Dear everyone,
Hello! Millie and I are back on our home turf of the Pacific Northwest, where we are alternately cold, hot, getting rained on, or blissfully enjoying perfect spring temps.
We’re also trying to remind ourselves how to do the things that “responsible” people do. Even though we must of course pay bills etc when we’re traveling, somehow the sh*t always seems to hit that fan when we get back.
First we have to even get back safely. You heard about me almost getting kicked out of security at the Mexico City airport (thanks to Millie!) And my bloody e-bike accident in Colorado. Luckily there were no “incidents” in Palo Alto when I perched there for a couple of weeks. Just the usual minor drama of me annoying my sister by leaving lights on, cabinets and doors open, and dishes in the sink.
Then there was the drive back to Bellingham from Palo Alto. Millie and I survived unscathed but my beloved oldest bike was not so lucky. We experienced a near catastrophic bolt failure on our bike rack and my bike was dragged along I-5 at top speed for a while because my van was so packed that I could not see anything in my rearview! When I was alerted to the ongoing disaster by another driver, I jumped out to see that half of one handlebar had been completely sheared off my poor bici.
Ohhhhh.
This was a low moment in which I questioned my very right to exist. Or to own a bike or drive a car. Without a man around to look at pesky things like “bolts” for me, should I just stay home instead of flinging myself out into the world willy nilly in and on dangerous vehicles like vans and bicycles? I was a menace to myself and to society! (Luckily Erica never found out about the time I almost drove myself & Adele off a cliff).
Anyway, these were the thoughts going through my head as I hastily took the wheels off my bike and managed to stuff the whole thing inside the van, which I have to say was well- organized or I would have had to repack the whole vehicle right there on the side of the highway!
The next day Millie and I soothed our jangled nerves by taking a lovely hike in the Mt. Shasta area. We climbed from one waterfall to another, with each waterfall getting grander as we gained in elevation. We may or may not have taken off our clothes once or twice for a refreshing dip. And Millie proved herself a bold adventuress - at one point, launching herself (ill-advisedly?) into a swift-moving creek to swim across it instead of letting me carry her, which was what I wanted to do!
We made it back to Bellingham safely, and my bike ultimately got patched up by the bike mechanics at REI (shoutout to Lauren!) and seems good as new. Although, ahem, speaking of new bikes, I seem to have accidentally purchased one!
A new used bike, rather, that seems to be quite perfect for me. Ever since I precipitously gave away my mom’s old road bike (the one I rode all over Europe) in 2016, when going through my divorce and getting the hell outta town, I’ve regretted it. And I don’t regret a lot of things!
I only hope it went to a good home and is still today being ridden and lovingly cared for by someone who appreciates a good vintage bici. (I cannot even remember what kind it was but my dad bought it so I’m sure it was an excellent bike in its heydey, not that my mom really rode it - I’m the one who helped that bike achieve its true destiny!)
So anyway, now I have no children but one pug +three bikes + four tons of jackets for every climate, so I can only hope they will all take care of me in my old age given that I’m going to have to buy a larger house just to accommodate them all. (Although I’m sure that expensive soft shell jacket won’t ever visit me in the nursing home because I never wear it.)
Meanwhile, I’m just trying to rebuild my identity back here in ye olde Pacific Northweste, while digging myself out of a huge ole mound o’ paperwork. Millie is much at digging than better than me, if you want to watch her in this one Instagram reel I ever managed to post. But as usual, she never helps with anything around here! Instead she just lays her lazy-as* down on clean piles of laundry and waits for food.
Bye for now, peeps. Don’t let Millie guilt you into giving her extra snacks, as hungry as she might look.
xo
Rebecca
Very funny knowing your sense of humor spending quality time with you, especially 2024 winter in La Paz. An enjoyable read mi amiga. Millie music is perfect. Lola is waiting to join in ❤️
I envy your hikes and bike rides. My knees are shot and can't be fixed, so enjoy, enjoy, enjoy and keep including the great pics!