I'm using Sacred Road Tattoo's first anniversary as an excuse to recycle this post from August 2010. Congrats to my brother for following his Sacred Road for a whole year now. If you think of life as a journey, maybe it makes sense to say we all walk a sacred road. If the chance to … Continue reading Sacred Road
memories
Vigil
The neighborhood I live in, Ballard, is the historic home of Scandinavian fishermen - and to this day it is home for most of the Norwegian ex-pats and descendants of Norwegian immigrants in the city. Tonight the Norwegian consulate and the Nordic Heritage Museum held a vigil in remembrance of the tragic events in Norway … Continue reading Vigil
“Uh, sir? Just one more thing…”
Sad news - Peter Falk died on Thursday, age 83, after bringing us countless joys with his performances. Columbo is a timeless character, a kind of blind-seer, a wise-idiot, or a court jester who gets away with bringing down the powerful because he allows himself to seem so harmless to them for so long. He … Continue reading “Uh, sir? Just one more thing…”
When you are old, everything reminds you
I read this piece - written to a friend a couple of years ago - at another friend's 50th birthday party tonight. It was great fun to hear his laughter. The last time I bought a hair dryer, Bill Clinton was president. It was early enough in his presidency that we still thought he would … Continue reading When you are old, everything reminds you
Ferraro-Mondale
Nineteen eighty-four. The title of the novel by George Orwell, and my sophomore year at college. That autumn's presidential election saw the first ever woman nominated on a major party ticket - Geraldine Ferraro. She was tapped by Walter Mondale to run as his vice-presidential candidate. It was the first presidential election since I was … Continue reading Ferraro-Mondale
A bell in a dream
Here's a piece I wrote at Sierra Nelson's workshop at the December Write-O-Rama at Hugo House, Seattle: Where can you find a bell that will ring in your dreams? - Pablo Neruda See, that’s funny, because it happened to me just the other night. I was dreaming about winter, snow and cold and trying to … Continue reading A bell in a dream
What makes a good day?
A walk with your old dog, without getting rained on. A trip to the local post shop, to send the last of your xmas packages off in the mail - to friends old and new. A chat with a friend across a nine-hour time difference, celebrating her daughter's fourth birthday. A great cup … Continue reading What makes a good day?
Cabbage, 1934
This is a piece I wrote at a Hugo House class this spring, taught by Cathy Kirkwood, called "Writing the Other." Cabbage, 1934 She stands in her kitchen, near the refrigerator, as far from the sink full of dirty dishes as she can get. It does not help that there is a small window above … Continue reading Cabbage, 1934
Elizabeth Fountain, Author 