« March 2013 | Main | May 2013 »

April 25, 2013

For Linda

My sister has been laid up with her second knee replacement and has been waiting for me to write on my blog. So, since I have an hour before leaving for Mt. Vernon to teach my Child Development class today, I thought I would take a stab at it. Sometimes I just don't have much to say. Or, I don't feel very creative. Or, I get too busy. Or, I think -- why on earth do I do this? Maybe I do it for my sister who lives so far away and who I don't see very often.

I blame Dani and family for moving from Orange County -- a place they feel does not even come close to living in Bellingham, but I, myself, loved to visit. I loved flying into the Orange County airport because it is so user friendly and easy when renting a car. It is also between my sister's house in Santa Monica and my sister-in-law's house in Carlsbad. And, a hop skip and jump from friends from San Diego to Santa Barbara. I have been yearning to take a trip south for those reasons, but seem to be hemmed in here at the moment with various responsibilities and teaching. Of course, this is my own fault for not remaining completely retired. Each year, I say, "That is enough!" But, I must admit to loving to teach my class and support the interns from City University. I keep waiting for students to treat me like the old lady I am, but so far both they and my supervisors seem grateful. As I say yearly, maybe this will be my last year.

I just returned from Orcas Island. I went with my friend, Katie, who lives with me three days a week and teaches voice at Western. She sang the Mezzo solo for the Mozart Requiem with the Orcas community chorus that my friend, Bev, sings with. So we went over and stayed with Bev on Saturday and returned on Monday. The concert was Sunday afternoon. The requiem is one of my favorite pieces, so I enjoyed being in the audience. They did a really nice job, and I got to visit with Jennifer Johnson Fralick afterwards. The rest of the time was spent relaxing, eating, chatting, and enjoying the view of the water from Bev's home. She and I had a special treat when we visited the West Sound Cafe, now owned by my friend, RD Fralick, and his wife, Nanae. They treated us to a marvelous fish dinner and a tour of the property as well as catching up on all their family news.

I go over to Orcas about three or four times a year and, I must say, I really love going on the ferries and driving the island. Don and I vacationed on Orcas at a home near Bev's when we first moved to Bellingham. The islands and ferries are part of the culture of this area -- and whether you are going from Anacortes to the San Juan's, or from Bellingham to Lummi Island, or from Tsawwassen to Vancouver Island, it is always beautiful rain or shine -- and I'm always charged with excitement to be on the water and having a little vacation if only for a few hours or a few days.

I spent Monday morning driving through Mt. Vernon and La Connor after leaving the ferry. Katie had her own car and had to get back to teach her voice lessons. But, I meandered through the tulips that are out in full bloom, visited a new nursery and antique store, went to Costco, and then traveled up lower Chuckanut Dr. intending to eat at one of the places in Bow but they were both closed. So, I started up the windy Chuckanut Dr. to return to Bellingham and stopped, on a whim, at the Oyster Creek Inn and treated myself to a wonderful lunch -- oysters, salad, and bread pudding. I even had a glass of wine in the afternoon, no less. That is pampering! I didn't even know the restaurant was open for lunch -- and that took me into the afternoon and evening with a lovely glow.

It was nice to be home, but it is also nice to be away for awhile and to treat oneself to culture and shopping and good food as well as wonderful friends. Life is good.

Posted by Marilyn at 1:34 PM | Comments (5)