Seven Days of Change

Day 1

On Sunday I packed my car and headed north to Lummi Island to spend the night at my friend’s house. As I waited for the little 20-car ferry, I thought of many times in varied weather conditions that I had ridden this ferry when I lived here with my wife and young children. Now it is just me and the memories of all the sunny and storm-tossed crossings.

Day 2

I had a pleasant breakfast with my friend, who has been my friend since high school, and our conversation tends to be cryptic and full of many times shared experiences, inside jokes, and comfortable pauses. I repacked my car and went to hike up the mountain. At the top there is a view of the San Juan islands. I deposited some of Berta’s ashes and sat thinking of her for a while. She would have been so excited to be there with me. It was a place she was not physically capable of reaching when I knew her, but she loved to be in places where you can look at water, and I know of no other view of water and islands that is more satisfying than this one.

I walked back down the mountain and drove to the ferry and waited in the long line for a while enjoying the sunny morning as it turned into afternoon. I went into Bellingham and walked around by the bay and when it was time I went to pick up my daughter and son, now grown into fine young adults and I drove us all down to Lacey to spend the night at my place so we could go through Seattle at night traffic free.

Day 3

We got up early and reorganized the load and took off south toward the north coast of California and redwoods, and after 10 hours of driving, we arrived at Prairie Creek State Park and settled into our bare-bones cabin. For each of us there were different challenges. My daughter realized that there would be no internet for 3 days, but seemed to handle it well most of the time. My son was not used to sharing space so closely and needed more padding had trouble sleeping with all the snoring and noisy shifting on air mattresses. I never sleep well so no problem for me. I was missing my music, but only on the first night.

Day 4

My son and I went on an epic hike through the part of the park with the largest trees which had trunks so massive two large cars could fit inside their base. They were also so tall even when we were up on the ridges the ones situated on the valley floor still towered above us. There is such ancient quiet in the old-growth forest. A calm stillness that invades the surroundings and any creature that wanders in there. These trees that endure fire and flood and have stood for thousands of years extend their solid patient lifeforce to the whole forest. Even when after hours of hiking and a feeling of exhaustion was starting to grow in my legs as we climbed another set of switchbacks only to descend again and the little aches in my feet started to expand, I could not be distracted from the presence of ageless peace. But we were both glad when we arrived back at the campground and rested our tired legs.

Day 5

On our last day in the campground, I drove into town to use my phone to arrange a convergence of family and friends. My sister and her son, my other sister and my mother, and my best friend from high school who is really a part of my family all converged at our cabin around 2 pm on their way to a house my mother rented for a week up on a hillside overlooking the ocean. I had not seen any of these people for 3 years and my children had not seen them for a decade. It was the best kind of chaos.

Day 6

In the morning we packed up the car and checked out and headed for the beach where my daughter waded up to her ankles in the icy waves of the Pacific Ocean. It was all foggy shades of gray. Then we drove up the old highway to the house on the hill and spent a wonderful afternoon and evening in discussions about life, literature and the state of the world. My children blended in seamlessly and my sister cooked big meat on the grill, as she is known to do, of which we all partook enthusiastically.

It was nice to be in a bed again after 3 nights on an air pad.

Day 7

The 3 of us got up early and prepared for the long drive to Bellingham. We said goodbye to the early risers and wound our way inland to Oregon and I-5 and the long straight road to Washington with one stop for fast food. I dropped my kids at their respective abodes and drove the back 3 hours to Lacey. I was so glad to have 2 more days off to recover from 15 hours of driving, but it was all worth it to reconnect with all the people and places I have missed in the last few years.