The headline may seem confusing: Bremerton is west of Washington state, and San Francisco is two states down, in Northern California.
But that's indeed what happened the next 3 days: after made an appointment with our dermatologist back in San Francisco and flew down, while Lisette and Sheila hung out with Meri, Sophie and Brewski (and Coco was here too, must not forget to mention the reclusive cat), in Bremerton. Lisette and Michael have both, coincidentally, had cancerous cells removed from their noses (thank you, harsh Australian sun). While Lisette's type of skin cancer has not come back since her operation back in 2017, Michael's has had to be frozen off on several occasions, and during our trip it seems that the growths had returned. After stressing out about it and wondering how he'd see a specialist, we realized that being near Seattle, where there are constant and short flights to San Francisco as tech hubs, would be ideal in hopping on a plane to see our dermatologist.
Flying to SFO
So Michael boarded the ferry to Seattle on Sunday morning, unfortunately feeling sick on the way. Perhaps some of it was from stress, and some of it was from getting saturated and cold in Seattle yesterday. But Michael arrived back in San Francisco safe and sound, and was able to sleep and shower in our house there.
Michael's appointment was on Monday afternoon, so he'd be staying in San Francisco for two nights, getting back to Bremerton on Tuesday afternoon. During this time, he did some errands around the house, including catching up with a couple of our friends and folks who are helping us with these errands. The visit was short and unexpected, but an overall positive and productive one. And Michael'ss nose? Well, there were pre-cancerous cells that again needed to be frozen off. It's a constant situation of monitoring, and hopefully it won't prop up again.
Hanging Out in Bremerton
Meanwhile in Bremerton, Lisette and Meri went to nearby Poulsbo (yep, Little Norway which we'd visited a few days ago), for brunch on Sunday at Town & Country Markets, probably the closest brunch place in the area to a standard Aussie brunch. The smoked salmon benedict was delicious, and it was wonderful to have brunch (something we haven't done in a long time), and catch up with a girlfriend at the same time (something Lisette also hasn't done for months). The weather was warm and sunny, which probably contributed to going to bed early that night!
As you've gotten older, do you feel that there are certain foods that don't agree with you anymore? Lisette fears that salmon is in this category, as she wasn't feeling awesome the next day, and had to skip yoga class with Meri. Maybe it's just about eating certain foods now in very small amounts. In any case, it's clear that as we age our bodies change, right?
One of the most heartwarming things about staying with Meri was how incredibly well the dogs got along as well. Sheila would hear Brewski and Sophie scampering upstairs in the morning, and would excitedly run up the inside stairs, often touching noses between the gate separating them. Or they'd meet in the backyard in the morning, happily bounding around each other and peeing on top of each others' pee.
When Lisette and Meri went to have brunch and left the dogs in the backyard, they were patiently and contently hanging outside together. Or when we were doing computer work, they'd also happily hang around and play together. Sheila and Sophie at one point even shared the outdoor dog bed, which we were all gobsmacked by because neither dog ever does this! Sophie has sensitive arthritic hips and needs space, while Sheila is also a very independent breed.
And the dogs also loved walking together--whether that was going to the beach and for a swim, playing in the park, or simply strolling around the neighborhood. When Sheila would have to go back to the RV for her meals, she didn't need her leash either--she would go back to the gate to be reunited with Sophie and Brewski after eating, and if Lisette took her time in the RV to wash up after breakfast, Sheila would whine impatiently until she'd return.
It was definitely tough to say goodbye for everyone, as we knew the dogs had all bonded better than we could have anticipated--and from our perspective, Sheila has never gotten along better with any other dogs! While it was a bittersweet farewell, we are so incredibly thankful for friends like Meri and her hospitality, and glad this trip allows us to meet friends in different cities.
Heading to Seattle and West African Dance Class
Once Michael returned on Tuesday afternoon, there wasn't much time left to linger, before we had to drive to Seattle and make Lisette's 7pm West African dance class. Lisette found an all levels West African dance class by One World Dance, and she was excited to check it out!
There were about half a dozen people at the class, with live drumming. The teacher, Baba Kauna, had a ton of positive energy (he'd also taught a 90 minute beginner class immediately before), and while Lisette has learned various dances from Guinea, she learned a new one this evening: Sorsone from the Baga people in the Boke region. The class was super fun, and it's wonderful to be exposed to so many different dancing classes and teaching styles so far!
Class finished at 8.30pm, but fortunately there was still ample light in the sky for us to find a spot, which happened to be along the water, where we could see Mount Rainier in the distance, as the evening was so clear. How wonderful to wrap up the day with a beautiful sunset, sleeping right beside the water.