Red geraniums proclaim our arrival on Bainbridge for nine summer weeks.
We enjoyed being interviewed for a documentary in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Lynnwood Theater. Without hesitation, Bob said a few words to the camera IN FRENCH for the entire world to hear. He brought France to Seattle by taking half day French classes at Alliance Francis, a ferry ride and an hour’s bike ride away.
Bainbridge Island prides itself on its July 4 celebration where each year I mostly walk/run with friends who continue to be part of my life 7 years after I stopped teaching NIA.
We really wanted to spend time in nature so we drove to Ozette close to the Pacific and too close to the rain. Drenched, we packed up and hiked the sunny spit at Sequim on our way back to Bainbridge.
When my sister’s husband came to visit us for the weekend, we made time to view an excellent US Park Service film at the Bainbridge Island Historical museum telling the story of the forced evacuation and internment of over 250 Bainbridge Island families of Japanese descent.
A memorial wall marks the path these families took to board the ferry that carried them to Seattle and buses that took them to the desert of eastern Washington.
In August I spent a week on the lovely campus of the University of British Columbia
for a silent retreat with a Buddhist monk exiled from Vietnam for speaking out against the war. Thich Nhat Hanh was nominated by Martin Luther King for a Nobel Peace Prize
As part of our cultural life, the “The Oldest Profession,” provided excellent community theater as did Forest Theater in Bremerton operating in the outdoors since 1913.
Of course friends and family filled most of our free time. It was really wonderful to welcome young people into our lives including Anna and David’s nine-month-old Eliana whom we saw in Berkeley with our friends Kathy and Mussa.
We also found two or three days to play with Ann Strickland’s 4 year old grandson.
Nine weeks later, happy to have had such a wonderful summer warm with friends and 10 degrees cooler of temperature, we get on the ferry to return directly to France (in order to miss the horrible devastation wrought by Irene) eight pounds heavier…. (Sharon, not the luggage!)
We look forward to seeing our USA family in person next summer in mid July. In the meantime, we hope to update this blog, so we do a better of of staying in touch than last year. Our next edition will describe our 24 hour train trip to Poland to meet our new great nephew and his Polish grandparents. (Oh, yes Will and Marta, his parents who live in Portland Maine will also be there.)
A bientot!