Enjoying this time

Wednesday: The sunset seems to last for hours, its reddish hues falling on the jet engine on my side of the plane. Flying north over Washington state I see the snow-covered calderas of long dormant volcanoes, the snow a faded rose color in these last rays of sun. Approaching Seattle, fog engulfs some neighborhoods and not others in a distorted checkerboard fashion in which the squares are anything but square. In a wide arc over the Sound we land uneventfully and within minutes I see Teresa by her car waiting for me and we head toward Olympia, catching up with each other in the long foggy flow of red taillights headed south.

Thursday: Tortuga clamors at the door seeking exit. Teresa and I share oatmeal. It’s a misty morning, her birthday, and there are plans for her to go to the spa for a few hours while I sight see in Steilacoom. I had a slice of apple pie at Bair Drug and Hardware on Lafayette Street and made photographic inventories of some of the historic artifacts on display. I asked the soda jerk if I could take her picture…

I met up with Teresa for lunch in Tacoma. Pho, the Vietnamese soup dish pronounced ‘fuh,’ was perfect for the cool gray day. After lunch  we head back to Olympia and we both ended up falling asleep. I dubbed this the "Tacoma pho coma." Later we picked up Teresa’s youngest daughter from school and eventually met up with some of Teresa’s friends for a nice dinner in which we shared stories and Teresa received cards and gifts. A rasberry-peach bread pudding with a candle on it served as the birthday cake (with candle) and was shared around the table.

Today: Breakfast at the New Moon Cafe and then errands?

I am enjoying this time with my sister.