Lilith Saintcrow

So, I’m back from Bellingham. Bellingham is a totally awesome city. It’s bike-friendly, there are natural food stores and two AMAZING yarn stores, as well as Michael’s Books, a bookstore that makes me drool every time I think about the dusty old stacks. Mmmh. Drool, I tell you.

Highlights of the weekend spent with my sister include meeting her friends (and a weiner dog and several cats) and going out to lunch, breakfast, and dinner at amazing places (like Taco Lobo and the Old Town Cafe–more on that in a moment), shopping at Fairhaven (mmmh, yarn…and the amber rings…and the sunny day) and then knitting in Boulevard Park while my sister napped in the shade.

My last morning in Bellingham we went to the Old Town Cafe, which serves local food (grown locally, if possible) and where everyone does every job, from cook to host. They also have the “community table,” where if you don’t want to wait for a private table you sit and other people who feel similarly can be seated as well. We ate along with Merrill (who was surprised I knew China Mieville’s name) and Jim, who does amazing Japanese metalwork. Strangely enough, the conversational barrier was broken by my sister enquiring about a book Jim was reading–one of matociquala’s books, Worldwired–and everything went on from there. Merrill promised to read WFTD (don’t worry, M., I won’t hold it against you if you don’t. *grin*)

I bought all sorts of presents and am looking forward to giving them.

And then, Sunday, I started home.

It was a good thing I needed to stop to visit my youngest sister in Seattle. Because as I was going through Everett (traffic there is ALWAYS bad) my car threatened to overheat. Fortunately, the DHM was in Bellevue for the day, visiting kendo folk, so he came over the bridge and took a look at my car. The problem appeared to be a split hose, which he replaced with MacGyver-esque speed and deftness. We put more antifreeze and water in, and eventually started home with the DHM following me to make sure I was all right.

Thank God he was. My car nearly blew up in Kent.

To the people in the convertible in the lane I veered into: please don’t blame me. You were going ninety in a sixty zone and I didn’t see you, and the only reason I had my cell phone to my ear was because I was freaking out over MY CAR BLOWING UP and the DHM was talking me into the next exit, where he had seen a gas station.

So. At the Shell station, after my car stops working. AAA was called, and the car towed to a local mechanic (thank you, Sam from A-US Towing, you are a very nice man and deserve a BIG kudo.) I was in such a state that Sam the tow truck guy said, “Just go on now. I’ll take care of this. I’ll call your cell phone when I’ve dropped the car off and put the key in the night drop. You just go on now, dear.”

So then it was finding dinner for the kidlets, who were very excited by this chain of events (life is indeed an adventure) and the long drive back home. We rolled in around midnight, or slightly thereafter, and after I got everything out of the van I settled down to read a bit, being in somewhat of an excited state myself.

I’m not even going to worry about the car until after DragonCon. I just can’t. Unfortunately that means I won’t get into the bookstore before I head out to Atlanta. *sad face* I have a present for the Kiwi and a present for the Selkie, and I can’t wait to give them. *another sad face*

But…I made it home. My car didn’t get unsteady until after the weekend was over. The DHM was right there, and everything was taken care of. So if it had to happen, it happened in the best way possible. I think the Dear Husband Muffin deserves a medal.

Or a brownie button.

So. I’m home for a few days, and damn happy to be here. There’s just something about one’s own bed.

Off I go to weed through my inbox…

This entry was posted on Monday, August 28th, 2006 at 11:12 am and is filed under Rant Rant Rave, Real Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.