We dragged our weary bones onto a Seattle bound flight on Wednesday and headed home. Cam and Kirka stayed in my room, I stayed on the sofa bed in the ½ bedroom that overlooks the city and we found a hotel about 7 blocks away for Dad and Helen. It was crowded and surreal to say the least. Having five or six people at a time crowded into my little place was freaky. I found I was quite unprepared for the gravity of having them all inhabit my space – seeing the things that I’ve been describing and having them living right here in Seattle was a concept I found hard to grasp.

We cooked a few times and went out a couple too, the Italian pizza and pasta restaurant beneath my apartment was probably the biggest hit – nice and close and really, really good food. We did the typical touristy things that Seattle has to offer (there aren’t many to do really) – the underground tour, Seattle Space Needle, the fish steps and locks and one day Dad, Cam and I went to my office whilst the girls shopped. Cam’s got some shots of the three of us in the walkway between my building and the café that I walk pretty much every day and I still can’t believe they were there! The car was a big hit and we crammed in to travel around the area a little. Whilst being so close to Canada, everyone thought it’d be crazy to miss the opportunity of another border crossing so I took a 2 more days off to travel up to Vancouver and Whistler in a large rental car. We managed to get a great rate at one of the central hotels by simply walking up and asking nicely at the counter. Some more shopping, eating and driving was had. Whistler is a stunning place, especially the drive up. Check out some of the shots below. The little lake we drove by and stopped at was probably the highlight for me, just stunning – and cold.

Dad and Helen had booked passage on one of the last tourist cruise ships to depart the port for the season and they headed out (sadly) on Thursday the 13^th. Zac and Lindsey came over to cook for Cam and Kirk one night and we played Balderdash till the wee hours. As it turned out, the day Cam and Kirka were to leave was the same day I had to be down in San Diego to work at a conference. We got to say goodbye twice! Once at the home as I had to leave before they did, and again at the airport after I missed my flight! Traffic was awfull going down highway 99 and it took me over 30 mins to hail a cab on 1^st avenue – a busy street normally teeming with cabs.

It was tough saying goodbye, mostly I think because it brought home the seriousness of what I am doing here. I took a hard look at the way I was going about the relocation and dislocation, and decided some things needed to change – namely looking after myself better – on many fronts. I took strength from it though and when Cam and Kirka left and I headed off to San Diego, I was determined to focus on the future and setting myself up for doing really well over here – both personally and professionally.  I guess I treated their trip over as a big milestone and when they’d gone, had to face some things I’d been delaying until the milestone was passed. 

It was great seeing them and more importantly just hanging out with them here. On Dad’s last night we even had him smiling and thumping his leg in time to the U2 DVD Cam, Kirk and I have watched to death – that was a sight to behold. But it won’t be long till I see them again – am planning on taking a trip back for the silly season late December through New Years. And as I’ve mentioned here before, it’s surprising how familiar you become with loved ones so quickly. It was like we’d never been apart and I guess that’s the point – in a way we hadn’t.

Bright light city gonnna set my soul, gonna set my soul on fire…

Well not really. The only thing Vegas does for the soul is pick it up by the scruff of the neck and rub it around in the effluence of Americas biggest party state. Yes, barren of any other redeeming quality, Nevada had various laws banished or lightened around the turn of the century and has attracted the lowest form of life ever since. Still it makes for a pretty spectacular visit. You get the sense that each step you take in this place, money is dropping out of your pockets and being picked up by the scurrying thousands that loiter here, waiting for each penny.

You can’t call a cab on the strip, you’ve got to wait in line at a hotel where the door man will call you one, and you get to feel bad about not giving him a buck or two for his “trouble”. There are no windows in the casinos, drinks are free (or complementary as they put it) as long as your playing at the tables, and they’ll come around and serve you faster if you tip them. The place never shuts, they pump oxygen into the casino’s to keep you buzzing and a little high, the prices to eat are through the roof and hotels are absolutely massive. We took Dad to Aureole, a swanky restaurant that’s part of Mandalay Bay for his 60^th and had a great night, awesome meal and good music to follow at the Irish bar in the New York, New York casino that look like – New York. We stayed at the MGM grand, complete with lion enclosure that houses lions descendant from the original roaring cat that adorns the beginning of thousands of the Mayors films. I can’t remember all the specifics and timeline for what occurred, but we had fun. I bought Dad a massage for his birthday which he thoroughly enjoyed, and we all drank way too much for two of the three nights.  I think it’s just that the place keeps you up late, and you tend to sleep in late that makes it play with your mind. I did get to see the Titanic exhibit at Tropicana with my friend Kimberly and that was awesome. Coming around the last corner of the exhibit was a 10 foot by 12 foot iron plate section from the side of the Titanic’s hull. To think I was standing 2 feet away from the actual hull that I’ve been reading and thinking so much about since my 4^th grade project back in 1983 was amazing.

Check out the shots of the strip. It’s a place that has to be seen to be believed. After this, we headed back to Seattle!