Friday, August 28, 2009

The soft side

Paddling alongside one of the waterfront parks in Bellingham was like watching a movie about happy people--the group of four practicing their juggling, juggling pins passing between two of them in a regular rhythm, young couples strolling, people sitting on the benches waiting for the sunset. We were stars among the 3 - 8 year old set, whose faces would go from surprise to delight when they saw us floating by in our orange double inflatable kayak. We waved and they waved back. Lynne and I were on our way back to the public dock after a late afternoon paddle in Bellingham Bay with our friend Cynthia who was visiting from BC. (She promises me to send the pictures of us kayaking.) We had hoped to see the harbor seals that were raising their young near the old and now abandoned Georgia Pacific plant. About eight harbor seals did put on a nice display for us, sunning themselves on a float out in the water, noses up and tails down. We must have scared them with the swing of our paddles, though, because they slid off into the water when we tried to get closer. Its funny how the animals move in when people move out. The other inhabitants of the Georgia Pacific plant are Arctic Terns, who took over a parking lot and turned it into a nesting ground. We could hear their constant squawking.

Cynthia, who came in part in honor of Lynne's birthday, also motivated us to explore the bay near Larrabee (our park), and we had had a lovely Sunday afternoon peering into the water looking for Dungeness crab on the sandy bottom. Lynne had waded into the water up to her waist on Saturday to catch some crabs for our dinner, but hadn't been able to hold on to the first crab she caught, and had to release the second one because it was female. We settled for digging for clams and ended up with a pot of Varnish clams. They were OK to eat but a little gritty, and we found interesting other things when their shells opened up like skeletons of baby crabs and unidentifiable objects which caused my appetite to suddenly decrease.

Looking for jobs here has been downright depressing. My brightest job prospect was for a library technician job in an elementary school, a job created out eliminating the librarian position and re-creating the job at a lower salary scale. I applied but I haven't heard from them. It did offer health insurance and was part-time... I've applied for several jobs and haven't even been called for an interview. I'm still plowing my way through the 8 page application to be a substitute for Bellingham Public Schools. I had to write an essay expounding upon my assessments and modes of teaching, and I still have to write one about my educational philosophy. Actually, I'm supposed to be writing those essays now, but here I am...writing to you.


Meanwhile, we are just finishing out our month as camp hosts at Larrabee State Park, which has started to quiet down this week after being full for several weeks. Our furniture arrived and is in our new house, but we have no kitchen sink and the plumber just came yesterday to install the toilet which was sitting in the bathtub. Andy, from Ish River Construction and his helper Lucky are in the front yard right now putting in posts for a fence for Winnie, and we just signed a contract to get radiant ceiling heat installed in the house (which did have baseboard electric heat.)

Yesterday we were here late at our new house and saw the nighttime view from the living room for the first time: twinkling lights spread out across the valley below us. It was quite magical, and it's the kind of thing that I love about Bellingham. There are lots of magical moments, like now, looking out the window at mature Douglas fir trees in our yard, and feeling the cool, clear breeze. We met our minister at the Unitarian church this week (he has been on vacation all summer), and I'm thrilled because he gave a great sermon and led the congregation in singing a round. He said that the courage to come to church comes from the hope that the soft side of us will be taken care of there. That's what I think about our journey from Kentucky to Bellingham. I have the hope that the natural beauty, the laid back culture and the progressive political climate will take care of the soft side of us for many years. I hope that for everyone--that we each can find that place, wherever it is, for ourselves.


Loving you as always,

Sky

Monday, August 17, 2009

Campground Characters

You don’t notice them at first, then you start piecing together pieces of the puzzle. I had noticed the first campground character a few weeks ago, when we stayed here as paying guests before we started hosting. He lives out of a beat-up black van, the kind with no windows. He drapes a camouflage tarp over the van and puts out a well used chaise lounge under the tarp, making a den out of his campsite, with the hill or big rocks behind him. Turns out the rangers and the park staff know him (let’s call him Roger) and his relationship with alcohol well, since he’s here every 10 days for 10 days. He alternates between Larrabee and Birch Bay, the state park north of Bellingham. Later I find out that he’s the guy that filled Lynne in with all the tips about living here in the winter. He’s been roaming between the two state parks for 5 years. He has a friend in town who makes reservations for him. His advice about the winter included: pick a site next to the host and across from the one restroom that is left open, use the water tap on the side of that restroom, pay only $6 per night for full hookups once you are 62, and then even less if your income is less than $35,000 a year. He described how beautiful the park is in snow. I can picture the fresh snow at the base of the towering Western Red Cedar and the Douglas fir trees, whiting out the park roads and signs. Despite Lynne’s enthusiasm for $6 a night, I cannot picture following in his footsteps…

Yesterday, Peter (one of the three rangers) and Red (one of the park aids) noted the return of the “hugger.” I have had lots of long conversations with him. We’ll call him Luke and he is here to read the Word, and apparently, to spread God’s love to all of us through his hugs. He and his wife had an unfortunate first night here in the park. The man in the adjacent site had had a taxi drop him and a case of beer off at the campsite. Luke and his wife were awake much of the night listening to a chorus of voices emanating from his tent—a woman, a child, a man, and someone who growled a lot. He kept up the antics throughout the day, even after Scott, the head ranger, spoke with him. When we returned to the park after our day off, we noticed two sheriff cars in the parking lot. Turns out they took about an hour to talk this guy into leaving the park, with his options being a detox center, the hospital, or the local vet center. Luke and Mary, his wife prayed for him but needed some prayers for themselves, as Mary was terrified by the camper. The weather had turned bad, so after their disturbed and disturbing neighbor left, Luke and Mary had to contend with rain and cold, which also distracted Luke from his study of the Word. I met them during this period, and had long conversations in which Luke tried to test my knowledge of the Lord and I diverted his lasso. He did get his hug in. Peter and Red have also gotten the hugs—Peter’s in the men’s restroom, much to his alarm. The staff has been warned about his inappropriate hugging. Here I thought I was special. Luke did tell me I had a beautiful heart.

Amber, the ranger who works most of the 3 – 11pm shifts, wins my hero award for the year. Here’s a list of deeds that I know of, and I do know that the list is much longer: rescued some hikers who were caught up on Chuckanut Mountain in the dark without a flashlight one Saturday night at 11 pm, drove a young guy from Seattle into town to the bus station after he waited all day in the day use area for a friend who was supposed to pick him up, administered first aid to a bicyclist who crashed up on the Interurban trail and hit her head, then drove her into the hospital, talked to countless campers who are still partying after the 10 pm quiet hour, found a woman with suicide plans at a trail head and talked her into going to the hospital as well. Amber’s academic background is in psychology, and as a park ranger, and I witness her using these skills on a daily basis. Amber is level headed and friendly, even though some unhappy campers whose party had been thwarted by her called her Ranger DingDong.

Oh yes, then there’s the curly headed woman from Kentucky with cigarette butts and candy wrappers in her hands who coaxes her reluctant dog to the beach every morning at 6:15…oh yeah, that’s me. We had a great dinner last night cooked over the fire except the baked potatoes (cooked in the microwave.) We had planned to get our furniture moved into our house tomorrow, but the floor guy is not done and so the new day is Friday. Yesterday was another spectacular blue day where the view distracts you from what you were supposed to be doing. My mood definitely dips in bad weather, perhaps because we are camping and the cold and rain impacts us more than it would if we were living in a house.

Lynne is now gainfully employed as a home health nurse, although we’re not sure of the start date. Thank you all for your great emails. I love hearing from you and we think of you often.

Love,

Sky

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Good sports and purple sea stars


Days go by in cycles, and today feels like the calm after the storm.

For the first time in more than a month, we had some cloudy days culminating in a very rainy Monday night for our weekend visitors from Eugene, Oregon. Our friends Barbara and Hyla and their 9 year old son Alfonzo were total “good sport” guests. They were sleeping on an air mattress in our dome tent while we were tucked into the comfort of our trailer. My vision of all the swimming and kayaking adventures we would have when they got here, had faded. The closer they got to Bellingham, the colder and cloudier the weather became. True north westerners, they were undaunted by the cold and grey. Together, we had a fun Friday riding our bicycles along the Interurban Trail (which takes you around Bellingham Bay and out to this park) and poking around Fairhaven, a trendy end of Bellingham near the Alaska Ferry. Over the weekend, Barbara and Hyla and Alfonzo explored both beaches here at Larrabee; Barbara found purple and orange sea stars at low tide; we feasted on Dungeness crab for Saturday dinner and we all enjoyed marshmallows over the great camp fires that Alfonzo stoked for us. Of course, we also weathered the weather with more good meals and great conversation. We get the “Keeping Everybody Warm And Cheerful, If Not Dry” prize for Monday, when it rained off and on all day. After visiting with our Bellingham friends, Kay and Leslie, we ate out at a cool local restaurant called Avenue Bread for lunch, walked through Big Rock Garden (a beautiful sculpture garden) and even went bowling in the afternoon. Just to paint a picture, my score was 100 and I won; Barbara dropped the bowling ball behind her; and Hyla launched it airborne, onto the bumper guard and into the gutter. We ended the day at a restaurant overlooking the marina, watching the pleasure boats come and go and commenting on the men’s restroom after Alfonzo informed us that they had a TV over the urinals. Lynne and I were thrilled to have them visit, as we have been friends with Barbara starting in Lexington 33 years ago, before she moved to Eugene. We totally enjoyed spending time with her family, Hyla and Alfonzo.

We have mostly liked talking to campers and selling firewood in our role as camp hosts. We had a scary night (darkness, man shouting, woman pleading, car doors slamming, angry footsteps on the gravel path next to our camper) caused by a domestic dispute that ended with two sheriffs quietly carting off the offender. Quiet hours are supposed to start at 10 p.m., and the ranger makes rounds shortly after that to intervene at campsites that are still noisy. Our trailer muffles sound so that we don’t hear all of what’s going on in the dark (that’s a good thing.) People come from all over to camp here and have fun, so everyday there's a new influx. I helped with the Junior Ranger program on Saturday, and we had a good time and the kids learned a little about trees and safety.

Our house is coming along, although its still has lots of “unrealized potential.” The tile guy (David) is doing the kitchen and front entry way today, and the floors are sanded and stained. We do have to concentrate on some basics—like getting someone to fix rotted fascia board and replace the gutters. Lynne has a vision for the fence so that Winnie will have a protected yard. She’s talking to NW Fencing today. We hope to retrieve our furniture from storage next Tuesday, and work in painting and installing radiant heat after that.

Lynne is optimistic about the home health job, and I keep pledging to apply for other jobs but keep not getting around to it. I’m sure there is a message buried in there somewhere.

The dramatic weather in Kentucky made the news here, and we hope that everyone stayed dry through the storms.

I just finished reading The Hour I First Believed, by Wally Lamb and I really liked this line from it:
“Hope… By this, we dreamers cross to the other shore.”

Love to all,

Sky

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Jigsaw puzzle in progress


We have lived through our first weekend as campground hosts at Larrabee State Park, and its been a very enjoyable time. Our main job is to sell firewood and to answer questions and be friendly “ambassadors” for the park. Our secondary job is to check the bathroom (both sides) and replenish the toilet paper when needed. We have cute green State Parks volunteer vests that we wear a lot. I make it a point to have the vest on when I go marching into the men’s bathroom shouting “Park Staff” with rolls of toilet paper and the key to the tp dispensers in my hand.

Last night, our Bellingham friends Leslie and Kay brought out Mid-eastern food for us all to enjoy, and then we sat around the picnic table working on the 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle of shore birds that Lynne and I had bought 2 years ago but hadn’t had time to work. Throughout the evening, we had to stop to sell about 15 bundles of firewood and the puzzle served as an icebreaker with many of the campers. A young couple with 2 kids from Vancouver came to buy firewood and the mother eventually sat down at our picnic table and started working on the puzzle with us until her young husband came back for her about 30 minutes later. She was explaining the puzzle in Chinese (mandarin) to her young 3 ½ year old son as he was sitting on her lap, but I noticed that she used the English word for “puzzle”. She said she couldn’t think of the exact English-Chinese translation for this type of puzzle. Then a camper brought Winnie the bone from a T-bone steak--her first ever! Monday was a Canadian national holiday (they have a three day weekend every month), so we had lots of Canadians who had come down for the weekend. This morning, a woman knocked on our camper door and gave us a bouquet of flowers for our picnic table. On Friday and Saturday we had been helping a charming but somewhat befuddled couple (non-English speaking, although we don't know from which European country) figure out where to camp on Saturday night, and then before they left they gave us charcoal, leftover firewood and a can of pepper spray to protect against bears!

The ranger who hired us, Amber, has been very friendly. She has made it a point to check with us about how things are going, and her staff of young park aides has been friendly and helpful as well. Yesterday Amber drove us up the logging road to Fragrance Lake, which is usually a 2 mile hike straight up, and we got to talk with her about such diverse things as the sewer system in the park and funding and the sandstone boulders around the lake and apprehending people who mistakenly thought that Clayton was still the nude beach. She showed us several rock slides that happened over this past winter, which was more severe than usual. We are finding the work easy, and the timing is perfect as far as moving into our new house (top picture).

Our first task with the new house was to hire Ken Jones Services to remove the yucky old carpet ASAP, as well as the particle board under it and to install plywood underlayment before putting the new hardwood down. He and his crew have been working since Friday (this is Monday night) and they have finished 2 rooms and have 2 more to do. They will sand and stain and polyurethane the floors later this week. We are also trying to make a decision about what tile to put in the kitchen and foyer, and in the process found a cool local store with tile and bamboo flooring and cork flooring and cool doors and bathtubs and good service. We have tons more decisions to make, about fencing for Winnie, paint colors, door styles, and reclaiming the landscaping of the yard. Its fun to have this project, and already the house looks better. Lots of our decisions are based on maximizing the view (see below). Lynne already has a plan for placing the Mission style recliner so that she can sit in it while looking at the bay.

We continue to meet immediate neighbors—who seem delighted to have us there. Winnie is becoming almost a normal dog, going right up to Ken (#3), down the street, and letting him pet her. He helped the project by bringing out a box of dog biscuits so she could show off sitting and taking a dog biscuit nicely. Tonight we walked down to the park (at the end of the street) but didn’t have time to explore the trails too much. We turned around and walked home and noticed that we have another view looking north toward Canada that we hadn’t seen before. We hear that we can follow the trails to the nearest Haggens, the cool local grocery store chain, but I take that with a grain of salt. NW people think nothing of a 5 mile hike up hill and dale, so we’ll have to see how many bags of groceries get carried back that way!

Sounds like Lynne had a successful interview for her home health job, but she hasn't heard anything directly from them. I received a “Dear John” letter from the first job that I had applied for, and no word about the second. If we hadn’t found a house, we could have stayed on the coastal property of a merchant marine who was going to sea for 2 months and needed someone to water his new grass…I much prefer to think of us tucked away in our new house by the beginning of September.

Hello to all, and we can’t wait to see you!

Love,

Sky