Company's coming!

My brother-in-law's business trip to Seattle means that my sister gets to tag along and visit - they'll be here tomorrow. I love getting visitors - and this is the first time anyone from the family has been to see our house so that's exciting in itself. Unfortunately the weather is 'iffy' (but when isn't it in Seattle?)

While trying to think of what to do - tourist activity wise - while they are here I realized that Mark and I haven't done the extensive exploring in this area that we usually do when we move to a new place. To some extent that has been influenced by the fact that we were here as tourists before moving here and already had some favorite places - which we keep going back to. But in addition, the distances involved, and the winter closings in this pretty-far-north place have necessarily minimized our wanderings. We're also finding it a bit crowded; Seattle-ites like to get out too!

But mostly it is because we spent those hellish months in that awful apartment situation and now that we finally have a home again, where it is peaceful and interesting and where much needs to be done to make it our own, we are content to stay in it.

In all my moving around the country the thing that has characterized my lifestyle more than anything is this "when in Rome" sort of thing - adapt to what is there and what the moment calls for. In Alaska I quilted, went to potlucks, and read a lot. In Oregon we wandered in the city, took long walks and gardened. In California we hiked. (And hiked. And hiked...) In Kentucky we explored.

And here? Maybe we are just meant to be homebodies.

Still, it's nice to be getting company.