All for the border

At least it was a beautiful if frosty day to drive north almost to the border to get my interview to renew my Nexus Pass, for the quick access across the Canadian border.  (And Mt Baker was looking splendid.  photo thru the window at an odd setting..could be better... but I liked all those ducks on the water too! ...)    but what a hassle they make it!   I applied mid august (as it expires on my sept birthday..online they said wait 8-12 weeks.  H applied the day after (we couldn’t manage 2 the same day it was such a computer hassle ..heaven help non computer savvy or very old inexperienced folks!)  )  After 12 weeks  (!)  his card came in the mail.  but not mine.   After 2 more weeks I emailed and wondered if it was lost in the mail (always possible)  they instantly replied no you need to come get the interview (random I’m told) , when do you want to come after a week, only no, their Seattle office is closed…(no one told me I had to write to find out about the interview) so one has to drive to Blaine (1 hr 45 min today) close to the border.  Not knowing the traffic we got there early to the new large facility and then the 11:00 appointment was 45 minutes behind for basically 5 minutes “is this your name and address?”   And now the pass is much more expensive than it used to be and lasts half as long.    Why such hassles to cross this border is beyond me….. We do it once a month or so and definitely don’t want to wait in a long line.    I just don’t see the point in no open borders on this continent…
We needed lunch (and desperately coffee!) after that so stopped in Bellingham on way back and met blipper Connections (extra..whose son is the author is friday's blip)) for a good chatty lunch and I delivered a whole box of materials to a cool shop (Ragfinery) there that recycles all such sewing things..

Now trying to decide if we can get in the car for a basketball game tonight….