I Can See the Sea!

Well, I can't anymore-- just a snowy street now--but I did on the weekend!

I spent the last few days in Seattle, both working and visiting friends. It's one of my favorite cities, and despite having to put in a few hours of work, I had a wonderful time seeing friends.

I got to visit two of the best stores: Elliott Bay Book Company and Archie McPhee. At Elliott Bay, I saw my old Tattered Cover friend, T., and we caught up and shared some favorite book titles. At Archie McPhee, I loaded my basket with things like gummy rubber chickens and Uncle Oinker's (strawberry-flavored) gummy bacon, complete with a bacon viewing window! I really, really, really wanted to get some to send to my friend, Becca, but alas it is not Kosher. I'm not sure why that surprised me, but oddly enough, it did.

Then, I met up with old friends S. and B. and their adorable little daughter who we will call Bananas. She is called "Bananas" because of a Sesame Street sketch but I can't find it to share, so you'll just have to trust me that it's really funny.

We got out a bit--to the zoo, where we saw:

ducks
penguins
a jaguar
gorillas
a monkey
and a peacock.

Then, we went over to West Seattle, so Kay could "see the sea", which was a confusing concept for a 3 year old. She understood making monkey faces much better. We had a lovely lunch, walked on the beach, and got snacks from the amazing Alki Bakery. It was a mostly clear day, cool and partly cloudy, and a welcome change from icy Denver.






Our time out was limited, but that was fine by me. A 3 year old needs lots of down-time, and so does her daddy, who has MS.

My friend S. is a truly incredible man, and while it pains me every time I see how limited his mobility has become, I am still astounded by the things he is able to do--and by his brain. He was diagnosed about 15 years ago, when we worked together at Tattered Cover. The diagnosis was devastating. It would be bad enough for anyone, but S. is an actor and an amazing one at that.

The news came when he was in rehearsals for Hamlet--and he was playing the lead role. The show did go on, with S. playing the only left-handed Hamlet in history, that we are aware of.

Over the years, his condition has worsened and he's starting to have some cognitive impact, too, but all-in-all he is happy and healthy. He works near their home in Seattle, but is unable to walk the less than 10 minutes required to get to his office. Mostly, he is wheel-chair bound, though he can get around the house to get food, drinks, books, etc.--when Kay doesn't leave her chair pulled out and in his way, that is.

His brain is just amazing. S. is one of the funniest and smartest people I've ever met. When I walked into the house Friday night, he reminded me that when he falls down, unless there is blood, it is funny. (That's a hard one to get your head around....) And he routinely pulls the "I have a disease, you know" card, particularly when he's done something utterly stupid that has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with his MS.

When I go on Who Wants to be a Millionaire (check your local listings), he will be one of my lifelines. Some things I learned from him this weekend:

*Jacqueline du Pre and Daniel Barenboim were married. Who knew? (I learned this while he was tucking Bananas into bed on Friday night. They were having a conversation. It was a bit one-sided.)
*S. is personally responsible for starting the Wikipedia list of Lawrence Olivier's stage performances--and he composed it mostly from memory.
*Paul Schaffer wrote "It's Raining Men" and it was offered to a number of singers before The Weather Girls recorded it.
*Salman Rushdie's third wife was Marianne Wesson. I knew that but couldn't recall her name. He could.
*Helen Mirren is at the top of his "list of five".

There was more, but my brain, unlike his, is a sieve.

Oh, and he knows Martin Freeman and has met John Hannah. ::thud::

His wife, B., is truly incredible, too, but I've gone on long enough for today. She loves their life together, with the patience of a saint and the good humor of, well, I don't know but someone with very good humor.

So, we had a wonderful weekend full of lots of laughter--and thankfully, no falls. And now it's back to snowy Denver, where we got another six inches yesterday. The break was lovely while it lasted.