The Long Journey to Port Townsend

Early yesterday morning, I embarked on the long journey to Goddard College. And a long journey it is: At 3:30am I wake up to go the the Greensboro airport to catch a 6:25am flight to Washington, DC. The flight is cramped, and my knees immediately begin to give me feedback, and an indication of what is to come for the rest of the day's travels. I have a short layover in DC and catch my connecting flight to Seattle, a five and a half hour leg. While on the plane, I try to sleep, but am unsuccessful. Resentful of my circumstances, I give in to watching the in-flight entertainment, a mix of sitcoms and nature documentaries. I notice across from me a young couple, with a newborn on the mother's lap. The baby is precious, and he is perfect in every way. He has perfect cheeks, fingers and nose. He is quiet for most of the flight. However when he does cry, I do not mind. I am so proud that he fared as well as he did, being so tiny. As we move through the sky toward our destination, I keep looking over at him, in awe of this little miracle. I can see how happy his parents are to have him. They cuddle him and play with him and give him kisses.

Forty-five minutes early, my plane touches down at Sea-Tac airport. I am happy to get off of the plane and stretch my legs. Once in the terminal, I get a call from my Goddard friend, Laura. Her plane has arrived early, as well, and we agree to meet for lunch. Laura and I greet each other with a joyful embrace, looking each other up and down after having not seen one another for six months. Laura is a gorgeous creature. Tall and statuesque, she has dark hair, big brown eyes and a flawless complexion with a delightful smattering of freckles! Over lunch, we talk about what has happened to us in the space between semester residencies and Laura tells me she has met someone. I instantly notice the color in her cheeks and the sparkle in her eye, and I am thrilled for her. We continue to speak about art projects and our expectations for the semester, when Laura gets a call from Stephanie, another Goddard friend.

We meet Stephanie at the baggage claim. Stephanie is a fifty-something California girl who seems to always have the sea breeze in her hair. She is graceful and fun, colorful and energetic and has eyes that twinkle every time she smiles. Stacy is with her, a remarkable being with a child like energy, but who's eyes look like those of someone ancient and wise. I think she is an old soul. Natalie joins us, a beautiful artist with a quiet manner about her and flare for fashion. Her Chunky glasses, cute frock and clogs hang perfectly on her slender frame. A few minutes later, Alessandra joins us, a strong minded Italian woman, with a flippy bob hairdo, sharp features and a direct way of speaking. Joy sits beside us and we all begin to giggle. Joy is a bubbly performer with a sing-song voice and an infectious laugh. She tells us stories of funny and wierd happenings in her home town of Las Vegas. And finally, Ellen arrives. A whimsical woman full of beautiful images. She is short, with pretty salt and pepper hair and an immediate energy.

Once we have all caught up and enjoyed each others company, Stephanie, myself, Laura, Alessandra, Natalie and Ellen head to our rental van. We drive through the city of Seattle. It is rainy outside and very gray. There are people on every street corner with umbrellas and rain boots, waiting to cross the busy streets. There are construction workers with bright orange vests that pop against the dreary skies. And there are galleries, coffee shops, clothing boutiques and bookstores that had I the time to, I would venture through each of their doors. Quickly, we arrive at the ferry dock to cross the sound. The ride on the boat is relaxing. The gentle sway of the vessel is calming to me and we all continue to speak about what we are interested in and how we are fascinated with all of the varied projects that each of us has completed this past semester.

The last leg of the journey, we all loose a little steam. The initial excitement of arriving into town has faded, and we admit that we are tired. Arriving in Port Townsend at 5:50, we make check in ten minutes before it closes and go to dinner. There we see more beautiful Goddard friends and Goddard faculty, and the excitement in us returns. After dinner, we attend a casual opening reception, where Ellen, Laura and I find time to discuss the workshop we will be giving later in the week. By 9 o'clock, Laura and I are in our dorm, listening to music and chatting. Both of us being from the east coast, we are battling sleep so we can reset our bodies' clocks. I loose. At 9:40pm, I am in my bed, dozing off...

~Cara