Author Archives: Andi

Labor Day, Five Years Later

Tweet Let us not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless when facing them.     –  Rabindranath Tagore   It is Labor Day weekend, the fifth anniversary of my house burning down. It’s been five years since … Continue reading →

Posted on September 6, 2015 by Andi
Posted in Moving On, Uncategorized | 10 Comments

A Pretty Good Deal

Tweet “To ease another’s heartache is to forget one’s own.” ~Abraham Lincoln Hello Dear Friends, Today I was meeting with my friendly used-car dealer, since my beloved Honda, Hi-Ho Silver, is beginning to fail. She’s twelve years old, and has gotten me … Continue reading →

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Andi
Posted in Friends, Good Moments, Moving On, The Kindness of Strangers, Tragedy and Loss | 19 Comments

Looking Back – Dreaming Ahead

Tweet “In this world, there is a kind of painful progress. Longing for what we’ve left behind, and dreaming ahead.” ― Tony Kushner, Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika Dear Friends, Well. It’s Labor Day, the third anniversary of the … Continue reading →

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Andi
Posted in Moving On, Other Fires, Port Townsend, Tragedy and Loss | 54 Comments

What to Say When Tragedy Strikes: Tips From a Reluctant Expert

Tweet I am no stranger to tragedy and loss. My house burned to the ground when I was a child, and then, unbelievably, again in the Fourmile Canyon fire in Colorado in 2010.  I am, unfortunately, something of an expert … Continue reading →

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Andi
Posted in Tragedy and Loss | 39 Comments

Montana: Full Circle

Tweet “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, … Continue reading →

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Andi
Posted in Good Moments, Moving On, Nellie the Dog, The Kindness of Strangers, Uncategorized | 10 Comments

Days of Darkness, Days of Light

Tweet December 21st, 2012 Today I was out walking with a friend, and we were talking about the dark days of winter, the time between the end of Daylight Savings Time and the Winter Solstice. “Sometimes it’s hard to remember … Continue reading →

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Andi
Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Hallelujah

Tweet October 28th, 2012 I’ve heard there was a secret chord That David played, and it pleased the Lord But you don’t really care for music, do you? It goes like this The fourth, the fifth The minor fall, the … Continue reading →

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Andi
Posted in Good Moments, Moving On | 13 Comments

The Long Road Home

Tweet October 15th, 2012 “Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac Hello Friends, I’ve been home for a couple of months now, … Continue reading →

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Andi
Posted in Moving On, The Kindness of Strangers, The New House | 12 Comments

There and Back Again

Tweet July 15th, 2012 One Year, Ten Months, and Nine Days Since the Four Mile Canyon Fire The Road goes ever on and on Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I … Continue reading →

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Andi
Posted in Good Moments, Moving On, The New House | 67 Comments

“Expect Delays”

Tweet Saturday, July 7th, 2012 Twenty-Two Months After the Fire Hello Dear Friends, Well, the new house is not quite finished. Since the lease ran out on Rental Number Four,  Nellie and I are spending the week in a hotel … Continue reading →

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Andi
Posted in The New House | 7 Comments