403: forbidden

Recovery day at a relative's house in the greater Seattle area (approx. Bellevue). We'll be spending Shabbat here, then heading out to the boonies Ski-landia on Sunday. Likely to be scarce online until arrival, because local wifi is recalcitrant.

Spent much of the afternoon with the Sibley Guide to Birds, trying to ID little brown fluttery critters. (Of note: the local "Oregon chickadee" is a variety of dark-eyed junco. For some reason, the local nuthatches tend to have one or more white seams between regions of color.)

Now that I'm packing to return to Boston, I can't help but face the fact that in some indelible way, I'm From Seattle. The environment here feels subtly right, even down to the angle of the sun and the pattern of freeze and thaw. I want to move here and never leave.

It's hard not to just stay.

Sunday, 6/27: Pike Place Market with breimh. Yet again, I'm tempted to airmail a whole salmon home. But again, there wouldn't be space in the freezer for it.

Monday, 6/28: Lazed around at home base.

Tuesday, 6/29: Noodled around Green Lake Park after a realtor I was supposed to talk with backed out of the appointment. (Can't blame her, her son was being sent home sick and needed a pickup.)

Wednesday, 6/30: Met with the aforementioned realtor to discuss how to properly lurk on the market (a pretty common thing for people moving from out of state to do), then met up with zeightyfiv, t'sChillin, and Rakeela for lunch. (Padrinos is a quite nice small pizza place.) Afterwards, zeightyfiv and I had a nap on the grass in Roanoke Park, then a wander around the University of Washington before catching the bus home.

Thursday, 7/1: Ran off to Leavenworth. Wandered in the woods a bit on the way through Stevens Pass, where I was introduced to coralroot (orchids that parasitize underground networks of fungus, only bothering to send up flowers once in a while) and was reminded that rapid changes in altitude can give me nosebleeds.

Friday, 7/2: Hiked up Sauer Mountain trail, where I learned how to use ski poles as an aid to climbing. (Probably wouldn't have gotten up there without them.) Observed 6' tall dandelions, of which we collected some seeds. Returned to Seattle just in time to have Shabbat dinner at zeightyfiv's sister's house.

Saturday, 7/3: Evening "barbecue" (no woodsmoke involved) at the home of one of zeightyfiv's cousins, who raises beef cattle. The ravine/salmon stream at the back of her property used to have a trail down into it, but is now impassable. Next time, bring machetes.

Sunday, 7/4: So far, another day of lazing around the house. There's talk of finding a park barbecue, with which to satisfy my craving for woodsmoke.