Christmas

Dec

2017

And The Sun Came Out Today At RedWing Cafe

The Long Way To RedWing Cafe Coffee

Because there is no rain (yet) and to prove that RedWing Cafe coffee isn’t the only thing I think about, I actually took a slightly longer way to the RedWing Cafe this morning. The comparative warmth of the sun peeking through some dark clouds in the distance, and lighter ones close by, made it an easy choice to take longer to get there. In the process, I took some photos of the beauty of this part of Seattle. We’re staying at Ranier Beach and almost every direction we take as we leave the house has a fabulous view of the water.

The view from Cooper Street

There are so many things along the way that seem unusual for this time of year, apart from the weather of course. I didn’t get a photo of it, but there is a huge Holly bush in a front garden on 61st Avenue S. When I say unusual, I mean it would be ‘unusual’ in my part of the world, but very ordinary in this hemisphere. Trees stripped bare of their leaves; holly bushes; cloudy skies; cold weather; ivy climbing across buildings; moss and wet leaves underfoot. Nothing that we would expect to see this close to Christmas in the Land Down Under, but here, it just looks and feels like winter. Coupled with the sights and sounds of Christmas all around, the winter scenery brings to life all the Christmas Cards ever sent or received.

View from the end of 63rd Avenue

What Better Way To Spend Winter Than Reading

On long, cold winter days there is nothing better than being snuggled up somewhere warm, with coffee in one hand and good book in the other. The trend towards community libraries is something I have noted lately in Australia and it is certainly a big deal here. Conveniently close to the RedWing Cafe is a cute little library that people can borrow from or share books with.

Borrow a book or leave one to share

And Now, The Coffee…

I could have spent hours taking photos of interesting things along the way, but my first RedWing Cafe coffee of the day beckoned. The usual 15 minute walk had dragged out to almost 25 minutes and I was starting to feel the first signs of caffeine withdrawal. So, with my camera securely stowed in my bag, I soldiered on down the last hill. As I turned the corner from Water Street S into 57th Ave S, the RedWing Cafe sign stood out like a beacon on a starless night. I had arrived.

My second Seattle home: The RedWing Cafe

Yes, the sun is actually out; it just looks a bit dreary because the ground is still wet from the recent rain. First task: order the coffee and some coffee cake. Luckily, my favourite table was empty so I made my way over, taking the first layer off as I walked. With coat securely hung on the peg, I retrieved my iPad from the bag.

Coat securely hung on the peg; I’m ready to write

Once my iPad was set up, I had to decide whether to peel off another layer.

Decision made: I’ll just leave my outer jumper on. I’ll wait until the warmth of the coffee warms me from the inside before stripping back to the long-sleeved t.shirt.

With iPad set up, there is only thing left to do

Without coffee, nothing gets written. Period. (Nancy Kress)

That’s better!

And now, with coffee and cake safely delivered, I’m ready to start writing.

Life is good!

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Dec

2016

Vancouver – a trip back in time

Having spent a year in Vancouver, a long time ago, I have had a yearning to walk along Robson Street again, ride the Seabus to North Vancouver, watch the squirrels in Stanley Park and take the Skyride to Grouse Mountain. Since the cruise I took recently from the UK was ending in Florida, I couldn’t resist the urge to extend my stay and fly to San Francisco and then up to Vancouver, even if only for a few days in each place.

Robson Street – Christmas lights just add to the magic

After the flight from San Francisco, I couldn’t wait to see Robson Street. My decision to book into the Listel Hotel, so close to my old apartment, was definitely a good choice. I wasn’t expecting much, but I was really surprised at the quality of the hotel, the friendliness of the staff and the spaciousness and decor of the room. Add to that, Happy Hour each evening and you have a recipe for the perfect holiday, although Happy Hour was wasted on me because they didn’t have milkshakes. And the location? It just doesn’t get any better than this, which was the basis for booking The Listel in the first place. Right on Robson Street, with my old Starbucks across the street, and an easy walk to everywhere, including Stanley Park at the bottom of the hill.

Day 1 – an early morning walk to Hornby Street and back, and then down the hill to Denman St, and a bus ride from half way up the hill to the Robson Gardens stop. A coffee and wonderful chat (lots of reminiscing) with Dennis, my Landlord from all those years ago, some shopping, then ending with a very quiet day. Just being on that beautiful street again was all I needed to take me back to another time, another life. This is what travelling does to us – it creates the memories that are so powerful when revisited.

Day 2 – a bus down to the Sea Wall, a walk along the wall and then through Stanley Park. I was surprised that I had forgotten the basic direction of where we used to walk in the park,

On a cold day in December

but in the process of being a bit lost, the most amazing thing happened – I asked a lady for directions and she suggested we walk together, since she was going that way anyway. As we walked and talked, I found out she had lived in Cairns from when she was 5 until she was 16. As an adult, her working life had included performing at schools to bring history to life for the children of Canada. Over a coffee break on Denman Street, we swapped email addresses and websites and intend to keep in touch. You can meet Christine at christinepilgrim.com and I’m sure you’ll be as fascinated by her story as I was.

On the Seabus to North Vancouver – and then just a short trip to the mountain

From Denman Street, I walked down to the Waterfront Center on W. Cordova and boarded the Seabus to North Vancouver. From there I took the bus to the Skyride Station and then up to Grouse Mountain where it was snowing – not a lot, but enough to be really beautiful.