Spring, 2010, in Bellingham - Llew

To carry on my spring checking in here tradition, we are enjoying an early bloom of our gardens here having had very warm and dry weather (for the rusting Washingtonians) in February and March. The last few days, however, have reintroduced the winter that left early, with rain and below average coolness. Today it was 54 for a high, whereas generally it is in the mid to high 60s, and when I moved out here in the 70s, it even got a high as in the 80s this time of year. Amazing.
I have been watching the happenings in the Gulf of Mexico and wishing that it begins to get cleaned up and handled better some time soon. I watch the maps and am especially concerned about Thibodaux, where I lived, and Houma where friends live now, and Grand Isle, where I even saw one of my former students at Nicholl's State University on a new report.
We are planning to stay close to Bellingham most of the summer, with a couple of trips near by to see some Shakespeare plays, one in Vancouver, British Columbia, that combines all the material on the character Falstaff, from the Henry histories and the comedy "The Merry Wives of Windsor" into a single production on the one character. A friend from Phoenix, Arizona will be visiting when we travel up to see it, and to see Canada, also. There will be additional plays out at Lake Padden here and down at a theater in Mount Vernon that we enjoy and where I inevitably see former students who are now in their 30s and 40s from Burlington days. They always have fond memories of the classes and of me which somewhat makes me wonder if time doesn't indeed erase all flaws. Seeing them is an enjoyment, and reconnecting through them with a host of others in conversation and news.
Vonnie is scheduled for her knee replacement either the week before or the week after Julyn 4th, and we are really, really happy about that. Soon, she will be active and walking once more. My own knee replacement (actually, only 1/2 of the knee) was several years ago by the same doctor, and has been perfect and such a huge relief. He's an excellent surgeon, and we are lucky to have him here in Bellingham.
At some point, after we are both fully mobile, we will be traveling south and hope to see many of you. We seem to be on the seeing relatives in Texas and Oklahoma on the 10 or 15 or even 40 year plan. But we are looking forward.