Catching Up

We are having a slow weekend after a busy week.

We just completed a five mile walk along a section of the Green River Trail we had not walked before.

We parked at a little park which is frequently filled with fishermen's cars. but not today. 

 A footbridge takes us across the river. This is where the tidal salt water of the Duwamish River mixes with the fresh water of the Green River. 

 Past a Boeing office building another bridge takes us back across the river. These are all places we have seen from the highways and the light rail, but you get a much different perspective down under it all along the river. 

 Urban art. Looks like the artists had to dangle from the bridge to do their creating. 

 The Link Light Rail tracks are in the distance. The trail goes under them where they cross the river. 

 Early bloomers. Winter blooming viburnum

 and witch hazel. 

 We had seen this Starbucks from the freeway, with it's logo sign high in the sky. We added a mile to our walk because it beckoned to us to "Stop here"!

We had a good break before turning around. 

Such lovely blue sky today!

 Not much wildlife today, only some crows and this cormorant. 

 Back around the Boeing building the cultivated landscape provided winter color along with the bright border of moss. 

 As I previously mentioned, our starting point was where the salt water mixes with the fresh water. Here the Indians set up fish weirs for catching salmon, and their legend explains the rocks that protrude from the water as the tide level lowers. 

 An art installation honors the legend. 

 The tide has gone out enough now that the rocks are beginning to appear. 

 And a fisherman has found his perch. 

Friday evening we attended a performance at Irene's school. An acting troupe comes for a week and during after school hours and into the evening, from Monday through Thursday, they assemble their actors, train and coach them, and on Friday they perform. 

The performance was a wacky version of Rapunzel. Irene was a wood elf. There she is upper right. 

 The entire ensemble. A lot of kids had a lot of fun and some valuable experiences. Very impressive. 

And now the the Jake update. 

We had a busy week, as Jake found an apartment with the help of my cousin. While he continued his USPS training we began to haul mini van loads of his stuff over to the apartment. I met with the landlady and arranged for him to take occupancy on Thursday. 

We shopped for stuff he would need to get started, including several trips to the local Goodwill Store, where I found this little table and two chairs for a grand total of $38.56. 

We lucked out with a break in the rain on Thursday so we could transport his queen size mattress and box springs on the top of the van.  Jake put in a 10 hour day on Thursday and met us at his apartment, where we had been very busy getting things arranged. We were all tired so we took him out to dinner, where he was quite enthusiastic about his first day of actual on the job training. He thinks he's really going to like being a mailman. It was so good to see him happy.

Thursday was his first night in his new home. He reported that it took him seven minutes to walk to work the next morning. 

As of Sunday morning it will be just two weeks since Jake began his new life. We are incredibly grateful for all that has gone so well. 

And that is why we are taking it slow this weekend.