he will be back to visit me in California as often as he can. I believe him.

The Coast

The Oregon Coast is really beautiful. It’s great for a leisurely drive on a summer afternoon. This part of the world always makes me feel like I’m not in a hurry.

Astoria

When traveling in the Pacific Northwest, I will always make a point of seeing my brother and sister-in-law. This time we met and hung out in Astoria, Oregon near the mouth of the Columbia River. It was only for a few hours, but those family moments are precious.

Jackson and Wendy, I love you guys.

All Apologies

Aberdeen, Washington. This small town near the coast is the childhood home of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain (1967-1994). Naturally, Dad and I stopped by a small city park on the banks of the Wishkah River that’s become a shrine dedicated to the late great musician. It’s really too bad that Kurt chose to join the “27 Club” of rock ‘n’ roll greats who died young. (Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse and many others come to mind.) I guess we can never truly know what’s going on in another person’s soul.

Being considerate types, we did not knock on doors of private homes in the neighborhood to ask stupid questions. There was homemade signage in the area to suggest that the locals are tired of it.

R.I.P. Kurt.

300

Here I’m being very brave. I’m standing on a narrow pedestrian walkway on a bridge, cars whizzing by in the roadway next to me, staring down at the tide several hundred feet below.

This is Deception Pass, a thin channel in the Puget Sound area separating Washington’s Whidbey Island from the mainland. The tides here are intense because the water gets funneled through a small passage. It’s a beautiful and fascinating spot.

Also, this is my 300th blog post. Quite a milestone.

Deception Falls

One thing that you can find in Washington State is lots of water. Even though there’s a sturdy bridge over Deception Creek in the Cascade Range, it’s still scary to walk over that rushing torrent.

The view of the waterfall was still great from the side I was on, though.

Windy

The Palouse country of Eastern Washington is beautiful. Rolling green hills (brown in summer) that seem to stretch on forever.

It’s also very windy. In the photo, I’m trying to hold on to my hat.