Precious Days

These are the precious days of autumn when the deciduous trees still hold tight to their leaves of yellow and gold, rooftops glisten with frost at sunrise, or morning fog gives way to sunny afternoon skies. I find myself wanting to hang on to these days, knowing that it won’t be long before blustery storms swoop in to bare the trees and hide the sun. So yesterday we jumped into the Jeep and drove to Whidbey Island to visit our good friends Lee and Melanie. We passed U-pick pumpkin patches and a corn maze. There were canoes on a small lake and sightseers hanging over the bridge railing at Deception Pass. We made our own unofficial survey of political signs… more Republican signs than Democratic, and almost exclusively state and local races rather than presidential.

This was the first time I had seen Melanie since her accident that now requires her to have her left leg immobilized for a period of six weeks. Having to use a cane does not keep Melanie from giving big hugs, or from baking fresh-from-the oven gingersnap cookies, or preparing a wonderful lunch of French onion soup and Caesar salads. It was a wonderful afternoon and just before leaving, Melanie and I asked the guys to take a picture of the two of us. There I am with a knitted cap covering my baldhead, and Melanie with her cane and Velcro leg brace. I am happy to say that my lung cancer and Melanie’s heart problems and now leg, does not prevent us from sharing laughs and smiles… it only brings us closer.

The sun was going down as we passed Penn Cove on our return trip. Stop! The lighting was perfect for a photograph of this picturesque loading dock. Penn Cove is famous for their mussels and other shellfish. A beautiful way to end the day.

... PLM