Tag: Pacific Northwest
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Blackberries
Blackberries don’t grow in Thailand. It’s something I miss about late summer in the Pacific Northwest. My family will tell you about the ritual torture of blackberry picking “excursions” which involved Tupperware containers and long sleeves ending in at least one of us needing to be disentangled from thorny tentacles. The end result? A freezer…
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The Great Leap
Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, 1989. “Hey mister! You wanna Scuba?” Almost asleep on the beach, I look up to see our friend Mitch, negotiating a Scuba adventure. “What’s your name, mister?” asks the deeply tanned dive guy. “Mitch”, replies Mitch. “Feeeesh?”, the diver repeats with a half smile. We all burst out laughing and sign on…
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Hail Plastic!
Before I came to Thailand, I had tremendous disdain for plastic. Anything made of plastic was “cheap”, shoddy and downright tacky. And, the tackiest of all plastic items? The plastic shoe. Are you kidding? From up on my high horse, I could clearly see the faults of these synthetic fakes: they don’t shape to your…
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Alone
About 30 years ago, I was on the city bus in Seattle. Coming or going to work, I don’t remember. I do remember the woman who sat next to me that day. I remember when she got on the bus and she was looking for a seat – our eyes met, and I must have…
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It was everything.
2016. So many have said it was a lamentable year. No matter what side of the coin you are on, it seems that we have all grown tired of negative rhetoric and pessimism. However, I can truthfully say that I have learned so much from this “less than perfect; very UnHallmark, don’t post that on Facebook”…
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Weirder Than Bangkok
“This is weirder than Bangkok,” Rick mumbled and looked at me in disbelief as we stood in the middle of Fred Meyer wondering where our full-to-the-brim shopping cart had gone. We had just finished a grueling, grocery marathon of Christmas dinner stuff – two days before Christmas. Rib Roast, fancy IPA beer and local wines.…
Gonzo Girl 