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Today is the day I have to say goodbye to the cabin and, even worse, to Oregon. In spite of the rain for most of my stay, I have enjoyed every moment I have spent in Oregon. I cannot say enough about the people I encountered on my trip through this beautiful and eclectic State. Not once was I treated rudely or greeted by someone who wasn't smiling. This speaks volumes for the kind of people that reside in Oregon. I will give you an example of an encounter:
One day, I had pulled over to do something. I don't even remember what I was doing. I looked up and a man had pulled up beside me. In Alabama, this might be good...might no be so good. I was ready for the "might not be so good" as I looked at him. With my internal alarms going off (Carol can tell you about my internal alarms. Most of the time, when they go off, she listens to what I have to say.) I rolled down my window. The kind gentleman held up a map and asked if I needed directions. I did not know people still did this for strangers!
Can you see?
Mt. Ranier in the background?I thanked the man and told him for once in my life I didn't care if I was lost or not. We shared a laugh, and he drove away.
I don't know if this man felt better for having stopped, something tells me he is very quick to assist people, but I sure felt better for having met him. Even more, I felt better about my fellow Americans. As we go through our daily lives, we become a bit jaded. We know who our friiends are and who they aren't. We know which parts of town we are safe in and which parts we aren't. So, if we don't know someone or we precieve someone is from the wrong part of town, we simply ignore them. There have been many times in my life when I ignored someone for no reason. This person just might have been sent my way for a reason; or they might have been an Angle walking the earth looking for a friend. Shame on me!
As I drove north on Highway 26 toward Portland, I was greeted by an unexpected surprise. I looked in the rearview mirror to be greeted by a beautiful
The Fish Market
in Pike Market. view of Mt. Hood with no clounds anywhere around. I thought, "Even Mt. Hood is saying goodbye to me." It was a glorious site, and a memory I won't soon forget.
After the short drive through Portland, I crossed the Columbia River on I-5 headed for Seattle. I tought I could make good time, get to Seattle, check in to the hotel, and grab a few minutes rest before meeting my friend Bruce Martin in Seattle. Wrong! The traffic was heavy all the way to Seattle. I arrived at the hotel in downtown Seattle around 4:00 p.m.
As I walked into my room, my cell phone was ringing. It was Bruce. Bruce and his wife Libby once lived next door to my close friends, Bobby and Malin Selman. I got to know Bruce through them. To say Bruce is a unique individual is putting it mildly, and I mean this as a complement to Bruce. He is a retired United States Marine Officer, a man who loves and plays music, and someone I would want to watch my back. Bruce is very intelligent, enthusiastic and always positive about life. Bruce is a great American who served his Country
Bubblegum Wall
in an alley in downtown Seattle with honor. His Son is now a United States Marine, stationed at 29 Palms in California after he returned from a tour in Iraq.
Answering the phone, Bruce and I agreed to meet in the hotel lobby at 4:30 p.m. Bruce took me on a quick walking tour of downtown Seattle that included the famous Pike Market. If you think you haven't heard of it you probably have, this is the location of the fish market where the employees throw fish over the counter when a customer makes a purchase. Unfortunately, in the few minutes we stood and watched, no one bought any fish.
You might be thinking, it is 4:30 p.m., why is your time limited? Well, I am going to Safeco Park to watch the Seattle Mariners play the Boston Redsox. The game begins at 7:00 p.m. and I don't want to miss the first pitch. I bought a ticket on Stubhub. I will be sitting on Row 1 in Section 146. This section is about half way between third base and the left field wall.
Bruce and I end up at one of his favorite Microbrew pubs, a short walk from the ballpark. We
sampled a few of the local brews, engaged in a lively conversation with a group of rowdy (in a good way) Redsox fans, and ate some delicious smoked salmon. Knowing how much the Redsox Nation hates the New York Yankees, I innocently ask the Redsox fans (my new friends by now) how they felt about the Yankees. The reaction was just what I expected, loud and laced with profanity!
As game time neared, it was time to say goodbye to Bruce. I really appreciated him taking the time to give me the brief tour of his new city. Maybe someday he and Libby will return to Alabama. I sure hope so!
When I walked outside, all I had to do to find the ballpark was follow the crowd of fans walking to the park. Safeco Field is relatively new and replaced the dome that was torn down when Safeco and Qwest Field (the home of the Seattle Seahawks) were completed at about the same time. They are located right next to each other in downtown Seattle.
Safeco Field has a retractable roof. Tonight, there is a clear sky so the roof is open. Yea!! Football and baseball
are supposed to be played outside in the elements. I guess you can tell I am not a fan of domes.
Sitting at field level at a major league baseball game was very exciting for me. The crowd continued to file in and got really loud as the Mariners erased a 4-0 Redsox lead to go ahead 5-4. There are train tracks right beside the stadium. The sound of a train whistle and the cars rumbling by gives Safeco the desired feel of an old ballpark.
I wanted to get a feel for the park so after 7 innings, I took a stroll all the way around the field. I wanted to see the park from every angle. I was not dissappointed. Safeco Field is a very user-friendly park with all the amenities of a new park while giving spectators the feel of attending a game in an old ballpark.
I left with the Mariners holding on to a 5-4 lead to get back to the room and get some sleep before arising at 5:00am to catch an early flight back to Atlanta. I haven't had a chance to look up the final score but I hope
the Mariners held on. They are off to a tough start after losing 99 games last year.
Oh, one funny story from the game. The man sitting next to me was clad in Mariner's gear. He was quite and very polite, even when I blocked his view a couple of times to snap pictures. Finally, he said to me, "Ok, you are pulling for the Redsox AND the Mariners and you have a Southern accent. What's up with that?" I told him I was from Alabama and I just loved baseball. He thought my reply was funny so I pulled for the Mariners the rest of the night.
Today's quote, "Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” ~~John Muir
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