Update from Washington State

Hello again from Washington state!!! It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog, and so many wonderful things have happened … this is truly a great trip! (I think I will have to work really hard to avoid post-trip let-down once I’m back in Toronto LOL)

I’ve been enjoying the fine hospitality of Joe and Lisa, my brother and future sister-in-law. They recently bought a brand-new three-bedroom house in the suburbs of Seattle. The house is still getting its final touches (e.g., fence and sod for the backyard), but it’s bright and airy with an open feel, lots of windows, and 10-foot ceilings. It’s a lovely home.

Joe and Lisa took me and Lisa’s sister Lori to Mount Ranier on Thursday, and Pike Place Market in Seattle on Friday. Last night, Lisa’s female relatives and friends met for dinner, then reconvened at a country dancing bar where Joe and Lisa first met. It was a fascinating anthropological study. At 9:00, after there had already been some dance lessons and dancing, all conversation and activity were abruptly halted for the American national anthem, and everyone stood and turned to face the American flag. I am NOT making this up! I watched the local instructor teach two dances (one line dance, one couple dance), and even if I was coordinated enough to perform these dances, I had to wonder whether I would want to have to remember anything so complicated for a leisure activity! LOL

Fortunately, Lisa has two very cool friends, Tracy and Monica, who were also mesmerized/horrified observers of the country dancing phenomenon. We hung out together and compared the handlebar moustaches, enormous belt buckles, and generally frightful fashion choices of a select few of the bar’s patrons. Late in the evening, we headed out for dessert, and I tremendously enjoyed the opportunity to get better acquainted with these two highly intelligent and very witty women. :->

It’s now the night before the wedding, and Joe and Lisa are so well organized that there’s little left to do. Lisa is the least-stressed bride I think I have ever seen. We’re all excited that the weather forecast for tomorrow is perfect – cloud in the morning to reduce the heat, then sunny and warm (but not too warm) in the afternoon. The wedding is going to be outdoors in a gazebo, so it’s great that the weather seems to be cooperating.

Well, time for me to go to bed – it’s a big day tomorrow!

:->

Eclecta