Being Thankful #3...

For whatever the reason, this memory just came to me, rather out of the blue.

It was a memory of a wonderful trip that my then girlfriend and I took during May of 1997. Her brother had just moved to Seattle, and we went out west to visit him. At the time, it was only my second trip out west.

Anyway, the weather during that stretch (it was from around May 13th until May 19th, if memory serves me correctly) was as perfect as you could ask for! Given the reputation of Seattle, we figured there would be a fair amount of rain. But there was only a slight rainfall that lasted literally perhaps all of 30 seconds one afternoon, and I was out in the backyard of his house, for some reason. It was not particularly hard, or anything, and was rather pleasant.

In any case, that trip was just incredible! We got in late that evening, well after dark. However, I remember stepping out into the bright sunshine the next morning, and just being amazed by the scenery. To my right were the snow covered Cascade Mountains, past some green fields. To my left were the dramatic, jagged peaks of the Olympic Mountains, which were also snow-capped. They stood behind Puget Sound, and it was just beautiful!

Everything about that trip felt incredible! We really got to explore the city and take in the sites, including, of course, the Space Needle, where we were able to get a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains. We also went on an overnight camping trip to the San Juan Islands, specifically to Orcas Island, which was very charming and pleasant.

One thing that stands out in particular was a dinner that we had at a burger place, right along the banks of Puget Sound. There was a playoff game on the television, and everyone was preoccupied with how the Supersonics were doing. However, my attention was drawn instead to the most gorgeous sunset that I have ever seen. The sun was sinking, and the pastel colors of the sky that dusk bathed the snows on top of the Olympic Mountains in pink. That was almost perfectly mirrored in the surprisingly still waters of Puget Sound, at least on that particular night, and it became the sunset from which all other sunsets that my eyes have taken in since have been judged.

Just wanted to express appreciation for that experience, and the memories that still live on from it ...