prolonged absence

So much to say with no idea where to start since I haven't written since the beginning of June ... I guess a brief accounting of my activities over the last several weeks.

- Finished residency (amazing to have the whole education thing behind me - now on to life-long self-directed learning)
- On the last day of residency picked up u-haul and loaded up my cottage (well, the stuff in the cottage)
- Moved stuff to Port Angeles (PA)
- Stayed in PA for 2 days
- Back to Longview spending time with Miguel and Mom (sometimes together, egad!)
- Up to Seattle to briefly see my aunt, uncle, cousin, grandfather; went kayaking with a friend from med school
- Flew to Baltimore with 2 friends from college for another college friend's wedding (great reunion after 3 years)
- 2 days in DC seeing the voluminous amounts of historical sights (Miguel and I will be going back)
- Flew back to Seattle
- Back to Longview for a few days
- Then back up to Seattle for a few days with Miguel's family and to a Mariner's game
- To Ashland to catch a few plays (Midsummer's night and The Clay Cart) and time in a B&B
- On to Northern California (with a hastily eaten bag of cherries so they wouldn't be taken by the "produce police" at the border) and 3 nights camping in Smith River National Recreation Area
- Trip to the Tall Trees Trail (yes, real name), where surprisingly enough, there were tall trees
- Stop to see my sister who is still in Coquille, OR living and working on a permaculture farm
- Then on to a stay at the Village Green Resort in Cottage Grove, OR, which was full of full of great surprises - nice room with a king size bed (wonderful after camping for 3 nights), very nice dinner for $20, 14 acres of gardens, short swim in a cold-ish pool followed by a hot tub ...
- To Portland and the Brew Fest (I didn't last here long but went to Powells instead while Miguel and his friend spent 3 hours tasting beers; I had a few sips while I was there)
- Back to Longview for 2 nights
- To Seattle for a get together with my dad's side of the family since his brother was in town from Florida and my grandfather is dying from a frontal lobe glioma. He was given several months left to live back in March and has been living in my aunt and uncle's basement since then. Prognoses are notoreously inaccurate and I think he will live longer than predicted. My aunt has been sleeping by his bed in the basement since he came home from the hospital in March. Not an option that is sustainable for the long term ...
- And, finally, back to PA. I start work next Mondy the 4th.

As Yola pointed out, this was not a month in which I skimped on gas. I keep hearing about how people are decreasing their fuel consumption because of gas prices ... I'm sure I've made up for several people not driving as much.

Hopefully I'll be able to write a little more frequently now that I'm not traveling and am not a resident. However, Miguel and I still have to figure out internet access at home. Currently I'm writing from the library about a block down from our apartment.