Awake

Yesterday I may have had a spiritual awakening. I do not know specifically what triggered my altered world view towards two things. The first was the fact that I looked upon Magilla and for the first time realized that she was truly a beautiful dog. Maybe it was all the people making such a fuss over her at the dog park. Or maybe that she's one of the kindest dogs I've ever seen and she has the most distinct and defined markings. And I still felt that way about her this morning. Hmph.

The other change I experienced was the appreciation of being outside in the drizzle of winter and how connected the weather makes you to your surroundings - the ground and sky and evergreens and ferns and salty bay - and loving it. And not only is the rain refreshing, but it keeps everything clean and vibrant. I really look forward to the next bike ride in the rain. And it looks like I will carry my trusty rain gear with me for the next few months wherever I go. I hope I can retain this enthusiasm for those months.

The movie is taken last full riding up Chuckanut Drive (SR11) on my old BMW R60/6. Although you can't really see that well, to the left is the Puget Sound and 178 islands. The lower part is basically an untouched windy ribbon of road, although development (in the form of tacky big houses) creeps further and further down the highway. ("Call someplace paradise, kiss it goodbye..."). This road passes through one of the few remaining undeveloped vestiges where the Cascades Mountains meet the Puget Sound, once spanning all the way to Portland. Unfortunately it will no longer be within ten years, as the bulldozers and logging trucks are moving in and the roads are already cut. So sad.