The last two weeks are the most difficult and are a little on the depressing side. It’s a time of saying goodbye to good friends as well as final hours of volunteering. It’s also usually a time of looking forward to returning to Mexico for the winter, and to the friends and activities there. But this year its different. I’m spending the winter in Canada. And I have no idea where I’ll go next.

Last week I said goodbye to my friends in my writing group and in my book club. One last lunch at Foothills Community Center. Yesterday was the last movie at Gateway for a while. I did church online today to get a break from goodbyes. There are lots more coming this week.

Volunteering in Cashmere this week will be a good distraction. Chelan County Fair, Cashmere Community Church and 9/11 ceremony at Spirit of America. Thursday night will be my last small group and I will miss everyone dearly. Two of them are even driving me up to Canada next Saturday.

But it gets harder every year to say goodbye to my close friends. I’ve been coming up here to Washington State since 2016. We volunteer together, we go to church together, we go to movies together, we go to Leavenworth Summer Theater together, we go to concerts together, we go out for meals together, we travel together…we spend hours together talking and have become family over the years.

I’m also doing the final edit of End Zone, which I still hope to publish before I leave next weekend. And of course I have to pack.

.Farewell from Washington. Next post will be from Canada.