From the mountain to the Mary Jane

What a week!

After I put in a little work Monday and Tuesday, we took Chiara and Elena up to Mt. Rainier on Wednesday. It was a glorious day for it, but I was sure overdressed. (How could I have known it would be 80 degrees at Paradise! There was nothing like that in the forecast!) Despite some mild overheating, and despite the mountain being as brown as I've ever seen it, we had a lovely day. We took a few short hikes, chatted with other tourists, communed with Nature, and got away from it all.

Friday was STUN day. We met at Wyatt Park in Lake Stevens and spent a couple of enjoyable hours swimming, playing frisbee, and chatting. We came home from there with a few extra people, STUNners Michelle and Robin and a couple of extra NBTSC campers. M&R stayed at our place long enough to meet the rats and let Michelle be convinced that, yes, Chloe's room is the messiest of all. The campers stayed overnight.

Yesterday, I hauled the lot of them down to Seattle to HempFest. When MJ first told me several weeks ago that they were planning to go to HF, I signed up as a volunteer there, just for the heck of it, working in one of the beverage booths from 12:30 to 4:30. By the time I got all those teens out the door (nearly an hour later than I wanted to leave), I was much less interested in the idea. But a commitment is a commitment, so I persevered.

We found a relatively convenient parking space for only $8 then joined the throng. At the entrance, Chloe (who had decided to join me in my volunteer efforts) and I parted company with the gang, and that was the last we saw of them. (After the festival, they got themselves and all their luggage to the Greyhound station and their bus to Portland. They attended a concert there yesterday and are meeting up with Chloe and the rest of the campers at the Amtrak station today for the trip to Eugene.)

Chloe and I ended up clad in snazzy purple "Staff" t-shirts, working the beverage booth nearest the main stage. It was great being able to hear the reggae and the speeches, but it was sure a busy spot! We worked so hard! It was our job to pass the requested drinks to the cashiers and keep the coolers full of stock. It involved lots of lifting cases of water and pop, reaching and stretching for the Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper that was down around behind all the other stuff, keeping our ears open to hear the orders, and scrambling to replace every bottle that was removed while breaking down empty boxes and adding more ice. Phew! We were really worn out by the end of it. I think the owner dude was pretty impressed with Chloe's work ethic; he gave her the $5 in tips that had come in during our shift. With that and the t-shirt, she made a decent hourly wage for her volunteer time. :-)

Sunday was for resting, laundry, and packing. Chloe is pretty calm about this whole camp adventure. She's going down with her good friends Logan and Kyla and knows several other campers. Plus, I think a one-week trip to Oregon is no big deal after doing nearly four months in England!

Last night, Chloe and I visited my grandma for a little while. She's a little gloomy and seems convinced that she isn't doing as well as her doctors and progeny tell her she is. We're told a little depression is normal in heart surgery patients, but it's still hard seeing her so low. No word yet on when she can return home, but I'm sure that will cheer her up immensely.

This morning, I dropped Chloe at the train station at oh-dark-thirty (as Frank calls it), so Frank and I are down to two daughters. Chiara and Elena return to Italy on Thursday. (Wah!) Frank and I won't really have a weekend alone, though, because we're driving down to Oregon ourselves for a family reunion. It will still be a weekend away, mostly restful, on the Oregon coast in August. I imagine we'll be able to steal a few romantic moments!

P.S. A note about HempFest — Our participation in this event is a reflection not of our lifestyle but of our belief that our current drug laws are hypocritical in the extreme. If our government is going to endorse and even subsidize the alcohol and tobacco industries—industries that account for SO many injuries, crimes, and economic losses in our country—we don't have a leg to stand on when it comes to marijuana. Plus, HempFest is a great place to hear reggae.