From Here To There And Back Again: DAY 10- 1.6k words

SATURDAY, MAY 23rd - DAY 10:

5:30am - Up and at 'em.  2 ½ hours of rest, not really sleep.

6:00am - Coffee, shower, shave.  Fixed sliding glass door, e-posted, e-mailed. Cooked and ate breakfast.

Noon - Off and away for my third of four round trips from Seattle to Tacoma and back.

12:30pm - I pulled Honey up to the valet parking at the base of The Space Needle and asked if they had a designated parking area for motorcycles.  The guy pointed at a bicycle parking area and said, "I didn't tell you it was ok to park there".

1:30pm - After nearly an hour walking around The Seattle Center, I gave up looking for Tracy (Mimi's sister).  She had a booth set up for her clothing line, 'Imp Wear', at the yearly 'Folk Life Festival' festival again this year and I was hoping to spend a few minutes with her.  She's the antithesis of Mimi.  Very calm, level headed, and grounded.  An earthy hippy girl… a real sweetheart.

The Center was a carnival atmosphere.  It was a huge massive throng of happy faces wondering thru the several acres of activities, ranging form roller coasters to apple dunking… from corn dogs to gourmet cheeses and wines… from grandparents to infants… from tie-dye tee shirts to mink coats.

Its no wonder I couldn't find Tracy's booth, my head was on a freaking swivel.  I must've shook at least 20 hands, and spent brief moments talking to 10 or 12 of the faces that went with the hands.  I would've stayed longer, but I was carrying my leather jacket and tank bag with all my valuables, wearing my chaps, and sweltering in the 70-degree heat.

It' interesting… when the sun comes out in Seattle, it seems like 20 degrees warmer than it really is.  I was having a good time, but I had to cool off, and plus… I didn't want something unexpected, like a traffic jam, to keep me from arriving early to Ashley and her Pre-Commencement Party at The President's House.

1:45pm - I got back on Honey and started idling my way thru the crowd, to get off the sidewalk where I'd parked.  I met Dee on my to the roadway, and called her bluff when she asked if she could ride down to Tacoma with me.  What a wonderful marketer for Goodwill... don't you agree!!?

2:30pm - I pulled up outside Ashley and John's apartment and called her on the phone.  She came out on the balcony and waved, but ducked back inside before I could pull the trigger on my camera.  She was stressing out about her hair, so I graciously allowed her to continue with her preparations, without nagging her like the overly attentive parent I am.  I did however, tell her to prepare herself… that the attentiveness I was gonna show her today, would pale in comparison to what she should expect when she got married.

She sighed deeply and heavily and gave me another 'oh da - a - a - ad' look that I seem to receive multiple times each day I'm near any of my daughters.  I told her she was spending her time for naught… she could preen, spruce, and comb herself for another 2 hours and not be any more stunningly beautiful than she already was.  I gotta smile from her for that one.

She didn't want to mess up her hair riding on the bike, so I at on Honey, watching her walk down the sidewalk to catch a bus to the event, as I fought back tears of joy, pride, and love.

3:30pm - I arrived exactly on schedule, 30 minutes early, so I backed up Honey against the curb in front of a brew pub/ coffee house, just a couple blocks away from where the shuttle busses were gonna take us to Mr. Anderson's house.

Turns out Loren, the President of PLU is a pretty 'cool dude'.  At least that's what Stu, Tay, and Becca told me when I was sitting with them at one of the sidewalk tables outside The Northern Pacific Coffee Company.  I also learned that The NPCC is one of the favorite local hangouts of the college kids in town.

Stu was the most talkative of the three and we both enjoyed our 45 minutes together.  Not only had I arrived early, but Mimi was pulled over on her way, and was running late.  Apparently the cop stopped her for the offenses of;  talking on her phone, smoking, drinking a big gulp, and not wearing her seat belt.  Peter was cracking up when he was telling me, and I said something like, "she was probably so busy doing all those other things, that she didn't even realize she was driving a car at the time".

Anyway, back to Stu.  He was a way cool 23-year old.  He was very mature, and very handsome.  If I was of the persuasion and 23 years younger, I woulda been all over this guy.  We talked about topics from traveling the nation to academics, from sports to metaphysics, and from parents to sex.  Which led me to ask him if he'd be interested in trading shirts with me.  He was wearing a PLU shirt from the recent 'sex awareness drive', that had just taken place on and around the campus.

I took off my 'dress up' tie-dye tee shirt, a deep maroon and black classic, and he gave me his 'Consent is Sexy' sky blue tee, which I immediately cut the sleeves off of, even before I put it on.  The shirt also says, "sex is better when you talk about it", and on the back, "kiss me again"…"oh yes!!"… "does this feel good?"… "I want you too", and then… "PLU Sexual Assault Peer Education Team."

What a wonderful thing these college kids are doing… helping to deter or eliminate sexual violence, and instead, making sex what it should be, a beautiful natural god given gift for all of us to enjoy.  I so much approve of their efforts.

4:30pm - Ash and I decided it was silly to wait for Mimi and miss the entire party, so we boarded the next shuttle and left.  Mimi had the long-sleeve, button up, collared dress shirt she wanted me to wear with her, so I met Loren, the President of Pacific Lutheran University, in my sleeveless 'Consent is Sexy' shirt.  Priceless.  Totally priceless.  Even Ashley, bless her heart, was ok with it.

As Stu and the other students had told me, Loren was indeed cool.  He looked me in the eye, smiled, and said, "Nice shirt".

I met Loren's totally hot daughter who was also graduating… many of the faculty… a few of the other parents… and lots of Ashley's friends.  It was a wonderful time.

5:45pm - Mimi arrived, with 15 minutes remaining to the party, wearing a comical get up.  Remember the movie Caddyshack?  The sequence when Danny showed up for the boat ride on Judge Schmales' boat?  Mimi looked like she was wearing the exact same outfit.  Complete with the same silly hat.

She had been embarrassed for me that I wanted to wear a very nice tie-dye, and then she goes and shows up looking like a clown in a circus.  They say opposites attract, and Mimi and I are certainly that.

6:00pm - I left the gathering and took the last seat in the next shuttle leaving for the parking lot.  I needed a quick smoke and a long beer.  I was just finishing both, when the rest of the family arrived on the next shuttle.

I followed Ashley's begging requests to 'just drive away', as Mimi continued her 'very important' statements.  More like passages.  Mimi can talk your ear off… and then suck your brains right out thru the hole in your head, if you let her. 

Ash and I had a wonderful ride back to her apartment, and shared a beautiful hug, and then I was off for Seattle.

7:45pm - I decided to forgo the lap dances at The Déjà vu Club, and instead took Peter to dinner at Leena's instead.  Entelia was there just finishing her shift, and when I saw one of her waitress girlfriends stuff a couple dollars down the front of her blouse, I grabbed my wallet, almost broke my leg getting out of the booth I was sitting at, and swaggered over to her.  She gave me a big smile, and asked me how I was doing.

What wonderfully bright eyes she had.  And what gorgeously shaped hips and lips.  I wanted to tell her the story of Little Red Riding Ned, but decided she was just too sweet to tease in such a wolf-like manner.

So instead, I respectfully tucked a dollar bill down between her more than ample breasts.  She and the other two waitresses who were standing there… all three sets of jaws dropped, all at once.  Then, their mouths instantly turned to genuine smiles.  Big ones.  I'm so lucky that I'm able to portray my flirting, so clearly as innocent and harmless.  Girls just love me.  Or they hate me.  Or they love to hate me.  Or they hate that they love me.  It just don't matter much to me, as long as they are smiling when they do it.

8:30pm - On couch at Mimi's.

9:00pm - In bed.  Day 10 was a good day.