Tough questions

WHAT’S THIS all about? Where did you go? Maybe these aren’t tough questions but answering them will take time. Think of this as an index for coming-up blogs.
SOMETIMES, WHEN you’ve been travelling all over the place, meeting family, old friends and new, and seeing exciting places, you should get tired.
IF YOU ASK ME, tiredness comes when you are simply a spectator in an unfamiliar place. Encounters with people float my boat and on my recent trip, fantastic folk made my tiredness, mostly, vanish.

Seattle arrival

WHAT A FABULOUS train ride on the Amtrak Cascades. We got off our plane in Vancouver and went south by train. The trains lack the urgency of their European cousins. So, you don’t need to be in hurry, it’s not like that. Then again, considering the awesome views, who needs anything more than a gentle pace, an observation car and a cold beer?
EXPECT TOUGH QUESTIONS from US customs, all the same. At Vancouver, they were friendly enough if a tad officious. When they boarded our train at the US border, it was like a movie. The train’s guard made sure we were seated in our booked seats for the customs check —bad news if you’re not. Following orders, we all scurried back to our booked seats for the inspection.

Many Tales

THIS BLOG STARTS a series of posts, You see, I have so many stories to tell about my trip. Imagine, I experienced everything from:

• Breathtaking views of the sea and mountains
• Drinking Kilt Lifter in Pikes Place Market—the brewery is in there
• A chocolate malt made on a traditional machine
• A close encounter with a giraffe.
• A wondrous meal in Chinatown
• Drinks in the Columbia Club in the highest skyscraper West of the Mississippi, with a world-class view
• Twilight-time relaxing in a comfortable launch in the middle of Puget Sound, watching the sky change, sipping wine and hearing nothing but the lap of water
• “Driving” the SkyTrain in Vancouver and “Docking” a vast ferry (as far as my grandchildren are concerned)
• Consuming excellent local beers in fabulous settings
• Enjoying (excellent) drams in a Seattle distillery
• Sunning on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia
• Meeting booksellers and getting more invites to read
• Having dinner with people who read my work

And that isn’t all

… MUSTN’T FORGET my writing, I had a fantastic opportunity to share my prose and poetry in Kenyon Hall, Seattle. Bob and Maryann Ness did a fabulous job of setting it up, I owe them so much. Thank you isn’t adequate.
I SHOWED UP IN a kilt, but had no reason to expect a piper. Lot’s more will follow over the next wee-while.
WARM REGARDS TO you all. Thanks for looking in.

© Mac Logan