I am sitting in Bellingham, Washington at a Starbucks, of course. At the moment, I’m kind of feeling out of sorts and have been trying to write a post for the last three hours. I had a great day yesterday in Vancouver. Went to a Canadians game which was sold out at Nat Bailey Stadium. I loved the place which was built in 1951 and the crowd was into the game.  When I arrived, I had a minor panic attack since I was told that I was unable to get a ticket.  I talked with Lucas Scott, Media Relations, and he gave me a Press Pass and also got me a Northwest League game ball which I appreciated greatly.  I was meeting a friend I had met when I was in India a couple of years ago. She, and another friend who was also in India, were going to show me around Vancouver.  Lucas was gracious enough to put “plus one” on the pass.

Louise got to the game around the fourth inning. I met her in the parking lot and we went into the game.  We really didn’t know each other well since we only spent ten days together in the Himalayas cleaning toilets and showers during a silent “Introduction to Buddhism” retreat.  I became Facebook friends with her and Gloria. I was always impressed with their adventurous spirit. This coming October, they will be going to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital.  Yeah you read that right – These two are doers!

Louise and I talked about our experiences over the last two years. I always want to know what motivates people that can just go out and do things.  After the game we grabbed a drink and waited for Gloria to meet us. The two of them showed me some of the sights within the city. I was very impressed with the skyline of Vancouver and the entire city had a great vibe to it. This is definitely a place I want to come back to.  It was a warm and beautiful night, one of those nights where you feel good about the life you are living, if that makes any sense.

I am in the Pacific Northwest for a about a week. I was at the Seattle Mariners game the day before driving up to Canada. I liked Safeco Field; however, it was a cold and windy night. I am usually prepared for games but on this night I was not! I did wear jeans, a sweatshirt, a jacket but only had flip flops on. I had a chill that I couldn’t shake and decided to buy a $50 Mariners blanket. Yeah, I overpaid for it but I did get warm and now I own a goofy blanket that is probably only worth $10.

That night I drove towards the border and slept in a rest area. When I woke-up the following morning, I heard someone talking outside my car.  When I got out to see who it was I was overwhelmed with the smell of marijuana. There was a guy talking on his phone. When he saw me, he told whomever it was he was talking to that he needed to go.  I started organizing my car. He came over and started asking me questions. I answered and told him what I was doing. He then asked if I wanted to “toke up” with him because he didn’t like to smoke alone. I declined but he continued to tell me that he had some really good “shit’ and besides it is legal in Washington.  I told him that I had to drive to Canada and didn’t think it was a good idea to drive impaired.

This guy interested me, and for whatever reason, I wanted him to think that I actually smoked pot.  Why that was I will never know, he gave me his reasons why smoking ‘weed” was good for you.  I had heard it all before, mostly from people that were high and passionate about all the wonderful uses of hemp.  He told me that they had free coffee in the rest area, I went and got some. I made a donation to the cause they were raising money for. My ‘friend’ was back on his phone talking when I returned to my car with my coffee. However, he interrupted his conversation when he saw me. He needed to tell me about another rest area near Tacoma and I thanked him for the information. He went back to his phone conversation. As I got on my way, I thought about him for the next few miles.

I have to say that Seattle and Vancouver are some pretty progressive cities and I liked both of them.  I am a guy that loves to see diversity in all of its forms.  My rest area “stoner” friend had a story to tell and I wanted to listen to him.  Everyone has a story to tell, some have the medium and the ability to communicate theirs. Others – just stop random people in rest areas.  The need for human interaction and being appreciated, I think, is basic in all of us.  I have been missing Milwaukee, my own place and someone to go home to the last couple of days. The feeling comes and it goes.  I have many stories I have collected on this venture; however, I have not written about them all.  I need to figure out how I can. So many suggest writing a book.  I may; or, I may continue on my website. I need more ideas, more help, as I have so many stories yet to be told.