Deception Pass and deceptive movers

Well, our stuff was supposed to arrive today. Three people told us it would be coming today, and we actually started to believe that it would come! Right. Dream on man.
After the entire morning had passed with no communication from the movers, I called the truck driver again. Finally he called back. I was so excited I was actually nice to the guy, until he said he was in Colorado. That was unexpected, seeing as he was supposed to be in our driveway in Washington while we were talking. I won't go into details, but you can imagine how disappointed and worried we are.
Anyway, once we were no longer stuck in the house waiting for non-existent movers (never, by the way, use Cross Country Van Lines or Nationwide Relocation) we went exploring. First stop - since we were feeling deceived - Deception Pass State Park. This is a beautiful state park that we had heard great things about. We only were there for sunset, having spent all day waiting for those pesky movers, but we still had a great break from our empty house. Here are a few photos from the last week.

Deception Pass State Park

Who am I? We think a Common Goldeneye, female in breeding plumage. Right or wrong?

Darwin loves to be loved.

I'm Lester and I'm cute.

Lester!

We've finally named our sweet tuxedo cat - LESTER! He is a perfect Lester. Lester is the name of the island right across from the docks in Glacier Bay National Park - so there is also some meaning in the name for us.
Both of the cats are still scared, so we keep them in separated "safe" small rooms to make them feel better. We've been leaving the door open a crack on one door (keeping the other cat's door shut because they haven't been introduced yet) and a cat can come and explore more of the house if he wants to. Darwin is a bit more brave than Lester, but with lots of hugs and headbutts, we can get Lester to come out now and then too.
Good stuff these cats. They are really great and we are both totally enamored.

New cats on the block!

Hi! My name is ???? and I'm so scared (but secretly I'm happy) to be in my new home

I'm gonna hide behind Julie because she's warm and safe

Hi! I'm Darwin, because I am the fittest. Well, not totally. Some mean people locked me up in a house for 6 months and no one knows how I survived. But, I survived - whew. So, now folks call me Darwin. Julie and Jay adopted me and are going to get me fat. I'm the sweetest little dude ever. I purr and hide behind toilets because I'm a little scared of my new home. But I've only been here for a few hours, so give me a break. I'll be comfy in no time.

???? likes to headbutt and kiss you

Darwin learning more about his new environment from the safety of Jay's lap

Watch me on video! I love people, cameras, anything really.... come visit Julie and Jay to find out just how cool I am.

News from the locker room

I must say that the dynamics in the women's locker room at this pool are super different from the dynamics in the locker rooms out east. Here, all the west coast women happily and proudly prance around naked, never mind that they are all in their golden years and a little saggy here and there with enormous breasts. Meanwhile I wander around in my bathing suit, feeling like a real reserved east coaster. I have met one other woman my age, she was naked too! Everyone's naked! And chatting like they have clothes on. Celebration right? I thought I was hip with it for an east coaster, but I can't quite bring myself to be as hip as these wonderful women of the west.

Anyway - I wanted to write about Obama's inauguration. I haven't gotten around to doing so yet because I was left completely speechless (in awe and joy) that day. But, the women's locker room has officially inspired me to write about that glorious day in history.

I'll paraphrase some of the stuff I overheard these naked women chatting about the day after the inauguration.

Naked woman singing in the open shower: "na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, gooodbye... goodbye Bush! Ha ha haaaaa!!!"

One older (75?) woman to another: "I was just fixated to the TV and filled with feelings of pride, love, and respect" Response: "I was just happy to clap when George W. took off in his helicopter"

Yet another woman: "I love my country again"

Another: "Wasn't it wonderful to listen to someone who could speak well again? Isn't that how it should always be for someone in an office as high as the president?"

Another: "Didn't you love Michelle's dress at the ball?"

The most interesting part about all of this is a little fact about Anacortes. The two major employers in the area are a giant, ugly, fuming oil refinery and a Navy Base. Both the kind of the places where you would expect to find loads of conservatives. But I just don't see it - where are they? If there are conservatives around, they too must have recognized the need for change. In the pool locker room, surrounded by wise women, I see only hope, joy, and pride for a country that is back on the right track.

I'll leave you with a link to the "Goodnight Bush" parody - a slightly scary, truthful, and funny parody on the old children's book "Goodnight Moon". Enjoy. anddddd......Goodnight Bush!
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92325702

Exploring Anacortes and the San Juans

While Jay went to work this week I spent all my charming unemployed time swimming, jogging, exploring, and actually doing a bunch of stuff I've been needing to do for a while - like applying for jobs! This weekend we went to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island for a game night with Jay's former Master's advisor, Emily Carrington, and her family and friends. Then we headed over to Lopez Island to meet up with a few of Jay's Pacific Northwest relatives (as well as her parents, Gay and David, who were visiting from VT). It was a fun-filled weekend with friends and family! The ferry rides were also amazing, with unbelievable views of Mt. Baker and the islands. What weather!

Mt. Baker from Lopez Island

Views from Washington Park, Anacortes

Arto the Newfie, David, and Jay - Lopez Island

Anacortes from the ferry

The other great part about this weekend....we visited the local cat shelter and picked out a bunch of cats that we want to adopt. We can only get two (I want them all), but we are so so so excited to provide some fuzzy love bugs a home. The only thing we are waiting for is the MOVING TRUCK which still hasn't arrived with our stuff. The floor continues to be our spot and we dream of that couch and those chairs that are somewhere in America. Once the movers arrive and we have boxes in the house, we will go and pick up those awesome kitties. Yipeeee!

3412 W 5th St., Anacortes, WA 98221

We made it! The drive took forever and we were forced to spend an extra night in Ellensburg, WA because of all the flooding and avalanche issues in the state. All the mountain passes - even the major interstate highways - were closed. We were lucky to get the second to last room in the cheapest hotel in town, whew. Ellensburg looks like a pretty neat little town, but we didn't spend too much time exploring because the town was quite flooded and access to the only brewpub was blocked by flooded roads. I-90 west opened up at noon the following day and we waited in line with hundreds of truckers to get through Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascades. The road, by the time we were allowed on it, was actually in great shape although we could see evidence of avalanches at a ski center as we drove by (ski lift bars were toppled over).

Now we are in our wonderful new home in Anacortes! Who's visiting? We want visitors! Our little house will provide you will your very own bed and bath!! Would you like some of my first impressions to help you decide to visit? Brewpubs as far as the eye can see (this is an exaggeration, but not far off!). Wine country super close by. San Juan Islands right in our backyard! Kayaking, camping, cycling, hiking, trail-running(Jay)/jogging(Julie), birding, photography, arts, the list goes on and on. As for me, I bet it isn't too often one finds themselves living in a spot where everything they love is within walking distance. There is a wonderful lap pool right in town, our house is right next to a huge bit of conservation land for birding and walking and running around, there is a brewpub (http://www.anacortesrockfish.com/) and a bunch of really nice looking restaurants, AND the town even has a grand looking knitting store. Wow. Now I just have to get a job nearby so I can be around to enjoy the cute little town.

Yup - we've been eating in style with no chairs or table. When will the movers arrive!?

Snoqualmie Pass

Pictures from the drive and a few more of the house can be found here: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/globalscents/CrossCountryTrip#

One other random statistic.... we saw bald eagles in the following states: Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Oregon, and Washington. Perhaps WY too but could tell if it was a baldie or golden. We also saw lots of small raptors like merlins, kestrels, and prairie falcons! Birds of prey love roads and we love birds of prey!

New address and phone numbers:
Julie Barber and Jay Dimond
3412 W 5th St.
Anacortes, WA 98221
Julie cell 518-810-8713
Jay cell 206-819-1316
(no land line)

Stuck in Oregon

Well - all that snow that dumped itself on Washington and Oregon over the past few weeks is melting. This is creating severe floods throughout WA and also very high avalanche dangers. Thus - from what we can tell - all roads to Seattle are closed. We are stuck in Oregon right now. Ergh. Jay has been talking to his cousin, Dave, in Seattle and we are scheming ways to get a little closer to Seattle and points north. In many ways I don't mind being stuck because we can explore some cool parks and brewpubs around the area - BUT - that isn't cheap and we ain't rich. So, cross your fingers that the roads open up for us today.

Headin' west!

Hello from Sunset Inn, Laramie, WY. Whew - it took four days of driving for us to get here, although Jay thinks (perhaps he is right!) that we are not spending enough time driving. I am already totally sick of the car and ready to run like a mad woman whenever I can explode from the straight-jacket of the car seat.

We had a GREAT time in Chicago visiting friends we made in Indonesia, Anna and Jan. They took us to the top of the John Hancock Tower and we sipped cocktails and marveled at the wonderful views of the city that gave us Barack Obama! A Thai restaurant received our enthusiastic patronage and we relived tales from our trips around SE Asia. We even got some spicy food down our throats and devoured sticky rice with coconut milk and mangoes for dessert. Yum.
Yesterday was spent driving through the rolling hills of Iowa with a stop at a national wildlife refuge to check out some prairie land. It was disappointing to see that their idea of a "wildlife refuge" was so small that we could still see farmland on either side of the "prairie" but it was also wonderful to get out of the car and freeze our butts off on a quick walk.


The bulk of the day today was spent driving the pancake-flat lands of Nebraska, complete with a stop for a brisk walk at Johnson Lake State Park. After finding our mom & pop hotel in Laramie, WY, we ventured out into the town that has a sad history and found a microbrewery called Altitude. Yummy craft beers helped us get over the history of the town and now we think Laramie can still make a name for itself and move on from the past. Beer makes everything better doesn't it?

Johnson Lakes State Park - Nebraska

Heavy Maggie

Sunset in Nebraska (almost Wyoming) - view from the road

Flat farmland in Nebraska.
More photos online at Julie's picasa site....

Holiday happiness

We have had a hectic, busy, and wonderful holiday....here is a cute (although long) video of Henry and Jackson, as well as a couple other family shots.

We leave to start driving out west tomorrow! WOW! We are all packed up and almost ready to go - just a few random little things left to take care of around the house. A lot of people have expressed interest in the route we will be taking, but we plan on winging it depending on the weather. Most likely we will be driving along I-80 in the middle of the country and swinging north only at the tail end. BUT - if the weather looks fair we may head north first and drive along I-90. I am excited to feel like I'm traveling again but I'm also looking forward to moving into our new house and having my own kitchen! Hopefully we will be able to provide some updates as we drive.

Happy holidays!

Henry and Jackson talk about Africa and dance!

Jay and his sister

Sisters, sister-in-laws, and almost a husband!