Deja Vous In Seattle

Some things never change, others change radically. It has been 21 years since I fled Seattle in disarray, having been a victim of the 1987 sudden recession. My new mortgage company down the tubes, I looked back to the fun years I had in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho back in the early 70's.I migrated back and am still here.

In those days, Coeur d'Alene didn't have a rush hour. The mining district was mostly shut down due to low silver and lead prices. Even the Ho's in Wallace left town about then. Many think it was a law enforcement crack down. It wasn't. It was economics. The timber industry was also struggling.

The freeway traffic is the same. Impossible Russian Roulette combined with bumper cars. For a person accustomed to our casual traffic in North Idaho, it is truly a culture shock. My old neighborhood is built up substantially. Downtown Seattle streets seem to hide from me. North and south get lost without a compass.This is especially true in the South Lake Union area where streets are diagonal to the rest of the city which is in the traditional squares.As I transited the area I was reminded of the laugh when the new South Lake Union Transit caused an enterprising young man to have hundreds of T-shirts printed up with S.L.U.T. on them. He sold out.

I finally reoriented my self and no longer circle the block without a clue. Just in time to start back Tomorrow. Tuesday. ... I think. I'm real anxious to get home where the surroundings are familiar as are the people. Leaving town for a week reminds one how wonderful home is. I can't wait to get back.

I will probably have to repeat the trip in 3 or 4 months, as Yvonne will have to go back to have a permanent plate installed in her head. I tell her she went to Seattle with a screw loose and is returning with a hole in her head. With all she has gone through and will again before this is through, I gotta believe she is one of the most courageous people I know.