Party foul.
I know it's not always like this here, all Chamber of Commerce lovely with abundant sunshine and that jaw-dropping view of Mt. Baker and/or Mt. Rainier. I know for seven or eight months of the year the sky seeps relentlessly and "the Mountain" is not out. Perhaps that is the trade-off for orcas and farmers markets and delicious Sockeye salmon. I think I could handle it, although I would a daily double-shot Zoloft latte. And really, any excuse to down maple bars...
So before we head off the grid for a few days, I offer a recap of our time in Washington.
Washington is home to a nice assortment of the oddest place names we have encountered thus far. There is Moclips, which sounds to me like a dog groomer or the place Bigfoot goes for a trim. Then there is Sequim, which is pronounced "squim." Sammamish, Snohomish, and Stillaguamish all make me want to offer the speaker a Kleenex. Skagit brings to mind the words we made up us as kids to avoid cussing. And what do I even do with a place called Pysht? I can't even pronounce it.
We have had the interesting experience of being stared at and frequently photographed since we added the website decal to the truck. People take pictures of it all the time. We even met a fun group of campers from Vancouver who all wanted their photo with us in front of the truck. Stuff like that brings me out of my introvert shell and makes me enjoy it all the more.
Which reminds me (pardon my rambling), while stopped for gas right after crossing into Washington a few weeks back, a complete stranger came up to us in the truck and gave us a gift saying, "When God tells me to do something I just don't argue." I didn't argue either, but I hope she is reading because I want her to know that gift served as a reminder to us of one of our purposes in being on the road. We put it in a place where we would see it daily and remember and just a few days ago we had one of those opportunities we can only call a divine appointment. I don't want to broadcast the details but please know that your gift was passed on to someone in dire need and was a huge blessing to us and to him in more ways than one. THANK YOU.
-Jenni