Brain, book, and a ballpoint 2.3 Seattle

greyboy allstars at the showbox - seattle
Originally uploaded by countzachula.

My trip to Seattle began to slow down. The day after I got there my sister and I went out to see the Greyboy Allstars at the Showbox. She left after the first set to look after her son. I stayed behind and began to realize that I was indeed two hours ahead of the current time zone. They were grooving so it was had not to dance though I had to sit down for awhile. I got a ride home from one of her friends that I met at set break. Five of us crammed into a pickup truck.

Ballard farmers market
Originally uploaded by countzachula.

The next few days were full of shopping around the local neighborhoods, touring Ballard, Fremont, and the cities dog parks. I feel into uncle mode and began to try and help out when I could by taking the dogs for walks, entertaining the kid, and cooking. Still was in vacation mode though.

When Sunday came around on our way to the Ballard farmers market we stopped at my mom’s sublet. It is a cottage with an old time feel. I sat down on the couch with my dog Casey unknowingly for the last time. After a day of running around we dropped my mom off and rested at my sister’s house. My brother-in-law and I took their dogs out the dog park and watched the sunset.

Golden gardens
Originally uploaded by countzachula.

On our way home the truck ran out of gas so we started to walk home. My sister called and at the moment I heard the words, "Oh No," come out of her husbands mouth I thought - ‘the truck fell out of gear and rolled down the hill striking a car’, but then my thought pattern changed and I began to think of the dog that hadn’t been eating much and who had lost a lot of weight since I saw her last in Wisconsin.

"Casey’s dead", came from his mouth and my thought pattern had proven true. My mind started racing and I wasn’t sure how to react. We got to their house and I took one of their cars over to my mom’s. All the while regret hung over my head as I had chosen to go back to my sister’s instead of my mom’s, thinking that there was plenty of time left even though somewhere in the back of my head I knew.

When I got to her house, I fumbled with the gate trying to open it, and got to the door. When it opened, there she was - eyes still open lying in her bed. Hugging my mom it began to sink in. I walked over and shut her eyes then placed a blanket over her after one last pet of the fur covering her lifeless body.

We then took her to the animal hospital to be cremated. (see r.i.p. Casey 1991-2006)

The rest of the trip included a lot of sweets, movie watching and grieving. I did make it to the Experience Music Project to gaze upon the relicts of rock and roll past. Instruments, letters, hand written song lyrics and the like from people like Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Kurt Cobain, even costumes of kiss, and a black jacket of Jonny Cash.

Instant portrait
Originally uploaded by countzachula.

It was a trip of ups and downs, I will miss Casey but she did live a full life of fifteen years and it was good that we were all there together. I was happy to meet my new nephew and my perspective on life changed a little bit. My priorities are changing as my life heads in a new direction.