A Visitor

...From Wisconsin! My niece Terra arrived on my last day of school. What a wonderful way for me to zip right into the vacation mode! If she had not arrived I would've puttered far too long in my classroom, giving the school district dozens more hours of unpaid time. Over the years I have found that it is best for my mental health to have a vacation or other self indulgent experience that very first weekend that school is out. Terra's arrival was perfect. This was a long overdue visit. When she was little she would be visiting us either with my parents or on her own every other year. I do not know where the time went but we figure it had been at least 12 years since her last time in Seattle. We went to Pike Place Market, shopped and lunched downtown. Our library impressed her as it does everyone. (How many cities can boast a library on their 'must see' list?) We exercised together. (It is so wonderful who have a guest who understands my daily requirements for running or lifting weights.) I have NOWHERE near her stamina (After all she IS a competitive mountain bike racer and nearly half my age.) The running, the hike on Rattlesnake Ledge, playing Yahtzee with you and Molly (I thought Yahtzee was a game of chance, boy was I wrong!), cooking and eating together, and going to the zany Solstice Parade in Freemont; it was all great fun!
You come back soon, you hear?