It would have been nice to have some advance warning. Walt left for practice yesterday at what seemed to be 9:30 (for a 10 am start). I discovered shortly after he left that it was only 8:30 (thank you, facebook) and was able to communicate that news quickly. On the plus side, the whole day - and it was a crisp and sunny one - got immediately longer, or so it seemed until everything got dark at 5 pm. When that happens, you just want to hunker down under the covers until April or May if you live in these parts.
Only the day before, Saturday, I was marveling over the length of the period called dusk, as we drove through Blewitt Pass towards Seattle. The sky seemed to extend out west forever, and no I can't post a photo because I didn't take one. The car was moving. Those photos never come out.
We spent more time in the tourist trap that is Leavenworth than was strictly necessary. I didn't know there was so much stuff made in China and sold in cutesy gift shops. Is there anything going on in Leavenworth that I need to know about? Anything cultural, for example. I saw only shops and more shops, selling some frankly hideous looking shit. We stopped at the Icicle brewery for an IPA that could have been colder given the name of the place. It was pleasant; we met the proud owner of one of the local shops. Let's leave it at that. He is German-born, at least. Stopped in Leavenworth one day and fell in love with the place. Go figure.
Then the Huskies lost to the Ducks, which was inevitable. Then came the extra hour on Sunday and a long walk for Miss Neko in Jack Block Park, followed by an excursion downtown for a winter casual coat and then a stop at the Brave Horse. I love that place. I just wish the menu had more options. Brave Horse has a really good no meat burger made with black beans and green chilis. I don't know how they manage to achieve a texture that resembles a steak tartare. And they have great cole slaw, though sadly the sauce has mayo in it. Walt had a giant pretzel and mussels. I think having a drink and some food at 3pm helped to take the edge off the sudden darkness at 5 pm. Walt kept trying to figure out what time it "really" was; I told him this would only lead to sorrow and frustration. The cats woke up at 4:40am for breakfast, but that's okay because we went to bed at 9:30pm, which was not - as I reminded Walt - "really" 10:30pm. I'm with les agriculteurs français on this one: I wish the world would stop tinkering with time and clocks twice a year and just let things be what they are. But until that happens, and it will never happen, the best and only remedy is to live in the moment. In an ideal world, winter hibernation would also be a viable option for humans.
