Yesterday was good in a way that I can’t express very well with words. Home has been this transient term for me the past 10 years as I have traveled and moved, formed and dissolved relationships. Family best describes people who are always 1,800 miles away. As much as I love Bellingham, Washington I often feel like a tree that was uprooted and never properly replanted. I still blame my wandering spirit on my Viking heritage. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to settle down.
When my brother Chris, his wife Jess, and my 5 year-old niece Ella came to visit this week, it rekindled that desire I secretly have for family. It’s fascinating to see Chris’s outgoing, adventurous spirit in his own daughter, who warmed up to me quickly and beautifully articulated all of her own thoughts about the world. She tugs on my heartstrings, and I feel almost a little guilty about chosing to move so far away. Of course, being in my early 20’s when I moved, I didn’t have the necessary foresight to anticipate future attachments to children who didn’t yet exist. Perhaps I’ll need to start budgeting for more trips home each year.
Here are some photos from our adventure to Port Townsend yesterday.
Jess and Ella admire the scenery at Deception Pass.
We missed the first ferry from Coupeville to Port Townsend by minutes due to poor time management at Deception Pass. However, this gave us the opportunity to sit and chat in the little cafe across the street for an hour and enjoy lunch.
We did eventually arrive in Port Townsend and walked the beach with the intent of visiting the lighthouse. Ella asked me to carry her new friends in my pocket, which she found on the walk. Unfortunately, these little creatures didn’t make it back home.
Ella and I took a slight detour to play in the sand next to this old boat.
I turn the camera on myself in a lighthouse window.
Terrifying ghost at Fort Worden!
The wind picked up by the time we got to the lighthouse, and our feet were hurting. Since we had walked all the way there, we had no choice but to walk back in the cold with our aching limbs. But…Jess managed to score us a ride! It’s a good thing because if we’d missed the 6:45 ferry, we wouldn’t have made it home last night.
The captain almost cancelled our trip back to Coupeville due to hazardous conditions, and the late ferry was probably a no go. I’ve never been tossed around in the ferry like we were on that trip! The high winds made for some big waves. I decided to embrace my Viking heritage and stand out front with my brother and brave little niece watching the waves break over the side and drenching the lower deck.
What a day! I miss my family already!
Jolene's Life in Focus 