hometown musings

Mount Rainier was a backdrop to the scenery of my childhood. A landmark so engrained on my mind that a single glimpse of it can make me play back a thousand and one different memories of growing up here..they come tumbling out en masse, intermingling and tangling all the good stuff with the bad stuff.... maybe something akin to seeing you whole life flash before your eyes in a moment of great danger or fear, but far less scary.

Olympia is changing so fast, becoming something really unrecognizeable to me. And, let's face it, I couldn't get out of there fast enough or stay away long enough, once upon a time. I don't get very nostalgic about my hometown...but it helped raise me, too. It got me here. My family and friends are still there. It will always have it's moments.

Moments like these, walking around Capitol Lake. I can say things like "When I was a kid, they raced hydroplanes on this lake." Who would believe that now? Nobody! But it's true.

Once, it froze and my uncle cut a hole in the ice and went scuba diving. Who would believe that now? Maybe not even me, but I recall seeing the photo on the front page of the Olympian. I think I do, anyway.

My friend's parents(mom and stepdad), who where My Parents-Away-From-Parents, got married on Christmas Island in this lake. Christmas Island isn't there anymore, but MPAFPs are still together, so we know that some things do last.

And? "When I was a kid, you could SWIM in this lake." Yippur. That's a fact, too. Now, it could kill you. Maybe. Maybe not. But it could make you sick! Really sick. So there.

This was the Sleater-Kinney I knew as a kid. And yes, this is where the name comes from, for those of you who may know who I am talking about.

I was on this street when Mount St. Helens blew on May 18th, 1980. We saw the plume of ash all the way up here. It is one of the most detailed memories of my life...as if it just happened yesterday.

The best burgers. EVER. Are still made right here. Worth the drive. I promise you.

And for all of you out there who think that Starbuck's is the end-all, be-all of Pacific Northwest coffee companies. Think again. Until you have danced with these goats, you haven't had the best.

Wait, did that even make any sense?