Hello from Washington! What a summer!

Hey everyone!

This summer has been a wild ride. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride - if you want to know. I'll try to put a positive slant as I write.

My ankle has healed. Walking now without the cast. Needs a lot of ligament healing work. I sure miss seeing Dr. Jed back home. I am so glad to be able to move around again without the wheelchair (that my sister borrowed), or the crutches (which my brother borrowed). It was wonderful that I had access to all those aids while I healed.

Sirius and I had wheelchair races up and down the barn. What fun. I developed lots of upper body strength carrying around my whole body weight on crutches or rolling myself around in the wheelchair. Amber developed her own body strength - either pushing me, or carrying all the computers.

It is very hard to post these days, because we don't have regular access to the web. We usually have to go to the library in order to post. So much to do!

Amber and I left the South late June 19th. We had a marvelous trip across the country. Derrill and Linda had gone this route before and they sent us off with route maps, and called us regularly and kept up with us as we traveled.

I had one really sad, sad experience. I had a good friend that I wanted to see en route, and she didn't want to see me. It hurt. I hadn't kept in contact with her and I guess she has written off our relationship. I am so sad. But I still care.

We arrived in Salt Lake City on Friday, and stayed with a very close friend of Amber's, Rachel and Amber were in Pony Club together in their teens. Rachel graduated from high school, and is finishing up her college degree in Salt Lake. I loved Salt Lake City. Pretty!!!!!!

Rachel composes music, designs handmade fashions, works full-time, and has a wide variety of friends. Her creativity is incredible. It was very inspiring for us to be with her, and to see her constantly working on something. She does lots of beading as well. Her apartment was very cute, and she has a wonderful dog.

Sirius and Bear had quite the wonderful adventure. The back door was always open so the dogs could run outside and play or do their business whenever they liked. NO BUGS!!!!!

My leg was newly broken, so I pretty much buried up in bed with my computer and did lots of work on my web site, so the girls could have private time. I was so relieved that Amber could have such wonderful time with her very special friend. She was quite kind to me as well.

We left Salt Lake City on Monday morning, and drove through Utah, across bottom corner of Idaho and stopped the night in Baker City Oregon. The next morning we finally did a tourist thing and stopped at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center about five miles out of town. It was an incredible experience. Way up on a high hill, overlooking the valley, we could see for miles. There was a covered wagon display that we could crawl all over, painted very vivid colors.

We looked out over the rolling hills and could see the actual tracks of the wagon trail. The whole way through the rockies and up to the Columbia Gorge I was imagining what it must have been like for pioneers to be walking with the children and livestock and the wagons through the territory. What incredible courage those folks had. The Interpretive Center had films, and many displays - well worth a long visit. Most importantly it had a wheel chair, and Amber could wheel me around.

It was very hard to not be able to get up and walk, or put weight on my leg. Don't like having to depend on others. This has really slowed me down, and has been far more inconvenient than when either of my wrists were broken.

After we left the Interpretive Center, we traveled up to the Columbian Gorge, and rode west on the freeway along the Columbia River. The pioneers would make their wagons into boats and try to get themselves to the coast. They lost lots along the way. Many lost their lives - there were lots of rapids on the river then (now there are three big dams). Many lost their possessions. Many of the lost all of the rest of their money as there was always some enterprising - gouger who would take all their remaining money to move them around a forge.

It is helpful to be writing about the pioneers, because it helps me keep perspective about my own life.

We got into Gresham (a bedroom Community of Portland) that night and spent about three days with my astrologer friend Marsha. It was so wonderful to see her. It had been close to five years since I saw her. She and her husband have the cutest house tucked along a creek. The front is magically landscaped. Her home was comfortable and homey.

Amber however had a huge allergy attack. She couldn't breathe. We think it was from smoke from Rick's cigars which permeated the house on a subtle level. He doesn't smoke upstairs, but still the fabrics and carpet retained the smoke smell, and Amber's lungs got so congested I thought we were going to have to go to the emergency room so she could breathe.

It took her almost a month to regain her equilibrium and recover from both that experience and from all the new allergens in this new area of the country.

Finally we took off up to Washington to Blaine where my sister has a quaint Blueberry farm.

Her farm is five acres with a beautiful view of the mountains - including Mt. Baker. Her 2 bedroom farm cottage is picture perfect - complete with a honey room where she bottles up many different honeys and a little room that is an office. She's quite industrius and has lots of stamina.

She is incredibly creative. She fixed up an elaborate 2 bedroom suite in her barn for Amber, Sirius and I to live in. We have all the comforts of home except for running water, toilet, bathroom, and stove. (Laughing out loud).

We do however have a kind of kitchen. Kitchen cupboards, refrigerator, and ice and hot water machine, we get along just fine. We've learned a different way to function by cooking on a George Foreman Grill and a Lean Cuisine Grilling Machine.

Susan brought over her coffee maker - so its just like home. Got a kitchen table and chairs, with a wonderful rug under it, and we have had many meals there. We tote water, to do dishes, brush teeth, prepare food.

This whole suite is made of refrigerator boxes as walls, painted a beautiful sea foam green. She went to Home depot and bought hanging paper blinds and created the rest of the wall division from the top of the refrigerator box to the ceiling with the paper folding blinds. Its quite cute.

She found two dressers along the road for free, went and got some free carpet remnants, set us up with a couch, recliner, coffee table, TV, and ten years of JAG. We have fallen in love with that TV series. One of her clients was throwing out the DVD's so she got them for us.

She's quite the FINDER. She finds more free stuff than you can imagine. She and I went on a ride out to Summi Island last Sunday (my first visit to the San Juan Islands). We had a wonderful visit. Beautiful island. While we were riding around in her van, we stopped on this very small road, where a man was unloading a couch onto the side of the road. His wife didn't lilke the couch. But we did. So we sat on it. Smelled it to see if had any pet odors. It was good, Loaded it in the van, and now we have another free couch in our suite, This one belongs to me. It was perfect. Was a three seater couch that is split into 2 pieces. Is easy for a two woman team to pick up and move. Will be good for Amber and I when we find some place to move to.

I could keep writing. So much more to say.

She is selling her farm. We have done lots of chores. Weeding, Watering, Picking Berries, cutting down blackberry bushes. There is never a time when something doesn't need doing on the farm.

It has been quite stressful for her to have visitors (or liveins) while she put her home for sale with a listing agent. Of course we are all back to keeping the house and barn in tip top shape to show at any time.

My brother Derrill and his wife always come to Washington for a week vacation with some friends of theirs. This summer, I told them I would be willing to have Aaron (Derrill's son) stay with me while he and she went to Sun Valley (?) near Bend Oregon for their vacation.

We knew this would be a blessing for everyone, and it was. It was also an incredible challenge, because Aaron was suicidal. The last three weeks were one of the most difficult periods I have had - in a very long long long long time.

A lot of positive things have come from it, for which we are all grateful. But that spirit has an essence of dissension and chaos and had all of us balled up for a while.

Derrill, Linda and Aaron are home as of yesterday, safe and sound. I am so glad. I worried about them all the way home. Both of Aaron's parents have had the beegees scared out of them and are seriously looking for help for him.

In the meantime, I signed up for Accountemps - out here in Washington - and got an assignment down in Woodenville - which is a suburb of Seattle.

I worked two days, then they wanted me to take a break for a few days - which was great, because I needed to be home with Aaron. When they changed their mind and wanted me all of week before last, I said no - even tho I desperately needed the money - because I was so worried about Aaron's life.

But then Derrill came home on Thursday. I worked Thurs and Fri - which gave me more money, and worked the entire week this past Mon - Fri.

Susan lent me her big van, we put a bed in it and I camped out for five days while I was working to save wear and tear on the van, and save gas money. Seattle is almost two hours south of Blaine.

It is just too long a ride to commute back and forth every day.

Don't know when this assignment will end. Could be this next Monday. I also interviewed for a CFO position in Burlington WA. Love the area. Haven't heard from them whether they have made a decision yet.

I still have my dream of traveling around the northwest area, and writing and painting.

Just don't know how this will play out yet. It is an adventure.

The Northwest is a lovely area. The weather is fabulous.

Life continues to be an adventure. It also continues to operate on the Law of Attraction. I have been wanting to camp - and guess what. I am camping on a full time basis - in Susan's barn, and last week out of the van.

Maybe I want to change that picture in my mind. I actually kind of enjoy it a lot.

OH> GUESS WHAT!

Had a birthday at the end of JULY!!!!!!!

All of us got into the van and went out to Birch Bay State Park, and painted in oils. Amber, Aaron, Susan and me. We are all painters. We had an absolute blast. What a wonderful way to spend my birthday.

Miss you.