Railroads and Ramona

Today’s plan was easy: Wake up, drive to Franklin Falls for a gentle hike, then meet with my amazing friend, Ramona, for dinner. And I’m pleased to say that the day was a partial success!

I woke up (slightly later than planned) and hit the road for Franklin Falls and was super-excited about my hike. Only when I got to the last leg of the driving journey, I learned that I would need a permit to park at the trailhead. Not wanting to take the risk, I had to re-think my pre-Ramona activities.

So, I ended up at the Northwest Railroad Museum in Snoqualmie. It’s something I’ve driven by countless times but have never bothered to stop at. Which is kind of sad since I’m of railroad stock (pun only slightly intended). The volunteer docent was very, very, very keen to tell me all about the station and its history, which made the visit nice, if not slightly bothersome because he was telling me things I already knew and I really wanted to go climb on the trains! (Still, it was nice to see someone so enthusiastic!)

Next up, I stopped into Michael’s in Issaquah to see if they had my swirling coloured pencils in singles (they didn’t) and then I treated myself to a pretty green flower ring.

And then, it was on to Gilman Village to meet the amazing Ramona. We started with coffee at the Issaquah Coffee Company before having a long and chatty dinner at Bamiyan, an Afghan and Persian restaurant.

The ultimate highlight, of course, was Ramona. I’ve known her since junior high school and have always liked her. We weren’t always “close friends” but we were always friendly. We worked together at the Cottage Cafe in our teens and ran into each other now and then in our 20s, but it wasn’t until I was in my mid-30s that we became real friends – when she reached out to support me when my husband died. Yes, when so many people hid away from me, unable to handle my grief, Ramona came running into the middle of the chaos to pick me up, dust me off, and support me.

So whilst we might not have been close friends growing up, I know that she’s an absolute real friend now. And for that, I am ever-so-grateful!

(I know, I went from a boring run-down of my day to a sappy “I love you” accolade. But she deserves it. She’s awesome like that!)

But now, on to the photos!