Roadtrip Days 8 & 9: Redmond

Saturday we spent mostly with Mike. We ate breakfast at what is apparently the only bagel shop in the entirety of the Seattle area (with Mike, as usual, not eating). Then we went with Mom to an appliance shop where she is ordering her new kitchen appliances for the new house. Good thing, too, ’cause she changed her mind about all of them once she was able to see them in person and talk to a salesperson. She picked a dishwasher, stove, oven, refrigerator, range hood, and microwave oven.

Then we accompanied Mike to the liquor store for a bottle of his favorite tequila (which, I worry, serves as his dinner on many nights). Don’t let it be said that my family can’t drink. I’m the odd one out, it would seem, as far as alcohol habits; one or two drinks per week is more than enough for my tastes.

Mike seems to be opening up a little as the days wear on, and by that I mean he’s not responding entirely in monosyllables and occasionally you can actually hear what he says. I really feel bad for him and feel like I should be a good sister and do something to help him, but I think he’s still at a point where he doesn’t want help and doesn’t particularly even want to feel better, and I totally understand that. So I’ve been giving him his space, not forcing conversations, trying to make him smile on occasion, and talking with him about things that interest him (food, wine, migraine).

His house is in such disrepair it’s depressing. All the renovations that he and Vanessa started (actually I think it was entirely Mike doing the work) just sit half finished. He has no motivation to complete them, and I don’t think I would either in his situation.

We sat around the house in the afternoon, working on our computers or watching the TV. In the evening, Mom and I drove out to a place called Triple XXX Root Beer Drive In in Issaquah to pick up dinner (burgers, fries, root beer floats). The place was a retro-nostalgia 50s style drive in diner, with 50s music on the loudspeakers, people with their classic cars in the parking lot, and 50s memorabilia plastered over every square inch of the place. Mike asked us to bring him some insanely large super special burger that was at least 8 inches in diameter.

Last night the moon and clouds looked particularly pretty, so I took some long exposure pictures after it finally got dark enough, which was about 10:45 p.m. (the days are longer here in the summers than in Texas because of how far north it is).

Today we drove out to Sequim to show Mike the house and get his opinions on things that might need to be done, such as reinforcing the floors underneath the kitchen and bathroom. Mike has done a lot of renovation on his house and he does beautiful work, so Mom wanted to see if he thought that they needed to make any changes. I told him that he could get a second job as a contractor.

That drive to Sequim is LOOOOOONG. It’s about 140 miles from Mike’s house to there, each way. I’ve done it 3 times now. I think, all told, I’ve probably been in the car for 3500 miles in the past 9 days. I’m really tired of it, but the funny thing is, these drives back and forth to Sequim seem MUCH longer than the 650 mile days we were doing to get here in the first place.

At least on the way back we stopped by John’s (about the halfway point) so Mike could try to get Mom’s outgoing e-mail to work (no dice), so it was nice to have a little break. I laid under their cherry tree outside and called Doc. I can’t wait to see him tomorrow.

This evening we went to a nice Italian place called Grazie’s (in Factoria) for dinner. The food was nice, and I even tasted Mike’s CALAMARI, if you can believe it! Not the little deep fried rubber bands that a lot of places serve as an appetizer, but a calamari steak. It had a nice taste, but the texture was a little odd and smooth. I could probably dig it if I didn’t think about what it was. And for dessert: the most amazing thing in the world, a taste I had no idea existed. Flourless chocolate cake – not too sweet – and a glass of port wine. Oh. My. God.

Tomorrow I go home. My flight gets in to Dallas at 5:30. I have had a nice time but am looking forward to my cats, my own bed, and especially my Doc.