Smiles and Nods

Here's another picture taken along the main road from Bellingham down to Fairhaven. Fairhave is actually part of Bellingham, but it was once a separate city, annexed years and years ago. But there is few miles between the two built-up areas. In between is mostly residential. An of course condos and trophy homes. Many people that come to Bellingham are trying to escape the places they trashed, like Seattle and California. But they still want to bring that lifestyle with them, and then lament how congested and built up the city is becoming. My place is 1,000sf and too big. Why anyone, especially empty nesters, needs a 4,000+sf home is beyond me.

In the short time I've been here, it's pretty easy to pick out the locals. Every place I've ever been in this country (with the exception of the Niobrara region of Nebraska, and parts of the Deep South), people look at you and then, as you approach them, they look away or straight ahead. Here in Bellingham it's quite the opposite. When passing you people acknowledge you with a nod, smile, or hello. Whether on your bike or walking, it is mostly the norm. The further out of the city you get (in the homogenized zone of suburbia) it's more stressful, rushed, and auto-centric. Now way out in the county, people are quite friendly, albeit much more conservative. (I've been told the film Footloose was loosely based in Lynden, a city to the north that still has Sunday Blue Laws, such as no dancing and drinking in the same establishment.) But I digress.

Another aside: I think Windows may be the cause of of ADHD. I have seven open right now and am working on four different things. Ugh. Fortunately, one of the windows is a Grateful Dead, Ventura County Fairgrounds, 1983-07-30. Highly recommended. It's eleven p.m. and will probably be a long one. I went to neighborhood picnic today (it was neat to see the firemen there hanging out and eating on blankets with friends and family), watched the beautiful sunset and didn't get much work done. So tonight it's time to play catch up.