Bad things happen now and then, but most of the time it could be worse.
For example, your new Christmas toy could meet an unfortunate fate.
I could be worse - the house didn’t burn down.
Maybe a tree will fall and knock down a lamp post which then hits your car.
It could be worse - power poles could splinter like matchsticks and fall to the ground, blocking your business with wires for several days (PSE photo).
We had a wicked windstorm here last Thursday. At one point I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get home that night because the Deception Pass Bridge area was closed for cleanup of trees and wires. If you’d like to see more photos of downed trees and wires, check out Puget Sound Energy’s Flickr page. They work hard to get things cleaned up and the bridge reopened much earlier than expected. I was able to get home to sit in the dark with Michael and Rowland! Our power came back on just after 3 am, but many are still without.
Yesterday we took a drive to Everett to look around and see if we’d like to live there. On the way we drove along Memorial Highway past Schuh Farms and got to see the downed poles for ourselves. It was nuts! Some of them snapped at the base, and other snapped halfway up. The lines were down across several driveways, blocking people from driving out. There was another series of poles down in a similar way not far from us here on Whidbey. I’ve never seen anything like it.
About that trip to Everett…
Our travels took us down 529 into the north part of the city, and within a couple of minutes Michael was ready to move there. Me too! It’s definitely our type of place, and it will be just MINUTES to work (right at the north tip of the photo). What a change that will be. We drove through the area, had lunch, then drove back, criss-crossing a bit to get a look at the neighborhoods. The house we will be living in is somewhere in this photo - though we haven’t a clue which one. We can start looking more seriously at the rental listing now that we know where we want to be.
We are excited and want to move NOW! However, there is work to be done and a house to be sold. Everett is an actual city with things to do! What a novelty for us. There’s the Schack Art Center - with classes! There are so many parks they’re listed in three alphabetical sections! There are trails! There’s history!
And interesting restaurants. We ate lunch here:
You get the drift by now I’m sure.
Stay tuned for updates as the action picks up and we search for a place to live. Meanwhile, I’ve got to go now and start packing!
I hope you all have a very merry whatever-you-celebrate!
~Anne
Tidbits
Spectacular embroidery scenes!
Information is Beautiful Awards - 2018’s most stellar infographics
Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours - for serious fans of color (colour). Which is your favorite (favourite)? Verditter Blue is awfully nice. Originally published in 1821.
Airport Worker Photographs Unique Travelers He Encounters From Around the World
I would like to get my hands on this book.
Making: my #yearofmaking is winding down and I haven’t missed a day! It was a close one, but I even managed a drawing in the dark during the power outage.
Recently eaten: lunch at the Totem Family Diner was decent! We will surely go back often, especially since they serve breakfast all the time. Yum. Beans on toast - a great Saturday tea (as Michael says).
Reading: I’m listening to The Man in the High Castle in the car. Still reading Words and Music by Paul Morley and The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi.
Videos of the Week
Have you seen the FLOPPOTRON? You have now.
Alvin Lucier’s I Am Sitting In a Room plays a large role in Paul Morley’s book. I highly recommend a listen - though you will want to stop what you’re doing, sit back, and close your eyes to really let it soak it in to your ears.
Question of the Week
Just hit reply to send your answer, and I’ll share it next week. Always anonymous!
What do you want to try in 2019?
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Last week I asked for your favorite reads of 2018. If you’d like to add to this list, it’s not too late!
Fiction
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge
Non-fiction
The Autobiography of Malcom X by Malcolm X
Bitten by Witch Fever: Wallpaper & Arsenic in the Victorian Home by Lucinda Hawksley
Educated by Tara Westover
Jellyfish: a Natural History by Lisa-Ann Gershwin
A Literary Tea Party: Blends and Treats for Alice, Bilbo, Dorothy, Jo, and Book Lovers Everywhere by Alison Walsh
The Three Pillars of Zen by Philip Kapleau
Where the Sea Breaks Its Back: The Epic Story of Georg Steller and the Russian Exploration of Alaska by Corey Ford - FOUR VOTES!
You Can't Catch Death: A Daughter's Memoir by Ianthe Brautigan
Graphic novels
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
The Wicked + The Divine series by Kieron Gillen
Audiobooks
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: a Sortabiography by Eric Idle
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Florida by Lauren Groff
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