Corvallis, Oregon and Oregon State University

We spent a whole lot of time in Olympia getting our Spanish visa ducks in a row.  It might work... or might not, but we've done what we can for now.

Hours later, we arrived in Corvallis, the sweet little town where my parents met and married 69 years ago.  Dad was a very young ex-GI, studying Engineering on the GI bill, and Mom was a senior in high school about to graduate.  They fell in love and I think of them as "lovebirds" to this day.  They seem to have a simple secret - love and forgiveness - it's gotten them through many tribulations for almost 70 years.  These days, that is quite a feat.  We are headed to the Phoenix area to visit them before flying to Europe.  They are living on their own (Dad 90, Mom 87), which is also quite a feat.  

I have some very happy memories of visiting my maternal grandparents in Corvallis, home of the Oregon State University Beavers.  My two younger brothers and I played Hide and Seek on the campus, dreamed under the canopy of the low-hanging fir boughs, and were spoiled rotten by Grandma and Grandpa when we visited.  There is a lovely park here that I want to see again.  We had some great picnics and play times there.  The high point, though, for me as a child was the day my middle brother (about 6 years old) opened the car door as we slowly drove across the creek bridge to the park and actually fell out of the car while it was moving.  My little 9 year old self thought that was the most amazing and funniest thing I had ever seen.  Of course, he landed well and wasn't hurt except for a small scrape and a bruise or two.  My 60+ self says, "what the heck did he think he was doing?  He could have been killed."  But, somewhere inside I'm still giggling.

So, here we are in our second AirBnb near Corvallis, watching the sun go down on the deck of a cute little house in a very beautiful place.  

A fateful injury, 4th of July, and the beginning of our adventure

Okay... a little snag - a little, tiny one.  Bright and early the morning of July 4, I celebrated by dropping my laptop directly on middle toe of my right foot, breaking it in a couple places and making a deep cut in the skin.  Photos are available, but I don't recommend them without a stiff drink.  Urgent Care confirms that the bone is broken and I will henceforth have my toe taped to the one next to it, soak the wounds 2 times a day, and sport that elegant, basic black color for a few days (changing, I'm sure, to the many colors of the rainbow as it heals and sheds its toenail.)  Yes, this happened the day before we drive off into the sunset.

[Lessons - 1. make sure your padded computer sleeve is completely zipped before I pick it up (so the laptop doesn't slip out AGAIN), 2. Always call the Nurseline to see if you need to go to the doctor, 3. Never use hydrogen peroxide on an open wound (it will break down the healing that your body is doing and make the healing take so much longer), and 4. When starting a journey, know that something WILL go wrong, and prepare to be flexible, especially if you are a klutz like me.]

The Fourth was wonderful, even with a mangled toe.  We spent it at a cookout and 4th of July party at our daughter's house.  The people were friendly and there were fairy lights strung across the yard, giving it a happy glow.  The hamburgers tasted so good and it was great to spend just a little more time with Meghan, Aram, their friends, and Aram's family.

My youngest, Meghan, blowing bubbles instead of fireworks.  It was gorgeous!

So, today, the first day of our journey, we drove an entire 40 miles to Lacey, Washington and I am now ensconced on a BnB bed with my foot propped up.  The camping will wait for a few days so the scrapes can scab over and infection is less likely.  (I will bring out the horrendous pix to display whenever it is suggested that I carry my own suitcase or walk more than 20 feet.  So, it's all good.)

Here is a pic of the final visit to the storage unit to drop off what we don't need and pick up what we did need before leaving.  We actually got everything else in the car, believe it or not, including camping gear and two suitcases each.  This and the contents of our car are all our worldly possessions (except for most of the art (stored with the kids), the family jewels (stored with Meghan) and the important papers in the safe deposit box).  Steve is an incredible packer, exhibit A below.

Everything in it's place. Jenga - pull one thing out and it all falls.

Himself across from the rose garden he tended at Mary Bridge/Tacoma General Hospital in Tacoma.

Saying goodbye to our friends, children and the Pacific Northwest

It's amazing how much has to change when you leave an address, a city, work, friends, and family.  Steve and I have spent most of today going from place to place to get our lives disengaged so that we can travel for a few months to a year.

Yesterday, we had a gathering of us and all our children (3 natural, 1 "adopted").  It was wonderful to share a meal with them, talk and hug, but it still hasn't quite connected in my head that I will be thousands of miles away from the people that I love most in the world soon.  We met at Six Arms, a lovely little restaurant near Pine and Minor in Seattle and then crossed the street to go to the roof-top garden in the building where my oldest lives.  The city view was magnificent.  You can certainly tell that Seattle is currently booming; there were at least 10-15 cranes all across the city.

The family on the roof of my oldest's apt bldg.

Today, we took care of business: the bank, the School District, the phone company, the mail, and  Steve turned in his Volunteer badge at Multicare Tacoma General Hospital.  He's worked as an official volunteer there, among other things trimming the roses in the Mary Bridge Children's Hospital rose gardens.  It has been a commitment that he has enjoyed for many years.  While he turned in his "shears", I walked among the gardens that he so carefully tended and took some photos to share.  The care that the Multicare groundskeeping crew puts into making these gardens a quiet place to sit for hurting little patients, friends and relatives is inspiring.  I mean, look at these gardens.  The topiary are so easily recognized as playful animals and the roses have such heavenly scents.  There is a fountain, with the musical sounds of water dancing, and a statue of a child dancing right in the middle of the pool.  Steve kept these roses fresh and beautiful and I'm sure they have comforted thousands of people at a time when they needed it most.  He and the rest of the groundskeepers really make a difference in people's lives.

Packing and planning to move

Our journey has begun.  With the help of two of our children (one is an honorary child and Meghan's boyfriend), we crammed almost ever last piece of our belongings into a small storage unit in Tacoma.

Aram and Nick were amazing and amazed that it all fit, sort of.

We passed the cleaning inspection on the apartment with flying colors, sold Steve's car for asking price, and even sold his bicycle - all on the same day; certainly a sign of good things to come.  So... no more apartment, no home, and we are currently sitting in the bedroom of an AirBnb room in Lakewood/Tacoma - effectively Homeless. 

Guess whose feet are whose.  Boy, it's hot today.  Do I really want to go to Arizona?

Tomorrow, we go to Seattle for a gathering of the clan at Six Arms restaurant on Capitol Hill.  We won't see our children for a couple months.  It will be happy/sad; the downside of "following your dream".  Both our older sons, Roarke and Nicholas, are living and working in Seattle now.  Our daughter, Meghan, and partner Aram ,live and work in the Tacoma area.  We will miss them all terribly - when we aren't having the time of our lives on the road :).

But, 4th of July is coming and our daughter is having some people over to watch the Ruston fireworks near her apartment overlooking Commencement Bay.  I haven't done that for many, many years and it sounds like fun!  (I always worry about people blowing parts of their bodies off at the neighborhood fireworks shows. It will be great to see a professional, bloodless presentation.)

We leave for Arizona on July 5.  More photographs to come and information on the places we go next.  Fortunately, our daughter and Aram, have recently broken the trail for us.  They have lots of information about good places to go and things to see in California.  We will be heading down I-5, possibly stopping to see a garden in Portland, and going all the way to the turnoff for Corvallis, Oregon (a place where my parents met and married 69 years ago and where I lived when I was very young).  Then, it's off to the Oregon Coast, a stop to see relatives in the San Francisco area and "straight" down the California Coast. 

We have 11 days until July 17, when we have to be in Glendale, Arizona near Phoenix for our next BnB reservation.  And, there is so much to see in Arizona when the recycle bins are not melting from the heat.  We can't wait to see my parents again and are wondering how much exploring we can actually do between 7am and 11am, which appears to be the only time humans should venture out in mid-July/early-August in Phoenix.  I hear it's monsoon season, too.  Better and better.