27 July 2021
We're in Washington state, and I know, it has been just over a month since the last post. Several dedicated readers have contacted me to let me know that it's been too long. While I do appreciate having such loyal readers, well, life really is not exciting right now. At all. To the point 
of being boring at times.
I mean, we're all coming out of shutdowns and recommended isolation. Many of us are vaccinated, but too many people aren't. And as two people with medical conditions that put us at more risk should be end up with Covid-19, we both 
are doing our best to minimize our exposure. So yes, I'm still wearing a mask when I'm in public interior places. All medical facilities around here mandate masks at all times. I think that says it all - if the doctor's office or testing labs or x-ray facilities think we need to wear masks to be there and protect their staff and 
each other, then yeah, we all need to be wearing masks in public indoor spaces.
But since those very dedicated and loyal readers want a report of what we've been doing, here it is:
We're doing our normal summer activities: seeing our primary care medical person, and getting the normal medical tests. Seeing our specialist medical people, and getting specialized medical tests. Some of those tests are to rule out things that we're fairly certain we don't have, but they might explain the 
symptoms so we do the test to know that nope, that's not the problem.
Dentist. Going through clothes and replacing worn out items with what is stored in boxes. Donating what can be re-used. Getting refills on prescriptions. Refilling over the counter 
medications. Stocking up on toiletries.
Emptying packing cubes, and washing them. Emptying the luggage, and cleaning the bags out. Somehow I seem to accumulate sand in there, despite being careful to only pack clean items, and wrap shoes in shoe bags.
Exciting, right? Yeah, this is why I figured I should hold off a bit prior to writing.
We spent time with my middle brother and his family in Yakima, which is just about in the center of Washington state. We 
went through the accumulated mail, and sorted through some of our stored boxes at the storage unit. Left stuff there, gave stuff away, added very little to what we had when we left home base in December 2019 for the Antarctic cruise. Well, with some stuff purchased since then, as well - we both needed some summer clothes 
when we were stuck on the east coast for a year.
Then we drove to Bellingham, my former home here in the northwest corner of the northwest state, and settled into one of our usual hotels. We've seen my youngest brother and wife, and keep running 
into her daughter (our niece) around town. A friend from Seattle drove up for lunch with us. Other friends are meeting me at a cute sea port on Thursday, roughly halfway between Bellingham and Seattle.
And that seriously is everything that's going on. 
I'm using up leftover yarn making afghans for us, since we both get cold easily. Lots of reading, email, TV movies. Walking around our neighborhood, which is mostly strip malls and fast food places. Absolutely not exciting.
My favorite supermarket still has gorgeous flower 
displays outside their front entrance, as well with socially-distanced tables for people who opt to have a meal outside amongst the flowers. That actually is one of my favorite ways to get out and be somewhere else - salad and a Starbucks something in the supermarket's lush garden. The flowers are 
so dense, I barely notice the parking lot! I know, it really is an odd urban oasis, but the parks seem to be full of families enjoying the summer weather, so the floral lunch table is actually quieter and more relaxing.
They have displays that mimic mini fields of lavender. Mini fields of 
sunflowers. Absolutely humongous dahlias! Displays rivalling van Gogh's sunflowers and Monet's garden.
And yes, they have a life-size plastic cow outside with the flower displays. I love quirky. Just one more reason this is my fave 
supermarket!
I have previously explained that Bellingham is a large town (or small city) curving around Bellingham Bay. The town was originally four smaller towns; as the towns grew, they merged into two larger towns, and eventually merged into one pretty large town. We moved here from New York in 1968, when the population was about 38,000 permanent residents. Our father was a professor at the college, which has since become a university. (For those who wonder about the difference, a college only grants Bachelor degrees; universities also include graduate level courses and degrees. I know that it's different in other parts of the world, so I thought I should explain the difference in the US.)
Anyway, I was able to find a couple of maps that show the outlines of those former towns, and how they merged. Not that it really makes any difference, except when one is trying to navigate around Bellingham. These maps explain why the street that starts as James Street in north Bellingham changes names about four or five times as it heads south into the neighborhood still called Fairhaven.
To Bellinghamsters, it makes perfect sense, we know that James becomes State which turns into The Boulevard which then becomes Finnegan Way which turns into Twelfth. I think it then becomes Chuckanut Drive, but that takes us outside the city limits. But each name change is accompanied by a slight directional change where the road layout grid is on a slightly different orientation, signifying a switch from one original town to another. Well, it also is the only way to built a town around a large curving coastline - Amsterdam is somewhat the same way, although the streets are more like concentric rings than the sort of articulated zigzag that is Bellingham.
There are certain key streets that most likely are where the towns merged - we know that when we drive on Cornwall, almost every cross street changes names. Seriously.
It's confusing to someone new here, but humans are adaptable. We adjust as needed. And once you get used to it, the name changes aren't all that confusing. They don't always make sense, but hey, that keeps the brain more active, right?
So, enjoy summer wherever you are. Take time to appreciate the sunshine and the flowers. Have an iced latte (or your drink of choice) and relax.
It's summer. Life slows down a bit.
We have plans for the future but hey, that gives me something more exciting to write about next month.
