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We've had a slower day than yesterday, leading up to a quiet evening and relatively early bedtime, as we'll be setting off at 5 a.m. on Wednesday to take GlassRoad to our local airport, the first stage of her very long journey back to her home in Perth, Western Australia.

From the moment we met, I was intrigued by the bracelets that she wears daily on her left arm. They remind me of the way our lives are enriched by the multitude of experiences we have over the years, the many individuals we encounter, and the variety of places in which we make our homes and to which we travel.

Today GlassRoad and I went to a very special place, the Lummi Gateway Center north of Bellingham, which "promotes prosperity for the community through tribal enterprise" and serves as "a stepping stone for small business development" with the goal of having those businesses "branch out on their own after receiving the intensive support services that their business needs to thrive."

The center houses a fresh seafood market, with most of the offerings coming from Lummi fishers; an arts and crafts market, where we enjoyed talking with the business owner, who was also one of the talented artists, and bought several things; a cafe, open six days a week; a bead shop (do read GR's evocative blip about it); and seven "small business incubator spaces."

It was my first trip to the Lummi Gateway Center, but will not be my last. I stand with the Lummi Nation and thousands of other folks in opposition to the proposed enormous Gateway Pacific coal terminal at Cherry Point, and was present at the August 2014 launch of one of a series of totem poles, carved by Lummi craftsmen, which have traveled across many other states to bring home that message. (More information is in my August 17, 2014 blip and here.) 

The Lummi Gateway Center was a perfect place to wrap up our time with GlassRoad, four days of diverse and interesting experiences and much good conversation. There is nothing quite like going from a two-dimensional Blip friendship to a three-dimensional one! Safe travels, GR, and I hope we'll have "real time" together again.


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