In Search of New Borders

I’m a foreigner. That holds true in every country I go. Even the one I was born in. What is it about borders that make us want to cross them and explore? I’ve been doing just that my whole life.

Crossing large bodies of waters was a normal part of my life.

My children, adults that they are, have not used their passports. My son was very young when we went to Taiwan via the military and I don’t think we needed them at that time. He didn’t remember crossing any borders. My poor daughter has been landlocked her whole life. Until now.

Life on the water. Wouldn’t it be lovely?

Ferry captains were impressive in their skill.

We were brave and reckless. Driving the five hours to Port Angeles, Washington. After a wonderful brunch and a trip through their quilt store (yes, I had to look) and their wonderful bookstore (one or maybe two came home with us), my son drove the car onto the ferry and we rode the 90 minutes to another country. This dizzy lady did just fine. It took my daughter a bit to get her sea legs. A lot of distraction and good humor kept her even keeled and we made it safe and sound to Victoria, BC Canada. Now to be truthful, I’ve been there before without a car. We used public transport and that worked quite well. It was a LONG time ago.

They had beautiful stuff but I was very strong. Love this store

So what do you do when you cross the border? You go see pretty flowers and look around the town. Just to warn you, I will have to break this very short visit into two posts. I took over 360 photos. This is a lady who rarely ever took photos. Since I don’t see well, I point, shoot and pray that they can be fixed. My kids took even more.

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First thing on our list was a real food breakfast. We found a lovely place across from our motel. They were so polite and kind that it made our first taste of Canada even better. Then we were off to find a post office. I decided to see if I could mail a package to a Canadian friend from Canada for a bit less than mailing it from the U.S. Cost cut, one third! Do you know they have post offices open Saturday’s and Sunday’s? I was delighted and surprised.

The ABC restaurant was a nice start of our day. I wanted to take this stove home.

So is Butchart Gardens worth a second trip? I could use a third and fourth. My feet were protesting but my camera had its buzz on. I just couldn’t stop, until lunch that is. We (my daughter and I) had high tea in the conservatory. My son had a very nice looking hamburger. He’s a guy. The food tasted so beautiful in that room and the tea was something new for them. Lemon grass and ginger. Yum. I didn’t get a photo of the food. I was lost is a sea of bliss by then. The butterflies had nothing on me that day.

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After lunch we waddled over toward the Japanese gardens passing something so fragrant it took my breath away. I felt light headed and overcome with emotion. The tears started to flow and I just couldn’t contain them. I stood there a moment trying to get a grip when the dragonflies did a dance for me and landed softly right where I could get a clear shot. I have never really seen one before. They were always so far away I could not tell what they were. As we came back out of the Japanese Garden, the same thing happened again. The smell was like lilacs but they were not. The feeling, one of unmistakeable happiness.

Who knew they were so beautiful. I was enthralled.

I don’t know yet what these are but the scent was wonderful.

We finally had to sit a few moments before shopping the gift stores and caving in to happiness and beauty overload. And our day was not done yet. That was one border I would gladly cross again and again.

A great spot to sit a spell and reflect on the wonders of the morning.

How about you? Do you cross borders?

Stay tuned for part two.

From my heart to yours,
Marlene Herself

In Search of a Second Look

Last weekend was my daughter’s birthday. We really like to celebrate. Our family sees each day as a gift and the more birthdays you have, the luckier you are. No one here lies about their age. We are grateful to have reached each and every one.

A birthday favorite. Thank goodness there were 4 of us to eat it.

My daughter and I had made the trip to Leavenworth, Washington several years ago. We stayed in a room over the bookstore that time. You know how I love bookstores. This time we stayed in a regular motel/hotel that had a townhouse layout with enough beds to sleep all 4 of at a lower cost than the regular room rates. It’s a five hour drive each way and one way is easier on the nervous system than the other. I’m very uncomfortable in bumper to bumper highway traffic on a Sunday afternoon.

See, here’s the sign. I can just smell the books in this little independent store.

Anyone for coffee and sweets first thing in the morning?

This particular weekend was their “Taste of Leavenworth” event. Its pear country and my son bought us coupons to sample the wares of many of the shops that had everything from pear cheese to pear wine and strudel, though not all at the same time.

Bookstore is upstairs and around the other size of the building

This little community worked hard to save their town. After seeing the town of Solvang, CA, the city council decided that might work to keep their town thriving and made the change in 1962. I loved Solvang too. Both towns have the flavor of old world Europe.

Everything here has a Bavarian flair to it. The green tall trees and the cascading mountains are very reminiscent of the areas in Germany I remember so well, giving me a bit of that “I’m home” feeling. Just my cup of tea or the beer I’d prefer. Even the sushi restaurant and the creperie look Bavarian on the outside. That made me laugh. I found the quilt shop again with so much eye candy that I was staggering out the door. The gingerbread cookies were saved from the bakery till later.

I looked at the town with slightly different eyes this time. Taking photos this time made me think about what others would see were they to want to visit. I took a bit more time to notice things like the clearness of the air.

They do Christmas here in a big way with an entire Christmas store and a Nutcracker Museum. Good Morning America and HGTV have both featured this town. I’m not fond of traveling in the snowy winters anymore so spring is the perfect time for me. The pear blossoms were in full bloom everywhere but we drove by so fast, only my son caught this.

There were fields of these.

First thing in the morning the streets were quiet but the smells wafting out of the bakeries and coffee shops was heavenly. The air was crystal clear and Sunday morning we saw fresh snow on the mountains. Everyone is behind on their moisture levels so snow was welcome on the Cascades.

The clouds played with us all morning. They were beautiful.

My diet is postponed till after next week. I’ll be away again on a quilting retreat and food will be prepared for us. Can we all say woohoo! It’s sad when you are so busy with life you don’t have time to write about it. Well, maybe not.

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Have you ever looked at somewhere differently the second time you saw it?

From my heart to yours,
Marlene Herself

In Search of the Wonder of Christmas

In one week my son will be here to spend eighteen days with me. Christmas is for me, a season of gratitude and giving. I am the person that wants to keep decorations up all year and feel the wonder of connection to everyone. But alas, it’s frowned upon unless you have a Christmas store. Hmmm, there’s an idea.

We are fortunate that my niece lives just an hour away and has four beautiful daughters, so we will have her little ones to bestow our love and gifts of time upon.

My tiny, skinny tree is up. Since I live in an apartment building, for fire safety, I have opted for artificial. Do you know you can pick up a nice one at the thrift store then donate it back at the end of the season. No storage of a bulky tree. I was at my son’s last year so I didn’t need a tree. This year’s tree is similar to the last one I had. It fits nicely in the small space. Twenty year old ornaments bring that familiar feel to each tree. My ex and I gave up real trees when we couldn’t get the last one to stay standing. It fell over three times before we nailed it to the floor and wired it to the wall. The artificial tree we bought after that lasted 20 years before I donated it. Odd, we never had another Christmas together in that house. Hmmm.

So here’s my tiny tree and a few of my favorite decorations. I didn’t bring out everything this year. My heart just wasn’t in it.

It fits nicely in the corner

I made the tree skirt a few years ago when I could sew. It was fun and festive. There are several more waiting to be finished if I ever stop moving.

Heart shaped tree skirt

As you can see, I have a very old Christmoose keeping an eye on the tree as well as Mrs. Claus. She’s not done with her baking so I have no idea why she’s taking such a long break.

Christmoose checking out the tree

Mrs Claus taking a much needed break

What is it that brings the wonder of the season to you? For me it’s never been about getting gifts. It’s about seeing the sparkle in the eye of the receiver. It’s the smell of cookies, banana and pumpkin breads baking for the delivery people. It’s in the simple joys of family and friends sharing a meal. Every year brings some new addition to tradition.

“Remember, if Christmas isn’t found in your heart, you won’t find it under a tree.” ~ Charlotte Carpenter.

From my heart to yours
Marlene Herself