Settling in

August 4, 2025

Our first day was pretty lazy, just getting ourselves settled in to our new home for the next four weeks. Mine begins with a seven mile bike ride over to the Bellingham Airport to pick up our rental car - a 7 mile ride that turns into 12 with some substantial climbing because of a map-reading error. I decided to start with a stop at a coffee shop on the waterfront and then follow the shoreline north on Roeder Avenue until joining Eldridge Avenue for most of the rest of the way to the airport.

Unfortunately when I come to Eldridge it's inaccessible, crossing over my road about thirty feet above with no way to even push up a path to it. Instead I have to make a long, loopy detour east near the freeway before doubling back. Obnoxious, and an error I won't repeat when I return the car at the end of the month. Along the way though I stop at a few spots for shots around town, which I'll sprinkle in a few at a time in the days ahead.

I'm sure the elves feel more secure with their watch lemur on duty. Or maybe it's a raccoon? I'm not that good on stuffed animal identification.

I'm back at the house before noon and Rachael and I leave immediately for Safeway where we do our best to buy a month's worth of provisions because there's no grocery store within walking distance of our house on the edge of town. After we're back, Rachael leaves for a walk over to the REI about three miles away to look for a new bike helmet and long pants - the helmet needed because the clasp to hers got broken on the train; and the leggings needed because it's surprisingly chilly up here right now.

While she's walking I just hang out on the front porch, testing out a new NA brew and watching to see if any birds or bunnies show up. None do, but the beer is excellent - maybe the best yet.

Some variety of flowering ash (Fraxinus).

Award winning Non-alcoholic Dark, from Fremont Brewing down in Seattle. Excellent, on the sweetish side, it reminds me of a porter.

Rachael's back about two hours later with a pair of stylish leggings in the usual hue but sans helmet. In the meantime though our host Sue stopped by and brought her own helmet for Rachael to use while she's here so she has time to shop around for the one she wants.

For dinner we drive down to Fairhaven to eat at the Black Cat, a spot we've eaten before and will certainly do again before we head south. I have the jalapeño chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled Brussels sprouts, which is excellent; but I think next time I'll have what she's having, which looks even better.

And when I come back I'm sure I'll try another of their NA beer offerings - another new one, this one from Vermont.

The Black Cat is on the third floor of the Sycamore Building. Fortunately there's an elevator or I might not be as enthusiastic about it.

In the Black Cat, "a roomy, sophisticated tavern with a classic bistro menu'.

The Sober Carpenter, from Waterbury, Vermont. Bob D. might recognize this one.

Grilled king salmon, quinoa and grilled Brussels sprouts.

After dinner we stop by Fred Meyers because somehow we forgot cereal this morning, and while I wait Rachael gets confused by the layout of this one which is essentially an entire shopping mall in a box and comes out the wrong door. We dialog on the phone trying to find each other until it finally occurs to me that it's faster if I just circle the block and find her where she is.

The day ends with us watching Three Colours: Blue, the first of the Red, White and Blue trilogy by Krzysztof Kieślowski, a film we only vaguely remember from when we saw it about twenty years ago.

And since I said I'd show you the inside of the box today, here are a few shots from the next morning while I'm having my first coffee and hoping a bunny or deer will show up from the woods just to the north.

Oh, look who hopped by! He's looking in my direction after apparently hearing the camera shutter through the glass. This guy is an eastern cottontail, introduced in the 1930's.

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We have Andrea To thank for today's audio. John Gorka is a favorite of ours, someone we've seen at least four or five times in Portland over a period of about twenty years. I've never heard his rendition of this Bob Dylan song though, a rendition even better than the famous Dylan duet with Johnny Cash.

Today's ride: 12 miles (19 km)
Total: 422 miles (679 km)

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Andrea BrownI saw John Gorka in Corvallis in maybe 2001 or 2, in a beautiful church setting and many people unshy about singing beautiful harmonies. A great concert.
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