I spent last week away from home, on a writing retreat in northern California. On Friday, I drove from Petaluna CA where I had lunch with a friend, to Medford Oregon and yesterday, I met up with another friend in Tillamook Oregon, and later slept in Aberdeen, WA. This morning I drove from Aberdeen to Sequim, two towns on the Olympic peninsula in Washington state. Along the way, I encountered rain, snow, sleet and hail, along with all manner of clouds and bright sunshine. By my count, I passed by 34 distinctly named bodies of water. It was a lovely Piscean way to celebrate my 68th birthday.