Seattle

I was born in Seattle in 1948. I was the biggest baby ever born at that hospital at 24 inches in length. I think I was somewhere between 8 and 10 pounds or more at that time. My mother said in the nursery in the hospital all the other babies had high pitched cries but mine was much lower in tone. Even then I had a deep voice.

Today I'm looking out my hotel window at the Space Needle. The hotel we are staying in is at least 40 stories high. The girls are going to their last college today before their flight home to California. I rented a car in Portland and took my older daughter and her boyfriend up to Timberline Lodge at around 5000 or 6000 feet up on Mt. Hood there. The view was spectacular that day of about 50 to 100 miles to the west, east and south from the lodge. When I stayed there before in one of the fireplace rooms I couldn't get the fire to light right. This was really frustrating for me because I used to live full time with a wood stove for heat even in the winters for many years. I probably just needed some lighter fluid or something that time. This time someone had built a perfect setting of wood for this particular type of fireplace to work. Also, I opened the window for a better draft up the fireplace this time and luckily the wind cooperated too. So, we had a wonderful fire as the night drew on and we enjoyed our company there. My daughter's boyfriend went to the hot sauna room. (There is also a pool and a hot tub there as well for hotel guests). Timberline Lodge is my favorite thing about Oregon so far. My first visit was a couple of years ago when it snowed for 5 days straight about 5 feet of powder snow and the snow removal equipment had to keep going 24 hours a
day to keep up with it.

I'm looking now at the Seattle Space needle from my room and thinking about checking out within the next hour or so. Seattle seems much different then when I was 4. All the people I knew and loved then are dead now because I'm 65. But, my wife and I are happily married and I have 3 beautiful biological children and two step kids and two God Daughters. Life is good. I might wish to be in my 30s once more (33 is the happiest physical age known). But life is good and since I gave up all gluten I have reduced my body pain by about 90% by doing that. Life is good.