Seattle Arboretum – I Just Have to Say…

My travelogue has taken a different direction as of last Tuesday. I have gone north and west by plane to Seattle for a two week visit to my daughter and her husband (Esther and Ryan). It’s been a while since I’ve been here so it is good to have this time. It’s also a little strange to have left the man I just agreed to marry. Backing up further, after 50 years in one marriage it’s pretty strange to be thinking about another marriage at all. With all these strange things in my life, I do appreciate some quiet time to think and write.

One of the “trains of thought” that keeps popping up is the effect of our announcement on our families. Some things are going to change for them too. They have been used to thinking of us as single people now for a couple of years. We’ve interacted with them in regular, predictable ways. As a couple, we are pretty much unknown to them. We love our kids and their families and want to be part of their lives. How do we best get used to the way things are going to be?

Kevin and I took several hikes before I left for Seattle. The first day after our exhausting Lone Palm escapade we didn’t do anything but rest and think about it. The next few days we did out and back sections of the River Mountains paved trail. Those were very safe trails but still had good views of Lake Mead and the desert. There were lots of bikers on those trails, one of which is a 40 mile loop. In the evenings we watched his grandson’s baseball practices. I like watching coaches teach little kids.

The backdrop is not fake. Real mountains.

Now, for a whole week I have been in Seattle, WA visiting my daughter Esther. The weather has been the limiting factor all week – rain, rain, clouds, cold and more rain. We had one less wet day at the Arboretum and saw some parts of it that I had not seen before. The Japanese Garden was special and a great place for photos.

Another discovery that is perfect for Seattle in any weather, was the sauna and swim afternoon at Alki Beach. It’s only a short walk from Esther’s house. Not everyone chooses to swim in Puget Sound after their 160 degree bask. I got halfway in before my legs were numb. I was surprised how many people were there. It was a congenial community.

Just walking through some Seattle neighborhoods can be entertaining, as we found out. A very kind lady came out and explained her yard to us. People leave random things for her because they like her creative displays.

Presently, I’m in a typical Seattle coffee shop (West Seattle Grounds) doing work with Esther across the table from me. We are avoiding the distractions of home. Getting things done…

She traveled farther than I did to get there. She had been decked out in some pretty fine cloth. She was due to arrive just in time for the event, for which she planned to be a prominent player. She started out the week of the wedding and all would have been well had it not been for the tire that exploded on the first day of the journey.

It was pretty bad – actually blew a huge hole in the wheel well. But four new tires later, and a quick clean up after the trip was finished, she was in place and no one was the wiser. She wasn’t the bride. She was the bride’s Airstream and this was not her first adventure, although it may have been her first wedding. We don’t know.

The venue was the Seattle Arboretum, Wisteria Hall. The day was July 24th, 2021 and it couldn’t have been nicer weather. Esther and Ryan had been planning their celebration of marriage since the summer before, when it was twice cancelled because of the pandemic. For the second time since COVID19 became a household word, I was mother of the bride.

The plan was to keep things simple and meaningful, and to share it with as many of their friends and family as were able to come. The husband and I traveled five days by car to get there. We were determined to be present and didn’t have near as much trouble as the Airstream did.

There were many things about this wedding that were non-traditional, and yet it had the important features:

The whole wedding script was unique to my daughter Esther and her Ryan. Never mind that there was no bevy of women wearing matching dresses that they would never wear again. Never mind that pizza and pie took the place of wedding cake.

Never mind that instead of musicians and soloists there were mothers, reading poetry especially chosen for this occasion.

At the end we were all invited to pronounce them husband and wife, and we did. Bubbles floated everywhere around us as they walked, arm in arm, back to the Airstream to sign official documents.

The happiness continued during the pizza party reception and the dancing. Yes, the dancing. It was pretty wild and joyous at times. We are just that kind of people.