Category: Work and Play

Help! Where Am I Now?

Shirleyjdietz4 Comments

I’m a pretty good driver, really, just don’t talk to me while I’m driving.  Lately, out here in Seattle, I’ve been driving a lot in the city – well, it’s all city.  Yesterday on our way in to my daughter’s work I noticed we were nearly out of gas which is a scary condition to be in since you never know how long you might be going nowhere on the parking lots they call roads.  I decided to drop her off and see if I could fill up before going in the parking garage.

Unlike the area in Florida where I come from, this city has no gas stations.  Where do all these cars get fuel? I don’t know.  I had seen one gas station on the street we normally took from the hospital to downtown so I headed toward it.  That street is called Cherry.

For those of you who don’t know, downtown Seattle’s main streets running perpendicular to the waterfront and two streets starting with a J, two streets starting with a C, followed by two starting with M, then two with an S, then  two with a U and finally two with a P.  Some bright person made the acronym Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Pressure to help them remember the order.  I think it’s pretty obvious Jesus didn’t make Seattle, but that’s just my opinion.

So as I’m driving around trying to get to Cherry Street where I think the gas station is, I am encountering all kinds of unexpected one way prohibitions.  There’s nothing more unnerving than rounding a corner and finding all the lanes of traffic full of cars facing you.  It’s nice that people start waving their hands at you before you get too far.  Just sayin’.

Finding Cherry wasn’t too hard but I thought I’d been transported to a different universe when it dead ended in the middle of a building complex.  Nothing looked familiar.  I would have stopped to look at my  GPS to figure out what was going on BUT THERE IS NO PLACE TO STOP in Seattle, except at stop lights.  All the lights are timed to turn green just before I get to Google maps.  I have found that when I keep moving, trying to decide which lane to be in, which direction to turn, and how to not hit any of the hundreds of people crossing the street at every intersection I can really cover a lot of ground. So very soon, I had no idea where I was.  But not to worry because I hadn’t run out of gas yet and, “thank you Lord”, ahead I saw a gas station.

Such relief.  After a few minutes on my navigation app I found out that the Cherry Street I really wanted goes around a slight corner and becomes James Street in the downtown area. ,, I understand one more traffic puzzle now.  I learn something new every day in Seattle.  Now that I’m getting around pretty good, it’s almost time to go back to Florida…

Back to Race Trac and WaWa on every corner.

Back to roads that are horizontal instead of nearly vertical.

Back to where you only have to wait through one or two cycles of the traffic light to get through the intersection.

Back to where I’m not the oldest person on the road… just sayin’.

Garden in the Sky, Seattle

Shirleyjdietz5 Comments
No it's not a mountain meadow, there's more...
No it’s not a mountain meadow, there’s more…

Cities… in spite of everything they aren’t, they certainly are a display of human ingenuity. Daily, as I sit in traffic (going nowhere fast) I marvel at the layering of highways on top of each other and over buildings, the tunnels, the bridges. This morning I parked four levels underground in the garage beneath the Russell Investment Center. When I go places like this, and like the Columbia Tower which is the tallest in the city, I try not to think too long about where I am lest I become anxious or claustrophobic or acrophobic.

So I came up from the parking garage, got my directional bearings again and went up to the 17th floor of the Russell Investment Center to wait a couple hours for my daughter’s work meeting to be finished. Besides the cafeteria, meeting rooms and lounges complete with TV and fireplaces the 17th floor has an outdoor area that is a marvel in itself. Calling it a patio doesn’t adequately describe it’s size. Part of this building is only 16 stories high and on it’s roof is the most amazing garden. The rest of the building continues up.

Who thinks of these things? To put mounds of dirt, trees and huge slabs of rock on top of a building probably isn’t any harder than making the building itself, but to think of doing it and making it beautiful is kind of an accomplishment. There is an almost unobstructed view of the city and the harbor in three directions. Today there is only a mild breeze, the sun is shining and the temperature is just right for enjoying the area. You do not need a pass to get there, but it is not crowded since it is mostly the people who work in the building who use it. I’m just sayin’ it is a great place to get a look at the city.

outdoor tables for employees having lunch
outdoor tables for employees having lunch

wpid-20150819_103530.jpg

striking art objects
striking art objects
Rocks in abundance, just not usually on the 17th floor of skyscrapers
Rocks in abundance, just not usually on the 17th floor of skyscrapers
flowers, grass and trees - a real garden
flowers, grass and trees – a real garden
Walk to the rail and look at the city
Walk to the rail and look at the city
or check out the harbor and Puget Sounnd
or check out the harbor and Puget Sound
or sit inside, get some lunch, catch up on the news on tv
or sit inside, get some lunch, catch up on the news on tv

How to Have a Great Time Exploring Seattle without a Car

ShirleyjdietzLeave a comment

Don’t get me wrong, I love driving a car and there are those rushes of freedom it can give you. On the other hand there is a whole different kind of freedom that you feel when you don’t have to have one and can still get around. And this is especially true here in Seattle where you might end up spending as much to park your car as you do to own it.

My goal yesterday was to explore and use mass transit and foot power to do it. I started out by researching at www.metro.kingcounty.gov where I was able to access a trip planner and locations where I could buy an Orca pass. I started the day walking uphill (puff, puff…) to the Safeway Grocery on California Ave. where the transaction was processed. The pass costs $5 and I decided to put $30 on it toward transit fares. Now, anytime my husband or I come to Seattle we can ride the bus without having to search for the right amount of cash. It worked great on all the rides I took, even the ferry, and each time I had it scanned the remaining amount was displayed. I know I am going to like this system.

No fuss bus pass No fuss bus pass

My online trip planner gave me details on which bus to take and where to wait for it. It was only half a block away and I was only there a few minutes before a small bus pulled up. It wasn’t what I was expecting so I didn’t get in, but the driver wasn’t satisfied to see me standing there. She was my first really interesting encounter of the day. She had to know what bus I was waiting for and where I was going, after which she told me to get in or I would be waiting forever. She drove the water taxi, which she said was free. I didn’t argue. I got in.

This amazing driver went on to practically read the minds of people at all her stops, telling them which buses ran on weekends, where they could access them and how to get where they wanted to go. She had been driving her water taxi route for years and was a wealth of information. Water taxi’s are not well explained in the online trip planner (she told me this) and as you will see later, I still don’t understand them.

This ride took me around West Seattle with a great view across the water of downtown and the harbor. It ended at a business district called the Junction where I was to catch the C line to the Fauntleroy Ferry station. The C line is a bus on steroids. The vehicles are huge, sometimes double buses, and they are fast, serving commuters between major areas. I had to use my Orca pass for this ride – the scanner was on the bus.

Marathon man and others leaving the Vashon Ferry Marathon man and others leaving the Vashon Ferry

It always works well for me when I’m not sure how to proceed, to pick someone who looks like they know what they’re doing and follow them. My victim this time was a man with a backpack who strode away from the Fauntleroy Ferry stop with confidence and headed toward the water. A backpack in the city can mean you’re homeless or you’re simply a person without a car to carry all your stuff. This guy looked fit so I assumed he might be the latter. I was right, as my conversation with “Mr. 15 Boston Marathon runner” later revealed. He probably had a car but he hardly ever uses it, preferring to run/bus to his lawyer job and his weekend home on Vashon Island. He had already done his 9 miles that morning.

We walked onto the Issaquah ferry, again using the Orca pass at the turnstile scanner. What a beautiful day to be out on the water! The crossing took only 20 minutes, start to finish, and was super relaxing.

On the ferry to Vashon Island On the ferry to Vashon Island
Lot on Vashon where you can park your car... or your deer. Lot on Vashon where you can park your car… or your deer.

Vashon is not a suburban area. It is more like country. I walked uphill a short ways to a parking lot but there were no business districts close by (there were deer strolling between parked cars) and it was time for me to find food before heading back. Easy to find, because it was the only one, was the Family Mexican Restaurant at the ferry dock, right on the beach. This is what I ate and it was good.

Super nachos. Yes, I would do again. Super nachos. Yes, I would do again.
An interesting view while dining. An interesting view while dining.

The ride back to West Seattle was a mirror image of the ride to Vashon. Passage on the ferry is bought round trip and there are no pay stations on Vashon so I just walked on the boat with the other foot and bicycle passengers. And thinking to backtrack the same route I had taken, I boarded the C line bus again. The Orca pass can also be scanned at some bus stops, before boarding the bus. I guess this is to save time at the busiest places?

Although this bus was headed in the direction I wanted to go, I may have gotten off too early. The sign at the stop indicated that the water taxi picked up there, and the schedule online said it came every half hour on Sundays, but after more than an hour of reading my Kindle, there still was no water taxi. Thankfully these days we have smart phones with GPS and if we are smart enough to use them they will point us in the right direction.

After walking to a familiar intersection, I gave up on the bus altogether and walked all the way home. Such a nice day, why not? I was able to finish my route by coming down through Schmitz Park, an awesome forest in the midst of a city. According to my fitness app, again on my smartphone, this was my best day of exercise for a long time, 13,500 steps or about 6 miles. I had a great time and saw a lot of West Seattle. Just sayin’, walking is still a reasonable way to get around (if you’re not in a hurry).

If you’ve had an interesting walk lately, where was it?

How to Find Special Moments

Shirleyjdietz3 Comments
Do you like this picture? Do you think it represents a special moment?
Do you like this picture? Do you think it represents a special moment?

I’ve been in Seattle a while now, taking lots of walks and keeping my eyes open as I go.  There is always something on display.  Lately it has been the sunsets, several of which are on my Instagram collection if you want to see them.

Be curious, set goals

I started thinking about those special moments when we catch an unbelievable photo or have a chance encounter with another person that is significant, or when we realize we have overcome a big hurdle or reached a personal goal.   Last night Charlie and I set out on our evening walk with a goal.  West Seattle has an amazing terrrain and Alki Beach where we always start is at sea level on Puget Sound.  On different occasions I have looked up to a high ridge above us and seen an unusual house with many windows and turrets outlined in white.  I wanted to find it.

Take time, make a plan

I had been giving Charlie (and myself) exercise in the evenings anyway, the difference this time being that we needed to go up instead of walking the along the beach as usual.  Honestly, there are streets here that are so steep you wouldn’t think a car should be driving on them, and they are narrow, twisting and full of parked cars.  I studied my Google earth map and decided which streets might give me the quickest route to the top of the ridge.  It was impossible to know for sure which house was my turret house but I knew a couple of streets to try.

Proceed with eyes wide open

It was a climb, for sure. Charlie was panting and I had to go slow.  We rested when we needed to catch our breath.  I kept looking for the highest streets and ones with a view of the Sound.  I came to a sign indicating a dead end ahead but decided to go a little farther.  Had I not done so I would have missed the photo above.  I could see the sun through a clearing ahead and it was turning the world red.  A blazing trail across the water glowed almost as bright as the sun itself. I noticed the sailboat approaching and hung around taking shots as it moved across that shimmering stripe.  It was a special moment, an unplanned one, and I was so thankful to have caught it.

Don’t stop, expect more

There really is no limit to the amount of surprise and wonder I want in my life.  I hadn’t yet found the turret house so went along the ridge in the opposite direction, up a heartbreaking hill.  I could see no higher area anywhere around but none of the houses I passed were the one I was looking for.  Some other walkers were coming up a flight of steps along the street (yes it was steep enough to make steps instead of sidewalk) and I asked them where they were coming from.  One lady had lived in the neighborhood for over twenty years and when I described what I was looking for she said “Oh, you mean the turret house! My daughter used to babysit there for their kids.”  She told me it was one street over and around a corner.

Savor that accomplishment, no matter how small

I found the house, looked at it as long as I could without being reported as a stalker, and headed home.  It was a great feeling to have accomplished the goal and more than wonderful that the whole way home was downhill.  Charlie and I both felt energized and pretty pleased with ourselves.

Have you had a special moment recently? Tell me what it was! Don’t keep it a secret! 

Getting My Mind off Pain in the Rain

Shirleyjdietz1 Comment
Seriously, stop.
Seriously, stop.

Stop. I mean stop doing what you’ve always done, the way you’ve always done it. If you do, you will see different things, different behaviors – and even if you see the same old things, you will see them differently because of the change you have made. We are placed in this world of seemingly endless variety for a reason. Variety and change, they refresh us, stimulate creativity and new thought, and well, just make life fun.

Today it’s gray and rainy, not the kind of day that you think “hey, it’s time to go out for a walk and get all wet”. But I needed a walk pretty badly. I made the mistake of attempting a workout video with Dr. J (who is half my age) over the weekend. Who knew that 25 minutes of half-hearted exercise could produce such pain? I picked up an umbrella and headed out. I’m glad I did. I saw all this.

there's something comforting about a soft, gentle, rain. It's just water...
there’s something comforting about a soft, gentle, rain. It’s just water…
wpid-20141230_112141.jpg
Against the grayness, colors go crazy. They “POP”!
You see colorful surprises everywhere
You see colorful surprises everywhere
Even white is... whiter?
Even white is… whiter?
Green is greener.
Green is greener.
Awesome is even more awesome.
Awesome is even more awesome.
Awesome
Awesome
My aunt's front porch, awesome.
My aunt’s front porch, awesome.
mounds of flowers, yeah, awesome
mounds of flowers, yeah, awesome
love it
love it
I love color.
I love color.
So go take a walk outside, even if it's raining (or snowing). See things differently. Just sayin'.
So go take a walk outside, even if it’s raining (or snowing). See things differently. Just sayin’.

I’m a little too challenged…

ShirleyjdietzLeave a comment

Believe it or not, every now and then I do something to learn how to be a better blogger/writer.  Not that it always shows, I know.  The latest effort is called something like “10 days to a better blog”  and every day there is a lesson and a challenge for me to complete. I have learned some useful things.  It’s supposed to take 15 minutes a day but it’s turning out to take way more than that.  It’s a good thing I have practically nothing to do out here in Seattle…

Like today.  The challenge was to categorize all your posts into major categories – 3 to 5 of them.  For some people this is a 15 minute task, I understand.  But for me, having written my 500th post recently, and having no real system of arranging them, this is going to take the rest of the week. And that’s if I figure out how to do it quickly.  My head hurts.

There’s also a Facebook page where all 600 of us taking the free course are supposed to share our work and get to know each other.  It’s like going to the mailbox and reading two or three hundred letters every day.  That’s a 15 minute job, right?  It’s a good thing I have nothing to do in Seattle….

For family and friends who have been reading what I write, this means that once in a while you are going to see an old post come up.  Probably with a new title.  There is this very cool site that will analyze my titles for free and tell me how to make people want to read the post.  I’m supposed to use power words, and emotional words, and common and uncommon words, blah, blah, blah….  Did I try about 20 words that I thought were emotionally appealing before I found out that “in the” were considered emotional? Yes. That challenge took more than 15 minutes too, but it’s a good thing I’m here in Seattle where there’s nothing else to do…

So, bear with me.  The ten days is almost up and then I will probably go back to the same old format, same old colors, same old fonts, and same boring titles I’ve always had.  I might need a little encouragement or feedback.  If there is anything you like or don’t like about what I have to say, here’s your chance.  Actually, did you know you could comment on any post?  I can’t stop you, hahaha, so put it out there. I’m just sayin’, figuring out what people want to read, what they need to read and what I want to write is sometimes a little too challenging.  But hey, I’m here in Seattle…

The Older Generation. Party!!!

ShirleyjdietzLeave a comment

It happened so quickly. Suddenly, I’m giving a New Year’s Day party that’s about three times bigger than I anticipated.  I don’t do parties like I used to and I’m kind of wondering about myself.

For about a week I have been planning to take the New Year’s holiday shifts with my client, Jack. The other girls have taken so many extra days while I’ve been gone, including the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays so it’s fitting that I should give them a holiday off.  Besides, working for Jack is hardly like working at all.  I have to go beyond nursing responsibilities to things like determining what chores stress Jack out and how can I help with them?  Sorting mail and helping fill out insurance forms are common tasks, as are cleaning and organizing closets, getting rid of clutter.  These are all things Jack’s wife would do if she were alive.  And some days that’s how I decide how to spend my time, asking “what would Carol do?”

On New Year’s day I thought Carol would probably enjoy seeing Jack watch football with a few of his friends.  So I suggested that, if he felt up to it, he might invite a few people over.  Jack is doing so much better these days, getting stronger and more independent, and well, he jumped at the chance.  For seven months his friends have been visiting him in the hospital and doing things for him so he is eager to host them for a little fun.  Jack is probably the most hospitable person I know. After retiring from the Navy he spent over 20 years arranging conventions for different associations as their hospitality expert.  He loves to take people out to eat.  And he and Carol used to entertain in their home quite often.

Today I explored the details of what Jack had in mind.  I had already given him the bare outline of my intended menu to see what he thought of it.  I asked him how many people I needed to get ready for.  He started making a list.  It took him a while, but finally he said twelve or thirteen. That was about ten more than I envisioned so I began conscious breath control and sat and thought a bit.  He went back to the list and a few minutes later he amended the number to 19, because surely there would be some who wouldn’t be able to come.

There you have it.  I’ll be throwing a party at Jack’s house for pretty much all his close friends, most of whom are over 50 and many of whom are over 75 (Jack is 81).  I think it’s pretty safe to say that activities will be limited to eating safe food and watching several hours of football, early football, probably the Rose Bowl, party over at 8 pm,

I think I remember how to care for a house full of people, and I’m pretty sure I’ll have a great time seeing Jack have a great time.  But this whole thing did kind of sneak up on me, and I have to say that sometimes I kind of wonder about myself…

What do you think you are going to be doing on New Year’s Day?  

Vigil

Shirleyjdietz2 Comments

If a person is a nurse, which I am by profession, it is almost impossible to avoid having to make decisions for people. At the very least one has to know when to influence people to make a decision for themselves that is best for them. Sometimes the decisions are about life or death and the responsibility can be scary and somewhat overwhelming. It just comes with the job. When I walk out the door on my way to work I am most always in a prayerful mode, asking God for the patience to make it through the day and the smarts to know what I am seeing when I look at my clients.  It’s been one of those scary weeks and I am thankful that my prayers are heard and answered.

My newest elderly client (and friend) has been out of rehab and at  home for almost three weeks.  He came home far too soon and needed a lot more help than any of us knew he would need, but we had hopes that his strength would increase and he would thrive. He was so overjoyed to be in his own house and out of the hospital.  I was leaving to visit my parents a few days after he came home, but we managed to get a crew together to be with him almost 24 hours a day.  There were ups and downs as everyone settled into routines. I returned from my time away and began helping with Jack’s care again.

And then this week, there came the morning that he was so short of breath that sitting up on the side of the bed required a rest period.  Trying to get into the car for a doctor appointment was so difficult that we decided to cancel it.  And his own admission that he didn’t feel well and just wanted to lie down finally tipped the balance for me.  Something was wrong and not getting better.  This was the first time I have ever called 911.  It was a good decision.  We were in the ER for the next six hours and he was finally admitted to the hospital with congestive heart failure.

There are four of us caretakers for Jack and we are still keeping vigil.  He was moved to the cardiac ICU yesterday. Jack remains uncomplaining, always worrying about whether we have eaten, always trying to send us home to rest and wondering if we’re taken care of.  We have hopes that he will improve and come home again, but there is an awareness of how fragile life is, how quickly things can change and how precious the time is that we have with each other. I’m just saying that vigils can be a bit stressful…

Another Wild Ride

ShirleyjdietzLeave a comment

I left for work this morning prepared to hitch a ride north with my employer, to go to Gainesville for the weekend to get my car back. “Being prepared” consisted of having a stuffed backpack. However, early on I began to feel that it was just too soon for me to be rushing off again for another long weekend. Truth is I felt guilty that the husband had no clean socks or underwear and I didn’t even have any laundry soap in the house to remedy the situation. Things needed to be done. I needed to stay home at least another 24 hours. Lucky I had the bike with me, huh?

So this time I rode the bike with a backpack on – makes a bit of difference in balance. All the way across the bridge I kept thinking about falling over in a freak accident and tumbling over the rather low railing into the pass below and being sucked out to sea in a rip tide. (been watching too much Anne of Green Gables). As before, I just barely made it to the bus in time.

I think the husband is going to make me take the bike back. Do pawn shops take things back? I don’t know.  I felt kind of bike-stupid going into this whole thing but (my excuses – next) that feeling has only been magnified times over.  As I mentioned in the previous post I wanted something cheap that rolled and that is pretty much all I got. Now that I have had time to closely examine this bike I realize that in order for brakes and gears to work there have to be cables coming from them, attached to the mechanics below.

Gear shift on left moves easily (because it has no cable) Gear shift on right doesn’t move (rusted ).

Why did I not see these missing cables? Because they were missing? Again, I don’t know. I also think the frame is too light for me and perhaps I should not have valued flexibility over stability. Stability is much appreciated when vehicles are a mear 24 inches off your shoulder and blowing past at 50 miles per hour. Made me miss my car.

Anyway, all the above, plus having forgotten my sunglasses and having to squint for an hour and a half, created the perfect recipe for a headache which I’ve been trying to get rid of the rest of the afternoon. Live and learn, right?

Adventures on a Bike

ShirleyjdietzLeave a comment

I’m speaking of the kind of bike that one pedals with their own power. I decided I needed one because the county buses have a cool bike rack in the front. With a bus AND a bike I can get anywhere I need to go within a reasonable time, or so it would seem.

The first adventure was not actually on the bike, but rather buying the bike. I looked on Craigslist and could have spent all day calling people and seeing the one bike they had for sale but, I saw a bunch of bikes advertised by a pawn shop all in one place. Somehow that made sense. And the shop was only about a mile away, even better.  The bikes didn’t look nearly as good in person as they did in the pictures but I finally found one that fit my parameters. It looked light enough to lift onto the rack on the bus. It had brakes.  It wasn’t ridiculously hard to mount. That was about it, oh, and it was cheap. I bought it. The salesman was kind of surprised.

Today, the husband took me and my bike in his truck and dropped us off at work. (My car is presently out of town visiting a relative.) When I finished my daily duties it was nearly 1 pm giving me almost 10 minutes to get to the bus stop. No dallying allowed – I pedalled as fast as I could manage and just barely made it. I am not in shape for racing 2 miles, including up a Florida hill (bridge) so I’m just saying I was mighty glad to sit in a cool bus and catch my breath. I did good putting my bike on the rack and I watched to make sure no one took it off, hoping to steal it. That really does happen sometimes.

The next thing I learned was that when you disembark the bus you must remember to put the bike rack back up if you have the last bike on it. If you forget the driver will honk at you – a bit of an adrenalin rush there.  I had a choice of routes to finish the trip home. One was short and had no sidewalk and sandy shoulders on the road. The other was sidewalk all the way but longer. I chose that one, partly because I had noticed a strange wobble in my front tire and didn’t want to be close to traffic in case I had a “fall over”.  The long way became even longer as I tried to cut through a couple trailer parks that had no cut-throughs. The wind was blowing briskly in which ever way was opposite the way I was going. I don’t think my bike has any gears that make pedalling easier.  It has levers and one of them moves but nothing gets easier.  I was getting seriously tired and didn’t know if the bike was going to make it – kind of like riding a dying horse. But I did get home, right befoe a rain shower, thank you Lord.

I may have to ride the bike again tomorrow. I’m not sure I’m looking forward to that.