Seattle/Ellen/Seattle/Ellen

You know, when you are walking down the sidewalk of a blustery city by the sea, try this little sea chanty with each step you take:

Seattle (left foot)
Ellen (right foot)
Seattle (left foot)
Ellen (right foot)

See? Isn’t that cool? Or you can try this one, from my Girl Scout days (you have to have your foot land in rhythm with the words)

“Left..(leading with left foot)….
Huh…(right foot)….
Left…
Huh…
Left my wife and her forty eight kids on the verge of starvation without any gingerbread left…
Huh…
Left…
Huh…
Did i do RIGHT?
Huh….
…Right…?
Huh…..
Right for my country go WHOOP-DEE-DOO!”

…and at the “whoop dee doo”, you jump into the air in a sort of on-air skip and then land on your left foot leading, to start the entire process again.

Very fun. Both my kids are doing it now. When we aren’t doing the “Monkees” theme and crossing over one another’s feet.

Seattle.

What a great end to our journey into the depths of Ketchikan! Alaska was so majestic, so clean and simple and pure. Everything about it was magic. I wouldn’t have been surprised to bump into Hermione in a book store there.

And, then, to ride the ferry from Ketchikan to the airport on the parallel island, and wave goodbye to that story book place and catch the flight to the next storybook place…ah, Seattle! The fresh fish market, where the flowers are braided and colors bursting “hello! good morning!” and the International District with the Japanese/Chinese restaurants…how do they all stay open? LIterally, it seemed like hundreds of restaurants and bakeries…and interesting little storefronts with $1 cha-chkis and plastic bowls and squishy rubber fish and lunch boxes and screwdrivers and
placemats with pictures of hippos saying “Boo!” for no apparent reason. And the Needle (which we did not ride to the top…$46 bucks for the four of us, as Lily said, “…to ride an ELEVATOR? Mom, that’s crazy!” ) But we did go in the Fun Forest and ride the rollercoaster and win some prizes and
eat some junk and then to the theatre where io and I saw ” Prarie Home Companion” in an early 1900’s tiny theatre called the Seven Gables…one theatre, only holds, maybe, fifty people….and a handpainted screen with THE LAST CASTLE emblazoned across it, a chandelier that rotates up into the ceiing (that elicited some major “oohs” and “aahs” from me and io) while Lance and LIly went to see “Superman Returns” at the also ancient NEPTUNE.

More soon. I have to go get ready for swim lessons.

NEXT MORNING…6:11 am

Then, on Saturday, my dear friend, Jim Dunlap, came bursting on the scene, driving down from Vancouver with his pal, and now mine, Doreen, a lovely woman with a heart of gold. (Which is funny because they are both accountants in film!)

So, we all had dinner at Hervey’s, including Mint Chocolate Shakes, and then the girls went back to the hotel with Lance and I went off to perform a house concert at the enchanting home of Linda and John. What an entranceway! Their home is nestled on the tail end of a cul de sac, with foxgloves and ringing bells, fir trees and figurines peeking out from lovely gardens along the path. Hearts of swirling colored stone laid out among bowl’s of peanut butter pretzels and napkins, snacks ready for munching while songs are sung.

The concert was SUCH FUN! I sang, the audience sang, there was laughter and tears…new friends mixing with old, and a blessing on a love filled home to begin a new tradition of house concerts: I was the first to kick things off…such an honor!

Jim and Doreen drove me back to the hotel, and I was sad to see them go. I first met Jim about 12 years ago when he was working on “Northern Exposure”, and I was in Seattle to do a show at the Backstage. He had contacted my manager about picking me up and taking me out to meet the cast members (which I did!) and gave me a tour of Seattle. We’ve been fast friends ever since. Jim is the kind of friend who makes the whole world seem friendly, and everyone loves him. (He’s very ticklish so you have to be careful when you give the guy a hug. Just FYI.)