On my last morning of registration someone came up to the counter on a Segway. I told him I would give him one million dollars for a short ride, and he said I could ride it for free, which was a good thing because I was lying about the million dollars. Kal passed through, laughed at me, and took out her camera, thereby reminding me of my camera. Wheee!
Seattle has hemlocks! They all died in the early '90s in Connecticut (in New England? in the whole northeast?) and of course they're too wet a tree for Colorado. They're mournful things, but they made me smile in recognition.
The mountain came out a little bit, its top third peeking over clouds. Hello, mountain.
Another smiley thing was meeting RDC at Boeing Field and leaving the city for the uncity. We flew to Campbell River, British Columbia, about two-thirds of the way up Vancouver Island's east side, and ferried across to Quadra Island, one of the Discoveries. Vancouver Island is big! and has high mountains right in the middle of it! and glaciers! (or year-long snow).
We stopped at a little market for dinner. The pizza place (The Lovin' Oven, whose sign was decorated with frogs. Run by Quebécois or serving frogs on their pizzas? We were never to know) had closed at 7:30. Fig Newtons, the most vital of outdoor foods, were not on offer. Other regular Usan products were labeled in two languages! It was almost as if we were in a whole 'nother country.