Oh, and here's what I've done in the last 8 days...

....unpacked my last PODs into my storage unit, got Washington driver's licenses for all 3 of us and an international one for Lina, drove my son and all his crap up to Vancouver BC and moved him into his apartment, drove back to Tacoma with my daughter after a couple of days, dropped her at Seattle airport so she could go down to San Francisco for 5 days to see friends and get her visa for next year for working in France, worked 10 hour days, closed on my house in Kansas, drove up to Seattle to fetch my daughter again today and whew!

But I seem to still have energy left to eat some mind bendingly sweet dark red cherries.

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Ali's new place...

New friends - Dylan the roommate in a hoodie and Nick (upstairs neighbor and chef) wheeling up a new board to go skating with Ali.  Both very cool people.  And it warms the cockles of a mother's heart to see a broom leaning up outside the door and not one, but TWO, count them, TWO vacuums in the apartment for some reason.  The apartment is cosy and neat as a pin and looks like it will be a great place for Ali to live. Ali's got MAD hair in these photos, non?  I love the purple house with the sunflowers next door.

And then hugs and tears outside, saying goodbye.  It was hard for Lina because she won't see him now for probably a year or so and they are great friends as well as being siblings.  It really makes me happy to see how much they care for each other and how good they are at expressing it to each other.  We close out the sequence with a little Lina Chicken Dance with Ali.

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Lunch? Dinner? Linner?

Anyway, the "last meal" with Ali in Vancouver.  At an Italian joint.  AWESOME.  The best lasagne I've had in probably 30 years - since I lived in London, I think.  Paper thin spinach noodles, spectacular bolognese sauce, and bechamel.  Lina and Ali were equally delighted with their meal and each other, as you can see by the photos.

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A banana has been sighted on the streets of Vancouver

A very large banana on a walkabout.  I don't know why.

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Jane and Len's House, Part Drei

Backyard patio table shadows, art in life.

The house back and front.

Jane waving goodbye...

Thank you, Jane and Len and Michael and Emma and Charlie (Doggus Deluxe)!  What a wonderful Vancouver Welcome!

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Jane's Garden

Simply stunning.  Bees bumbling around, heavenly scents, delights for the eyes.  At the risk of embarrassing Ali, here's a poem I wrote about him, years ago.

Explorer

© 1997 Lysa Lynn Schloesser

 

He lay on his tummy, head to ground,

intent in his pursuit of creation.

Master of his small kingdom of sand and

micro machines "eensy beansy" he calls them.

 

He pokes his head in the door

to inform me:

"I'm going outside now, Mommy.

I'll be out nosing around."

 

Intense inspection of bugs

and other beasts in the

cool spring green grass

yields instant wisdom.

 

His yellow nose a badge of his curiosity,

my son offers me a dandelion cupped in his

grubby four year old hand.

"Smell, Mommy. It smells like sunshine."

It smelled like sunshine up there, in Vancouver.

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Jane and Len's House, Part Deux

We didn't get a photo of Len to add to the mix because he slid out early Monday morning, off to work.  Michael didn't get photographed because we were all too busy yakking at the dinner table about hackers and mining and games (he works for EA - Electronic Arts) and quite frankly, I just forgot to take photos because we were just have too good a time, lovely wine, great food, good conversation.  Jane and Len's daughter Emma was back fresh from geologic adventures in Iceland and will be going back to college in Boston in a short while.  We delved into the family histories, mulled over Jane's genealogical research into their families and admired the collection of photos and legal documents lovingly preserved.  All of the children (Michael, Lauren and Emma) have/will shortly have EU passports because of Michael's Italian heritage.

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Jane and Len's House, Part One

How incredibly gracious were these people?  Lina and their son Michael were born 25 years ago in London at the same hospital in north London, Michael 6 weeks earlier than Lina.  Jane found Lina on Facebook and asked her if she was my daughter and the next thing you know Lina and Ali are staying in this beautiful house, welcomed in and pampered like long lost friends.  Which I guess in a way they kinda were.  Jane and Len live in beautiful North Vancouver and gave the kids the Grand Tour of Vancouver.  Ali found a flat in an old craftsman house.... more on that to follow...

Kids came back to Tacoma for a few days.  And then we drove Ali and all his stuff back up to Vancouver this last weekend.  And stayed AGAIN with Jane and Len.  It was like a great resort or a spa.  Great surroundings, great food, great talk and wonderful people.  The power of the Internets.

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