Seattle Siblings, Southern Sojourns

So my trip took an interesting detour in the past few days. I was tentatively planning on going to Salem, but my future big BIL (brother in law) Patrick became rather ill, and it would not have been good to visit him. Instead, I went to Northwest hospital with my mom and sister as my mom had her uterus removed. About two weeks ago, she was diagnosed with an early stage of endometrial cancer, the lining of the uterus. And now, the place in which I started my life is gone, dead mass. My life is different now: I think and feel independently of my parents. My decisions are my own. Growing up is strange. Still, I’m glad that the surgery passed without any complications, and my mom is in for quite a few weeks of recovery.

            While my mom was put under, I got dropped at Seattle Pacific University, where I met up with the brothers Kendall: Benny and Philip. Philip had just left Holden Village, and it was great to see him again. We always have long, uncertain goodbyes, never knowing when we’ll see each other again, but the universe always brings us back together.

I spent the evening with the sisters Gordon: Callie and Sarah. They’re my neighbors from Ellensburg, and I hadn’t seen them in quite a while. It was cool to hang out with two sets of siblings in the same day, not to mention my own sister.

            In the morning I headed back to the hospital, but not until I grabbed a coffee with Philip in Fremont. And a pot pie for breakfast. Yum. A drunken guy on the street told us that he was looking for people like us: people paving the way. It was strange, but it still felt important. I found a patch of Amanita muscaria at the hospital, and they keep presenting themselves to me. I’m still waiting for the right moment to try them.

            The south-bound leg of my trip has continued again, and I've left beautiful Washington State. On my way to Portland, I briefly heard about Gaza’s attacks on Israel, and I want to find out more. In my book, the U.S. begins a war with Iran as the oil economy collapses, and it will be strange if things actually unfold in that way. I met my friend Claire in Portland, on Hawthorne street, after getting rather lost, but it all worked out. Together, we grabbed pizza and beer, then wandered a bit.

Claire and I lived together at PLU. She’s doing Jesuit Volunteer Corps, and lives in an old Monastery/Nunnery in Gresham, a suburb of Portland. It’s a sweet old house with many strange rooms. Tonight I’m planning on meeting my buddy Chris Renfrow in another part of Portland.