09/18/2026
We’ve fallen into fall in the Pacific Northwest. I spent the majority of last week battling a nasty upper respiratory infection and making soup. Because I’m a fifty-something woman, my doctor has recommended adding an ungodly amount of protein to my diet. Because protein shakes taste like chalk to me, I’ve been finding new and interesting ways to incorporate beans into my cooking. (Sidenote: I was married to a Dominican for over 20 years. I knew a LOT of uses of beans in guisados and sopas before, so I’m not new to the wonderful fruit.) Soup seems to be the winner for packing the nutrient without wanting to grab a broom and assemble the crones and bog witches to uprise against the middle-aged and post-middle-aged protein, walking, lifting heavy suggestions.
Feeling better on the weekend, my friend suggested that we take a multi-point daytrip. I didn’t know how much I needed the respite from stirring the cauldron of bean-filled concoctions until we were on the road.
We went to the fish ladder in Granite Falls and got a good view of ZERO salmon. The falls were pretty. Some of the graffiti was inspiring.
Then we had another short hike and a picnic at a lookout on Mt. Erie.
After that, we headed to the bridge at Deception Pass. I asked my best friend of over twenty years, a native Washingtonian, why it was called Deception Pass. She looked at me with a slightly crooked grin on her lips and said, “Because it’s deceptively beautiful.” Since she’s normally a walking encyclopedia, I will let that small infraction of smart-alecness go.
The bridge at Deception Pass is scary as heck. Since I am not one of my characters, I went about a quarter of a way across. Some of that footage will be on my Instagram when I get a chance to put it up this week, but here’s a picture of a useful sign.
On the ride, I noticed the leaves were turning, so I started singing California Dreaming by the Mamas and Papas. Just like two crones who grew up in chorus/choir/musical theater at school, my best friend sang the second parts without prompting. I might have been offkey, but it sure as hell felt good to have that moment.
We made one last stop at a beach on Whidbey Island to inhale some sea air before stopping at some friends’ house for dinner. There we were welcomed with warm conversation, homemade bread (wheat and banana), and the best bean and veggie soup I’d eaten. (No pictures because I inhaled everything after that long day.)
