Send Off with Family and Friends

THE DAY WAS PERFECT

We rented the Grange so that people from off island could come over without their cars since ferry fare is about $18 round trip. The reality that I am leaving is just now setting in with me and my family and friends. (Here today gone to Mali). I want to thank everyone who helped with the party it was a great success. There was a Mali table and West African map along with the Peace Corps welcome book for Mali so that everyone could get their questions answered. Many questions seemed to answered when you say that Timbuktu is in Mali. In my love of the photo image I setup a photo shoot area and placed disposable cameras around. Many memories and a great group of family and friends came together and visited.


My daughter came over came over early and helped setup for the party. We have planned other times around her studying to spend time together before I leave. I am so proud of her in all her endeavours. We talked about how I felt when she went off to Central America with no return date and no real plan except to attend Spanish School in Nicaragua.

She is doing amazing work in math and science in college now. Hopefully she will come visit me in a year and we can travel West Africa together like we have explored many other parts of the world.

The bicycle group "Rainbow Riders" that I have been riding with once a month for many years now sponsored a ride here on Vashon Island. We had seventeen riders with many Vashon women joining us for the first time. Some stayed for the party and some road to the ferry. Here is the group at the party. We missed several members who were not present.
There are many great memories with the Rainbow riders and know they are all routing for me and my new adventure. You all will be missed, RIDE ON!

My sister came from Bremerton with her husband. They have been married for about 29 years and lived near me and my daughter for 23 years. My Sister is one of my best friends. She told me when we found out I was going to Africa that she didn't see why anyone would want to go to Africa. She defiantly did not get the adventure gene. We raised out kids together and did many fun things like camping at least once a year and every holiday. I appreciate all her support even when she doesn't understand. I hope it goes two ways. Laura my friend of 24 years and partner of 14, has been a great support to me in fulfilling my dreams. Thank you. She's taking care of my dogs and all my affairs. We are blessed to live on Vashon Island a fifteen minute ferry ride from Seattle Washington. There have been there ups and downs but some how we have come to place to let each other to not just dream to do go after those dreams and make them come true.
My friends Kristi and Kristen win the price for best commute to the party. They came from Marysville about forty miles away. They took a bus to Seattle rode to the water taxi they took them from the Seattle waterfront to West Seattle. From there they bicycled to Fauntleroy and hopped the Vashon/Fauntleroy ferry to Vashon. Luckily for me they spent the night which mean they helped clean up after the party and got up and had coffee with me in the morning. We talked about bicycle projects in Africa and we all hoped I would have some opportunity to pull one off. Here they are on the Water Taxi with Seattle in the background.



Here's my friend Cheryl, she won the hat as one of the door prices. Cheryl rides with the Rainbow riders. The hat came from Madagascar and the weave is only found in the village that I visited with Habitat. Afterwards a friend said she really liked the door prices there was a story behind each one. Like the Seattle Reign hat in which we drew Beverly's name and she wasn't there. We had said that you had to be present to win but with this we made an exception because Beverly gave Laura and me our first Women's basketball tickets to a Reign game and we were hooked after that. I am sending Beverly the hat.

As you can see fun was had by all what a great send off.



My oldest friend Beverly and her partner Maggie came over from Seattle.















More pics

And Away We Gooooo

The staging packet arrived on Tuesday, Philadelphia here I come July 6th and Mali just beyond.

This is the invite to my going away party that Laura and I are throwing for our friends, family and community. Without their support I could not take off and volunteer for the Peace Corps. We will have a potluck dinner, enjoy each others company and dance the night away. Leave a comment if you want more information.

Today is my last day at work. This is shaky ground, the beginning of change, of the unknown, and the adventure. They had a nice taco potluck and gave me several nice cards. I thanked the support staff and gave them little gifts.

Ideas about packing change everyday.

Visiting with my daughter and foster daughter and some heart to hearts were hard but it made me feel closer to them before I take off. I have to realize this will be a big change for the people I am closes to. My brother and his girlfriend will be here from Australia on July 4Th for a whirl wind visit. Laura is in Maryland on her bimonthly visit.

Looking forward to being out of the office out of 9 to five and learning new things.

Soaking up the Northwest

Things to do before I take off for Mali. On the list include several weekends on the sail boat, a kayak trip, a hike in the Mountains, visiting with friends and family, bicycling on Vashon, gardening, all of the things I will miss.

This last weekend Laura and I went out on the boat. Starting Friday as we were packing it started to rain and in the 40’s. We looked at each other and discussed whether we should even go, maybe we should head for Eastern Washington, I said.

We left the Dockton buoy at noon and headed out of Quarter Master Harbor for Bainbridge Island. Since there was no wind we motored out to Puget Sound where the wind was and put up sail. We sailed to Blake Island State Park which is only accessible by boat. We never reached Bainbridge because it was getting late. Anchoring is best in the waters south west of the island. The day was a typical gray drizzling northwest day. Laura had cooked dinner before we left except for the vegetables we grilled. As we were eating an otter swam by wrestling a fish in her mouth.

Waking up to clouds the wind was quiet. We ate breakfast and headed north, looking for wind. Before we reached Bainbridge the sun was coming out from the clouds and the winds came up lifting our spirits. The rest of the day went like that lots of sun shining, we could see Seattle in the distance and the wind blew.

The many faces of the Northwest, gray rainy and cold one minute and sunny with snow capped mountains in the distance the next. That’s how the whole weekend went.

When we rounded the north end of Bainbridge Island the wind quieted down in Port Madison. This gave us time to calculate the currents at Agate Pass to see if we should make a run for it or drift with the light wind until we had the currents with us. We decided to make a run for it. We sailed all the way through Agate Pass and on to Liberty Bay where the town of Poulsbo sits on the shore.

Temperatures climbed into the 80’s what a contrast from yesterday. We were glad we left. The northwest just doesn’t get better than this. Luckily there was space at the Poulsbo Yacht Club for us to use the reciprocal moorage. I called my sister to let her know were had arrived so that her family could come meet us for dinner.

On the way off the dock we saw harbor seals and birds hanging out on the brake-wall of logs. Yes soaking up the northwest is what this week end is all about. The moss never goes away here in the Northwest even in the hottest of summers and this time of year the moss shines, even glitters with the moisture steaming from the heat of the sun.

My sister met us in Poulsbo with her husband and his sister for dinner. We had a great seafood dinner and good company. Trying to spend as much time with family and friends before I leave.


The next morning clouds covered the sky as we drank our coffee in the cockpit, packed up and took off with engine running. Shortly after taking off the wind started to come up and we turned off the engine and set sail through the narrow channel of Liberty Bay. Clouds started to break up and the by the time we were out in Port Orchard Passage. Luck stayed with us the whole day, sunshine, wind and warmth. This made two days of great sailing.


Ariving in Port Orchard we navigated the waters to the recipical moorage at the Port Orchard Yaht Club. Friends from Vashon Island met us and we went out to eat on the water front of Port Orchard.

And that's how a great weekend in the Pacific Northwest goes.