21st Annual Rod and Run in Packwood, Washington & The Packwood Museum

It's fun to try new things! This was the first classic car show Donn and I have been to. Adytum Sanctuary has a full house this weekend with guests from Eastern Washington who came delivering handcrafted wine barrel Adirondack chairs and table (more on Monte and Cheryl's craftsmanship in another blog- and how you can commission YOUR unique set), and a family from Frankfurt, Germany here to explore Mt. Rainier, St. Helens, and enjoy the luxury of Adytum at day's end...

We set off for Packwood, not far from Adytum, in the late afternoon. When we arrived at the field where the cars were displayed we were met with a great deal of smoke tainting the pure mountain air of the tiny town of Packwood near Mt. Rainier. We stepped over elk droppings to join the crowd and find out what was so fascinating about the belching exhaust of a smashed truck...The Packwood Fire Department truck and crew stood ready to extinguish the flames...We learned that every year, something is blown up by putting a brick on the gas pedal and letting the truck run out of oil. One year they put sugar, bleach, vinegar, and more into the gas tank of a Pontiac and it never did succumb. Neither did this old wreck. Stubbornly it ran 18 minutes while we all anticipated the blast, "Aren't they worried about a shrapnel effect? Look how close everyone is..." Only in Packwood! So in an anti-climactic move, it just quit running. And we felt stupid. (: For one who would never go to a demolition derby, it was pushing my comfort zone.

But moving on, the car show became interesting as we learned about old cars, how they are insured (quite cheaply- $250 per year for 3000 miles of use), and how readily available parts are. Plus, they are just beautiful! Shiny chrome, big, classy interiors...the 50's music made me feel like dancing and I swept up Donn's hands to twirl me in the grass. He wasn't buying it. The 50's were such a light, happy time and the cars evoke that era (before my time- I'm a child of the 1960s) so the day left us feeling happy.

Donn owned a '56 T bird and showed me how you can see through to the trunk through a little slit behind the front seat. He told a story of putting a friend, Monty M. and his girlfriend in the trunk where they could supposedly lay down and 'neck' in privacy- shut in the trunk! Lots of room and air space though...Sounds like a Twilight Saga abduction to me; I wonder how much psychotherapy it took for her to get over that one?

We stopped off at the Packwood Museum, open by appointment and Friday and Saturday. It is rich in logging, Indian, and pioneer history. So many of the names in the museum are familiar as they or their family members are our patients at Medical Vision Center in Morton (www.medicalvisioncenter.com) where Donn has practiced 32 years. One day, I imagine we will be in that museum. It teaches me to live life fully every day and embrace the present because we will soon just be a part of the past- important as it may have been.

There is much to do in the Pacific Northwest in the summer. We, who dwell in gray and rain, know how to make the most of our long, lovely summer days. Next is the Mossyrock blueberry festival; http://mossyrockfestivals.org/ the first weekend in August. I took my first order of organic blueberries last night- $75 for 25 pounds. They will go into the freezer for our daily shakes. If you're on Hwy 12 stop into the Pan Pacific blueberry farm store for a great selection of their blueberry pies, jam, and products. They now offer organic too but I am partial to a locally owned You-Pick field near Adytum Sanctuary (www.adytumsanctuary)where they have a good separation from the occasional crop dusting from the Pan American field (no drift/little drift) and the berries are enormous and sweet.

Put the Morton Logger's Jubilee http://www.loggersjubilee.com/schedule.htm on your calender as well- the second weekend in August on the 9th this year. Loggers come from all over the World to compete in true feats of skill and strength. I learned to throw an axe in 2011 at this event! It is also fun and perhaps something we wouldn't naturally have been drawn to, but were so glad we experienced it. We will go again this year and the flea market is really eclectic! Enjoy your summer and make space for a transformational experience reconnecting with all that really matters in life in the beauty and peace that is...Adytum Sanctuary.