We have taken over the guest room, the dining room table, and most of Laura's time in the last two days. We have seen Mark and Izzi three times, their mother twice and Charles even came back for a surprise second visit on his way down from work in Canada.
Yesterday morning Jon and I went to see Gene N. and Ann B. on the houseboat in Lake Union. It is such a picturesque place to live.
Apparently the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat is docked at the next pier.
It would be another ideal setting for cohousing -- one of the boats could be the common house, there is a shared walkway, the boats are charming and cozy and snuggled up tight. Anyway, we spent a couple hours getting caught up and hearing lots of stories from Gene's past. He has an amazing story, starting with a boyhood in Venezuela in a small community that was working in the oil industry, moving through a series of adventures in the Peace Corps in Honduras (where he met my parents when we were on a long driving trip to Tegucigalpa, visiting mutual friends in about 1967), Ecuador after a huge earthquake, and so on.
We had planned to meet Laura at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), but we could have listened to Gene's stories for many more hours. Once again, the museum was virtually empty so we wandered through the exhibits that told the story of Seattle's beginning and evolution, the pioneers, the gold rush, the railroad, the immigrants. It all happened so fast. People worked so hard back in those days. That is the main message we are getting from all these museum stops -- people had to work so, so hard compared to now. There were other messages at this museum: innovation, creativity, entrepreuneurs, social action, political action -- they have it all here in Seattle.
Apparently the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat is docked at the next pier.
It would be another ideal setting for cohousing -- one of the boats could be the common house, there is a shared walkway, the boats are charming and cozy and snuggled up tight. Anyway, we spent a couple hours getting caught up and hearing lots of stories from Gene's past. He has an amazing story, starting with a boyhood in Venezuela in a small community that was working in the oil industry, moving through a series of adventures in the Peace Corps in Honduras (where he met my parents when we were on a long driving trip to Tegucigalpa, visiting mutual friends in about 1967), Ecuador after a huge earthquake, and so on.
We had planned to meet Laura at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), but we could have listened to Gene's stories for many more hours. Once again, the museum was virtually empty so we wandered through the exhibits that told the story of Seattle's beginning and evolution, the pioneers, the gold rush, the railroad, the immigrants. It all happened so fast. People worked so hard back in those days. That is the main message we are getting from all these museum stops -- people had to work so, so hard compared to now. There were other messages at this museum: innovation, creativity, entrepreuneurs, social action, political action -- they have it all here in Seattle.
Today we took a great trip, partly by ferry, out to Port Townsend and southwest, where Laura and Stuart have purchased a remote piece of property in the middle of a privately owned wooded area.
Stuart first heard about this from a colleague of his. Their lot is right at the edge of a small pond that was supposedly full of fish, but to Stuart's dismay the fish are absent -- possibly because an otter has moved in and eaten everything. They have been trying to figure out a name for their little piece of the wilderness; we suggested Red Herring Inn. After going through a lot of trouble trying to get permission to build a cabin on their spot, they finally decided to bring in a mobile home. But not just a house trailer -- they had one built by a custom carpenter in Oregon and then this 11 foot wide house arrived on a truck and was deposited on their lot. It is a gem. Jon explored all the systems, checking out the propane water heater, the stove, the possible spots for a tank to collect rainwater. It was easy to see his brain thinking about the project out at Timothy's. Now he definitely wants wood paneling indoors.
Stuart first heard about this from a colleague of his. Their lot is right at the edge of a small pond that was supposedly full of fish, but to Stuart's dismay the fish are absent -- possibly because an otter has moved in and eaten everything. They have been trying to figure out a name for their little piece of the wilderness; we suggested Red Herring Inn. After going through a lot of trouble trying to get permission to build a cabin on their spot, they finally decided to bring in a mobile home. But not just a house trailer -- they had one built by a custom carpenter in Oregon and then this 11 foot wide house arrived on a truck and was deposited on their lot. It is a gem. Jon explored all the systems, checking out the propane water heater, the stove, the possible spots for a tank to collect rainwater. It was easy to see his brain thinking about the project out at Timothy's. Now he definitely wants wood paneling indoors.
After a supremely satisfying lunch of soup and salad at the Hillbottom Pie, we headed back to the ferry and ended up at tea with the Cooper clan in Carol's nice apartment. This time including Mark's wife, Anna.
And now we have to get in touch with Josh, my stepbrother who is pushing hard on a deadline at work but we will interrupt his work long enough for dinner. So much to eat, so little time!
And now we have to get in touch with Josh, my stepbrother who is pushing hard on a deadline at work but we will interrupt his work long enough for dinner. So much to eat, so little time!
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