On our last full day at Chris and Nikki’s place, they both had to work so we took off for a day of entertaining ourselves.
We took the car down to Green Lake again and parked it behind Duke’s where Chris works and took off for the full walk around the lake which we’d missed previously. Green Lake is such a pretty place. The entire walk is a great pleasure. We took a small side trip when we got near the portion where the older buildings beside the lake sit. The old downtown, you might call it except it’s too small for that, really. I noted a Masonic Hall upstairs in one building and we discussed how, now that I’ve read Dan Brown’s latest book, “The Lost Symbol”, I am seeing Masonic Lodges everywhere we go.
Dan Brown’s book was excellent and has provoked a lot of discussion among myself, Colette and other friends and relations.
I wish the power that Brown assigns to the Masons in D.C. was as he describes because, if the Masons are as far-sighted and idealistic as he suggests then it’s unlikely that Washington, D.C. and the U.S. in general would be in the bad shape they are now.
I have no doubt that they had a tremendous influence on the birth of the U.S. and in much that happened afterwards but the U.S. and its finances and politics have gone badly astray since then and if the Masons were as powerful and benign as Brown’s suggests, then I doubt that could have happened. Ergo, their influence is not now nearly as much as he suggests.
After the walk around the lake, we dropped into Duke’s again and had their most excellent clam chowder. Yum and yum!
Then we took off for the Capital Hill neighborhood to find a big art supplies store, Blicks, that Colette wanted to have a look at. I liked the idea because Capital Hill is a fun place to walk and look at any time. We found the store and parked and walked to it. Colette was going to be awhile looking around and there was an Occupy Wall Street (OWS) encampment just across the street and I decided to go and have a look and take a few photos.
Imagine my amazement when, 10 seconds after I arrived, I saw an old friend of mine standing just a few feet from the stage on which an orator was talking to the small crowd.
It was Michael Douglas whom I’ve known since the late 90’s when we were both members of Michael Torresan’s Group Four. Michael T. teaches what is called the Diamond Heart Method (http://www.ahalmaas.com/) which is based on the work of A.H. Almaas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._H._Almaas) and both Michael D. and I spend nearly four years absorbing this teaching from Michael T.
Michael is a pastor of the Sufi Faith and was volunteering his time as well as participating in the OWS movement. He and I talked for about 20 minutes and he told me about the police tactics and about how he and his wife, along with many other people, had been pepper sprayed by the police twice so far.
He told me that the police herd the non-violent protestors and push and harass them until someone shows resistance and then they use that as an excuse to pepper spray everyone. I’ve know him for many years and trust his honesty so I believe he’s telling me the truth. Interesting stuff.
Colette came over from the Art Supplies place and I introduced her to Michael and then we took off down to the the old downtown areas of Seattle. I’m talking about Pioneer Square here. We got down there and made several passes back and forth up and down the waterfront along the piers and beside Pike Place Market and then parked a block from Pioneer Square.
Colette checked out a dress shop and I walked the square and took photos. Then we had a beer and a mineral water in a small place and, as it was now getting dark, we took off back to Chris and Nikki’s in Bothell. Along the way, we popped into a Safeway and got some General Tso’s Chicken and some Chop Suey for supper.
Back to C & N’s place, we turned the TV on and watched two episodes of Wild China and then Nikki came home and then, and hour or two later, Chris arrived.
Chris and I stayed up until midnight talking as we often do when we’re together and then finally turned in.
Tomorrow, we’re off to Canada and the Great White North, eh? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you’re a hoser, eh (smile)
dennis
Ps something fun I saw on a sign in a shop a few days ago:
“Put on your big girl panties and get over it.”
Wow, I really laughed when I saw that. And no, this has nothing to do with Colette who is an absolute model of sanity.