Kent

Our day in Kent started early, as the intersection a mere 50 yards from our front door filled with semis heading to and from the local warehouses trying to get a jump on the rush hour commuters coming to and from Boeing and other area businesses. The difference between weekends and weekdays here can be measured in decibels: lots of them.

This morning we headed south a bit to Auburn to stop at a Sam's Club. We've been Sam's Clubbers for years, making a trip once or twice a month to stock our upright freezer and pantry. Today we laughed at how we now shop at Sam's. With our freezer and pantry space now limited, there are a few things we still need and use that are enough of a bargain to justify the trip. But, we had to pass on the bales of paper products, family-size packages of ground beef and mongo size laundry detergent and fabric softener.

After we stashed our Sam's purchases, we journeyed into Kent's lovely town square to meet a couple of (no longer) virtual friends, Phyllis and Bob. That's them pictured above. (Aren't they cute?) This delightful couple are Kent natives who now spend their winters in their motorhome in Yuma and summer here at home. It was great to meet them and share stories of life on the road. Our lunch was quite tasty, too. We look forward to seeing them in Yuma one of these winters!

After lunch we tested our route out of town. (When you drive something that's 13 feet tall, 8 1/2 feet wide, 45 feet long and you can't back it up, it's important to check these things.) With a fervent desire to avoid the congestion of I-5, 405 and I-90 in Seattle, we chose Highway 18 as our path toward Idaho. And, by the looks of things, that should work just fine.