A close encounter of the parental kind

Well, it has been a week since my parents left, but the apartment still has a giant parent-sized hole in it. It is amazing how much more you begin to appreciate your parents as you get older. Maybe appreciate is the wrong word, maybe, understand the value, is more appropriate. But again, it makes it sound like they meant less to me when I was younger, and this isn't the case. I can appreciate my parents as people and friends now, instead of just as parents. I have to say that the three people in the world that I would choose to hang out with over anyone else is Dave, my Mum and my Dad. But anyway, I sentimentally ramble on.

They got here on July 4th. There was excitement in the air but I couldn't have cared less about this country's misplaced pride. Everything conspired against me to get to the airport on time to meet them. I ended up finding them at the suitcase carousel, and seeing your parents after a long hiatus is an overwhelming feeling. I remember when I was a child, and I had moved to the Cayman Islands with my Mum, the feeling of missing my Dad. They conspired to have my Dad visit (he was selling the house back in the states) and my Mum took me to the airport under the guise of collecting our pets. This alone was exciting enough for me to be antsy. Then I saw my Dad. I remember the feeling like it was yesterday - I felt like I was in a film. He picked me up in a huge enveloping hug and spun me round. I'm afraid words would only cheapen the feeling I had, so just imagine a girl whose Christmas's, birthdays, and all things good had come at once. Well, seeing my parents for the first time in two years gave me the adult equivalent of that emotion.

I was a bit nervous about what they were to think of my apartment. Dave and I love it, but it has its quirks (neighbours with loud fighting/making up habits). So I got them back and showed them round. I'm sure I talked their ears off, as I am prone to do, but I was happy. We decided to sack off independence day fireworks. The hill in Gasworks Park where you go to view had come alive with people and looked more like hell than a pleasant evening. Besides, we did it last year, and I wanted my parents all to myself. So we sat and we talked til Dave got home.

Our first morning started with my Dad getting a little befuddled and waking everyone up with a rousing chorus of "good morning, good morning, you slept the whole night through!" I dragged myself up, wondering why it was still rather dark. My Dad knows he is never going to live this down, and it became a joke throughout their stay, but it turns out it was just coming up to 6am. His alarm had kindly forgotten to reset itself to Pacific time. He had already been down to the Starbucks to get coffee, and it seemed a shame for it to go to waste, so we slowly tried to come to life.

 
We visited Leavenworth on the first day - this gave us the opportunity to show off our new RV. It's always nice having people affirm your choices, and affirm they did. We have had such mixed feedback on our rig that it was nice to have an non-judgemental, unprofessional 'wow!' from someone. No bits of advice, just a pure and untainted appreciation for the funness of the vehicle. Yes, fun-ness is now a word.

We mainly went to Leavenworth to show them the drive and the Christmas Shoppe. There isn't much to do around Leavenworth, so we just sauntered around, got some lunch, and admired The Cascades standing tall on all sides.

The next day we decided to visit Mount Rainier National Park. Dave and I had never been before, and we are idiots for not having done it sooner. It is stunning. We got to one of the ski resorts where they have new Gondolas to keep the resort making money in the summer. At the summit of this gondola rise sits a restaurant where we stopped and had a tipple. I wouldn't call it peaceful, but it was certainly beautiful - I suppose magnificent is the word. Although my parents were surprised how many Microsoft employees there were in this little section of mountain - given away by their shirts and stickers. Well, there are more telltale signs, but I'll let you fill in the blanks.

We continued through to the National Park, and this was well worth the trip. We had packed a picnic so we drove and drove until we found what we thought was a spot by the river. We offloaded - and people were getting a bit 'hangry' by this point. We walked down only to find that it was a dried up riverbed. The river was there, but a 5 minute walk across loose rock and tree trunks. So we plonked down in some shade and ravenously enjoyed our sandwiches and chilled beers in the middle of the riverbed.

For the next 3 days I had my parents to myself while Dave was at work. We visited my work, so I could show them off to my colleagues, and show my parents where I work too. We visited Pike Place Market, took the ferry to Alki Beach, and then headed home to get ready for the baseball game.

My Dad used to take me to see the Philadelphia Phillies, so I was very excited about this opportunity to be a little girl again. Plus Dave had never seen a baseball game, and I wanted him to see how American sports are a different thing altogether to watch and be a apart of. My Mum bought me a baseball cap and my Dad kept us in beer and food. He even bought us a deep-fried twinkie. Glad I tried it, never again! The Mariners were playing the Boston Red Sox and the Mariners thrashed them 11 to 4. It was a great game to watch, and I was enamoured with every minute of the experience.

The next day we visited Port Townsend - a sleepy port town. We didn't get going from the apartment til late and our lunch took forever to arrive, so it was a bit of an in and out visit. But we got to take the ferry over and, like all of Washington, the views were majestic. But again, we had to get back for dinner reservations at the Seattle SkyCity restaurant atop the Space Needle. This was to celebrate my mum's birthday, and it didn't disappoint. We got to see the sunset, and watch a couple try to devour each other. I felt like saying they should leave room for their dinner! And please, wait for dessert...

The next day we set out for the Petrified Forest. I wanted to show them the diversity of the landscape, and this was set in desert - quite the opposite from the Emerald City of Seattle. The forest itself was no great shake, but the temperature had soared to 99 degrees, from the 77 we had left in Seattle. The highlight of the day was a little roadside cafe where I had a meatloaf sandwich and my Dad had a cherry pie for dessert. This is what I consider real American fare, served up alongside good ol' country music.  On the way home, we decided to take a different route to avoid traffic and ended up going past Snoqualmie Falls - a hydro dam  whose water tumbles into a waterfall. It was a lovely day to see it and a stark contrast from the barrenness of the desert.

The next day my parents spent with Dave, and he took them on a drive through Deception Pass, which is another beautiful area (noticing a trend?). Another ferry journey, and I was left with the warm feeling that I can leave my parents alone with my boyfriend and not have to worry. About either of them!

Each night we tried to wow my parents with our culinary ability. We fed them homemade Chinese takeout, strawberry risotto, chilli, ratatouille tart - and all were met with grand appreciation. My parents are fun people to have around because they really seem to groove on (this is actually  a synonym for appreciate in an online thesaurus!) experiences. Showing them around was a joy because they really enjoyed it, they got excited about things, and I loved that.

Parting with them was harder that I thought it was going to be. I moped, cried and drank margaritas until it washed away. I still, a week on, notice their absence. We were spoilt rotten and treated to luxuries we never afford ourselves, but it was merely having them around that made us so happy.  I guess that's what it comes down to, for a whole 10 days I got to be someone's little girl again. I wasn't someone's manager, I wasn't someone's girlfriend, I didn't have to be anyone but the little girl I was. Thank you Mum and Dad :)

All the little things

We finally went on our first trip in the RV!! It was a last minute decision, and I find that last minute plans turn out the best. This was usually applied to my life in Bristol - the rave you just happen upon, the pint that turns into the best night ever. But I'm growing up (kicking and screaming, mind) and more wholesome things are becoming those last minute awesome ideas.

We tried to find somewhere near to our RV, but nowhere had spaces. So we looked a little further afield and ended up in Leavenworth. Over Christmas we had booked a cabin in Leavenworth as a getaway and it was cruelly torn from our grasp by snow storms. But we made it! We finally made it! Leavenworth is a tacky Bavarian style town created in the 60's. It was a genius idea to pull a once thriving railroad town into the spotlight after the relocation of the railway and it has been a success. But I do worry that Americans genuinely believe that Germans wear lederhosen and solely eat Bratwurst.

The hole our poo is meant to occupy

Sardines, anyone?

We needed full hookups to test out all the different bits on our RV. For those in the dark about this stuff, you basically hook up to a power mains, water mains and a charming poop shoot. This trip was a steep learning curve and I now know that 'partial hookup' means no poop shoot. There was also cable available, but I'll be damned if we could figure that one out.

The drive up was fun - it was the first time both Dave and I were in the vehicle for a good, long drive. Considering our car has no stereo, radio or any way to make sound apart from the disconcerting rattles and squeaks, the music was a real treat. And yes, I went for my first number two in a moving vehicle (barring planes, of course). This isn't the depth of information I would normally share with everyone (those of you who know me know this is somewhat of a lie), but it felt like a momentous occasion - one of which I am very proud. But saying that, I wouldn't choose to do it again. Luckily the bathroom is very small, allowing me to brace myself against the walls as it swayed to and fro. So, with that mental image in tact, I can tell you it was anything but the relaxing bathroom visit you cherish.

We had decided to take this trip because Seattle was experiencing a heatwave. It was in the 90's and beautiful sunshine, so it seemed absolutely perfect. Dave did have to pull a sickie - but it's one of those rare treats that makes it feel even more special because it's kind of naughty. But we thought this was a worthy cause. So, there we are on our way out of Seattle, driving into the mountains, and we see dark, heavy clouds around. It's pretty early so we figure the clouds will burn off. The closer we got to Leavenworth, the darker they got. And then it opened its spiteful guts all over us. We pulled into our campsite in a thunder storm accompanied by torrential rain. Backing this beast up is not something you can do without someone guiding you, so I'm standing in my little summer dress trying to guide the RV into a narrow camping spot for the first time. To the naked eye I look like a sopping wet idiot, but inside I was filled with stomach sickening, saccharin sweet glee. It may have been pissing it down with rain, but this was the Damy-mobile's maiden voyage. We had burgers, we had booze, we had everything we needed to make the best of it.

The fruits of our hose labor!

So, in the rain, we start to set up our little domain. The hookups aren't too complicated. Plug in RV - literally all you do with the power cable - just plug it in like a hair dryer. We found out we needed a new hose for potable water. Luckily our campsite was right on the main road opposite a Safeway (supermarket) and a hardware store. So we trudged across in a little moment of sunshine and bought ourselves a new hose. We got everything up and running, and I think that was the closest feeling to having children I think I've had. The pride, the joy, the amazement that it all works and nothing is wrong. Well, I say that...we couldn't connect the shit slide as we didn't have an adapter. We have since purchased one, a little arm that connects the tube to the hole. We bought a clear one so that we can see when the tube is empty. Ahem. Honestly, pure function, not comedy.

So we whipped out our lawn chairs, sat under the awning with our tinnies and watched the cars go by. We had a bbq for dinner, and realised that our beers were getting warmer as they came out the fridge. Another lesson learned - the RV really does have to be very level for the fridge to work. It is cooled by ammonia moving around the fridge, and when it isn't level, the ammonia doesn't move around the fridge, meaning it doesn't cool. But please do not take my word on that little technicality.

We only stayed a night - luckily the rain went away in the evening and we had our camp fire, watched a bit of TV inside the rig to get a feel for home life, and went to bed as happy little clams. The bed is comfy, but the thing rocks just when you are walking around in it, so for the sake of privacy, we have invested in stabilizers. I don't think the families or retirees would get any amusement out of a vigorously rocking RV, regardless of it being accompanied by a neat little rhyme.

Letting the brakes cool

The way home was kind of sad - we wanted longer in our new home, but we had to go. Leavenworth is in the mountains, so the way home was a steep gradient downwards pretty much 70% of the way. Since neither of us had ever driven a vehicle this long before, we were surprised when we smelt burning rubber. After a while we decided it had to be us so we pulled over. At this point we saw the smoke. Lots of smoke. Coming from the brakes. We had a tanker pull up behind us and saunter over. He informed us that we had overheated our brakes and we needed to go down a gear to make it down the hill without doing any damage. Of course this dawned on us just as the words fell out of his mouth. It seemed so obvious. It was something we both knew from our driving test in England (definitely not the kind of thing you learn as standard here!). But then we realised, we are part of a club now. The Big Vehicle Club. That guy didn't have to stop, but he did, and we were very grateful. We weren't sure what was wrong, we could guess it was the brakes, but this geezer put our minds at rest. We still have the get the brakes tested now, but we knew we would make it home alive. So, we chilled out in the RV for 15 minutes and hopped back on the road.

We breathe in as we go through these!

Dave's knuckles were white by the time we made it back, but we came away from the experience much more confident. Not only that, but twice as excited to hit the road, to embrace this lifestyle with big, open arms. Man, we're RVers baby!

The area is called The Cascades for its abundance of waterfalls