See-ya-attle...

Ah, 'tis time to leave the PacNW again, darn! The cruise was stellar, I'm not sure when I will post photos but suffice it to say I had a nice damn time. Between arriving back and today it's been a whirlwind. I've been with family here at the Olde Log Inn and squeezed in some good visiting times with friends. Just use your imagination.

On Sunday I spent about 6 hours at Victor's Coffee with Steff and then Kat, just enjoying the gab and the rain as we sat on the covered porch. Later, Kat and I meandered on bikes along the Sammamish Slough to the Redhook Brewery (OK, it was in the soft rain so let me change that to 'rode' bikes, as 'meandered' would have meant I got even more soaked) and closed the place--thank you very much! A relaxing Sunday with relaxing people is thing of beaty indeed.

On a possibly but not necessarily related note, I've decided to go to Europe after all for a short while in August, including a pop up to Prague to meet up with Kat when she also will happen to be there, so we can drink beer THERE too. Gee, what's better, Czech pilsner or Redhook? Hm. Although the Redhook Blonde Ale was delightful, and I don't say that only because I'm blonde.

Anywhoo, I've been tossing and turning over this but I can't manage to take advantage of the Slovak language course I got a scholarship for this August because I just don't have the time this year to do the whole month. Must think about my academic obligations and foci Stateside. So it's going to be a truncated Wien + Umgebung/Bratislava/Prag Tour, which I'm titling, for academic purposes "Frau Hundley: Auf der Spur der Habsburger Monarchie". Not 'directly' related to future diss stuff but definitely backburner items.

So then we biked home on the path in the moist and refreshing summer evening in complete darkness but with the not-totally-dark nigt sky and stars in full bloom overhead; I tell ya, I felt transported to my exchange student days, riding a bike at night, coming home from some fun place, chatting away and thinking "wow, I'm on a BIKE right now. And at this hour." Only this time I did not have any type of standard issue German bike light, which you totally get pulled over for for not having when you're in a place where you'd be an exchange student. Come to think of it, you get pulled over in State College for not having a bike light, too. OK, so maybe it's not a German thing. Great. MORE to ponder.

Whatever. Regardless, and Steff will be happy to hear this, I am pleased to report that I did not abruptly ram into any curbs or incur any type of physical 'jostling'.

OK, must go to bed. This is my last night of cable TV overdose. Earlier tonight I met my oldest childhood friend and her mom with my mom and we enjoyed catching up over dinner. And LAST night Shan and Denise came over sans husbands with their very sweet and just plain great kid boys. I am a lucky duck with really amazing friends, I tell ya.

Tomorrow I'm taking a red-eye to Most Interesting Pennsyl--wait, hang on, I'm not, I'm flying to BWI and THEN driving up to Most Interesting Pennsylvania. So that will be Thursday that I actually get there. And Imke has already told me that I'm going out Thursday night so...if you see someone pause whilst walking on College Ave and then just up and sit down near a tree and you think it looks like me, it just might in fact be me.

Tootles! Comments go below: go go go!