First she had to get up before dawn and go down to da pier onna waterfront
in Seattle and git on da boat.
This is what it looked like while she waited to get
onna boat.
Then she got on the boat. It looked like this:
And they sailed to Catnada. It was a windy day wif gale force winds
inna Strait of Juan de Fuca, so da boat had to sail the long way around. It
was a pretty voyage with lots of cliffs and green trees and little islands
(and big islands too).
And then they came to Deception Pass. The crew came through the cabin
and told everyone that it was gonna get a "liddle bumpy" soon and they should
all stay in their seats. It was more than a liddle bumpy! Da
boat rocked an rolled like a roller coaster, and everyone went "wheeeeee!"
and "ooooooooooooh!" and almost got thrown outta their seats. The water
was green like jade with all sorts of whitecaps, and the waves splashed over
the front of the boat, kaSWOOSH! It was hard to take a picture, but
here is one of a bridge they went under. You can see that it was pretty
fuzzy cuz of da water an da bouncing!
Finally they got to Victoria. Because the boat had had to go da long
way around, they were really late. Auntie Diane had invited mymom and
Auntie Melinda and Unka John over to her house for lunch, but by the time
the boat got there, Unca John had had to go to play his rugby match. And
Auntie Melinda had had to wait and wait to meet mymom. (And da Victoria
Clipper people had made it even harder for her, because they sent three boats
from Seattle to Victoria, and mymom was on da second boat that left at 8:30,
but when Auntie Melinda asked when da 8:30 boat would arrive, they told her
the time da first boat was arriving. It took a lotta questions before
Auntie Melinda found out about the boat mymom was on.) And Auntie
Diane had to leave da lunch soop onna stove to keep warm until mymom arrived.
And den when da boat got to Victoria, there was more waiting,
cuz mymom hadda stand in a longlong line to get her flu shot.
But finally she got her shot and Auntie Diane and Auntie Melinda
met her and dey all drove to Ember's house, where he lives wif Auntie Diane.
It's a real nice liddle condo wif a liddle garden courtyard by da front
door where Ember can go an smell da flowers an watch da birds an see who's
going by.
Here's Auntie Melinda and mymom (she's da fluffy one
onna right).
Here is Ember, waiting to go Out, away from da visiting Aunties. And
here onna right is Ember, waiting to come back In.
He really wants to come inna In now!
Auntie Diane served a very nice lunch, wif a delishus soop wif yams an ginger
an coriander an garlic and gudgud fings, anna salid wif pears an cheese an
walnuts, an bread an cheese an espresso an choclit brownies! Mymom was
very hungry after her long trip, an the lunch just hit the spot and even though
they didn't have as much time to gossip and tell stories and find out all
about everyone and everything as they had hoped they would, they still had
a really nice time.
Here are Auntie Diane, holding Ember, and Auntie Melinda.
Ember does not wanna be holded.
And then it was time for mymom to go home to Seattle. Auntie Diane
and Auntie Melinda took her back to the boat, and she stood in long lines
to check in for her voyage, and she stood in long lines to get on the boat,
and she stood in long lines to get off the boat in Seattle, and she stood
in long lines to go through customs in Seattle, and she even sat in a long
line to get out of the parking garage and drive home. But the boat ride
back wasn't nearly as roly poly rough as the ride to Victoria, and there was
a really pretty sunset across the ocean:
Da next day mymom sleeped and sleeped and sleeped. Probably cuz it
was such a longlong day, but also because she taked pills so she wouldn't
get sick onna boat. So she could enjoy alla pretty scenery an the rain
an the liddle bumpy ride through Deception Pass and most of all the clowder
with Auntie Melinda and Auntie Diane and especially with Ember! And
dat's da story of da Flu Shot Clowder.
