Visiting Bellingham Washington

                                         City of Bellingham with Mt. Baker in background

Last Friday we woke up to snow in Western Washington. The first time for us here in Gig Harbor; a lot of the area had a little snow the Monday before. On Friday we had one inch to four inches depending where you actually were.

On Monday December 12 Bellingham and the county of Whatcom where it is the largest city in the county had more snow where the rest of us did not have any snow. The mountains and ski resorts have been getting a lot of snow this winter so a good chance to get out skiing.

Bellingham is in the north part of Western Washington about twenty miles from the border of British Columbia and Canada. It has a population of around eighty-seven thousand and is the home of Western Washington University.

There are several options going into Canada from Bellingham. You can go straight north on interstate 5 and cross into Canada at Blaine or you can get off in Bellingham and go east for several miles to enter into Canada. I have done both depending on the traffic over the border.  A lot of citizens of British Columbia come down to Bellingham to shop depending on the money exchange at the time. Also the gasoline prices are less in Bellingham too. Usually I stop in Bellingham to get gas when going to British Columbia. I have cousins living in middle of British Columbia so when I go see them I go more east to cross the border.

I have a lot of cousins who live in the Bellingham area so we have a family reunion in one of the parks in Bellingham every couple years. Most of my cousins are second or third or whatever. My only first cousin still living in Bellingham is Jim Harrison.  He grew up in Bellingham and decided to stay.  He told me a few years ago that the house our great grandparents Nightingale is now a historic site. They along with several other relatives are buried in the Bellingham area. My grandfather Richard Nightingale settled in Tacoma coming from Birmingham, England around 1909. He had a sister who settled in Bellingham and that is where all those cousins come.  

Jim’s mother my Aunt Emily lived in Bellingham after becoming an adult and getting married. Besides Jim who is the youngest she had a daughter Peggy who lives in Oak Harbor close to her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren. Also had a brother Pete who passed away six years ago; his widow Cindy along with their daughter Xica, husband Josh and four children live on Samish Island which is a small island south and west of Bellingham. They have a lovely view at their home. I am sure there are bed and breakfast places people can stay at in Samish Island. They have a son Chet who lives and works in Seattle.

Mount Baker is the closest place to ski and mountain hike near Bellingham. I recommend visiting Bellingham whether you are going to Vancouver, British Columbia to the north or Seattle, Washington to the south; a great place to visit a park or one of the lakes in the area.

Growing up our family visited Bellingham and Vancouver at least a couple times a year since we had cousins in both places.  I remember visiting Aunt Emily’s farm in Deming Washington which is a little south of Bellingham. Most I remember is the bull they had in their barn. I wasn’t very old at that time. It was before she moved into Bellingham. One year my brother Jack and I decided to run away. We thought it was a good idea at the time however we didn’t have money or food so we were gone for a couple hours before returning. What upset us was that no one noticed that we were missing. Talk about being disappointed. Another of the stories I remember well from childhood.

Remember to come and visit the wonderful world of the northwest.

We Can Do It

I figure that our theme for 2016 should be titled “We can do it”. Although I am sure most of us are not where we feel we should be however we are closer this year than last.

I hope that more of us will be doing our purposes next year.  I title our theme for 2017 “Pressing on in our lives”.  This way we not only believe in ourselves we are doing all we can do. We are helping others to discover their purpose and destiny along with our own.

The most important thing to realize is that we realize it is OK when we do some stumbling. Every true champion has a set back at some point or other and it is fine. We will learn more from the setbacks than we do from all our successes. Yes we will have success but the troubles we go through will make our lives better as well. The importance is to learn from our failures as well as the successes.

This could feel like hype but it is not true. I am not an expert by any means because I am at the same place as everyone else is if not a little below.

Another importance is to have faith in ourselves as well as others. We are here for everyone we meet regardless how they may feel about us. We may get rejected but there are those out in the world that will believe in us. Spend us much time with those who believe in us however do not let those who reject us not be part of our lives. About those who do reject us is for them not to have influence over us and keep us on our purposes.

Most of all purpose and destiny makes our lives fulfilling and exciting though not always feeling great but in the end we will receive our reward. Remember to keep a smile on your face for all to see. God bless you.

Talking On the Phone

Although I keep up to date with family via email and social media like most people these days it is nice to be able to talk on the phone the old fashioned way. I enjoy hearing their voices.

Every Saturday unless something comes up my brother Jack and I talk on the phone. He isn’t on social media though we do email important things like pictures. What is nice about the phone is the personal way of communication. It is good to talk and joke on the phone. Hear the laughter out of each other. Also we can talk more about personal things as well. When we talk he generally is out on errands or walking the dog while I am at the coffee shop or making my daily walk.

This Saturday I got the privilege of talking with my sister Barb as well. She actually talked with our mother for several minutes before the phone was handed over to me. We talked about how things were going and plans for the upcoming year. She has been busy at work however it is now slowing down for a little while anyway. She is going to take the week between Christmas and New Year’s off. She probably is going to spend the time around her house. Her two sons will be around for Christmas. They are both keeping busy as well.

Barb works in a law office as a paralegal. She has been doing that for more than twenty years. She started with the firm as a secretary and then worked her way up to be a paralegal. She just got off a case which she didn’t mention what had happened but it was time consuming. Her firm specializes in patens and copy writes. She really enjoys the work.

I asked her how much longer she will stay at it because she is at retirement age. She told me that the plan is to retire at the end of 2017. She has plans to move from Quebec. She has lived there a long time and really enjoys it. I wish she lived a bit closer but that is how it goes. At least when she retires when she will now visit it will be for a little bit longer I hope. One of these days I will make the journey to her home as well. It has been a long time since my last visit. She has a very nice home and the area is very nice too. It is somewhat like Gig Harbor where it is a small town however is close to the big city. She works in Ottawa, Ontario the capital of Canada. She usually rides the bus to work though she does have a car. Her son Ken lives in Montreal so she drives there when she visits him. Her other son Connor lives in Ottawa so he is more convenient. Of course we all know that we don’t necessarily see family very often that is close to us as well.

The holiday season is a good time of the year to hear from family and those who are nearby or travel a distance we are able to see. I hope that you are able to see as much family as you can this season. Oh yes don’t forget to talk with them the old fashion way on the phone. God bless you all and happy holidays.

Being Kind

 I find that most people I meet still are kind. Of course it could be where I live as well.

We hear so much negative through the media it is hard to think that people are kind anymore but I really do believe that most still are kind; however it could be where I live and other places in the world the people are not.

Another thing though I believe we are kind people will be kind back to us just in the same way if we are not kind than they likely will not be.

I find though that people get offended really easy these days. This can happen over even the little things. The reason I say that is I have heard people talk about being offended. When they mention what they have been offended about I am thinking really over something so small. I truly believe some people are offended over even small things is that they are passionate in what they believe and if another person doesn’t agree with them they get upset really easily.

Although there are things that I believe in strongly I still try not to let others who have a difference of opinion get the best of me.  My biggest weakness is when someone directs themselves with their opinion about me. Other words they talk about me in a negative way and not what the subject they are talking about. Fortunately that doesn’t happen a lot so I don’t get angry often but when I do watch out. LOL.

What I have found though that hasn’t changed a lot is when people talk about others. Many are still unkind when they talk about someone who isn’t in the room. Other words it is easy to talk about someone in a negative way when they aren’t around. Also this happens when they make fun of another person. It really makes me wonder if they speak the same about me when I am not around. I believe it is best to be kind to everyone at all times even when it is not easy to do so. In fact I would have to say we are mature when we are kind to another when they are not kind to us.

So let’s be kind to others even though they may not deserve the kindness. A great way to act going into the New Year; we can do it with a smile. I am sure this will make our lives better too. I know I certainly enjoy kind words that people speak to into my life. Enjoy your weekend.

Make Life Easier

I believe that we can make life a lot easier than it has been.

It may be a battle to do so however we have to decide we want to.

It all begins with us. Often we have been accustomed to things being tough and listening to others.

I know it won’t be easy because as much as I try things don’t seem to get better however I have to decide this is what I want.

Making life easier will take faith and trust. This is not often what we are used to neither.

I believe that making life easier not only begins with us but those we surround ourselves with. We need people in our lives that will encourage us as much as we encourage them.

A smile on our face I am sure will help us out as well. Removing stress out of our lives will help too; however our friends will help us the most. The important thing is to have the right friends. Often in the past we have had friends that have not been the ones that have helped us out. Also those we could call enemies that would continue putting us down has not made life any easier.

What just came in my mind is that we should look at ourselves in the mirror when we wake up in the morning. We can speak to the person in the mirror and say “You’re good”.

I can’t guarantee things will get better right off the bat however more often we do what is right will make life easier.

Another thing we can’t do is compare ourselves to others. I know that we have heard that for years but have we really listened. I think not.

I hope this helps all of us make life easier. Think positive along with the faith in ourselves and God.

A Very Good Morning

 I have to say getting up each morning is a good thing. We should be blessed with a good life and it starts off in the morning.

 My mother being ninety-six years old is thankful she wakes up in the morning which does make a lot of sense at her age and we should all feel that way.

On Wednesday morning I really enjoyed the time. After getting my mother up and running (slow walk) I went to my favorite coffee shop. Although I got my drink Americano with white chocolate I primarily go to see people. Like me some are regulars and then I have a chance to see new people as well. I like it especially when I see someone that I haven’t seen in a while. Also I consider it entertainment as well. This is where paying $3 for a drink is worthwhile to me. It beats going to a movie though I do that once in a while.

Anyway on Wednesday two ladies in their low 30’s I would guess came in with each other of their young daughters. I really enjoy seeing children in the coffee shop and sometimes I am able to chat with one. The place was pretty full so hard to find a place to sit. I was sitting on a stool right by where we pick up our drinks. The two ladies decided to stand however their daughters sit next to me on stools. The two little girls are two and three and a half. I found that the mothers have been friends for seven years and the two girls are very good friends as well. The three and half year old watched out for the two year old who sat next to me. I talked to the two year old mostly since she was next to me though I knew she would not say a word back to me. I talked with her mother as well. The other mother went and talked with a couple that she knew.

The two year old looked pretty serious at me when she first sat down. I said to her mother she must have trouble with strangers when first meeting. She said a little back to me. She felt more at ease after talking with her mother.  After a few minutes she starts smiling which was a good sign. Both little girls were having chocolate milk. I knew the two year old was comfortable with me when I rolled my tongue and she did the same thing. The other little girls also rolled her tongue.

Actually the two year old has her birthday next week. So when they left I wished her a happy birthday and a merry Christmas along with the mothers. I have seen them in the coffee shop before just the first time of interaction so I look forward to more conversation the next time they come in.

I now look forward to meeting some other little children. I don’t have any children of my own so it is nice to enjoy other’s children. So you see a good morning indeed. Let’s see what happens today.

Let It Snow

I have to say that I was disappointed on Monday because everyone in the Seattle area seemed to have gotten snow except us in Gig Harbor. They didn’t get a lot of snow however that was what I would have liked to seen. Most places had less than an inch of snow but the kids were excited to see the snow though the parents probably were not.

On Thursday the weather forecasters say we will get anywhere from one inch to six inches of snow all depending where you are at. Although the six inches sounds good I will take the one inch if it means we get some snow.

Last week talking with a friend of mine Kathy that we had a possibility of snow coming she told me in the thirteen years that she has lived here it has only snowed a significant amount one time. So she doesn’t believe we really have winters around here. So I conceited that we have three and half seasons here in Western Washington. They did say about a month ago that we would have more cold temperatures than normal year along with more precipitation however they did use the word snow at all so we will have to see.

I remember three occasions we had around a foot of snow in one dropping. When I was in fifth grade the last day of school before Christmas Break we were watching the movie “Heidi” starring Shirley Temple when we asked to get on the school bus to go home because snow was falling and they expected about a foot of snow. I believe it was the only time I was disappointed in leaving school early. I did see the whole movie on television later on so I did find out what happened. Of course when I arrived home the disappointed was gone since my brothers and I were able to play in the snow.

Another occasion was when I was nineteen years old and it snowed on the day after Christmas. It was a pretty amount of snow though I am not sure if it reached a foot. I was going to Technical School at the time so school was out however I was in the radio broadcasting class so I had to go in to put the radio station on the air. I had trouble getting out of our drive way however I did make it in though I was a few minutes late.

I do remember a third case where I was working for my father where we were in nearby Port Orchard when we had to leave around noon because the snow was coming down pretty good that day and we had to go up a very high hill. I was driving a van so we made it up the hill unlike many others who had trouble.

The hills are the reason that most people in the area don’t really want to have snow falling. It is hard to drive in many places even with a little snow though ice is more the problem. Fortunately where I live there is no hill so I can get out pretty easy and I am close to the highway as well. The grocery stores are close to the highway for most of them so I can get to them pretty easily. The major problem is going into downtown Gig Harbor because the main roads are on hills so even if you can get down it is harder to get back up again. I have driven in snow in Minnesota and Quebec so I have more experience than most around here. The problem I have found that most people drive no more than twenty-five miles an hour which is a problem if you are going up a hill. I give myself plenty of room between me and the other driver so I don’t slide on the road. Of course there is still no guarantee I will be successful but a better chance and making it on most occasions.

Anyway I hope that I will get a chance to throw at least one snow ball on Thursday if not I do hope the chance does come sometime this winter. Anyway enjoy  your winter whether snow or not.

Looking Forward To The New Year

I came up with a thought going into the New Year imagine that. My thought is that we should make a list of the things we accomplished in 2016 and then make a list of what we would like to accomplish in 2017. A year from now we can look back and see if the accomplishments happened in 2017. If you like some accomplishments in 2016 you can add to 2017 as well although new ones would be nice as well.

I give you an example as accomplishments. Let you know they are not mine just a few that I came up with. Example for 2016 learning French and taking yoga classes; on the 2017 list more French and yoga along with a trip to France. All sounds pretty good to me.

I figured for 2016 I would make it the year of adventure. It has been somewhat however not to the degree I would like so I am going to make 2017 the year of adventure and see if it works out even better. Also it will be a year to learn more things for example history. The use of the internet makes searching history a lot easier than it used to be. I would like to know more about World War 1 and 2. It has been quite some time now although I don’t want to go over the whole Vietnam War I would like to see what Vietnam looks like today. In fact I may try to visit on line as many countries as I can in 2017. Since I want to travel to many places it would be nice to know as much as I can before traveling to them. Of course I will continue to encourage and post here every day. Bring light to those who may be living in some darkness. My life is not perfect by any means however if I can help others toward more happiness the better. Remember that happiness is a choice not a place we are at however the more we can let people know that they have the choice the better. I hope that everyone is having a good holiday season so far. I know it is early in the process however to wish everyone a happy holiday the better. God bless you all.  

Keep Our Focus

This year so many people have been consumed with their opinions like I have never seen before. So much that many who were friends last year are no longer friends.  It is OK to have your own opinions especially what you consider important matter however you should not lose friends in the process. The thing is our friends and families are important to us beyond our beliefs and opinions.

I want to keep my focus on what I think is important however not break ties with family and friends. I feel that love is the greatest gift we have been given so that means it overshadows everything including my opinions. In fact if I am critical of others and name calling than I do not love like I should. It is OK to share our thoughts and beliefs without putting others down. We have to realize that not everyone believes the same way that we do and we should not put them on the carpet publicly. Life is too short to end a relationship because we have a difference of opinion. Love should overcome everything else. I believe that love is not easy. Those who have the same thinking we do it is easy to love them and those that don’t it is harder however it is good to have the challenge. Even those that we get along with more than others we will have a difference of opinion at some point and we need to be able to handle it without losing the relationship.

I have to say that I am not an expert on love. In fact I am a long ways from it however does not change the fact I believe it is the most important thing on the face of the earth. I give up everything else for more love. Those I love it is like winning the lottery to me so the more I love the more I get in return though it is not my purpose to love. I have to say that love is a selfless act. When selfishness comes into the picture than love diminishes.

Besides love my focus is to work on my purpose and destiny. It is to encourage others to become the best they can be. Make weaknesses into strengths or at the least improvement. We must recognize both our strengths and weaknesses. Use our strengths to the fullest and get help as necessary for our weaknesses.

So my encouragement today if you have broken relationships over any opinions and beliefs go to the person to reconcile. It may be a hard thing to do but ask for forgiveness whether you were the instigator or not. Bring friendship and love back in. You will feel much better. Get the New Year on solid ground. God Bless you.

It’s That Time

I know I said the same thing for November however it is hard to believe that it is now December. It seemed like November flew by though we had a lot of rain here on the mainland while the mountains got a lot of snow and skiers we able to do their thing earlier this year.

Another year is about to hit us so some people enjoy reflecting on the year that is just flying by. I have to say that 2016 has been a good year with my health standing still in the most part. My mother who turned 96 years old in September is still going along strong. She doesn’t walk real fast however she does better than some twenty years younger than her. In some ways she is a lot like the energy bunny she keeps moving along. Her secret for long life besides family genes is that she has a busy social life. She plays bridge at least twice a week along with going to church and a few other groups. She doesn’t drive anymore so I take her where she needs to be except in a couple cases at night where she is picked up by those who are going to the same event.

The highlight of the year was going to St. Louis, Missouri in August for the wedding of my nephew Ian and his bride Helen. Mother was able to go and she had a wonderful time. She was provided a wheel chair at the airport and the hotel. The distances were long so that helped out a lot. She usually walks with a cane though she does have a walker. She only uses the walker when she goes somewhere where she has to walk a distance. She walks carefully because of having problems with her balance. Last year before Christmas she fell hard on her head. If I had not been there she would have bleed to death. I stopped the bleeding before calling the ambulance. Again she fell in February however that was not as bad though she had to go into emergency again. She makes every effort so she doesn’t have to go hospital again.

This year she and I will spend the holidays together. We are not sure exactly what we will do however we will have a good time. It certainly not like the holidays in the years past however we will make due.

I know that most people have the same traditions every year this time of the year. I hope whatever you have planned will be very good. Both my sister and brother are on the east coast so we will only be able to talk with them on the phone for the holidays. They will have their families with them again this year. I have spent the holidays before at both of their places however mother doesn’t travel any longer. The wedding in August was the exception to the rule since it was important to see her grandson get married.

What I hope for this year to have a White Christmas. Of course I have wanted that every year. This week it is supposed to be colder so there is a chance of snow. There are those that say you can go to the mountains for snow. That is the truth but it is not the same as having snow here. The thing is that snow usually doesn’t stay around very long anyway. I figure those who don’t want to drive because of the snow my answer is why not just stay home. It is my plan though to take some pictures with the snow and I will pass them on to you. Wherever you are enjoy the holiday season and start planning for next year.

Touching Stories

 I always find it good whenever I hear stories that are touching; makes me feel real good. With politics and tragedy stories it nice to hear about the ones that come out good.

Since my memory is limited it sometimes hard to remember the touching stories. I am sure everyone has stories that make us feel good with hope.

My life is centered on sports to some degree. Friday night the University of Washington won the Pac-12 league championship 41-10 championship. In a few days they will find out whether they will be in the national championship series that will be played in January. There is four teams that will be named to play. Going into Friday night’s game they were listed at four so I would think they should stay there. The other big university here in Washington State Cougars who had a good season as well should learn soon where they will be playing in the bowl games.

On the national scene it was nice to hear about the young mother from California who was rescued on the side of the road after being kidnapped for several weeks. Now she is back with her family. We don’t know the details why she was kidnapped. We should know more in the future and then there was the lady who was buried along with her dog in a tornado in Alabama was found alive. This kind of stories always gives us hope.

Not to the same level as these two stories I have a touching story recently got to witness.  I was in line at my local coffee shop that I go to on a regular basis a girl about four years old was in line behind me with her mother and brother. Ahead of us waiting to get his coffee along with his partner was a Gig Harbor police officer. The girl was so excited to see the policeman that she asked her mother if she could go up and say hello to him. She thought it was a good idea so she ran up to him and said hello. His response with a smile and asked her name. They had a wonderful dialogue for a couple minutes before she returned to the line. What a wonderful touching story to witness. This is the reason I like seeing children in the coffee shop and in the grocery store just being themselves.

I look forward to sharing more touching stories in the future. Being a part of the story makes it even better. If you can share stories that are touching I recommend that you do so. Makes us all feel so much better.

All Lives Matter

We have heard over the last year or so through the media that black lives matter. That is a true statement especially with the deaths of young black men being killed by white cops. The truth is that most cops do a great job no matter what their skin color is or that of those they serve. It doesn’t change though there are a few bad apples. The key is for the police department to remove those bad apples.

Late Wednesday afternoon nearby Tacoma Washington a city cop was shot and killed while he was on duty; like he had done many times the last seventeen years on many occasions he was called to a home on the east side of Tacoma about domestic violence. This day a shot rang out where this cop did not survive. I am sure he knew this could happen however he loved serving the people of East Tacoma. According the people and the police department he did a great job. Many people turned out along with his fellow policemen for a vigil to honor him even before hearing that he had died going through surgery at Tacoma General Hospital.

 The shooter was like everyone as well going to work on a daily basis.  He was a barber in the Hilltop area of downtown Tacoma. When his grandmother heard that he was the shooter she was very surprised though he had gone through trouble the last year.

According to the shooter’s landlord the policeman did his job like he had done for all the seventeen years. He did his job all by the book. The landlord had lived in the house for the last seven months but then she moved out. She was in the basement of the house when the shooting happened. In the end the shooter was taken down by gun fire. He was asked to give up and he even spoke with his pastor for several hours.

This was a double tragedy with two families losing a husband, father and son. The policeman will be remembered as a hero while the other will be remembered as a shooter. There is not much of a difference between them or us. We can live our lives like the policeman doing our job and lying our lives down for those around us or be like the shooter in the end because of trouble or grief to choose to end the life of another and our own. I don’t think there really is much difference it all comes down to our choice. We must remember no matter how difficult things get all lives do matter and we can’t  decide to end lives of others along with our own. Please pray for the lives of both families and for the people of Tacoma along with the police department who are grieving right now.

If you are going through trouble and grief yourself right now get some help. Also you know someone that is troubled listen to them and get them help if necessary. We are here to help and comfort those in need. God bless you all.

Remembering Peggy’s Cove

If you go back to three of my early posts you will see that I wrote about a trip our family took across Canada and Eastern United States when I was twelve years old.

One of the places I remember a little was Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia. It is a very small town with a population around thirty-five however what I remembered was enjoying running on the rocks. I don’t remember the town itself much at all but the rocks yes for sure. At twelve years old though running on walks had to be a really good time. Talking to my brother Jack he enjoyed the time on the rocks as well. Someday I hope to return to Peggy’s Cove. It will be interesting to see the area once again with a new perspective at the same time remembering the rocks. I am sure everyone has memories of places that they have been to that have been a part of their highlight of life but can’t remember all the details.

My mother’s mother grew up in Nova Scotia. We were able to meet two of her sisters for the only time of our lives. She was on the trip at that point as well. This was actually the last good time with grandmother since she died a year or so later.

Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Boston are the places I have returned to visit since that wonderful trip. I can’t wait to see the other places once again in the future. We visited every province in Canada on that trip. Few Canadians ever visit all the provinces.

Going back in a time machine would be nice as well too. Actually seeing what I was doing on the trip would be nice. This is why I like going traveling is to add new memories to my life and meeting people in their culture.

Peggy’s Cove I am not sure when I will see you again however I do plan to come so I can remember the old memories more and to add new ones as well. Living in a small town like I do it is always interesting to visit other small towns as well especially those that are even smaller.

Recently one of my classmates Dave his younger sister Kathy took a cruise trip through eastern United States and up the St. Lawrence River in Canada. I asked her on her return if she had stopped off in Peggy’s Cove. She told me that the cruise ship did make a stop for a day there. It was so nice to talk with her about Peggy’s Cove and about my trip. Makes me hungry to return to that part of the world; not only do I want to walk on the rocks once again it is to see the sites of this small town. I wonder how much it has changed in all these years. Oh boy I can’t wait.