We are ending 2021 in the same place as it started: Whistler, but with maybe a little more optimism gained over the year. Holidays this year are once again just the 3 of us, plus a tree from a box providing needed extra light. Extended family visits will have to wait even longer.
We headed back to Seattle at the end of January, after our 4-month stay, and continued our low profile while we waited for vaccines, finally jabbed in April. Feeling a little more confident, and ready for a change of scene, we headed out on an Eastern Washington road trip.
We kept up with connections online, just like last year, to fill in social gaps. But as vaccination numbers rose, and the city felt more accessible, we managed a few in-person events, and met friends outdoors in parks or downtown. Liz even had work in a physical show, ICON in September.
We planned a summer trip to Whistler, to visit Bruce and Ontario family, in early July. Sadly, as we were loading the car, we got the word that Dave’s mother had died. The trip became logistical instead, but once again, we were grateful for the Canadian base to handle the hoop-jumping required by travel these days.
Bruce finished a year of his Master’s program in Linguistics at UBC, online, and successfully transitioned to the PhD program, a semester in person, and a new roommate. He’s now got a BC address, BC driver’s license, and BC plates on the car — Canadian! To celebrate, he & a few of his cohorts headed to Whistler for a fall reading break, and yes, they got to see snow.
We are still thankful for many of the same things as last year, with a few variations:
I joined my building’s book club, a first for me. Though I shouldn’t be surprised that the people in my building who want to talk books are interesting & fun! We managed a few outdoor meetings on the roof deck before reverting to more distanced options.
The Friday night movies we’d started as a family a while back continued all year with Elizabeth Mitchell, giving us a healthy viewing history, and discussions afterwards, online. Another online bonus this year? Seattle International Film Festival! Movies we liked included Nomadland, Beans, If Beale Street Could Talk, Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself, Dune, and The Power of the Dog. I think we’re going to wrap up the year by renting some of the ones we weren’t willing to watch in a theater.
We do enjoy a story, well-told, whether it’s visual or written. Here are Liz’s top five read this year, tracked on The StoryGraph:
- Rebecca Solnit: Men Explain Things to Me
- Naomi Novik: Uprooted
- Richard Wagamese: Indian Horse
- Erin Morgenstern: The Night Circus
- Ijeoma Oluo: Mediocre
But our tastes are changing, as societal issues with sexism, racism, and colonialism keep coming to the forefront, and our reading and watching is reflecting that. Some books & shows went by the wayside; are you noticing that too? We’ve certainly had time to contemplate all this! We’d love to hear from you, along these lines, or just anything you want to share. Wishing you health & peace of mind for 2022.