Tag Archives: Seattle

A Semiannual Tradition

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A Semiannual Tradition

Most people have annual traditions. They’re usually associated with holidays, birthdays, vacations and the like. I’ve had a semiannual one now that began back in 2016. It’s called PROCRASTINATION.

Oxford defines procrastination as “the action of delaying or postponing something.” I like that one way better than Webster’s which is “moving or acting slowly so as to fall behind” and it implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy. Cambridge is somewhere in the middle, “to keep delaying something that must be done, often because it is unpleasant or boring.”

In my case, it definitely isn’t laziness or apathy. It’s not boring either. Unpleasant yes. Tedious and frustrating would be the words I’d use to describe this situation. What am I talking about? BOOKING FLIGHTS!

I remember the days when I used to enjoy traveling. I think those were also the days when I’d let a travel agent do all the legwork. Now it’s a matter of pulling up a number of screens on my computer showing available flights from various airlines. I’m beyond looking at prices. Now it’s convenience that matters to me, as well as layover times. As I get older and airports get bigger and bigger, I find that my days of running marathons to make connecting flights are over.

There is absolutely no convenient way to travel from Aguascalientes to Wenatchee. But Alaska Airlines will get me where I’m going although it involves a 12 hour layover at LAX. That actually may be a good thing this year as I’m Canadian and Trump has changed the rules. I’ll have lots of time to deal with Customs and Immigration.

Now back to my itinerary. A bus from Aguascalientes to Guadalajara, a flight from Guadalajara to Los Angeles, a flight from Los Angeles to Seattle, and a flight from Seattle to Wenatchee. The option exists to take the Wenatchee Valley Shuttle from Seattle to Wenatchee rather than flying, but it’s more convenient to wait only an extra half hour to take the flight rather than the shuttle. It’s also a very short flight, usually only about a half hour, as compared with a three hour drive.

I finally booked my flights yesterday. And I’m glad I won’t have to perform this arduous task again until it’s time to return to Mexico in the fall.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

One of the reasons I live where I do here in Mexico is because I want to totally immerse myself in the Mexican lifestyle rather than in the gringo visiting Mexico lifestyle. In my neighborhood very little English is spoken so I have the opportunity to really focus on speaking Spanish. I don’t care what language you speak but it is customary to speak faster in your own native language. I often find myself saying to Mexicans the expression “mas despacio, por favor.”

I also practice speaking Spanish to my Uber drivers. But today I had a very different experience. My Uber driver was Mexican and spoke fluent English. Why? Because he lived in Seattle for sixteen years. Not often that I find a Washingtonian around here. He told me he used to go to Leavenworth and Wenatchee often. He misses Seattle but came back here to Aguascalientes to care for his parents during Covid. He hopes to someday return to Seattle.

I am helping a cafe owner with English. He is a musician and teaches here in Aguascalientes. However he also played with a group on a cruise ship for two months. He has once again been offered a job on another cruise ship so he really wants to practice his English. His wife speaks very little English and I will be doing inter-cambio with her. I really look forward to that because we will both have the opportunity to practice talking with native speakers.

Thursday is American Thanksgiving. I have fond memories of spending this holiday in Mazatlan and in Guadalajara with friends. This year I will be eating at Country Break with my Mexican friends. Hamburgers are on the menu rather than turkey. And that’s okay. I was talking to one of my Wenatchee friends on the phone and we decided we’re going to do a turkey dinner when I get back in the spring.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends. When we look around at all the chaos in the world today, we need to count our blessings for all that we have. And we definitely have a lot to be thankful for. Actually, every single day of our lives should be a day of Thanksgiving. And if you are celebrating the holiday with family, you are even more blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I’ll Try Anything Once

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I’ll Try Anything Once

Please remind me never to travel during spring break again. I thought I’d never get out of Tucson last Friday. Full flights, full trains and full buses. I wound up getting a shuttle to Phoenix. It kind of reminded me of the collectivos in San Luis Potosi. The driver was Mexican, passengers were all Mexican except for one other gringo who didn’t speak any Spanish. I actually loved that shuttle. I was back in my element again, immersed in Spanish. None of the Mexicans spoke English.

In Phoenix it was the same as Tucson. Full flights and full trains. I managed to get the last seat on a Greyhound bus to Los Angeles. We wound up leaving 3 hours late. The bus had blown a tire on its way from El Paso.

I had a great seatmate on that bus, a woman from Santa Barbara who currently lives in Vegas. We also struck up a conversation with a recovered alcoholic and a recovered drug addict who had both become Evangelists.

I got to LA and surprise, surprise. Couldn’t get on Amtrak. And I didn’t feel like starting up with LAX during spring break. Reluctantly I decided to take my chances with Greyhound again. The agent and I played around with all kinds of combinations of buses but I figured going to Santa Barbara or any other beach town during spring break without a hotel reservation would just be an exercise in futility. So I opted for getting one of the last available seats on a bus to Seattle.

I have to give Greyhound a little credit. Excellent high speed WiFi and great charging stations in the station. Not so excellent Wi-Fi on the bus.

Will I ever travel by bus again? Yes in Mexico on intercity buses. I miss ETN with the single seat and the computer terminal at my seat. But NO to Greyhound in the USA.

I heard horror stories from other passengers about missed connections and ridiculous reroutings. I was one of the more fortunate ones. I actually got to where I was going in a more or less timely fashion.

I Ubered it to my hotel from the bus station in Seattle just after midnight. I love you Crowne Plaza Downtown. A hot shower, a Keurig in my room, and a comfy king bed all to myself. Who could ask for anything more?

And I was able to get on the Amtrak to Leavenworth later that day.

This One’s Really Real

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This One’s Really Real

When I’m in Mexico, the movies I watch are all in Spanish. The other day I watched a movie about a plane that crashed into the Hudson River. I also watched another movie where a family survived a tsunami in Thailand. Both of these were based on real life experiences.

On Sunday I was scrolling through the news and an article about an Amtrak derailment caught my eye. The Empire Builder had derailed in Montana. Three deaths and several people injured.

The Empire Builder runs regularly between Chicago and Seattle. It’s how we all commute from Leavenworth to Seattle. I know several people who have taken it out east as well. And it’s also been on my agenda for a trip next summer.

For the above mentioned reasons, this disaster really hits close to home for me. It’s not just a news item about another train derailment. This is the train I see every day when I’m in Leavenworth. And I’ve been on that train.

Eight of the ten cars derailed, with three completely tipped over. There were 141 passengers aboard as well as 16 crew. Only the two locomotives and the first two cars safely switched tracks.

An investigation is underway and Amtrak hopes to resume service in the near future.

Despite this horrific tragedy, I still plan to ride The Empire Builder out east next year.

Last Post From Washington State

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Last Post From Washington State

Three days until I leave. I’m actually very organized, other than the last minute stuff that just can’t be done beforehand.

I’ve been here for almost a year and am more than ready to head south except for the fact that I’ll be missing fall here. I won’t see the leaves in their fall splendor as they change color. The view along Highway 2 in Leavenworth is spectacular. I also won’t be able to meander through Cashmere admiring the glorious fall colors, especially my favorite red maple.

Wednesday will be a busy day and I won’t be posting. I fly from Wenatchee to Seattle to Los Angeles. Then on Thursday I fly to Guadalajara and grab a bus to Aguascalientes. I’ve done it before but that was before Covid. My masks are ready.

I said goodbye to my life group on Wednesday at a barbecue. Last night I had intended to bid farewell to my friends at the Senior Center, but the activity was canceled due to the rising number of Covid cases here in Chelan County. On Friday Joyce and I had spent the day together in Wenatchee and had one last lunch at Olive Garden. Joyce and I also taught our last fitness class together on Tuesday.

This afternoon Linda and I will have one last movie afternoon. We’ve been hibernating indoors on Sundays due to the smoke. Her husband Gene is an amazing chef and pampers us with a variety of tantalizing dishes.

There will be more goodbyes to more friends in the next couple of days. Each fall it gets harder to leave here as relationships grow. And I have been especially blessed this year as Debbie and Paul have provided me with a wonderful home for the last few months.

Although I am excited about a winter without snow again this year, I do look forward to returning to the mountains in the spring. This prairie girl will always be enamored by the beauty of the Cascades.

One Down One To Go

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One Down One To Go

I was vaccinated yesterday. The first shot went well and I will have the second shot in three weeks. I thank God that I am in a country where the vaccine is available now and that I don’t have to wait several months. God Bless The USA!

Wind back the clock to September 2020. It was now possible to leave Mexico and head up north. The pandemic was raging throughout the world and travel was greatly discouraged.

I’m Canadian. Returning to Winnipeg from where I was in Mexico involved three flights on three different airlines and a minimum of two days of travel through four airports.

My other option was to come to Leavenworth. Only three airports. A flight to Dallas with a connecting flight to Seattle. I left Mexico in the morning and arrived in Seattle in the afternoon. Only about a two and a half hour drive to Leavenworth. Definitely a better option.

Leavenworth is home to me. I may only be here a few months a year but this is where my friends and my support system are. This is where my life is. I usually spend the summer and fall doing volunteer work so my time this year has been spent very differently. It’s winter and Covid is still around.

In Washington state the vaccine distribution program is working well. Appointments are made on the internet. I made mine on Sunday. Yesterday, Tuesday, my friend Linda drove me to Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee, a designated mass vaccination site. I didn’t even have to get out of the car. A symptom check and the actual vaccination took under five minutes. I did have to wait thirty minutes after instead of fifteen as I have a shellfish allergy.

I was given a card with my appointment for the second shot. I had received an email reminder yesterday about today’s appointment. By the time I got back to Leavenworth I had received another email congratulating me on being vaccinated and it also included my patient record.

I also registered for the follow-up program. I receive a text daily inquiring about my health and any symptoms I might be experiencing. Very reassuring.

Thank you Washington state for your efficient handling of the vaccination process.

Coronavirus and Me

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Coronavirus and Me

Yes this virus has had an impact on my life. I usually have a flight booked by now to return up north in April. But not this year. On March 11th Coronavirus was declared a pandemic.

Washington state is a hotbed for Coronavirus right now. In Seattle, schools, restaurants and shopping malls are closed. Businesses are encouraging people to work from home. Concerts and sporting events have been cancelled. While the virus has not made its way over the mountain to Leavenworth yet, at this point in time it has not yet been determined if I will be able to return home next month as I am a Canadian, not an American citizen.

Thank you to all my friends for your concern and your prayers. They are greatly appreciated.

I will not be booking any flights for a few weeks yet. It is now a waiting game to see how it all plays out.

In the meantime, I intend to enjoy the rest of my time here in Mexico. Now, more than ever, mindfulness has become my mantra.

Stay safe everyone, and keep washing those hands.

Strange

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Strange

I apologize to my readers. I haven’t written a post in quite a while. I’ve played with some ideas but somehow just couldn’t follow through.

It’s been a strange few weeks. Coronavirus seems to have impacted the world in so many ways. My English conversation classes have turned into health lessons. How do we protect ourselves against this deadly enemy?

Interestingly enough, there is no shortage of toilet paper here. There are still lots of soaps and hand sanitizers on the shelves in stores. And I haven’t observed a sea of masks when I’m in public places. But I have observed other things.

There is a park near my house where I often go to color. In my search for shade I found myself at a table close to the bathrooms. I just had to snap this photo. Shelves full of snacks at the entrance. I watched the attendant hand people toilet paper at the same time as they purchased chips or candy. In my opinion food and bathrooms just don’t go together. What do you think?Yesterday was International Women’s Day. How do they celebrate it here? Women went on strike today and didn’t work. But not all women. I was at Liverpool, a pharmacy and Telcel and I did see some women, although not as many as usual.I had an interesting chat with my Uber driver today. Apparently I’ve lived in Aguascalientes longer than he has. He just moved here from Mexico City a month ago. Sure hope he didn’t bring the Coronavirus along with him.

Washington state is a hotbed of Coronavirus right now, Seattle in particular. I usually tease my friends and tell them to get rid of the snow before I return. Now I’m hoping they can get this virus under control before I come back next month.

Next to the Coronavirus, a hot topic of discussion with my friends is narcissism. That just might be my next blog post.

Adiós 2019 Bienvenida 2020

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Adiós 2019 Bienvenida 2020

I was in San Ciro de Acosta, San Luis Potosí when this year began. About two weeks later I traveled to Aguascalientes City, Aguascalientes.

A frenzy of visiting fourteen museums, countless churches and beautiful parks followed. I also went leather shopping in León, Guanajuato and visited the pueblo mágico of Calvillo.

Three months flew by and I found myself on a flight to Seattle from Puerto Vallarta. And shortly after I arrived in Leavenworth.

The months I spend in Washington state are filled with activity. I volunteer at church, teach fitness classes, belong to a book club, play bridge and am active at the senior center. But of most importance are the friendships I’ve made over the years and the time I spend with these special people.

This past summer I also took a side trip to Kelowna to see my granddaughter. Madeline was just a few weeks old the last time I saw her and at 17 months she was now an active toddler.

Other highlights of my time in Washington included Vacation Bible School at Leavenworth Church of the Nazarene, as well as attending the 9/11 service at Spirit of America in Cashmere.

All too soon fall arrived and I boarded a flight to Guadalajara. A short bus ride followed and I was back in Aguascalientes City.

I’m staying in the Las Flores area again. Last winter I found a church close by and it felt like returning home this winter. I truly am blessed to have a church family here in Mexico as well as in Leavenworth.

This winter has been very different. I am not running around playing tourist. I’m taking time for ME instead. I do have friends here and I am teaching English a few hours a week. But I find time to color and to go for long walks. I am really focusing on my Spanish language skills. Because I live in a very Mexican neighborhood where virtually no-one else speaks English, I am totally immersed both in the culture and in the Spanish language. I also watch movies in Spanish with no English subtitles.

Other than one trip to Culiacán, I haven’t traveled much this winter. However I do have some travel ideas for 2020.

I spent Christmas with friends and will be attending an event at my church on New Year’s Eve.

This is my last post for 2019. At this time I’d like to thank all my readers for taking the time to follow my blog posts. I wish you all a Happy and Healthy 2020. May it be another fabulous year for everyone!

I’m Always Packing

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I’m Always Packing

Another day, another suitcase to pack.

This past week was fabulous! Vacation Bible School was amazing. I immensely enjoyed doing craft and play with the preschoolers. We colored, glued, painted and played games. Each day the activity was geared toward the Bible point of the day.

I also spent the past week with friends in Dryden. We commuted to Leavenworth for Vacation Bible School. Of course that meant packing last weekend to spend the week in Dryden.

Today I am packing again. This time it’s a little more complicated.

I take the shuttle to Seattle on Monday where I will check into a hotel for the night. On Tuesday I fly to Kelowna to see my granddaughter. Maddie is 17 months old now and I haven’t seen her since she was 6 weeks old. Am I excited? Can’t wait to hold her in my arms!

Back to the packing. I’m also moving here in Leavenworth. If I get my act together I hope to move everything else over to my new home before I leave on Monday. It’s astonishing what I’ve collected in the past 3 months. Of course I did leave a few things here when I returned to Mexico last fall.

I’ll be back in Leavenworth in August and hope to begin posting more regularly. Until then, enjoy the summer and don’t even attempt to compete with my packing adventures.