The things you hear

[scarlettina]

One of the things I have long enjoyed about my neighborhood is that I often am reminded that I live near a lake in the middle of the city. Despite the occasional inconvenience of living on the side of the lake farthest from the freeway, it still gives me a great deal of pleasure. And though it's scenic, it's also a busy lake with a great deal of leisure and commercial traffic, both maritime and aerial. I often see the seaplanes that launch from the south end of the lake flying north up to Vancouver over my neighborhood. Sometimes, if I look between the trees, I can see a sail gliding by in the distance. I also can hear the boat traffic, specifically whenever some ship toots its horn requesting that the Fremont Bridge be drawn up.

Lately, I've been hearing one particular, very distinctive tooting about once a day. There's some boat--I'm assuming a leisure cruise vessel--that comes down the canal toward the Fremont Bridge that plays a music-box-like version of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" punctuated by its baritone horn. It's the strangest, most comical thing, like the horn of some ship out of a children's book. That's probably the point, of course, but it's just odd, and it always makes me smile. It feels like a very Seattle thing, this peculiar bit of whimsy in the air.

I appreciate it for any number of reasons, not the least of which is that it reminds me of why I like living here and why I've stayed for so long.

Comments

[juliebata.livejournal.com]

It could be an ice cream truck. One that cruises around in our neighborhood plays that song, and sometimes "bicycle built for two".

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

I don't think so. This definitely has a boat's horn, and I can hear the movement as it moves toward the bridge.

One of these days, right to the space needle!

[the-same-andrew.livejournal.com]

One of these days, I have to get down to Seattle. Everything I hear and read about your city reinforces this belief!

I'm just so scared of travel in general, and the Homeland Security border guys specifically. The last time I went into the States, one of them asked me why my fingerprints were on file, and I nearly peed myself.

Re: One of these days, right to the space needle!

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

I'd be happy to show you around a bit. I'm so sorry travel is such an issue for you. It's one of my great pleasures. I understand the TSA guys giving you the creeps, though. They give me the creeps, too. Be nice to meet in person one day, though.

Fine with TSA

[the-same-andrew.livejournal.com]

I'm actually fine with the TSA-- if it makes them happy to cavity-search a fat middle-aged white guy at the gate, well, I honestly don't mind. I find being searched and interrogtated by a pissed-off working-class security guard far less offensive than being trapped in an aluminum-and-carbon-fibre tube surrounded by the stressed-out snotty upper-middle. The worst they'll do is keep me from boarding the plane. If I had time, I'd take the Greyhound, and that's the truth. The least stress I've ever had has been riding that grey dog, with all the other stinky pilgrims who talk to themselves and measure distance in smoke breaks.

It's the Border guys that make me so nervous. Entering the States one time (This was before passports were required; I had left my passport at home so as not to lose it...) I was ushered out for the all-possessions-searched treatment when I gave he wrong answer, or the right answer too nervously, or whatever. It occurred to me that I really had no way to prove much of anything, and I really didn't know what they were looking for.

I can't imagine flying anywhere of my own accord; the last time I went anywhere was to a stupid conference in stupid Florida. I guess I get through it by constantly reassuring myself: if they don't let me into their country or onto the plane, I can always tell my Director that it really wasn't my idea to just stay home.