Off at last!

We’re on the road at last. We headed off on Friday night in the driving rain and caught a ferry that banged its way across the strait in 35 knot winds. It seemed a fitting time to go. (This is the terminal in the pouring rain.)

It was hard to leave Geordie with Linette even though we knew he’d have a good time with her two border collies. Probably he’ll even get more walks than he does at home.

We spent the weekend in Vancouver visiting my brother and his family, eating lunch at Havana on Commercial Drive, seeing Jamie at UBC and visiting with our friend Kath. The storm didn’t last long; Saturday in Vancouver was lovely with golden sun and a winter blue sky. We left Vancouver this morning with the idea that it would be easier to get through the border and Seattle—which turned out to be true. We slid through the border with only a 15-minute wait and slipped down the freeway with the low November sun gleaming on the snowy sides of Mount Baker, Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens while listening to Eliza Gilkyson’s velvet voice on the IPOD—just a lovely drive.

It’s so easy having just Maggie to take care of. She never climbs on my lap in the car, or whines, or lunges after cats or other dogs on leash. She’s a bit confused about what’s going on, I think. Maybe she believes we’re on our way to a flyball tournament. Little does she know that it will be at least two months before she sees that kind of action.

Tonight we’re in Longview, just a bit north of Portland, a turn of the century town with cute little houses climbing up the hill with views of the Columbia River. Maggie found a big grassy hill where we could play fetch before dinner so she’s feeling better about the longish drive. We’ll spend the evening getting the car organized and making a list of things we forgot to bring for a little shopping trip tomorrow.