There’s nothing better than getting together with a great group of people and visiting around a fire in the evening before the sun goes down. My friends who are in Mexico and are reading this will really be envious of this fact…………..there are NO mosquitos here in Washington! There are no carnivorous insects at all and it’s possible to sit outside and commune with the beauty of nature and not be bothered by any annoying parasites.

When we were at church on Sunday, one of the events mentioned in the bulletin was an evening of fellowship around a fire. Just bring your own lawn chairs. And the setting for this event? A beautiful area surrounded by orchards of pears and steps away from the river. Every time I think the scenery here can’t get any more spectacular I am proved wrong.

We took the North Road off of Highway 2 and began our drive. A hidden bridge was our landmark to turn off the main road. This narrow trail of a bridge afforded a view of the train tracks below. I enjoyed walking across the wooden planks in order to snap these photos.

We then drove for several more minutes on a narrow winding road through orchards laden with luscious pears. We finally reached a clearing where we spotted a number of vehicles and eagerly walked down a small trail to find a number of people gathered around a fire pit.

Being the one outsider, everyone is sure to recall my name although theirs will all be a blur to me until I get to know everyone a little better. One of the first people I talked to was a retired doctor who is also a writer. I met people who had retired to Leavenworth from Seattle. I met younger people and enjoyed watching the children play. People were eager to share their life stories with me and to fill me in on life in Leavenworth. They were intrigued that I was from Canada and that I lived in Mexico.

Of course one of the highlights of this event was toasting marshmallows around the fire pit.

They were then placed on graham crackers along with chocolate to form this delicious treat. Do you like s’mores?

Saturday July 23rd arrived quickly. Before I knew it Wanda and I were sitting at a bar in the airport sipping a Pacifico before It was time for me to go through security. I arrived at the gate with plenty of time to spare. I settled into a seat and decided to pass the time playing games on my iphone.

But it turned out that I had quite a bit of time to pass. My flight left Mazatlan 90 minutes late. So my two hour layover in Phoenix never happened. By the time we arrived at the gate and deplaned, I had a mere 41 minutes to go through Customs and Immigration, collect my bag and recheck it, dash up 4 levels to security, and then make my way to the farthest gate in the A terminal. No small feat when my knee replacements always trigger the alarm in security and there is always a lineup for the body scanner. I arrived at the gate about a minute before the scheduled departure and literally sat down, buckled up and we were pushing away from the gate.

Of course I was exhausted and also hungry. Other than that beer at the airport and a ginger ale on the previous flight, I hadn’t eaten all day. Neither the pastrami sandwich or the Pringles potato chips appealed. So I sipped another ginger ale and nibbled on a small pack of pretzels. I had anticipated a leisurely lunch in Phoenix. This is the last time I will ever book connecting flights with only a two hour layover. Somehow killing five or six hours has now become an attractive option.

I must admit that the aircraft used by American Airlines are quite comfortable and the seats have lots of leg room. Of course I’m only 4’11”! But it was definitely more comfortable than Westjet that I use to commute to Canada from Mexico. And the view as we approached Seattle was incredible.

Upon arrival in Seattle, once again I found myself at the farthest gate from the baggage area. But I needn’t have rushed. Not all the carousels were in use and it was a full forty-five minutes before the bags from our flight began their descent down the chute. Actually, mine was one of the first to show up. By some miracle Steve found me in that madhouse. The Wifi at the airport may be free, but my iphone was being stubborn.

We then began the long trek through the airport in search of the elevators to the parking area. We arrived at the level and then walked several minutes before finally spotting Steve’s Explorer. Once there, we popped open a couple of beer and finally relaxed for a few minutes before heading out on the highway to Leavenworth.

The traffic in Seattle is ridiculous. Once we were out of the city, it was considerably lighter. We drove for about a half hour and then headed into a small town in search of food. The first place we came across was McDonalds, and that hamburger was amazing! I must admit that in the last few years the only time I ever went to McDonalds was in search of coffee or a summertime smoothee. It’s not my favorite place at all, but that night it was delicious! We sat by the fireplace and it was most enjoyable.

Back on the road again, the highway was full of treacherous twists and dangerous curves in the darkness. But Steve knows these roads well and we arrived in Leavenworth just after midnight. After a quick tour of the town we arrived at Steve’s home. I immediately hooked up to the Wifi and posted a message on Facebook that I had arrived safe and sound. A couple of What’s App messages later and I collapsed into bed.  

The next morning we went to church where I met several people and chatted with the pastor. There was a special service that morning as the children had just completed a Vacation Bible Camp. Two visiting missionaries also spoke. I felt completely at home here and it reminded me so much of Church of The Rock back in Winnipeg, down to the backdrop.

After church we headed downtown to the Icicle Brewing Company for a cold one and a platter of cheese, crackers, meat and fruit. We chatted with several tourists and did a lot of people-watching. Leavenworth is a quaint Bavarian style town and attracts hoards of tourists, especially on weekends. You really feel like you’re in Germany rather than in the USA.

We then went for a long drive along the river and up to the Enchantments. The scenery and the views were absolutely spectacular! This is truly God’s country, and I have never been in such an amazing place in my life. We passed people rafting and swimming. I’ll post just a few shots of the scenery although I took dozens more.

We came back home and rested for awhile. After a delicious dinner of barbecued chicken and vegetables, we headed out to Safeway to do some grocery shopping. The last time I was in an American grocery store was in Texas two years ago, and I was totally overwhelmed by the selection of foods. Mexico is not the ideal haven for shopping for groceries.

Well, Monday morning has dawned with clear, sunny skies and I will leave you for now with the view of the 17th hole from the deck.