Evergreens everywhere?

Dearest Blog Reader

I hope that this finds you doing well. I am fine. I have a bit of a travelogue for you this week. This fine Saturday morning finds me in Seattle, Washington celebrating the graduation of Jon, my nephew. It has been a wonderful trip. I did make a strategic error though. I decided to stop drinking caffeinated drinks while I was out here. I figured that I could blame the lethargy and headaches on the jet lag. Plus I gained the added benefit of not putting Bev through my crotchetiness. I knew that it would be bad. I had gotten up to a 4 a day a diet coke habit. That is four 32 ouncers. I knew that those chemical receptors in my brain would demand attention. I knew that ibuprofen immune headaches would be my constant companion during this trip. I knew that it would make me surly, but I am among people who expected surly.

I, however, did not anticipate the affect that jet lag would have on me. I should have figured it out though. I should have known. I whine and complain for a week when the government steals an hour of my time in the spring. In fact, that hour has such a devastating affect on me that I have issued a standing order throughout the Sharritt realm; I am not to be buried until I get my hour back in the fall if I should pass while daylight savings time is in affect. I am not going to head into eternal bliss sleep deprived. Even now three days on the ground, I am not sure what time it is. I know what the clocks are telling me, but my body has other thoughts.

But I digress. This is a travelogue. If I want to project some credibility, I should act like I am a savvy traveler and not some Hoosier from the heartland bumpkin whining that he feels perpetually behind the rest of the country.  First, I would like to thank American Airlines for the smoothest flight I have ever had from Indy to Dallas. Nary a bump of turbulence jostled me the entire trip. It was smooth as glass. Not that I require a smooth as glass ride, I am quite happy that the physics, of hurtling an aluminum cylinder with two basically 2x36 boards out each side, jammed packed with 175 of my fellow 175 lbs (on average) human beings, continues to work. I am also thankful that the budding aero engineers paid enough attention during class to harness the physics and thereby keptus from crashing  to earth as a fiery ball of devastation. No turbulence is just a bonus.

I know what you are thinking. "Come on Roger, a savvy traveler should not be impressed with the simple act of flight. It should be taken for granted. Buck up!" Back off Jack! I witnessed the most savvy flier on our flight; the guy who had to have the flight attendant get in his face because he had to check one more score on his iPhone before take off; the one who told the professional "don't worry. Just a second. " I witnessed Mr. cool rearrange the inflight magazines and read the instructions on the airsickness  bag as we hurdled down the runway approaching that critical moment of no return. It is fun to watch how others work out the steps of faith in those seconds. From the white, knuckled, prayers, to the causal airsickness bag readers, to the guy who keeps his fear at bay by nonchalantly watching yours, we all work out our "this plane won't crash" faith any way we can.

After arriving in the great northwest, I quickly established that the advert guys weren't lying when they put the "Evergreen State" on their license plates. Here an evergreen, there an evergreen, everywhere a freaking evergreen. I could use a few less evergreens. It makes it kinda difficult to get your bearings. Plus none of the roads run in any kind of straight direction. They have to go up and over mountains, around lakes, sounds, and, of course, evergreens. I like the wide open spaces. I want to be able to get an eyeball on my natural disasters before they come sneaking up over that mountain or around that evergreen.

Biking appears to be big here in the Seattle area. Thursday, I was able to ride into Seattle via a series of bike paths. Other than turning right at the wrong evergreen tree a few times and having to double back it was a very nice ride. This place is overrun by wild black berries though. They are everywhere. Well not everywhere, but everywhere there isn't an evergreen tree. These bushes are in bloom now with the promise of free pie filling in about a month.

Washingtonians do appear to have lost a grasp of the natural order of things. They will stop for bikes where the path crosses the road. What's up with that? The bike path clearly instructs me to stop and yet the driver stops too setting up a never ending battle of the polites with frantic hand gestures encouraging the other to go first. I finally had to get off my bike, walk over to this Honda, pull this hippie's butt out of the car, and drive his car across the crosswalk before I could get on my way. This behavior has gone on long enough that the cyclists are fearless. Like coyotes in the Colorado suburbs, they just plunge on out into the street knowing that all of the drivers will stop and smile benignly as they pedal on across.

They need a couple of surly transplanted Hoosiers out here with bumper stickers that proudly proclaim "I brake for Monon Trail road kill" to put the fear of God back into the natives with regards to bicycle safety.

Just to the northwest of Seattle are a series islands. We took a day trip yesterday to Whidbey Island. You may have heard of it. Whidbey is the island that Bill Gates puts his pants on two legs at a time every morning, just like the rest of us. I did not see Bill; still too many evergreens. I did enjoy the farmers market and was happy to see that there were no resellers to be seen anywhere. They all had dirt under their fingernails, calloused hands and dirt covered cloths. I also found a chocolate shop that had chocolate covered bacon. Then, I found this further evidence of civilization.

There is plenty of other stuff to write about, but that gives you a flavor (strawberry to be precise) of what the very northwestern corner of this northwestern state has to offer.

And like Dorothy always said after she gained the wisdom that only a series of near death experiences and freaky flying monkeys can give you, "There's no place like home."

Take care

Roger.