The Road to Kenmore
This tale is one that's been going around and around in my head and has wanted to be written since before I wrote the four about Summerstar. But, as one thing leads to another, it's had to wait until now. Here goes....
It took me a good week and a half (at least) to return completely from Summerstar. Oh, I came back home that Sunday night and went to work Monday morning. But for a good solid week and half, a large part of me simply refused to return to Mundania. The two previous Summerstars I'd gone to were hard to come back from too, but not like this. This was a whole different story. One that, I think, had to do with the time I spent with S.J. and company. (Not complaining)
When I met my best friend, soul twin and sister Terri for the first time 17 years ago, I had no idea how that meeting was going affect me or my life. I certainly didn't expect to be drawn to her like I was when we actually started talking. The same can be said for meeting S.J. and spending time with her and Ryan the first time. I had no expectations, really, prior to that. I didn't even have the "Oh my Goddess!! It's S.J. Tucker!!" fan girl reaction. When I walked up to her, I basically just knew I really liked her music and what I saw of her on stage and wanted to tell her so...and to buy more of her CD's. I had no idea I'd be spending most of a day, visiting with her and listening to her play and teach and talk with others....let alone that it would feel comfortable and right for me to be there. I had no idea I would be so drawn to her. (Amazed and amused am I at the workings of the Universe...and very thankful.)
After Summerstar, I started browsing http://skinnywhitechick.com more often and sent a friend request and a couple of messages to S. J. on Facebook. (She accepted the friend request, by the way, and responded to the messages.) And I added her, Ryan, and Betsy to the list of people I follow on Twitter. I also followed the link to Ryan's site http://storytellerway.com and listened to the first of his stories. (Go listen to it. Especially if you need a good laugh. Iz very funny.)
One day, on either S.J.'s site or her Facebook page, I read that she was going to be performing with Heather Dale, Betsy, and Ben Deschamps on a (then) upcoming Friday night at Kenmore Community Club and the following Saturday at a church in Bremerton. I knew I couldn't go to the performance on Saturday because of previous commitments in Gresham and Hubbard. And I had a feeling that that Friday was going to be the last opportunity I'd have to see s00j in concert before she and Ryan headed back out of the area again. However, considering the distance from here to the Seattle area and the fact that I would be heading in the opposite direction the next day, the idea of going to the concert seemed pretty crazy. I thought about it for a few days.
I should add that I have never gone all the way up to Seattle to a concert while living in southwest Washington. A play and a Xena convention, yes. A Seahawks game, yes. A Mariner's game when I was a kid, yes. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame induction ceremony at which Anne McCaffrey and George Lucas were inducted, yes. But not a concert. There are very few singers/songwriters/performers/bands I would've even considered traveling that far to see. That was before the last Summerstar. After the last Summerstar, that changed.
Anyway, during the time I mulled over going to the concert, I went back and forth between, "I just don't know if I can do it financially. What if something comes up?" and "I'll regret more the things I don't do in life than those I do." Add to that that I talked with my soul twin via text about the whole thing.
Me: I need you to be my voice of reason and talk me out of doing something crazy.
Terri: What is it?
Me: Going up to Seattle to see S.J. Tucker in concert when I already have prior commitments the next day down south.
Terri: Will it completely strap you to do both.
Me: No. Not unless something happens.
Terri: Then go for it Gf. You regret more the chances in life you don't take than those you do.
And so, I arranged for my relief to come in a couple of hours early the Friday of the concert and I bought a ticket. And couple of days or so before the concert, S.J. posted a tweet for those going to the concert that basically said, "Retweet this and receive a door prize at the concert." So I did.
My mother about had a coronary when she found out I was going up to Kenmore by myself for this concert. She was just certain that something was going to happen to me. She wanted me to call my dad and ask him to come with me....my dad, who works and lives two hours south of here as it is, mind. I had to remind her, repeatedly, that I am 37 years old and can take care of myself. I also had to remind her, repeatedly, that I used to live in Seattle. (Granted, that was 14 years ago, but still.) In the end, she just had to deal with the fact that I was going up there by myself. I wouldn't let myself be ruled by her fears. I knew I'd be fine.
Once I decided to go to the concert, it seemed that Friday took forever to arrive. But, arrive it did.
I got up around 4:30am to get ready for work as usual. (I don't actually have to get up that early, but it gives me a little quiet time before I have to leave for work.) I turned on my coffee maker, showered, and dressed for work.
My standard work attire is a light gray uniform shirt over a plain dark gray or black t-shirt, black BDU pants, a black leather belt, and black, steel-toed boots. Even just taking off the uniform shirt, the look is a bit more militaristic than I really wanted to go with for the concert. And there was no way I wanted to drive all the way up to Seattle in steel-toed boots.
So, that morning, I grabbed a pair of blue jeans, my black Norwescon t-shirt with the dragon and Seattle on it, my brown, woven leather belt that Terri bought me 17 years ago, a pair of white golden-toed socks, and my blue and gray sneakers. And, on the off chance it got chilly that night, I grabbed my jean jacket and my fleece jacket. (I couldn't decide between the two, so I grabbed both.) I threw all that and a couple of S.J. Tucker CD's ("Blessings" and "Sirens") into the car with my usual work baggage and my coffee, gave Mom and Grandma each a hug, and headed off to work.
Because I wasn't working a full day, I didn't take much in the way of food in my lunch. Just liquids and maybe a granola bar. This will be important later.
The work day seemed to crawl by and, the whole time, I was hoping that my relief wouldn't call off. Finally, 1300 (1pm) got there and so did he. My first stop, Starbucks to change. (I could've changed at work, but just wanted to get out of there.) I was going to get a coffee drink, too, but the line was too long. So I called home to let them know I was on my way north, and headed out. In my cup holder was my Glaceau citrus (yellow) vitamin water.
For a Friday, traffic on the freeway was busy, but not bad through the Chehalis/Centralia area. I got to the Trosper Road exit (just south of Olympia) about 2:30pm, at which point, the vitamin water had gone through me and I really needed to stop. I also had it in my mind to get something more solid to eat than a granola bar. I was hoping for a Quiznos. Where I stopped was a Starbucks.
I made a beeline for the bathroom, but had to wait a few minutes with my legs crossed because someone was in there. (That was a long "few minutes", let me tell ya.) After using the bathroom, I headed up to the front of the Starbucks to get some food. I should have gotten one of their breakfast sandwiches, but they didn't really sound good to me. And where Starbucks puts their other sandwiches has never seemed like a cold enough place to make eating them healthy. So I ordered a double tall cinnamon dolce latte and a piece of lemon pound cake and back on the road, I went.
In retrospect, I should've asked my relief to come in four hours early, not just two. And, I should've stopped and gotten something to eat on the way out of town. I did neither of those things. So, I hit stop-and-go traffic at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and at Tacoma and Seattle. And by Seattle, due at least in some part to the caffeine and sugar on an otherwise empty stomach, I was a little bit goofy, which was kind of good because it meant that I was having fun with the traffic situation rather than being pissed off by it. Oh, I was being careful. But I was still having fun with it.
At some point earlier in the week, I'd looked at the maps for getting to Kenmore and determined that I could probably get there more quickly, or at least more directly, by taking the Mountlake Terrace exit....a fact that I had forgotten by the afternoon of the concert. So, I went the route Google Maps suggested....sort of....which was to take the Hwy 522/Lake City Way exit. That Highway travels along the west side of a lake. Kenmore is at the north end of that lake.
For those of you who don't know, at the beginning of that exit is a road that takes off to the right. Somehow, I ended up on that road, which quickly put me in the middle of a residential area. Fortunately, I have relatively good direction sense. So, after a few turns, I managed to get myself going in the relative direction toward Lake City Way. The funny thing is, I remembered driving on the road that took me back to Lake City Way. I traveled it 14 or 15 years earlier when I lived in Seattle and did a lot of exploring of the area. The road was a bit rougher than I remembered, but I recognized the area and the slope to the stop sign where the road meets Lake City Way. I turned right onto Lake City Way and away I went.
I wasn't 100% sure that right was the correct direction, but it felt like it, so I went with that feeling. (It wasn't like I could safely look at my Google Maps app while driving.) Eventually, I found myself in another area I vaguely remembered from 14 or 15 years ago, though I couldn't remember if it was my friend Rich or my ex Kevin (Cheyne) that I was there with last time. I continued on, still hoping I was headed in the right direction and desperately needing to pee again.
I watched for someplace in which I could use the restroom and that had a visible address I could use to consult Google Maps with. What should I find, but another Starbucks.
This Starbucks shared it's bathroom with the other businesses in the strip mall, I think. I had to ask for the key to the ladies room, which was for "customers only," and then go through a door into a hallway before coming to the actual restroom. Afterward, I returned the key and bought a water so that I was officially a "customer".
I went back out to my car, tossed the water bottle in the backseat, and looked for the address on the building so I could use Google Maps to find out where I was in relation to where I was headed. And then off I went again. Finally, I made it to Kenmore....four and a half hours after I left Longview. (Note: In light traffic, it would've only taken about 2 1/2 hours to get there.) Along the way, I saw a street with signs for Mountlake Terrace off to my left....the route I would've come in from, had I thought about it. But everything for a reason, I suppose. Besides, my experiences that night were well worth the long drive to get there. But that's another entry.
It took me a good week and a half (at least) to return completely from Summerstar. Oh, I came back home that Sunday night and went to work Monday morning. But for a good solid week and half, a large part of me simply refused to return to Mundania. The two previous Summerstars I'd gone to were hard to come back from too, but not like this. This was a whole different story. One that, I think, had to do with the time I spent with S.J. and company. (Not complaining)
When I met my best friend, soul twin and sister Terri for the first time 17 years ago, I had no idea how that meeting was going affect me or my life. I certainly didn't expect to be drawn to her like I was when we actually started talking. The same can be said for meeting S.J. and spending time with her and Ryan the first time. I had no expectations, really, prior to that. I didn't even have the "Oh my Goddess!! It's S.J. Tucker!!" fan girl reaction. When I walked up to her, I basically just knew I really liked her music and what I saw of her on stage and wanted to tell her so...and to buy more of her CD's. I had no idea I'd be spending most of a day, visiting with her and listening to her play and teach and talk with others....let alone that it would feel comfortable and right for me to be there. I had no idea I would be so drawn to her. (Amazed and amused am I at the workings of the Universe...and very thankful.)
After Summerstar, I started browsing http://skinnywhitechick.com more often and sent a friend request and a couple of messages to S. J. on Facebook. (She accepted the friend request, by the way, and responded to the messages.) And I added her, Ryan, and Betsy to the list of people I follow on Twitter. I also followed the link to Ryan's site http://storytellerway.com and listened to the first of his stories. (Go listen to it. Especially if you need a good laugh. Iz very funny.)
One day, on either S.J.'s site or her Facebook page, I read that she was going to be performing with Heather Dale, Betsy, and Ben Deschamps on a (then) upcoming Friday night at Kenmore Community Club and the following Saturday at a church in Bremerton. I knew I couldn't go to the performance on Saturday because of previous commitments in Gresham and Hubbard. And I had a feeling that that Friday was going to be the last opportunity I'd have to see s00j in concert before she and Ryan headed back out of the area again. However, considering the distance from here to the Seattle area and the fact that I would be heading in the opposite direction the next day, the idea of going to the concert seemed pretty crazy. I thought about it for a few days.
I should add that I have never gone all the way up to Seattle to a concert while living in southwest Washington. A play and a Xena convention, yes. A Seahawks game, yes. A Mariner's game when I was a kid, yes. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame induction ceremony at which Anne McCaffrey and George Lucas were inducted, yes. But not a concert. There are very few singers/songwriters/performers/bands I would've even considered traveling that far to see. That was before the last Summerstar. After the last Summerstar, that changed.
Anyway, during the time I mulled over going to the concert, I went back and forth between, "I just don't know if I can do it financially. What if something comes up?" and "I'll regret more the things I don't do in life than those I do." Add to that that I talked with my soul twin via text about the whole thing.
Me: I need you to be my voice of reason and talk me out of doing something crazy.
Terri: What is it?
Me: Going up to Seattle to see S.J. Tucker in concert when I already have prior commitments the next day down south.
Terri: Will it completely strap you to do both.
Me: No. Not unless something happens.
Terri: Then go for it Gf. You regret more the chances in life you don't take than those you do.
And so, I arranged for my relief to come in a couple of hours early the Friday of the concert and I bought a ticket. And couple of days or so before the concert, S.J. posted a tweet for those going to the concert that basically said, "Retweet this and receive a door prize at the concert." So I did.
My mother about had a coronary when she found out I was going up to Kenmore by myself for this concert. She was just certain that something was going to happen to me. She wanted me to call my dad and ask him to come with me....my dad, who works and lives two hours south of here as it is, mind. I had to remind her, repeatedly, that I am 37 years old and can take care of myself. I also had to remind her, repeatedly, that I used to live in Seattle. (Granted, that was 14 years ago, but still.) In the end, she just had to deal with the fact that I was going up there by myself. I wouldn't let myself be ruled by her fears. I knew I'd be fine.
Once I decided to go to the concert, it seemed that Friday took forever to arrive. But, arrive it did.
I got up around 4:30am to get ready for work as usual. (I don't actually have to get up that early, but it gives me a little quiet time before I have to leave for work.) I turned on my coffee maker, showered, and dressed for work.
My standard work attire is a light gray uniform shirt over a plain dark gray or black t-shirt, black BDU pants, a black leather belt, and black, steel-toed boots. Even just taking off the uniform shirt, the look is a bit more militaristic than I really wanted to go with for the concert. And there was no way I wanted to drive all the way up to Seattle in steel-toed boots.
So, that morning, I grabbed a pair of blue jeans, my black Norwescon t-shirt with the dragon and Seattle on it, my brown, woven leather belt that Terri bought me 17 years ago, a pair of white golden-toed socks, and my blue and gray sneakers. And, on the off chance it got chilly that night, I grabbed my jean jacket and my fleece jacket. (I couldn't decide between the two, so I grabbed both.) I threw all that and a couple of S.J. Tucker CD's ("Blessings" and "Sirens") into the car with my usual work baggage and my coffee, gave Mom and Grandma each a hug, and headed off to work.
Because I wasn't working a full day, I didn't take much in the way of food in my lunch. Just liquids and maybe a granola bar. This will be important later.
The work day seemed to crawl by and, the whole time, I was hoping that my relief wouldn't call off. Finally, 1300 (1pm) got there and so did he. My first stop, Starbucks to change. (I could've changed at work, but just wanted to get out of there.) I was going to get a coffee drink, too, but the line was too long. So I called home to let them know I was on my way north, and headed out. In my cup holder was my Glaceau citrus (yellow) vitamin water.
For a Friday, traffic on the freeway was busy, but not bad through the Chehalis/Centralia area. I got to the Trosper Road exit (just south of Olympia) about 2:30pm, at which point, the vitamin water had gone through me and I really needed to stop. I also had it in my mind to get something more solid to eat than a granola bar. I was hoping for a Quiznos. Where I stopped was a Starbucks.
I made a beeline for the bathroom, but had to wait a few minutes with my legs crossed because someone was in there. (That was a long "few minutes", let me tell ya.) After using the bathroom, I headed up to the front of the Starbucks to get some food. I should have gotten one of their breakfast sandwiches, but they didn't really sound good to me. And where Starbucks puts their other sandwiches has never seemed like a cold enough place to make eating them healthy. So I ordered a double tall cinnamon dolce latte and a piece of lemon pound cake and back on the road, I went.
In retrospect, I should've asked my relief to come in four hours early, not just two. And, I should've stopped and gotten something to eat on the way out of town. I did neither of those things. So, I hit stop-and-go traffic at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and at Tacoma and Seattle. And by Seattle, due at least in some part to the caffeine and sugar on an otherwise empty stomach, I was a little bit goofy, which was kind of good because it meant that I was having fun with the traffic situation rather than being pissed off by it. Oh, I was being careful. But I was still having fun with it.
At some point earlier in the week, I'd looked at the maps for getting to Kenmore and determined that I could probably get there more quickly, or at least more directly, by taking the Mountlake Terrace exit....a fact that I had forgotten by the afternoon of the concert. So, I went the route Google Maps suggested....sort of....which was to take the Hwy 522/Lake City Way exit. That Highway travels along the west side of a lake. Kenmore is at the north end of that lake.
For those of you who don't know, at the beginning of that exit is a road that takes off to the right. Somehow, I ended up on that road, which quickly put me in the middle of a residential area. Fortunately, I have relatively good direction sense. So, after a few turns, I managed to get myself going in the relative direction toward Lake City Way. The funny thing is, I remembered driving on the road that took me back to Lake City Way. I traveled it 14 or 15 years earlier when I lived in Seattle and did a lot of exploring of the area. The road was a bit rougher than I remembered, but I recognized the area and the slope to the stop sign where the road meets Lake City Way. I turned right onto Lake City Way and away I went.
I wasn't 100% sure that right was the correct direction, but it felt like it, so I went with that feeling. (It wasn't like I could safely look at my Google Maps app while driving.) Eventually, I found myself in another area I vaguely remembered from 14 or 15 years ago, though I couldn't remember if it was my friend Rich or my ex Kevin (Cheyne) that I was there with last time. I continued on, still hoping I was headed in the right direction and desperately needing to pee again.
I watched for someplace in which I could use the restroom and that had a visible address I could use to consult Google Maps with. What should I find, but another Starbucks.
This Starbucks shared it's bathroom with the other businesses in the strip mall, I think. I had to ask for the key to the ladies room, which was for "customers only," and then go through a door into a hallway before coming to the actual restroom. Afterward, I returned the key and bought a water so that I was officially a "customer".
I went back out to my car, tossed the water bottle in the backseat, and looked for the address on the building so I could use Google Maps to find out where I was in relation to where I was headed. And then off I went again. Finally, I made it to Kenmore....four and a half hours after I left Longview. (Note: In light traffic, it would've only taken about 2 1/2 hours to get there.) Along the way, I saw a street with signs for Mountlake Terrace off to my left....the route I would've come in from, had I thought about it. But everything for a reason, I suppose. Besides, my experiences that night were well worth the long drive to get there. But that's another entry.