I found a UU Fellowship on Vashon Island and it's a lovely thing to do on a Sunday morning, take the ferry at the end of my street over to the Island. It's like a mini vacation.
photo source
It also reminds me of all the reasons I wanted to move up here: water, trees, undulating land. It's important to remember these things - I'm letting the daily grind obscure my vision.
Today the fellowship celebrated El Día de los Muertos by having people bring up photos of people that they have lost and sharing some memories and then lighting a candle.
The young man (35~ish!) who does the coffee is developmentally delayed and what he said seared me. He held up a photo of three lovely children and in his halting slurred speech said that they were his children that he got to see last summer and they weren't dead but he had to pretend they were because if they were alive then they should be with him and not their mother. Where do you even go with that?
The Official Church In Front The fellowship hall is behind a "real" church in what appears to be a double-wide trailer. It's quite cosy and just the right size for the 30-ish people that attend. One of the members is an artist who had decorated the walls with beautiful fall foliage - there was an unusual lime green, also burgundy, red and orange. Delicate little tendril-y boughs of Japanese Maple and natural swags of vines with red leaves the size of dinner plates.
I drove around the island and it was glorious. Misty, with fog woven between the red, orange, and green trees on the hills.
Walking around looking at the treasures that the ocean had cast up on shore - I came across all sorts of mussel shells and Dungeness crab bits and bobs. Yes, the seagulls here are VERY spoiled. However no little crab cracking tools, melted butter, or lemon was spotted, so I guess they're roughing it.
I've spent most of my life surrounded by the land oceans of the Plains and NOT near a real ocean, so humor me. Looking out over the rocks, I could see numerous dinner plate sized - erm- clear white flabby stuff that looked like snot boogers. I'm sorry, but they did. I just couldn't figure out what the hell they were until I remember the kids' story of kayaking this summer and trying to fling jellyfish at each other with the paddles and a light went on. Some might say a very dim bulb, but ANYWAY. Stranded jellyfish, not snot boogers. Mystery solved.
Vashon Island Roasterie had their annual pumpkin carving festivities and the display was delightful. Anyone who comes into the Roasterie is invited to carve a pumpkin to be put on display.
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