The Notorious AKA subdues excitement in Canada’s Tijuana
For the regular readers who are all a-dither and full of suspense because the outcome of the NBA 2020 championship remained unknown at the time the last issue of The Weekly Letter was posted, I have news: the Lakers won and The Adams Family, including Monster the Cat, is happy. The Dodgers faced an uphill struggle, but they won too!
This is also the week of our first long distance trip since Christmas. We’re flying to Washington State to visit Darius, Christiane and the little girls in Bellingham. Before leaving, we joined Melika, Tom, Tiger, Arrow, Azelle and Tom’s Dad’s and family for a few family photos. The Santa Barbara Courthouse served as the venue. And, in keeping with the times, Azelle, the Notorious AKA (Azelle Karen Adams) posed in costume in the Judge’s chambers.
After significant debate, Nazy and I decided that a non-stop flight from Santa Barbara to Seattle, followed by a rental car drive on to Bellingham was, in the COVID sense, safer than a non-stop flight from LAX to Bellingham. But..
“ … this means that we will have to brave Seattle, Nazy.” I explained.
“Brave?”
“Yes. Conservative media says that rioters are, well, rioting in Seattle. The city is in anarchy. Antifa hordes are threatening the very fibre of the American way.”
“You misspelled American fiber, Dan.”
“Aren’t you scared?” I asked.
“We survived the dreaded ‘Caravan’ from the last election, so..”
“.. we could just stay up there until after the election when the threat will vanish.” I concluded. “And if Trump is (gasp!) reelected, we can make a run for the Canadian border,” I thought.
Although my exalted platinum frequent flyer status had expired and we hadn’t flown for 18 months, we did prepare adequately except..
“… there are no first class tickets available!” I exclaimed.
“Does that mean ‘middle seat’?” Nazy asked.
“It would, if the airplane was big enough to have middle seats.” I replied.
To limit our time at the large airport in Seattle, we planned to have only carry-on baggage.
“Big and heavy carry-on baggage,” I thought, as I wrestled Nazy’s hefty suitcase down the stairs. “I’ll need a forklift to get this into the overhead bin.”
While we awaited a boarding call, I noticed that the airplane was relatively full and that a lot of passengers had significant and bulky carry-on items. I pointed it out to Nazy.
“… it’s either check luggage fee avoidance or covid-induced anti-loitering in baggage claim syndrome,” I claimed. “But, whatever, there will be fierce competition for overhead compartment space. Luckily, we are seated in row 11, toward the front of economy class. Be ready to move and enable your elbows.”
“Dan…”
“They are beginning the boarding process,” I interrupted. “Prepare, my dear!”
They boarded families with children, active service members, first class, economy rows 6 to 8, economy rows 18-21, economy rows 14-18, economy rows 9-10, economy rows 12 and 13 and ….
“Finally.” I mumbled.
Ironically, there was overhead space. However, unfortunately, Nazy’s rolling suitcase was too large to fit. She somehow shoved it under the seat in front of her.
The flight was smooth and we got our rental car expeditiously. The drive north to Bellingham was trouble-free, marred only by the traditional traffic jam on I-5.
Even though it has been a long time since we had seen Darius, Christiane and the girls, when we got to Bellingham, the children immediately gravitated to us…
“… well, Auriane was a little less than ‘immediate’ with you, Dan.” Nazy interjects.
“Yes, but by the next morning, she was happily sitting next to me while I read books to her and Leandra,” I replied.
Auriane, who is just learning to talk, can say ‘Dan’; Leandra, who can handle complex conversations in multiple languages, likes to correct my pronunciation if I ever stray from English.
Bellingham, a trendy and pretty city where Darius and Christiane live, is very close to the Canadian border. And, as Darius pointed out..
“.the city motto is: Bellingham, the city of subdued excitement”.
“As Yoda would say,” I replied, “The Canadian Influence, deep it runs.”
“I prefer the motto: “Bellingham, Canada’s Tijuana”. All of the cars in the Costco parking lot have British Colombia license plates.”
“Used to have Canadian plates. Now, according to the CBC radio, which I listened to on the drive north, the border is closed until the Americans get a handle on covid.”
“I wonder who they’re talking about,” I thought.
“The case had deteriorated Nazy, it was snagging on my pocket.”
“So you left your phone vulnerable to..”
“I did not drop my phone, Nazy.” I asserted.
“But you…”
“ .. had it insured and got a replacement, my dear.”
We had someone at Verizon in Bellingham shift the SIM cards and…
“…then we bought a new protective case.” Nazy concludes.
This is also the week of our first long distance trip since Christmas. We’re flying to Washington State to visit Darius, Christiane and the little girls in Bellingham. Before leaving, we joined Melika, Tom, Tiger, Arrow, Azelle and Tom’s Dad’s and family for a few family photos. The Santa Barbara Courthouse served as the venue. And, in keeping with the times, Azelle, the Notorious AKA (Azelle Karen Adams) posed in costume in the Judge’s chambers.
After significant debate, Nazy and I decided that a non-stop flight from Santa Barbara to Seattle, followed by a rental car drive on to Bellingham was, in the COVID sense, safer than a non-stop flight from LAX to Bellingham. But..
“ … this means that we will have to brave Seattle, Nazy.” I explained.
“Brave?”
“Yes. Conservative media says that rioters are, well, rioting in Seattle. The city is in anarchy. Antifa hordes are threatening the very fibre of the American way.”
“You misspelled American fiber, Dan.”
“Aren’t you scared?” I asked.
“We survived the dreaded ‘Caravan’ from the last election, so..”
“.. we could just stay up there until after the election when the threat will vanish.” I concluded. “And if Trump is (gasp!) reelected, we can make a run for the Canadian border,” I thought.
Although my exalted platinum frequent flyer status had expired and we hadn’t flown for 18 months, we did prepare adequately except..
“… there are no first class tickets available!” I exclaimed.
“Does that mean ‘middle seat’?” Nazy asked.
“It would, if the airplane was big enough to have middle seats.” I replied.
To limit our time at the large airport in Seattle, we planned to have only carry-on baggage.
“Big and heavy carry-on baggage,” I thought, as I wrestled Nazy’s hefty suitcase down the stairs. “I’ll need a forklift to get this into the overhead bin.”
While we awaited a boarding call, I noticed that the airplane was relatively full and that a lot of passengers had significant and bulky carry-on items. I pointed it out to Nazy.
“… it’s either check luggage fee avoidance or covid-induced anti-loitering in baggage claim syndrome,” I claimed. “But, whatever, there will be fierce competition for overhead compartment space. Luckily, we are seated in row 11, toward the front of economy class. Be ready to move and enable your elbows.”
“Dan…”
“They are beginning the boarding process,” I interrupted. “Prepare, my dear!”
They boarded families with children, active service members, first class, economy rows 6 to 8, economy rows 18-21, economy rows 14-18, economy rows 9-10, economy rows 12 and 13 and ….
“Finally.” I mumbled.
Ironically, there was overhead space. However, unfortunately, Nazy’s rolling suitcase was too large to fit. She somehow shoved it under the seat in front of her.
The flight was smooth and we got our rental car expeditiously. The drive north to Bellingham was trouble-free, marred only by the traditional traffic jam on I-5.
Even though it has been a long time since we had seen Darius, Christiane and the girls, when we got to Bellingham, the children immediately gravitated to us…
“… well, Auriane was a little less than ‘immediate’ with you, Dan.” Nazy interjects.
“Yes, but by the next morning, she was happily sitting next to me while I read books to her and Leandra,” I replied.
Auriane, who is just learning to talk, can say ‘Dan’; Leandra, who can handle complex conversations in multiple languages, likes to correct my pronunciation if I ever stray from English.
Bellingham, a trendy and pretty city where Darius and Christiane live, is very close to the Canadian border. And, as Darius pointed out..
“.the city motto is: Bellingham, the city of subdued excitement”.
“As Yoda would say,” I replied, “The Canadian Influence, deep it runs.”
“I prefer the motto: “Bellingham, Canada’s Tijuana”. All of the cars in the Costco parking lot have British Colombia license plates.”
“Used to have Canadian plates. Now, according to the CBC radio, which I listened to on the drive north, the border is closed until the Americans get a handle on covid.”
“I wonder who they’re talking about,” I thought.
Bellingham Bay
We’ve gone on some great walks around the neighborhood. The Northwest is (ever)green and there are lots of pretty walking paths nearby. The children (as well as their parents and grandparents) like to feed the ducks and play on the swings.
In addition to enjoying family and nature, Nazy and I went to ‘The Mall’. Just before we left Santa Barbara, Tiger dropped my …
“Wait a minute, Dan.” Nazy interrupts. “Begin at the beginning.”
“Excuse me?”
“Just before we left Santa Barbara, Dan, you removed the protective case on your iPhone.”
“The case had deteriorated Nazy, it was snagging on my pocket.”
“So you left your phone vulnerable to..”
“I did not drop my phone, Nazy.” I asserted.
“But you…”
“ .. had it insured and got a replacement, my dear.”
We had someone at Verizon in Bellingham shift the SIM cards and…
“…then we bought a new protective case.” Nazy concludes.
For last week's letter, please click here.
Darius walking with Leandra
blog comments powered by Disqus