Hello Everyone,
If you're reading this, then like me, you made it to the other side of a day that was hotter than any other in the region’s recorded history. (Or you don't live in the Pacific Northwest.)
We passed the two hottest days at the home of a close family friend, where further north it remained slightly below the regional record. The farm up in Snohomish is a bit of a second childhood home for me. Located on the Pilchuck River, it is almost indescribably perfect.
It sits down a private road, a few minutes off of the state route. The tracks take you through a tunnel of forest green while the river laps at the side. Then right before the house you burst out onto a small bit of farmland, surrounded by forest. Pastures to the left hold a couple cows. Our destination sits at the end. An old barn holds a modern woodworking shop. A field which held crops when I was younger now hosts solar panels; enough to provide power to the home. Though I've been visiting for over 30 years, it all still feels timeless. It fits my memories and present like a favorite sweater.
A short walk takes you to a small beach on the river. The sight of the river also never ages, but it does change. The sand from my youth has since been moved by the natural course of the river, and in its place a rougher surface of river rock has been left behind. But the swimming hole rock is always there. A large boulder was dropped by nature right in front of the beach, and the river, doing what rivers do, has dug a swimming hole downstream.
The shape of the beach always changes, but for now it has added a gentle whirlpool to the swimming hole, which after you jump from the rock, gently carries you upstream and deposits you on the climbing side of the rock.
Last year Amelia only dipped her toes in the water, but this year she happily floated up and down in front of the beach in a little inner tube.
Tuesday, on the back side of the heat wave, we checked into a little Airbnb on Bainbridge Island. We planned it far in advance, well before the heat wave was foretasted. It is back to being only comfortably warm. In the loft there is an acoustic guitar with a missing string. Bainbridge Island, to my slight surprise, has a music store in town. I purchased some strings and fixed the guitar before leaving.
Yuling and I took the entire week off. It is the first week we've taken off together (and traveled!) since the start of the pandemic. I like it.
Cheers,
Aleks