all is well

The cash may be running dry, but I've got a place to stay for free until the end of the month, after which I switch to our "moving motel," i.e., my dad's rental SUV.

I left Mechelle's place at noon today after getting a morning message from Mechelle's friend Jeanie, a half-Korean lady in the wine business (and a good friend of Mechelle) who owns two properties with her husband-- one in Walla Walla. The Walla Walla residence is being rented out by a guy named Bob, whom I met today when he drove by at noon to pick me up. Bob seems to have done a bit of everything; he's a nurse (LPN?), but he's also owned a restaurant, done a great deal of hiking (he guessed my backpack's weight right away), and worked for years in the special effects industry. I asked whether he was a fan of the Mythbusters crew, and he said yes.

After I threw my gear into my new digs, Bob took me to pick up a friend of his named Elyse; she teaches in the History Department of Whitman College-- Middle Eastern studies, Islamic studies, and gender studies. She and Bob are good friends, and I had a great time talking with them about an interesting range of topics, from language to culture to food to history to religion. As always, I kicked myself for not having brought along the damn voice recorder.

So I'm happy to have found a place so quickly, and I have Mechelle and Jeanie (and now Bob) to thank for that. Overall, I must say that Walla Walla has been a very welcoming city, another point of light in my very positive Pacific Northwestern experience. I'll be here another eleven or so days.


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