Sideways assuaging hunger pangs at the best diner in town— olympia’s finest, with hot coffee and bread soggy with hollandsise. When I think of this city, the Reef is at its center, and all the streets and buildings align themselves around it.

first splash on an fresh page— a test of the waters; a big tow wetted at the pool’s edge, and we watch how far the ripples spread, realizing that the water may go on much farther than we first thought.

the water is still, for now— this is a time for preparation, for gathering one’s strength, and for letting the meal settle before we jump in. my clothes have been discarded, the water’s temperature gauged; a deep breath, a bending of my knees, and in only a moment more my muscles will uncoil as a spring.

we are learning the website that will keep us connected overseas— the life raft of communication.