Join Thor and me as we celebrate the season with our new community of Blaine, WA, on the border with Canada.
NOTE: This event took place in a lucky lull between many days of rain in late November, but before the devastating atmospheric river that is now taking place, bringing catastrophic flooding to the Pacific Northwest. Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated in my Whatcom County and nearby Skagit County, with towns flooded, and the flooding, landslides, and road washouts continue far down the I-5 corridor. Luckily, Blaine is farther from the rivers and so far has been spared. So we’re grateful for any cheer this season.
I grew up fourth-generation in Whatcom County, Washington, the “far corner” of the Pacific Northwest. And now that Thor and I have moved, with our address officially in bordertown Blaine, we actually are in the farthest-north town of the contiguous U.S. What with the pandemic and now the insane tariffs, Blaine is suffering the loss of important Canadian business and visitors. So we decided we should support our new community and join in the Harbor Festival. Definitely a PNW small-town vibe, from the locally-beloved working draft horses pulling a wagon for rides, to the crazy tractor-pulled kiddie train. Everywhere people were smiling and full of good cheer!
There were crafts and treats for sale, the high-school choir singing, and a Christmas tree lighting. Along Main Street, many of the storefronts were decorated, including a picturesque Starbuck’s.
This year, an Abominable Snowman theme seemed to be intent on bringing the creature to life, but I felt safe with my hero big Thor.
But first things first — we couldn’t stop laughing at the kiddie (and adult) tractor-train on Main Street, what one bystander termed “an invitation to litigation.” Luckily, no one was hurt!
An unlikely gathering place year-round on Main Street is a gas-station mini-mart that boasts whimsical personal touches. They went all-out with the Christmas decorations, and — you guessed it — Abominable Snowman features.
This little girl wanted to know what made the creature tick:
Even the tree in the mart boasted Creature paws:
And let’s not forget the resident talking moose above the beer cooler, who received a seasonal makeover with a Rudolph red nose.
When we arrived at the plaza overlooking the harbor (that’s Canada across the bay), the high school choir was singing my favorite, “Carol of the Bells.” Beautiful! Thor caught a short video of the next song:
It was dark by the time we drove home, so we enjoyed the over-the-top lighted display of one of the mega-mansions down our road. (Our own home is on a much more modest scale; it’s a “blended neighborhood.”) The colors are much brighter than my camera could capture.
Finally, here’s our own lighted tree by the sauna that Thor built.
Turtle cat approves.
Happy holidays, everyone, and best wishes for a better new year (on so many levels).
*****
You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s latest novel from Book View Café is Pause, a First Place winner of the Chanticleer Somerset Award and an International Pulpwood Queens Book Club selection. “A must-read novel about friendship, love, and killer hot flashes.” (Mindy Klasky). It’s also a love letter to the stunning beauty of her native Pacific Northwest wild places. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com
