Orcas, sea, freedom... and Seattle.

<--- From the ferry, somewhere between Vancouver and Victoria, June 2007.

If you have seen those animals at close range, and in their natural habitat... It's impossible not to be at awe. For mammals this big, they are amazingly agile, they swim well, and they swim fast, being capable of swimming great distances if they want to. Free to go anywhere they want to. Freedom? I think so.

During my stay on the west coast this year, I saw plenty of orcas, whether on the ferry between Vancouver to Victoria, and later on board of another ferry, from Victoria to Seattle.

One might argue that there are faster way to travel on the west coast, but I think the fun of travel... is precisely to enjoy the said travel. And it beats the monster traffic jams on Interstate 5 anyway, heh! Since I love the sea...

Freedom... with a capital F. To me, little human... Freedom at sea is of course on a boat. Any boat. Any kind, and any size.

After leaving the harbour, the shoreline gradually fades away in the haze. The most exhilarating moment... is when you realize that no matter where you look, all you can see is... the horizon, the very line where the sea meets the sky.

Gone the shoreline. Figuratively and literally, all ties with the continent have been severed. For the best and for the worst. Away your problems, but also gone is the safety of the continent, and the thrill of sailing in open waters, moving toward the unknown.

Like many things, to fully appreciate it, it seems that you must see (and *feel*) its contrast. I've been on nasty seas. It isn't just your dinner that you throw overboard...

When you have seen the worst, you appreciate even more... her best. Above all, you have this *respect* of the sea.

Why I'm writing this? Yesterday afternoon, I just couldn't concentrate on a problem. My thoughts drifted a bit and boom... scenes of the west coast came to my mind...

... and intertwined were scenes of downtown Seattle, whether busy Pike Market... whether clean cut Pine Street at the corner of 5th Avenue.

And Pine Street was my getaway street from downtown Seattle to Capitol Hill where I was staying. (And waving a friendly hand to Tantrika, Crowfriend and Gird!)

This was my first time in Seattle. It's not the immediate coup de foudre as Vancouver is... but contrary to other cities I have been, it isn't an immediate "NO" that appears in my mind.

All in all, Seattle is a city which I wouldn't mind living. Jobwise, there are two big big employers, Boeing and Microsoft. Oh, "smaller" companies too, come to think of it. :) Compared to these two giants, everything else is small. :)

Since I'm in the midst of a career change, who knows where I'll land? If opportunities are there, I wouldn't rule out Seattle, for sure.

I was thinking of the sea again.. and I had this strange thought:

Is there anyone I know from Seattle who is currently at sea? It felt as it is a certainty. I was thinking of people I know in person, people I know online... but I couldn't put a face... Neither a he or a she.

But somehow, it feels as something sure. Weird! How could it be? Sometimes I'm terribly blind and deaf, and at times, I'm extremely perceptive. Mhhhh....

I always wish the best for my friends, but whoever is that person if I'm not mistaken, I just hope he or she isn't in at sea in the Pacific Northwest. This is the time of the year they have the worst windstorms!

Talk about having a blow job in Seattle, heh!

And it is on this silly thought that I resume work.

Smiling. :)

Cheers,

-E