I'm Not Usually Envious ...

I’m not usually prone to envy or jealousy. However, my friend Lee (Alys Leann—pronounced A-leece’—which is why she doesn’t use that name because people then call her Alice) sent me an email last week …

She told me all about her new digs and that she was getting settled in, and then happened to mention she’d be out of town for about four days because she and her daughter were headed to Lincoln City, OR. She lives in Tacoma, WA. It’s a nice drive.

For those lucky enough to live in God’s country—which is the rainy side of Washington (where I’m from) and Oregon—I don’t need to explain anything.

Okay, I was a little envious at that point, knowing she’d be doing some very neat stuff in a very neat place for four days, in the company of her very entertaining, highly intelligent, and enlightened daughter.

Yesterday, as I sat at my computer, here in land-locked Columbus, OH—Ohio has NO natural lakes within it (or any hope of the smell of saltwater)—while pounding out a re-write/update for one of my editors with a 1:00 drop-dead deadline, and while eating a canned salmon/cream cheese spread on snack crackers, I glanced at my email and saw that I’d received another email from Lee:

“We’re back. Did some whale watching at Depoe Bay. Slept late, ate, did some shopping in neat places, bought some interesting items. Lincoln City hasn’t spread out as much as I thought it would. Had a good time.”

Thankfully she didn’t give me details about the quaint little shops they'd visited; the ones with all the “beachy” stuff and magnificent artwork. She didn't describe how the pod of whales played as the waves splashed and crashed upon the rocks, spraying a fine mist upon them as they stood in the sunshine watching. And she didn’t mention WHAT they ate!

Did I mention what I was eating at the time—me, someone who grew up on fresh salmon, halibut and trout, sturgeon, ling cod, crab, clams, and shrimp? ("No, thank you" on the haddock, pollock, whiting, or ((UGH!)) muddy catfish available here!)

I looked sadly upon my little bowl of canned salmon spread. Even with the fake liquid smoke added, it suddenly wasn’t very appealing.

I yearn for fresh fish and seafood! I’m green with envy that Lee and Kristen ate at those “on the dock” restaurants! I just know they had Pacific Northwest-style fish and chips (probably halibut), with tartar sauce made with dill pickles—and NO anchovy paste as filler. I just know they did.

Okay, it’s a good thing my favorite color is green.