Slightly Unhinged

Just a couple days after summer school was over, my son and I packed our bags and flew to Seattle.  Although I’m a Navy brat who grew up moving to a different military base every two or three years, my parents settled in the Seattle area when my father retired and it was there that I went to college, married, and gave birth to my son. Even though we’ve lived in Arizona for nearly a decade, we travel back to Seattle frequently to visit family and, in many ways, it still feels like home. Trips back to Seattle during the summer are especially enjoyable, as the contrast between the blazing oven-like heat of the Arizona desert and the cool temperate climate of the Pacific Northwest always makes me wonder why I’ve chosen to live in such an inhospitable environment (although the next time I visit Seattle in the winter and the cold wet weather causes my joints to ache, I remember that living in a warmer climate does have its benefits).

The gazebo at my parent's house

When we go home, we stay with my parents in Bremerton on the Kitsap peninsula. They live in a lovely 1930′s era cottage on a large wooded lot with a peekaboo view of Oyster Bay. It’s very quiet, peaceful and picturesque, complete with lush grounds and a garden gazebo. I always end up feeling guilty because while I’m there, my parents end up doting on me and despite my best intentions, I usually end up letting them. I am their only child and my son is their only grandchild and besides the fact that they love us both dearly, they also love to entertain so staying with them is almost like staying in a lovely little bed and breakfast. Since I am usually taking care of everyone else when I am at home, it is a rare treat to be taken care of while I am staying with my parents. We lived in Seattle for several years so we have quite a few friends and family that still live in the area and each trip back gives us an opportunity to catch up. My son has friends he’s known since he was in diapers that he still keeps in touch with, even though they’re now in high school. We feel a connection not only to the people that we know there but also to the place itself. I love riding the ferry across the Sound and just walking around the city. The time I spent as a young college student, living in a historic 1920′s era apartment in the U-District and attending the University of Washington, was among the happiest times of my life.

When the time comes for us to return to Arizona, I always feel conflicted. I always miss some things (mainly my bed and my cats) but I also feel like I’m leaving a place with which I have a great affinity. I think the desert is beautiful but it has never felt like home to me. In an ideal world, I’d have a winter home in the Southwest and a summer home in the Northwest: that way I could take advantage of what I like most about each place. Until then, however, I have to make a choice and at this point, for purely practical reasons, I have to choose Arizona as my primary residence and visit Seattle as often as I can. I hope, however, that my circumstances change and I will be able to return to living in the Northwest full-time in the not-too-distant future.