A Great Day

It is a beautiful Saturday in Bellingham. More than fifty sailboats cover the waters of Bellingham Bay, their colorful sails filled with a gentle breeze. (We can see them from our Loft windows.) The Farmer’s Market fairly buzzes with energy, perhaps because today is Kid’s Vending Day. It’s always great to see these young entrepreneurs with their card tables and hand printed signs. They are nervous, sometimes shy, but when I compliment them on what they have made or grown, their faces light up with pleasure. Today I purchased a bouquet of flowers from a young redhead. When I asked if she had grown the flowers herself, she pointed to her longhaired brother and said that he had. The cloth-covered table was filled with herbs and lettuce and small bunches of vegetables. Other kid vendors had hand-painted flowerpots, jewelry, and cards.

I saw the first of the local corn… still a bit small. There was cauliflower in purple, green, and peach tones, heirloom tomatoes, and older varieties of apples and crab apples. We bought cheese curds from a small dairy vendor, and peanut butter from a bread vendor. And of course, another basket of organic raspberries for my morning granola.

We continue to explore our new city home and are always finding surprises. Last night we walked a paved path in Boulevard Park (a park that edges the Bellingham Bay waterfront), watched the sun set, stood on an overhead pedestrian bridge while an Amtrak passenger train zipped beneath us, and found the Woods Coffee shop, which we plan to go back to later. And yesterday I read this in the Bellingham Herald - “Ridership on Whatcom Transportation Authority buses has grown faster than in any other major U.S. city, according to recently released Federal Transit Administration statistics.” Way to go Bellingham!

... PLM